Buying a MBP 13 - Wondering about the adjustment from PC > MAC

[TaylorJ]

"For Mac OS newbies, the most important thing is to decide *if Mac OS X is right for you*. I know many people who made the switch for the wrong reason (just because the MBP looks so good) only to regret it later when "work" reality hits and apps aren't quite as expected. If you have decided that you can work with Mac OS X apps, go for it - you will be a very happy user."

This is a quote from a review about the new 15" (and other) MBP's. Link : http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2010/04/macbook-pro-review.html

The main reason I want a MBP is the battery life, I will most likely be getting the 13" pro. I like the backlit keyboard and al. design, which is why I am not getting the MacBook.

My question is regarding the switch from Windows to OSX, I know I will be able to adapt and learn the new features and differences in a few days/weeks, but I was wondering if from any of your experiences there is something you miss about Windows or something you find you cannot do at all on OSX.

I dont do any type of editing, just browsing, downloading movies, songs, saving pictures, emailing and alot of homework. I figured that there would be alot of different apps for the Mac to accomplish some of the things you can do on Windows, but I'm probably taking alot of stuff for granted right now and assuming it can be done on the Mac as well.

If this is in the wrong forum, please move.

 

[Xyp]

As a recent convert back to apple (I used Macs in the OS9 days...) from 7 years of XP, I can tell you that there's virtually nothing that you can't do with a Mac... unless you're absolutely in love with a specific program and can't live without it, in which case you should check whether that program has versions for both OSes. There is nothing that I have found yet that I miss from my Windows days- I'd definitely say that all the native Mac programs do better (and faster) than their Windows counterparts.

I just got my new MBP on Tuesday, and I'm definitely still acclimating... but the process is fairly straightforward; in general, my impressions of OSX are that nothing is hidden- by which I mean system prefs, program prefs, etc., and very frequently I'm finding there there is even MORE functionality than before. Everything works differently (and better in most ways, IMHO) than Windows, that's all.

The reason you're paying the premium for a Mac is OSX; make sure you like it before you buy. Pound-for-pound, there is little price difference (maybe around $150 for a base model to up to around $300 for the top of the line stuff) between a similarly equipped Windows machine and a Mac these days... at least in my experience. Both Windows machines and Macs have their virtues and drawbacks vis a vis upkeep / maintenance.

Maybe it would be a good idea for you to take an afternoon and spend an hour or two at an authorized reseller or Apple store, if you can (or the computer / IT bookstore at just about every major college carries Macs, too). Play around with OSX for a while and see how you feel about it.

Happy hunting.

 

[Eleventeen]

"For Mac OS newbies, the most important thing is to decide *if Mac OS X is right for you*. I know many people who made the switch for the wrong reason (just because the MBP looks so good) only to regret it later when "work" reality hits and apps aren't quite as expected. If you have decided that you can work with Mac OS X apps, go for it - you will be a very happy user."

This is a quote from a review about the new 15" (and other) MBP's. Link : http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2010/04/macbook-pro-review.html

The main reason I want a MBP is the battery life, I will most likely be getting the 13" pro. I like the backlit keyboard and al. design, which is why I am not getting the MacBook.

My question is regarding the switch from Windows to OSX, I know I will be able to adapt and learn the new features and differences in a few days/weeks, but I was wondering if from any of your experiences there is something you miss about Windows or something you find you cannot do at all on OSX.

I dont do any type of editing, just browsing, downloading movies, songs, saving pictures, emailing and alot of homework. I figured that there would be alot of different apps for the Mac to accomplish some of the things you can do on Windows, but I'm probably taking alot of stuff for granted right now and assuming it can be done on the Mac as well.

If this is in the wrong forum, please move.

As a guy who came out of an all-Windows world (I'm an MCP, and a former Windows support tech) the biggest change I found was getting used to Finder over Explorer. There are some things that were a hard lesson, managing files, especially over mounted shares/volumes or removable media. Chances are, based on your user patterns you won't run into a lot of these.

If you use your machine for mostly browsing and have used Firefox or Chrome on your Windows machine, your experience will be mostly transparent. The biggest issue is relearning keyboard shortcuts (most Ctrl shortcuts are Command shortcuts) if you used those a lot.

 

[TaylorJ]

Thanks so much for your reply!

Is that really what I'm paying for? Mac OSX?

My number 1 deal breaker for most laptops is the battery life. With (apparently) 10 hours, even if its 6, 7, 8 or 9 it is still better than most windows based laptops...right?

I also put build quality and features high up on the list. The multi-touch trackpad seems unrivaled. Many laptops also do not come with back-lit keyboard, which seems strange in the year 2010 (as does lack of battery life).

I will definitley play around with OSX, but even if I didnt, unless there are some major things I CANNOT do with it (which does not seem to be the case thanks to your reply), I will adjust to it and love it.

 

[Xyp]

Is that really what I'm paying for? Mac OSX?

Yeah, pretty much. Also, a damn slick overall design in looks and feel of hardware. Don't confuse that with durability, though- Macs break too. All the time.

My number 1 deal breaker for most laptops is the battery life. With (apparently) 10 hours, even if its 6, 7, 8 or 9 it is still better than most windows based laptops...right?

I think with any kind of mutitasking use (i.e. safari / quicktime / itunes / pages = firefox / wmp / itunes / word, running all at once), you're going to find that your 13" battery life is going to translate in to 5-7 hours of "real life" usage. That being said, Macs are up there with the best of them in terms of battery life at least from what I have seen- and when you compare hardware (CPU / GPU, etc.) in battery terms, the Mac is pretty much always on or right near the top. Learn how to conserve your battery (MRoogle or Google it for helpful hints) and you're golden.

I also put build quality and features high up on the list. The multi-touch trackpad seems unrivaled. Many laptops also do not come with back-lit keyboard, which seems strange in the year 2010 (as does lack of battery life).

The trackpad is totally addictive, no doubt about it. Thats all there is to it- its awesome. The back lit keyboard is cool, but a battery sucker... if you're concerned about that.

Good luck.

 

[Eleventeen]

Is that really what I'm paying for? Mac OSX?

In terms of the so-called Apple tax? No.

Think of this way. You're stepping out of a Chevy and into an Audi. Now I'm a fan of German cars so I'm biased, but if Chevy were to get my out of my German car they'd have to GIVE me a Vette ZR1, as fast as it is I'd still noticed it wasn't put together *quite* as well, or last as long, or look as nice.

Some of it is the OS, some of it is the hardware, that's up to preference. Yes there's little issues occasionally, no major hardware manufacturer that builds a machine so radically is going to be without faults, but I'd rather have a slightly loose hinge on a unibody MBP anyday over the plastic crap I had with Dells and HPs.

I encourage you to spend as much time as you can stand using OSX, I bet you'll find it a lot more friendly than using Windows was.

I can also point to the Switcher resources on the Apple site, if someone like my mother, who used PC's and Windows for years, like I did, can go from using Windows XP to using Leopard (and now Snow Leopard) - successfully- on her Macbook, anybody can.

 

[TaylorJ]

Thanks for all the great replies!

I dont think it would be a tough adjustment at all for me. I seriously think I would be okay with it after a few hours of use. I will take all of your advice and play around with OSX as much as I can.

Now the countdown begins to the iPod promotion so I can finally buy this thing! Btw, started looking into laptops for university in november and stumbled upon Macs, and then got rumours about the updates and been waiting ever since.

I am disappointed with the 13 'cause theres no way I am buying a 15 inch laptop for school, but I guess it should match my needs, I dont do any heavy editing or anything.

 

[Azathoth]

Thanks so much for your reply!

Is that really what I'm paying for? Mac OSX?

My number 1 deal breaker for most laptops is the battery life. With (apparently) 10 hours, even if its 6, 7, 8 or 9 it is still better than most windows based laptops...right?

One thing to keep in mind is that, just like with Windows - a lot of ppl are *not* getting the advertised battery lives - especially with the 15" models, where Apple's graphic card switching technology is halving battery life in some cases.

At the same time, Windows machines have been improving in battery life, especially if people do a bit of tweaking to prevent unnecessary background tasks from running .

I routinely get 4+hours on my 2.5 year old 65nm Merom-based computer in Windows 7 (Wifi on, 50% screen brightness, 56Whr 6cell battery). One of the MBP advantages is the integrated battery pack - which results in a larger capacity and therefore proportionally greater battery life.

I might go and buy a MBP15 later today, just to see how things work out - we run mainly Linux at the office and so the OS X unix base makes certain things easier for integration.