Apple's Newest Creation-The iPad

On January 27th Steve Jobs took the stage to unveil Apple's newest creation, the iPad. Weighing in at a mere 1.5 pounds it is lighter than any netbook on the market today. The iPad has a 9.7 inch display and sports a 1 GHz Apple built ARM A4 processor.

When showing the iPad to the crowd Jobs was quoted as saying "It looks like our leak!". The iPad can run all iPhone applications in full screen with a tap of the finger. Movies will be a dream to watch on it as the battery has a 10 hour battery life for watching video and an amazing one month standby time. The iPad's internal storage will come with a 16GB or 64GB flash storage.

Here are the full specifications:

• 9.7 inch IPS display
• 0.5 inches thin
• 1.5 pounds
• Full capacitive multi-touch interface
• 16-64GB of Flash memory storage
• 1 GHz Apple-branded A4 chip (developed in-house)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• 802.11n WiFi
• Built-in Speaker
• Built-in Microphone
• Accelerometer & Compass
• 30-pin Dock connector (same as iPod and iPhone)
• 10-hours of battery life (Over one month standby time)
• Runs all iPhone apps
• App Store application included

Buying a used Macbook may just be the solution you are looking for. You can find some great deals year round and especially around the Holidays as people buy new Macbooks and are wanting to sell their Macbook for cheap.

One of the best places to pick up a used Macbook is on eBay. You can find cheap Macbooks on sale all the time and purchase with confidence.

Looking for a cheap Aluminum 13" Macbook pro? How about a cheap Macbook Pro? Perhaps you want the portability of a Macbook Air or go all out and get a cheap 17" Macbook? Below are just a sample of the great deals you can find on eBay for cheap used Macbooks this Holiday season.

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Apple MacBook MB061LL B 133 2GHz 80GB 1GB N    US $465.00

Apple MacBook MB467LL A 133 24GHz 250GB 2GB    US $336.00

APPLE MACBOOK 133 ALUMINUM UNIBODY 160GB HD MINT    US $800.00

Apple Macbook 13 Leopard Core2 duo 2gb    US $425.00

Macbook w Snow Leopard installed    US $405.00

Apple MacBook AS IS Model A1181    US $264.00

Apple MacBook White 133 2GHz 80GB 1GB    US $491.00

White Macbook Intel Core 2 Duo 216GHz    US $315.00

Apple MacBook MA700LL A 133 3GHz 80GB 1GB N    US $356.22

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Last Fall Apple released the Aluminum Unibody Macbook and left the low end white cheap Macbook wanting. This year Apple decided to revamp the entry level laptop by redesigning the shell using the same technology that made the Aluminum Unibody Macbooks a success.

Included with the new unibody construction is the following:

• the thinner, lighter, more rigid construction
• a new built-in battery that lasts much longer
• the removal of all flaps and levers and covers (it now takes a screwdriver to open the back panel)
• a new multitouch glass trackpad
• new Mini DisplayPort video output (rather than mini-DVI)
• combined audio input and output ports (rather than separate audio in and out jacks)

Although we had hoped for a lower price point it seems Apple is content with the $999 price-tag.

Macmall has a lower starting price and sometimes includes a MacMall Preferred Account: No Payments for 6 Months on purchases over $500. BillMeLater: No Payments for 90 Days on purchases
of $250.

Many of the games are casual with some great titles like Bounce Out, Supar Collapse, Bejewelled 2, Zuma and many more. The site gives incentives to it's registered users with free online mac games of their older titles and access to recently released and premium games.

screenshot of Gamehouse main page

Gamehouse is an AWESOME place for those interested in playing casual games and is in the top of it's league in that field. With it's relationship with Real Networks they are adding new titles to the line up all the time offering more titles then the popular site PopCap.

The layout of the site has colorful, easy to use navigation with many options. If your looking for intense action games then Gamehouse may not be what your looking for but if you just want to pass the time with some friendly casual online Mac games then check out Gamehouse.

Get a 7-Day Free Trial to GameHouse FunPass

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The Sims 2 Mac Games 2005    US $18.50

SimCity Sim City Classic Window PC Mac Computer Game CD    US $3.25

LOT OF 10 MAC COMPUTOR GAMES    US $.99

Fleetwood Mac LP Future Games    US $5.50

LOT OF 9 NEW AND USED PC MAC COMPUTER GAMES    US $3.25

Pro Graphics Animation 3D Game Modeling Studio Mac XP    US $8.49

EPSON VIDEO PROJECTOR GAME THEATER DVD PC MAC HDTV 1080    US $200.00

X Plane 9 Mac Games    US $7.50

World of Goo PC MAC PUZZLE GAME SEALED IN BOX    US $9.85

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Shopping on eBay can be exciting, fun and for the new shopper sometimes intimidating. If your in the market for a cheap Macbook for sale then be sure to check out  this interesting article "Buying a cheap Macbook on eBay" that Macbook Watch published on ezine articles.

OS X the operating system on a Mac is similar to Windows but they do have some different ways of doing things that may require some learning for new Mac users.

Here are some more differences between Mac OS X and Windows:

• Menu Bar: When using Windows each program uses its own menu bar. When using a Mac program (called an Application) the menu bar on the top of your desktop changes according to the application that is being used
  

  Apple Menu Bar

• Control Panel: Windows users are all to familiar with the control panel. The Mac equivalent is the System Preferences and can be launched from the Dock or the Apple Menu
  

  System Preferences

• Ending Programs:This one sometimes confuses a new Mac user. In Windows to end a program you simply close the Window. On a Mac closing the Window does not end the application. To end an application on a Mac you must either select quit from the menu bar or by pressing thecommand + "Q" keys on the keyboard
  

  Quit an Application in Mac OS X

• Switching Applications: Switching programs in Windows is accomplished by pressing the Alt + Tab keys. This brings up all running programs and allows you to switch between them. Switching applications on a Mac can be done by using pressing the command + Tab keys.
  

  Switching Applications

  Mac also comes with Expose that can show all open windows at once in a smaller version so you can browse through them.

  

  Expose

If your considering making the switch from PC to Mac you may want to consider picking up a cheap Macbook to learn on. You will find that Making the switch is one of the smartest decisions you can make.

Be sure to read PC to Mac-Making the Switch part 1 for more differences.

If you would like to participate at Macbook Watch with interesting articles, please feel free to visit our contribute page.

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Macbook Pro

The new Macbook Pro line

Apple re brands all Aluminum Unibody Macbooks into one Macbook Pro line that includes the 13", 15" and the 17" Macbooks. The price on the 13" Aluminum Macbook. Minor speed bumps were also included with the base model going from 2GHz to 2.26 GHz and higher version from 2.4GHz to 2.53 GHz. The price was reduced from $1299 to $1199 on the low end and $1499 from $1599 on the high end. The higher priced 13" Macbook now comes with 4GB of memory as standard.
The new battery on the Macbook Pro line is enclosed and offers up to 7 hours on a single charge( 8 hours on the 17" Macbook Pro)
Firewire and an SD slot is now included in the new Aluminum Macbook Pro line meaning Apple did listen to their customers complaints. The entry level price on the 17" Macbook Pro has been dropped from $2799 to $2499.

Macbook Air

The "cheaper" Macbook Air

The Macbook Air clock speeds have been increased from 1.6GHz to 1.8 GHz and 1.86 GHz to 2.13 GHZ. The price has been reduced $300 on the entry level Macbook Air bringing it to $1499 and a respectable $700 drop in price on the high end model bringing it to $1799

White Macbook

The "cheap" Macbook

The "cheap" Macbook has also been updated with a faster Intel Core 2 Duo processor and advanced NVIDIA graphics. Firewire has also been included in the White Mac Book. An option to upgrade to a significant 500 GB hard Drive has been added. The processor has been upgraded to 2.13 GHz and the memory to 2GB with support up to 4GB.

Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard coming in September 2009

Snow Leopard was finally given a launch date of September 2009 and will have a price point of $29 for current OS X 10.5 Leopard single license users and $49 for the family pack.
Mac users with Intel machines running versions of Mac Os X such as Tiger can purchase the box set including Snow Leopard, iWork '09 and iLife '09 at $169 for a single license or $229 for the family pack.
Apple also announced the launch of the Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard with a price point of $499 that includes unlimited client licenses on Mac, Linux and Windows.

Safari 4

The Safari 4 browser was launched from public beta to the official version delivering a number of enhancements.

Some of the innovative features include the Nitro engine which is capabe of running Javascript up to .5 times faster then Safari 3.

Safari 4 makes browsing more enjoyable with features such as cover flow, Top Sites and full history search.

Apple Back to School Promotion

Every year college students interested in getting a cheap Macbook wait in anticipation for the back to school promotion. Besides the college education discount that can be used all year long they can also expect some sort of gift from Apple. Typically this has been an iPod but some rumor sites where predicting a free iPhone. The latter was highly unlikely seeing how the iPhone would require a commitment from the student to have that monthly bill. The iPod touch really does make more sense.

The Finder

The finder acts much like the start menu on a windows machine. When trying to locate anything on a Mac just click on the finder. The finder is used to access all the content on your hard drive, any external drives, discs or attached devices. All your applications ( the Mac equivalent of programs) can also be accessed in the finder menu. The finder menu also has a history so that any recent work can be opened with one click.

The Finder window is where you access everything on your Mac

There are four viewing options in the finder menu.

• Icons
• List
• Column
• Cover Flow

The Dock

The Dock is located at the bottom of the desktop by default but can easily be moved to the left or right side of the screen. It is a row of commonly used icons of applications that you use on your Mac and also shows you which applications are currently running.Similar to the windows task bar, the Dock also holds windows in their minimized state.

The Dock gives you easy access to commonly used Applications. Notice the glowing blue dot under the running Applications

To open an application simply click on its icon. When an application is running a blue glowing dot appears below the applications icon. Adding applications to the Dock is as simple as opening your applications folder and dragging it anywhere you want it to be. Deleting an application from the Dock is as simple as dragging it off the Dock. Deleting an applications icon from the Dock does not delete the actual application.

Right click Mouse

A right click mouse can be used with a Mac. It is a popular misconception that the Mac doesn't support the right click function. This is simply not true. The Apple Mighty Mouse supports right clicking and you can use just about any USB mouse on the Mac. If you are using a Macbook, to right click you would press the control key while clicking.

like the control panel on a PC, the System Preferences screen is used for customizing functions on your Mac.

The new Track pad on the Aluminum unibody Macbook, Macbook Pro and Macbook Air can be setup to designate the lower right corner as a right click or by pressing the track pad with two fingers.

Installing Applications

Applications on a Mac are the same as programs on a PC. Installing them is much different though. To install an application on a Mac, simply drag its icon into the application folder. That's it! No more waiting for an installation wizard to open. Removing an application is just as easy. Instead of a un-install menu you just drag the icon to the trash and your done.

Installing Firefox on a Mac

Installing Firefox on a PC. How many times do I have to click next?

We recognize that different people have different needs for their computer. What works for one person may not work for another. We would appreciate any additions you may have of comparable features between OS X and Windows,  features that may be missed in the transition from PC to Mac or just your own personal experience in making the switch.