I have been using Windows my whole life and I'm finally going to switch to Mac.

[Livewings]

I can't stand Windows 8.
I was able to handle Vista, but not Windows 8.
It's a total recipe disaster.
Cluttered, messy and goddamn ugly.
This is a perspective from a web designer.

It's time for me to switch to a Mac.
Is there any advice for a longtime Windows user?

I use the whole Adobe suite, Microsoft Office & Visual Studio frequently.

What about games? One reason I hate Mac is because of Games support.

Here I come, rMBP.

[sk1wbw]

Don't judge a platform based on games. If you did, the Xbox would be the best computer on Earth. Even though you can't do anything with it except play games.

[Livewings]

Originally Posted by sk1wbw

Don't judge a platform based on games. If you did, the Xbox would be the best computer on Earth. Even though you can't do anything with it except play games.

I didn't judge Mac OS X based on games.
I said I play games.

[lightz39]

A loaded rMBP will do you just fine on games. Better than any console out today. You should have an easy time getting accustomed to mac. I attended a 2 year web design course in college and all we used is Mac.

[dannylillhtc]

Originally Posted by Livewings

I didn't judge Mac OS X based on games.
I said I play games.

i made the switch this year having used windows for 15 years or so, best thing i ever did, most apps are available in both windows or mac format, those that are not there is normally a mac equivalent. they take some getting used to but osx is probably the best os available at the moment its so stable and secure. there are some things that i dont like about apple like there ridiculous upgrade prices, however if youve been fiddling with pc's for years you should have no bother sourcing upgrade parts at normal prices and fitting them yourself.

[Barna Biro]

Originally Posted by Livewings

I can't stand Windows 8.
I was able to handle Vista, but not Windows 8.
It's a total recipe disaster.
Cluttered, messy and goddamn ugly.
This is a perspective from a web designer.

It's time for me to switch to a Mac.
Is there any advice for a longtime Windows user?

I use the whole Adobe suite, Microsoft Office & Visual Studio frequently.

What about games? One reason I hate Mac is because of Games support.

Here I come, rMBP.

I've made the exact step more than a year ago too. I also gave Windows 8 a try recently, but I just can't get used to it... beside the fact that I find it utterly ugly, the most bothering part is that it's totally counterintuitive. I'd honestly rather go back to using Windows 95 or whatever else than have to work with Windows 8.

As for advice: If you're not familiar with Linux / Unix then you'll surely need a bit of time to get used to terminal commands and where things are in general in your system. Still, this process is relatively short and not too painful...

There are games that come with an OSX version too, but if gaming is quite important to you, then rather have Windows 7 running under bootcamp and install games there ( that's how I'm run all my games... even the ones that have OSX version, I still prefer keeping all my games under Windows than mixing things or scattering them around ). It's also more likely that bugs will be fixed slightly faster on Windows than OSX, + some games actually produce higher fps under windows ( they are simply better optimized for Windows ).

[InlawBiker]

Alright my friend I'll give it to you straight. Windows 7 is good but I never tried Windows 8 and I never intend to.

My advice as a lifelong computer geek, Adobe software is better on Mac and was always meant for Mac. Designers don't use Windows.

If you are using Visual Studio and you write code then why are you switching to Mac? That makes no sense.

If you love games and play them often then don't switch. You will be sorely disappointed. Stick with Win7 or learn Win8.

Originally Posted by Livewings

I can't stand Windows 8.
I was able to handle Vista, but not Windows 8.
It's a total recipe disaster.
Cluttered, messy and goddamn ugly.
This is a perspective from a web designer.

It's time for me to switch to a Mac.
Is there any advice for a longtime Windows user?

I use the whole Adobe suite, Microsoft Office & Visual Studio frequently.

What about games? One reason I hate Mac is because of Games support.

Here I come, rMBP.

[M5RahuL]

Windows 8 ehhh... I agree

But, Windows 7 is super !! My work computer is the ThinkPad 530 with Windows 7 Pro, and its just as amazing as my rMBP !

MS Office is way better on Windows!!!

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by Livewings

I can't stand Windows 8.
I was able to handle Vista, but not Windows 8.
It's a total recipe disaster.
Cluttered, messy and goddamn ugly.
This is a perspective from a web designer.

It's time for me to switch to a Mac.
Is there any advice for a longtime Windows user?

I use the whole Adobe suite, Microsoft Office & Visual Studio frequently.

What about games? One reason I hate Mac is because of Games support.

Here I come, rMBP.

I made the switch in January of this year and would never (ever) switch back!

I went for a 27" i5 iMac and stuck 16 gig of RAM in it and loved it.

I recently sold that and got myself a 13" MBP and a Thunderbolt Display, to give me portability.

I now still have the ability to work on a beautiful 27" display, but I can now take the machine away simply by unplugging 2 leads (power and Thunderbolt), so it gives me great flexibility.

I already had an an iPhone, an iPad and an Apple TV, so it just made sense to remove my Windows machine form the equation.

I found the initial move a little daunting in honesty, but after a few weeks I was flying around (anything I'm unsure about or need to know is also quickly answered at MacRumors!).

I reckon I've spent in one year of ownership, the time I would spend weekly on my Windows machine with regards to updates/maintenance.

I seriously regret not making the move sooner too, it's made a really positive change to my productivity.

I know there's the old "and so it should for the money you pay" arguement, but for me, the old saying "you get what you pay for" has never been more true!

I'm also just waiting on an SSD for the MBP and once that's arrived I'll be moving the stock 750 gig HDD to the optibay using a caddy.

From a gadget/tech/productivity perspective, moving to a Mac was the best move I've ever made.

HTH.

[sk1wbw]

I've got Windows 7 Ultimate on my MacBook Pro. Runs great, probably better than my wife's Dell desktop.

[-Concept-]

Windows 7 ultimate is an awesome OS, although I'll say that I do like all of Apple's better. My advice for you would be to first get used to the controls, like the Dock, spotlight, using Finder, things like that. It will make your life a whole lot easier in the long run.

The only thing I like so far about Windows 8 is the lock screen. I put a really nice picture on my lock screen.

[Livewings]

Originally Posted by Azzin

I made the switch in January of this year and would never (ever) switch back!

I went for a 27" i5 iMac and stuck 16 gig of RAM in it and loved it.

I recently sold that and got myself a 13" MBP and a Thunderbolt Display, to give me portability.

I now still have the ability to work on a beautiful 27" display, but I can now take the machine away simply by unplugging 2 leads (power and Thunderbolt), so it gives me great flexibility.

I already had an an iPhone, an iPad and an Apple TV, so it just made sense to remove my Windows machine form the equation.

I found the initial move a little daunting in honesty, but after a few weeks I was flying around (anything I'm unsure about or need to know is also quickly answered at MacRumors!).

I reckon I've spent in one year of ownership, the time I would spend weekly on my Windows machine with regards to updates/maintenance.

I seriously regret not making the move sooner too, it's made a really positive change to my productivity.

I know there's the old "and so it should for the money you pay" arguement, but for me, the old saying "you get what you pay for" has never been more true!

I'm also just waiting on an SSD for the MBP and once that's arrived I'll be moving the stock 750 gig HDD to the optibay using a caddy.

From a gadget/tech/productivity perspective, moving to a Mac was the best move I've ever made.

HTH.

Thank you everyone for your feedback.
Makes me the more excited to switch to a Mac.
Mac used to be overpriced piece of junk that includes inferior
hardware compared to Windows laptops.

But now, it's the other way round.
There will no be computer that comes close to rMBP in the next two or three years thanks to that magnificent display.

What if I want to run Office 2013 in Mac?
It's kind of obvious Microsoft put its priority on its own platform.

Is it possible to make it look as native as possible running side by side with Mac apps?

----------

Originally Posted by InlawBiker

Alright my friend I'll give it to you straight. Windows 7 is good but I never tried Windows 8 and I never intend to.

My advice as a lifelong computer geek, Adobe software is better on Mac and was always meant for Mac. Designers don't use Windows.

If you are using Visual Studio and you write code then why are you switching to Mac? That makes no sense.

If you love games and play them often then don't switch. You will be sorely disappointed. Stick with Win7 or learn Win8.

I already mastered Windows 8 but as I said I hate Windows 8.
Completely counter-intuitive to the already excellent Windows 7.

But I want give a Mac a try since Microsoft gave me that chance.
I can run Visual Studio via Parallels right?

----------

Originally Posted by -Concept-

Windows 7 ultimate is an awesome OS, although I'll say that I do like all of Apple's better. My advice for you would be to first get used to the controls, like the Dock, spotlight, using Finder, things like that. It will make your life a whole lot easier in the long run.

The only thing I like so far about Windows 8 is the lock screen. I put a really nice picture on my lock screen.

The lock screen is probably the most awesome thing of Windows 8.
That is not a good thing.

The start screen looks ugly on 2880x1800.
I don't even think Microsoft was even prepared for resolutions higher than 2560x1600.
Such a shame.

[Azzin]

You can get Office 2011 for Mac.

[satcomer]

To the op I highly suggest getting the book Switching to the Mac, Mountain Lion Edition. It is an easy read and IMHO could be a great help/resource in getting your first Mac.

[Jessica Lares]

The first thing that you need to understand about switching to a Mac is that you NEED to give up Windows. Get Office for Mac, but don't bother with Parallels. It would be like emulating OS X in Windows 8. Bootcamp instead, it works better that way.