Exactly two years ago, a box arrived at my doorstep in Belgium, containing something that would change the way I interacted with computers. My very first computer (that I owned myself), and my very first Mac. A brand new Macbook I ordered the day he arrived.
I would like to give you my thoughts after two years of intense use of it as a student and amateur video maker.
I'll start with the positive side:
The thing I love most about having a Mac is the great software. It began that first week after filming for a school trip in London, where we edited the video with three students in the school auditory. I could, after only a few days with my Macbook, hook it up to a Beamer, use iMovie to import and edit the video, and we made a movie that still stands out between the many other videos made from these school trips. If you want to watch it, you can find it on Youtube. (it has a few rather boring parts, I'm afraid)
And to this very week, I wowed my friends with a DVD made in iDVD, not to mention the creations in between with iMovie, iPhoto, iWeb, and of course Keynote. (not a presentation goes by without comments on how beautiful it was)
Of course there are many other facets. I would name stability as one, though not without some remarks you will find later in my review.
Then of course the ease of use. Hot corners, expose, shortcuts and many other features all contribute to the incredible speed you can operate a Mac with.
The design and beauty of my computer is also mentionable. The smaller form factor than most computers and the splendid white design make it stand out, and it is often mistaken for an expensive computer (Mac are a lot less known in Belgium than in the US)
The speed of my computer has been good overall (I'm considering a RAM upgrade) but the amazing thing is that it's still as fast now as it was 2 years ago, something very strange for PC's
But I also want to mention some of the more negative aspects:
There have been a lot of cases where the legendary stability was lacking in my experience. I have had 1 kernel panic (very early on), several lock-ups (maybe because of the 1 GB RAM having to work overtime), unexplainable crashes (though they are very rare) and of course the awful Keynote reboot-on-play bug (which happens about once every project) which has cost me many hours of work already.
And the most unfortunate thing is that these things mostly happen while someone (the more people, the more it happens) is watching me at my computer.
The computer has stood itself quite well during 2 years of thorough use (moving every week between home and school, outdoor use, being deployed at unsuitable places, etc.) but is now showing its age a bit: the A-key is chipped, though not uncomfortable to use, the hand rests are a bit discolored (without the defect) and the exterior shows signs of usage.
Having a Mac sometimes required a bit more work trying to get certain things working. I still await a good version of MSN Messenger, and there are enough other things that are Windows-only to make this a point to mention.
Conclusion
I'll probably add or change some of these points afterwards, but for now I think I can conlude the following:
If I were to be transported two years back, I would definitly buy the Macbook again. It has been a fenomenal help and has made me into the go-to digital-creative guy for my friends and family. It also made my brother switch to Mac when he went to college.
It has been a very quick transition coming from Windows, and now, I can say I know my way pretty well around the Mac now.
There were problems along the way, no doubt, but these only occured when I did more than I did on a PC.
In a way, the Mac platform challenged me to do things better, faster, to try doing new things and making it easier. It doesn't only provide the means, but also the motivation. And that, the fact that it activates me as a user, is the biggest merit I can name of my Macbook.
I would like to give you my thoughts after two years of intense use of it as a student and amateur video maker.
I'll start with the positive side:
The thing I love most about having a Mac is the great software. It began that first week after filming for a school trip in London, where we edited the video with three students in the school auditory. I could, after only a few days with my Macbook, hook it up to a Beamer, use iMovie to import and edit the video, and we made a movie that still stands out between the many other videos made from these school trips. If you want to watch it, you can find it on Youtube. (it has a few rather boring parts, I'm afraid)
And to this very week, I wowed my friends with a DVD made in iDVD, not to mention the creations in between with iMovie, iPhoto, iWeb, and of course Keynote. (not a presentation goes by without comments on how beautiful it was)
Of course there are many other facets. I would name stability as one, though not without some remarks you will find later in my review.
Then of course the ease of use. Hot corners, expose, shortcuts and many other features all contribute to the incredible speed you can operate a Mac with.
The design and beauty of my computer is also mentionable. The smaller form factor than most computers and the splendid white design make it stand out, and it is often mistaken for an expensive computer (Mac are a lot less known in Belgium than in the US)
The speed of my computer has been good overall (I'm considering a RAM upgrade) but the amazing thing is that it's still as fast now as it was 2 years ago, something very strange for PC's
But I also want to mention some of the more negative aspects:
There have been a lot of cases where the legendary stability was lacking in my experience. I have had 1 kernel panic (very early on), several lock-ups (maybe because of the 1 GB RAM having to work overtime), unexplainable crashes (though they are very rare) and of course the awful Keynote reboot-on-play bug (which happens about once every project) which has cost me many hours of work already.
And the most unfortunate thing is that these things mostly happen while someone (the more people, the more it happens) is watching me at my computer.
The computer has stood itself quite well during 2 years of thorough use (moving every week between home and school, outdoor use, being deployed at unsuitable places, etc.) but is now showing its age a bit: the A-key is chipped, though not uncomfortable to use, the hand rests are a bit discolored (without the defect) and the exterior shows signs of usage.
Having a Mac sometimes required a bit more work trying to get certain things working. I still await a good version of MSN Messenger, and there are enough other things that are Windows-only to make this a point to mention.
Conclusion
I'll probably add or change some of these points afterwards, but for now I think I can conlude the following:
If I were to be transported two years back, I would definitly buy the Macbook again. It has been a fenomenal help and has made me into the go-to digital-creative guy for my friends and family. It also made my brother switch to Mac when he went to college.
It has been a very quick transition coming from Windows, and now, I can say I know my way pretty well around the Mac now.
There were problems along the way, no doubt, but these only occured when I did more than I did on a PC.
In a way, the Mac platform challenged me to do things better, faster, to try doing new things and making it easier. It doesn't only provide the means, but also the motivation. And that, the fact that it activates me as a user, is the biggest merit I can name of my Macbook.
