I need Apple people for advice please - Page 3

glb613 · ‎03-09-2010

@Laura14 wrote:
I am seriously considering buying my first MacBook. It's a huge investment but I am planning on doing a self publishing business and the gold standard for that is vellum which is a Mac only software product.

I saw the new MacBook Air is out which it sounds like people love over the most recent offerings. The only con I can find is overheating complaints. The best is the keyboard which is most important to me as a writer. I heard on the other models that typing was horrible so I would rather put money in up front towards a better product.

My big objective in taking the plunge is the vellum software which says it needs 40gb and an occasional book cover design which will probably be done in Photoshop. Maybe. Still researching that one but that is gold standard too.

I don't mind stepping up a bit in price since it sounds like entry level i3 and 256 ssd won't get me far but I can't get nuts. Right now, I am thinking the i5 512gb should fit my needs.

Am I thinking correctly here for writing plus occasional picture editing? Or would you have a better suggestion?

I have a Macbook Pro 13 inch and like everything but the keyboard. It definately is NOT a soft touch style of keyboard and is nothing like my old Macbook Pro. It's not bad enough to return it or stop using it but, if it was my only or main computer, I'd use it on a desk and attach a external keyboard. BTW, I did test it out when I was at Best Buy and it didn't seem too bad. Sometimes it takes time to really evaluate a computer.

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@Nuttmeg @glb613 Thank you both! I spent some more time in my writers groups and a lot of them were just buying an older Mac off of eBay to run the vellum formatting software so a brand new model would do fine.

And I think I am overthinking the book covers. Most people have an outside designer it seems or they do manage with some of the cheaper softwares themselves.

In researching it all until my head hurts, it looks like MacBook Air is a really great option but I have to be comfortable leaving pc behind. Let me tell you, Windows 10 almost makes that a very easy decision.

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

If you're planning to self publish through Amazon you might want to rethink everything. I've self published ten books so far through Amazon, and Vellum software may not be your best option. Amazon makes a Kindle plug-in for Microsoft's Word that pretty much does everything for you in formatting a book. It creates a title page, copyright page, index, and formats everything for you pretty much with a click or two of your mouse. It's very, very handy and easy to use. Combine that with Grammarly's software (or wait a couple of weeks until Microsoft's version of Grammarly comes out) and you pretty much can't go wrong. Add in the fact that a Windows machine will typically give you more value for the dollar and more options and the move to Apple may not be ideal.

The Amazon plugin is called Kindle Create. It comes in versions for both Windows and Mac, but I've only used the Windows version with Word. You can read more about it at Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing site. I'd post a link, but the mods here tend to poof anything with a link to an Amazon page, even if it's not a shopping page.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@Mz iMac So I went all over the Apple site as you suggested to really get into it and build. Super suggestion.

Can you really send a document in Pages to your IPad from a MacBook or vice versa? It looks crazy simple and if I can send my novel draft between devices, that may just seal the deal for me. I am so used to carrying around thumb drives to work and home and plugging them into USB ports . If I can keep everything in two places and just airdrop or share them without worrying about losing my drive, I might be in love.

jackthebear · ‎03-11-2010

@Laura14 wrote:
@Nuttmeg @glb613 Thank you both! I spent some more time in my writers groups and a lot of them were just buying an older Mac off of eBay to run the vellum formatting software so a brand new model would do fine.

And I think I am overthinking the book covers. Most people have an outside designer it seems or they do manage with some of the cheaper softwares themselves.

In researching it all until my head hurts, it looks like MacBook Air is a really great option but I have to be comfortable leaving pc behind. Let me tell you, Windows 10 almost makes that a very easy decision.

moving from windows to mac wasn't that hard

I can do anything on the Macbook that I did on the dell,

everything on my iphone/ipad and mac all syncs together

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

Thanks @gardenman ! I've heard different things about formatting and I've been all over Kindle. Most people don't have an issue like you but some swear by Vellum.

You have got my exact dilemma. I'm very familiar with MS Word and you're right about more bang for buck.

But I recently had a horrific experience with my first Dell computer and it's tough to know what laptop will really hold up for a while anymore even with reviews. I'm not a techie so I just want something that works fast and won't crash after an update which has become commonplace with me on phones and laptops alike. I'm starting to see the appeal of Apple and a higher price point.

I also saw someone create their covers in MS Word and it looked fantastic! And you can now get a stand alone version of Word without subscribing every year which I like too.

I hate computer buying. Knowing that someone is succeeding and successful with what I currently know in what I want to do is beyond helpful. Thank you!

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@jackthebear Can you sync documents in Pages from your MacBook to IPad or IPad to MacBook? Apple says yes but I want to know if anyone has ever actually done it without an MIT degree.

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

One more quick suggestion. Word lets you autosave documents to OneDrive (Microsoft's cloud) and you can access them from anywhere on any device. I can access my files using my Chromebook, Fire Tablet or LG smartphone. The autosave is very handy. I'm not a huge fan of writing on my Chromebook's version of Word, but it's a good place to reread what I've written.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

Awesome! Thanks @gardenman . I hate writing on my Chromebook too and I just found an outrageous deal on an Acer ( i7, 12 ram, 512 ssd) which is my most favorite laptop brand ever. I still have my old one and it's still been my go to even though it takes a walk around the block to boot up now.

I always forget we have clouds. The fact that you are doing exactly what I want it for is all I need. I'll save myself some money. Thank you so much!

Wsmom · ‎03-09-2010

@glb613 wrote:
@Laura14 wrote:
I am seriously considering buying my first MacBook. It's a huge investment but I am planning on doing a self publishing business and the gold standard for that is vellum which is a Mac only software product.

I saw the new MacBook Air is out which it sounds like people love over the most recent offerings. The only con I can find is overheating complaints. The best is the keyboard which is most important to me as a writer. I heard on the other models that typing was horrible so I would rather put money in up front towards a better product.

My big objective in taking the plunge is the vellum software which says it needs 40gb and an occasional book cover design which will probably be done in Photoshop. Maybe. Still researching that one but that is gold standard too.

I don't mind stepping up a bit in price since it sounds like entry level i3 and 256 ssd won't get me far but I can't get nuts. Right now, I am thinking the i5 512gb should fit my needs.

Am I thinking correctly here for writing plus occasional picture editing? Or would you have a better suggestion?
I have a Macbook Pro 13 inch and like everything but the keyboard. It definately is NOT a soft touch style of keyboard and is nothing like my old Macbook Pro. It's not bad enough to return it or stop using it but, if it was my only or main computer, I'd use it on a desk and attach a external keyboard. BTW, I did test it out when I was at Best Buy and it didn't seem too bad. Sometimes it takes time to really evaluate a computer.

@glb613, can you explain a bit more about the keyboard? I have a 13-inch pro that I have had for awhile and I'm interested in getting a new computer. I take it it is vastly different feel on the keyboard? Do you mean you have to pound harder on the keys or ?? TIA!