I have been a PC user for about 6 or 7 years, mostly because it was cheaper and utilized more business logic. But when I noticed my PC starting to fizzle out, I knew I needed to upgrade my computer and decided to get a laptop – and to further it, I went with a MacBook. I was hesitant, but went with it. I purchased the Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-Inch Laptop MB991LL/A.
So it has now been a year since I bought it, so I think it gives me a fair appreciation of the Mac instead of my initial knee-jerk reactions. Of course, upon using it, I was trying to do all the controls of a PC on a Mac, which is like trying to text on a rotary phone. I dont know if thats a fair analogy. Some of the ways that the Mac was set up seemed alien at first. Everyone talks about how easy it is to use and how great it is, etc. But I was skeptical and almost disliked it at first. The OS functioned differently, I had a hard time finding items. Mac seemed to have folders already in place for everything, most of which I was unfamiliar with. All of the programs seemed to want to commingle with each other, which was also weird.
But as I got to play with it more and more, I realized the brighter side of it. The best part of the Mac that I have found versus the PC is the stability of the OS. I have probably needed to restart the computer about 10 times in the past year, and thats all due to either an installation or just to refresh the system. The system has NEVER crashed. Whereas the PC, it would be standard operating procedure to crash once a day. The fact that the Mac OS is that stable speaks volumes! While there is always room for caution, I dont have to be as paranoid about spyware or any deadly viruses. Where the PC, you are seemingly an open target for every website.
The track pad on here does take time and effort to get a handle. Its quite sensitive and the space is small to work in. Its not ideal to do any graphics work, but moving around on the internet and the system is very easy once you get a gist of the controls. Be careful of your finger placement thought, it picks up the subtlest touch – even when your other hand is seemingly out of the way! I preferred the right click on the left bottom side than the default right bottom side. It still needed practice to use the double click within the same area you are moving your cursor. But its so much easier than older Macs that have a button to click. At least, when I use someone elses Mac and there is a button to click, I am ill-adjusted to that form of tracking. But if you get this now, there are system updates that fix some of the hardware issues concerning the tracking.
Adding media, such as printers, cameras, scanners is very simple. Its literally plug n’play. Very nice and compatible with most stuff. And it knows what to do with the content as well – or you can direct it once and it takes it from there. It was unfortunate that my Epson R300 printer is not compatible. This did not mean I was unable to use the printer, it only meant that I cannot tell which color is out of ink when it did run out. So thats something to be on the alert.
The major flaw that I have found, and I wish they would work on it, is Safari. While its a good browser, its the one program that crashes on me the most. It also seems to lag more than any other program. Initially, scrolling up and down would set it off and the timer would come on. Now, I watch a lot of hulu and they introduced the new tabs with pre-destined web pages with pictures, it will invariably crash. I understand that its a conflict with the Flash program – but still, you think its been taken care of by now. I like Safari, but I think its time to push the browser technology one step further (IMO).
So after a year of using the MacBook, I have found that A) I love the traveling with a computer!! B) It is a super-stable system. If you are thinking of getting a Mac, my best advice is to look at them and see if you like the design, the look, etc. It might help to know someone who has previous knowledge of how to navigate well on the Mac. Also, be patient in your transition. Don’t expect everything to be as smooth as creamy butter at first because it wont. Its gonna be frustrating because you will want it to perform and function like a PC and it will resist that.
Keep in mind that I don’t feel that there is a strong “Mac vs PC” competition as they both perform well. I do believe the Mac edges out Windows in terms of OS. Design-wise, Mac may also have the edge. But we are also at the stage of technological advance where its coming down to preference and fashion. While there is more available for Windows, it also comes with a boat load of spy/ad/mal/ware. So Mac, in my mind is more secure. On the other hand, there were programs I enjoyed on the PC that are not available for the Mac – so there is a sacrifice! I am not a Mac addict, but I do appreciate the products they do release as they are high quality stuff, which you will pay for. So take that into consideration. I do recommend this MacBook or any of their laptops primarily because of the OS. To me that is the bottom line for the computer. Mac has shown they are a very stable system, on top of looking great!
It cost quite a bit for this lap top and I am happy with the purchase I made.
(as an aside – the Snow Leopard OS upgrade does make small changes that seemed to affect 3rd party hardware. I noticed my Cannon digital camera could no longer be read once I upgraded. Although I assume some of those kinks will eventually be ironed out, it is a little on the frustrating side).