I posted this on my site, but I thought it would nice posting it here as well.
Ive finally taken the plunge into the Mac world. Ive been using my new 15? PowerBook for almost a week now, and it doesnt just look good, it does a great job as well. You could say that this is the reason why there have been a lot of Apple related posts on my site recently. This is the story of a recent switcher.
The Prelude
ve used Windows as my main operating system my entire life, and frankly Ive been quite happy with it. Ive never had any serious issues with virus, spyware or security holes. Sure I have had some problems with drivers, programs unexpectedly freezing and forcing me to reboot the entire computer, as well as some hardware related issues, but no major ones. For that Im lucky I guess. Ive always managed to sort the problems out. Then why Mac? Why did I chose to switch if I was more or less happy with the Windows platform? Why bother learning something new, when I can be safe and sound? Good questions.
This decision was not so much about spyware, virus or security holes, but rather about approaching your computer with a different attitude. I was searching for a better computer experience basically. Many Windows related problems you can solve with a decent firewall, an anti-virus program installed, and updating Windows on a regular basis then youll be quite safe. SP2 fixed many of security holes, and in fact my PC has never crashed since I installed it. But all of this requires time and knowledge. To keep your computer clean and reasonable safe takes a fair amount of time. Time I could use to work on a paper, read my mail, or browse the web. Yeah, you get the picture. I shouldnt be bothered with issues like virus and spyware.
So I decided to look into what options I had instead of using Windows. I could buy a PC laptop and install a Linux distribution on it, but that of something would require a great deal of knowledge and particularly time, or am I wrong? No, I wanted something to work right out of the box, with a safe and stable OS. I wanted something that just works.
The only option left that could give me all of that was Apple. I had never thought about if before, but now the thought appealed more and more to me. So I started to research, to find out as much as possible about Mac computers and OSX in particular, that didnt just look great, but also is based on UNIX. A rock-solid operating system that is safe and on top of that gorgeous. So I discovered the great community surrounding Apple - a cult of Mac, if you wish.
The Cult of Mac
I read tons of forum threads, articles, reviews, rumors, everything I could find about Apple. The place to find this information was of course MacRumors.com, and am I glad that I found it? You bet I am. I searched through the forums, and of course I wasnt the first to ask questions about making the switch, so I found a great deal of information covering most of my questions.
I had already decided to go with a laptop, but I was torn between the 12? iBook and a 12? PowerBook. I posted a thread about this and the nice people at MacRumors.com were more than happy to answer all of my remaining questions. I finally decided to go with a 15? PowerBook, mostly because I dont need that much portability that what justify a 12? laptop, but rather a desktop replacement. I had finally made my choice I was going to switch to a Mac! Now comes the worst part of the story the almost endless waiting game.
Playing the Waiting Game
When I had made my decision and had all my money in my hand ready to buy a brand new 15? PowerBook I read countless of rumors indicating that an update to the PowerBook line was due. I didnt want to buy a new computer one week, just to discover that it was updated the next. No this was a game between the need and of the want of a new computer. I had set the target for Apple Paris Expo and my expectations was sky-high. But the expo came and went without any hint of a PowerBook update. I was upset to say the least, and very disappointed about the .Mac update. Apple could have at least given me a hint when an update was due, I thought. But I kept waiting.
When Apple finally announced the One More Thing I thought this is it, theyre finally going to give me that bloody update. Both the blogosphere and the forums buzzed with speculations and expectations about this event. I wrote a rumor roundup and on the day of the event I sat and refreshed rumor sites reading bits and pieces on the forums to find a hint of an update. But this wasnt my lucky day either. What was I going to do? Should I buy one when Ive waiting so long? I decided to wait another week and when Apple announced that they was going to hold another press event about their latest pro innovations I knew that this was it, despite my previous predictions.
It was a long a week, and the day before the event I even counted the hours until the keynote, and then they announced the update. Some was very disappointed about it performance wise, but I was happy. And there is a reason why Apple is moving to Intel Freescale obviously cant deliver. I put an order for a 15? PowerBook merely a couple of hours after the event, and I can say that I had a hard time sleeping that night. I entered phase two of the waiting game, but this game had a delivery date.
This was the long wait for my new PowerBook to arrive. I dont know how many times I checked the tracking site for updates. I almost addictively clicked that damn refresh button every five minute or so. I called TNT to make sure my package was on its way and safe. And then on Monday morning my shipping status changed to Out For Delivery. Yes!! Im going to get my computer today. I was thrilled to say the least. I didnt know how a computer could affect me this much, but it did.
It's here!
After months of waiting, hours of reading forum posts, articles, and a great deal of money, I finally unwrapped the beautiful black package, with the Apple logo in its side. I cleaned my desktop and put my stunning 15? PowerBook down. I was greeted by the introduction video, which was nice, but I had seen it before. Some configuration and I was staring at a blue desktop, a dock and some icons OSX. It just looked plain smooth and gorgeous.
My first encounter with a better computer experience though, was during the first startup when OSX had found my wireless network and asked me if I wanted to connect to it. I clicked yes, and OSX connected without any hassle. I kept telling myself there has to be something more for me to do to make it work. But the answer was no, it just worked. I was impressed to say the least. I loved it already! When using Windows you expect that there will be problems and after some configuration youre fine again. But not this time OSX had done the job for me. Beautiful!
Some Initial Thoughts
OSX doesnt just look good, it does the job as well. Take for example Exposé, it looks nice, but it also has improved my workflow and despite me cluttering down the desktop I in an instant can find a particular program or get rid of everything and show my desktop. Exposé is a great example of the strength and beauty of OSX.
When talking about eye-candy, mentioning Dashboard would be suitable. Same thing here, it looks good, but also fills a great function. Dashboard keeps me updated on the weather, my site statistics, and other basic stuff, without interfering me in my work. Simply great!
And Spotlight, what can I tell you that you havent heard before. Probably nothing, but I can say that Im getting used to search for things on my computer. In Windows, search was something you did if you absolutely couldnt find the particular file, and then you went to make some tea or something when Windows performed the search. Spotlight has in a serious way changed my habits and made my work more effective.
The spell checker, where have you been all my life? This is just a small thing, but it is so nice to write an entry like this or a forum post, or whatever, and then have it all nice and correct. Invaluable!
OSX shows one great thing as well when you installing applications I could not believe it was this simple! In Windows there was always a long installation guide, which put a great deal of junk everywhere; shortcuts, auto start, and so on.
One more thing, I love the sleep mode, and that it jumps back again in a matter of seconds when I wake it up.
Final Words
To sum it up I couldnt be more happy with my choice to switch and of laptop. Im already spoiled with the functionality and beauty of OSX and the PowerBook looks stunning and performs well. To all others who think about switching to a Mac what are you waiting for? It just works.
I would also like to thank everybody here on MR for their answers when I've asked dumb or evidently easy questions!
Thank you!
Ive finally taken the plunge into the Mac world. Ive been using my new 15? PowerBook for almost a week now, and it doesnt just look good, it does a great job as well. You could say that this is the reason why there have been a lot of Apple related posts on my site recently. This is the story of a recent switcher.
The Prelude
ve used Windows as my main operating system my entire life, and frankly Ive been quite happy with it. Ive never had any serious issues with virus, spyware or security holes. Sure I have had some problems with drivers, programs unexpectedly freezing and forcing me to reboot the entire computer, as well as some hardware related issues, but no major ones. For that Im lucky I guess. Ive always managed to sort the problems out. Then why Mac? Why did I chose to switch if I was more or less happy with the Windows platform? Why bother learning something new, when I can be safe and sound? Good questions.
This decision was not so much about spyware, virus or security holes, but rather about approaching your computer with a different attitude. I was searching for a better computer experience basically. Many Windows related problems you can solve with a decent firewall, an anti-virus program installed, and updating Windows on a regular basis then youll be quite safe. SP2 fixed many of security holes, and in fact my PC has never crashed since I installed it. But all of this requires time and knowledge. To keep your computer clean and reasonable safe takes a fair amount of time. Time I could use to work on a paper, read my mail, or browse the web. Yeah, you get the picture. I shouldnt be bothered with issues like virus and spyware.
So I decided to look into what options I had instead of using Windows. I could buy a PC laptop and install a Linux distribution on it, but that of something would require a great deal of knowledge and particularly time, or am I wrong? No, I wanted something to work right out of the box, with a safe and stable OS. I wanted something that just works.
The only option left that could give me all of that was Apple. I had never thought about if before, but now the thought appealed more and more to me. So I started to research, to find out as much as possible about Mac computers and OSX in particular, that didnt just look great, but also is based on UNIX. A rock-solid operating system that is safe and on top of that gorgeous. So I discovered the great community surrounding Apple - a cult of Mac, if you wish.
The Cult of Mac
I read tons of forum threads, articles, reviews, rumors, everything I could find about Apple. The place to find this information was of course MacRumors.com, and am I glad that I found it? You bet I am. I searched through the forums, and of course I wasnt the first to ask questions about making the switch, so I found a great deal of information covering most of my questions.
I had already decided to go with a laptop, but I was torn between the 12? iBook and a 12? PowerBook. I posted a thread about this and the nice people at MacRumors.com were more than happy to answer all of my remaining questions. I finally decided to go with a 15? PowerBook, mostly because I dont need that much portability that what justify a 12? laptop, but rather a desktop replacement. I had finally made my choice I was going to switch to a Mac! Now comes the worst part of the story the almost endless waiting game.
Playing the Waiting Game
When I had made my decision and had all my money in my hand ready to buy a brand new 15? PowerBook I read countless of rumors indicating that an update to the PowerBook line was due. I didnt want to buy a new computer one week, just to discover that it was updated the next. No this was a game between the need and of the want of a new computer. I had set the target for Apple Paris Expo and my expectations was sky-high. But the expo came and went without any hint of a PowerBook update. I was upset to say the least, and very disappointed about the .Mac update. Apple could have at least given me a hint when an update was due, I thought. But I kept waiting.
When Apple finally announced the One More Thing I thought this is it, theyre finally going to give me that bloody update. Both the blogosphere and the forums buzzed with speculations and expectations about this event. I wrote a rumor roundup and on the day of the event I sat and refreshed rumor sites reading bits and pieces on the forums to find a hint of an update. But this wasnt my lucky day either. What was I going to do? Should I buy one when Ive waiting so long? I decided to wait another week and when Apple announced that they was going to hold another press event about their latest pro innovations I knew that this was it, despite my previous predictions.
It was a long a week, and the day before the event I even counted the hours until the keynote, and then they announced the update. Some was very disappointed about it performance wise, but I was happy. And there is a reason why Apple is moving to Intel Freescale obviously cant deliver. I put an order for a 15? PowerBook merely a couple of hours after the event, and I can say that I had a hard time sleeping that night. I entered phase two of the waiting game, but this game had a delivery date.
This was the long wait for my new PowerBook to arrive. I dont know how many times I checked the tracking site for updates. I almost addictively clicked that damn refresh button every five minute or so. I called TNT to make sure my package was on its way and safe. And then on Monday morning my shipping status changed to Out For Delivery. Yes!! Im going to get my computer today. I was thrilled to say the least. I didnt know how a computer could affect me this much, but it did.
It's here!
After months of waiting, hours of reading forum posts, articles, and a great deal of money, I finally unwrapped the beautiful black package, with the Apple logo in its side. I cleaned my desktop and put my stunning 15? PowerBook down. I was greeted by the introduction video, which was nice, but I had seen it before. Some configuration and I was staring at a blue desktop, a dock and some icons OSX. It just looked plain smooth and gorgeous.
My first encounter with a better computer experience though, was during the first startup when OSX had found my wireless network and asked me if I wanted to connect to it. I clicked yes, and OSX connected without any hassle. I kept telling myself there has to be something more for me to do to make it work. But the answer was no, it just worked. I was impressed to say the least. I loved it already! When using Windows you expect that there will be problems and after some configuration youre fine again. But not this time OSX had done the job for me. Beautiful!
Some Initial Thoughts
OSX doesnt just look good, it does the job as well. Take for example Exposé, it looks nice, but it also has improved my workflow and despite me cluttering down the desktop I in an instant can find a particular program or get rid of everything and show my desktop. Exposé is a great example of the strength and beauty of OSX.
When talking about eye-candy, mentioning Dashboard would be suitable. Same thing here, it looks good, but also fills a great function. Dashboard keeps me updated on the weather, my site statistics, and other basic stuff, without interfering me in my work. Simply great!
And Spotlight, what can I tell you that you havent heard before. Probably nothing, but I can say that Im getting used to search for things on my computer. In Windows, search was something you did if you absolutely couldnt find the particular file, and then you went to make some tea or something when Windows performed the search. Spotlight has in a serious way changed my habits and made my work more effective.
The spell checker, where have you been all my life? This is just a small thing, but it is so nice to write an entry like this or a forum post, or whatever, and then have it all nice and correct. Invaluable!
OSX shows one great thing as well when you installing applications I could not believe it was this simple! In Windows there was always a long installation guide, which put a great deal of junk everywhere; shortcuts, auto start, and so on.
One more thing, I love the sleep mode, and that it jumps back again in a matter of seconds when I wake it up.
Final Words
To sum it up I couldnt be more happy with my choice to switch and of laptop. Im already spoiled with the functionality and beauty of OSX and the PowerBook looks stunning and performs well. To all others who think about switching to a Mac what are you waiting for? It just works.
I would also like to thank everybody here on MR for their answers when I've asked dumb or evidently easy questions!
Thank you!
