Many externals just work, even if they don't say they are compattible, and we are needing such drives less and less often now anyway.
On 4 May 2014, at 14:31, Eileen Misrahi <eileen.misr...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hello, > > I will ditto what David said. The way I handle a DVD/CD ROM drive is using an > external one. There are plenty out there that shouldn't cost more than $20. > The one I have is from my PC netbook days that didn't have an internal DVD > drive. Just make sure that the drive is compatible for Macs. HTH. Oh by the > way, I purchased an 11 inch MBA with all specs max out and it's well worth > the cost if you can do it. I'm in the process of loading all the software > that I can't run on the Mac on the PC side through bootcamp and it's doing a > terrific job, barring the user's mistakes and learning Win 8. Good luck and I > know you will enjoy the MBA. > > Take care. > > Eileen > > Sent from my iPhone > >> On May 4, 2014, at 5:31 AM, David Taylor <e.david.tay...@icloud.com> wrote: >> >> Hi, >> >> I've gone for the 11 inch myself. I maxed everything out on it and find it >> is plenty good enough for me. If you don't need a built in SD slot, it has >> everything the 13 inch does, and easy enough to get any adaptors you need >> for connections it doesn't have, such as Ethanet if you want that. The >> portability is just awesome, performance perfectly good enough for almost >> every conceivable use, and I get hours of battery even when sat outside, >> streaming, tweeting, downloading and all sorts. I have a USB 3 hub I plug in >> for connecting and charging everything. Works for me, anyway. >> >> Cheers >> Dave >> >>> On 4 May 2014, at 07:31, Tristan <theblinddj...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> This was a great post. It really reopens the door to potentially >>> getting a Mac Air -- thanks Kayaker. I'd even maybe go for the >>> 13-incher, as it offers a longer battery life; though I may be >>> unnecessarily attempting to over compensate in terms of statistics. >>> I'd be happy to discuss this further with you offlist. >>> >>>> On 5/3/14, Kayaker <sea...@me.com> wrote: >>>> Hi, >>>> >>>> There have been a lot of unsupported and non objective replies to your >>>> query. >>>> >>>> All Macs you can buy today are solid performers. We have reached the point >>>> in CPU performance that there's little difference between bottom of the >>>> line >>>> and top of the line machines for us who can't see, what's the difference >>>> between 500 frames per second in some game vs. 450 frames per second when >>>> your eye can't tell the difference. I promise you the average blind user's >>>> Mac barely breaks 30% cpu day to day. This part of the reason why the PC >>>> market is declining--people don't need to upgrade as often as they had in >>>> the past. >>>> >>>> There is absolutely no reason to buy the Macbook Pro if you are blind. The >>>> cost is mainly in the retina screen. >>>> >>>> The single most important factor is internal memory. That will be the most >>>> significant real world speed boost for you and will help you in both >>>> bootcamp and or a virtual PC situation. >>>> >>>> Don't bother paying for the processor upgrade. Do max out your RAM though. >>>> The internal hard drive SSD is the other place to put your money. The sweet >>>> spot in price seems to be 256G. >>>> >>>> Some people will argue that using VM to run Windows needs every ounce of >>>> processor speed. I'll again argue the real world throughput for a blind >>>> user >>>> will be negligible. I suggest you test it out for yourself at an apple >>>> store. >>>> >>>> >>>> I've been using Macs since the beginning. They last. I still use a PowerMac >>>> G 5 that's 10 years old. Part of it works better than my MacBook Air 2012 >>>> running the latest version of Mavericks. >>>> >>>> For a blind person, the 11 inch MacBook Air is a steal. Max out the RAM >>>> on >>>> the entry level version and pick a HD size that fits your needs. >>>> >>>> Doubt my suggestions? Go to an apple store and see if you notice any >>>> difference between the two models. You won't. >>>> >>>> Take the lightness, portability and power of the current 11 inch Air, and >>>> put the extra dollars towards apps. And if you don't want a laptop, save >>>> even more and get the MacMini. >>>> >>>> >>>> Best, >>>> --k >>>> >>>> Faith doesn't give you the answers, it merely stops you from asking the >>>> questions. >>>> >>>> >>>>> On May 2, 2014, at 7:13 PM, Tristan <theblinddj...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Hello, >>>>> >>>>> I've been a part of this group for some time now, and have enjoyed the >>>>> wealth of information that I've gleaned from observing. I've finally >>>>> come to the decision on switching from Windows to Mac. I'll either be >>>>> getting a MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro. >>>>> >>>>> One of the big things for me, however, is virtual machines (or >>>>> bootcamp). I still want to be able to virtualize a copy of Windows in >>>>> case I have programs that will only work on the Windows side. Right >>>>> now, the main things I do on Windows are word processing, internet >>>>> browsing, Skype which would be possible on the Mac side, music and the >>>>> occasional game (mostly MUDs using a low memory client). I would like >>>>> to get a steady balance between battery power and processing power >>>>> without having to deal with busyness and lag. >>>>> I have my eye on the MacBook Air 13 inch (with both processor options) >>>>> or the MacBook Pro. >>>>> MacBook Air configuration - 13 inch (256GB SSD HD): >>>>> 1.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz >>>>> 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory >>>>> >>>>> Or the MacBook pro (without Retina, 13 inch): >>>>> 2.9GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz >>>>> 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM -- 2x4GB >>>>> >>>>> I'm really stuck at this point -- what will work the bes? It's also >>>>> sort of nerve-racking putting a large amount of money into something >>>>> that's already two years old. In all, I'm looking for something that >>>>> will last, has updated hardware, and can handle an OS running >>>>> alongside the Mac environment without any hiccups. I'm on a budget of >>>>> about 1,550 dollars. >>>>> I warmly welcome any advice. And yes, I know this list is mainly for >>>>> voiceover users -- but I thought, as a visually impaired user myself, >>>>> that it would be appropriate to ask here. >>>>> >>>>> Thanks in advance. >>>>> -Tristan >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>>> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. >>>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. >>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. >>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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