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MacBook Pro Buyers Remorse - am I missing something?

M

mrochester

macrumors 603
Original poster
Feb 8, 2009
5,109
3,080
Hi all

Just yesterday I received my first ever Mac - a bottom end MacBook Pro costing me a total of £905. I have to admit to feeling a bit disallusioned about it right now as there's nothing about the OS that's really jumped out at me as being a WOW kind of thing. The hardware itself is lovely, and the trackpad is really nice (other than it being quite stiff and difficult to press), but I don't feel like that alone is worth £905.

I've installed a few familiar bits of software like Firefox and Trillian, and I've setup my email in Mail, but I'm now sort of scratching my head and wondering 'what now'? There are a number of things I can't figure out like how to get a 'network places' type window as per Windows so that I can see and browse the contents of all my networked PCs. Each time I want to access a shared folder I'm having to use the 'Go' - 'Connect to Server' and manually type in the address of the computer I want to access. I would have expected all my network shares to appear in 'Go' - 'Network', but this is totally empty.

I also can't find a way to show desktop, or minimise all windows, and windows appear to have no facility to snap to a grid; rather, you have to manually line them up to sit alongside one another. Is there a setting I'm missing somewhere for these? I might have slight OCD as I have to admit to feeling a bit anxious about my desktop looking so messy!

Another thing that's making me feel a bit disallusioned right now is the apparent massive reliance on keyboard shortcuts to get things done. As a rule, I hate keyboard shortcuts, and I'd much rather avoid them at all costs! However, it seems that OSX has been built on the premise of the keyboard being the main way to issue commands rather than the mouse, and that isn't conjusive to the way I use my computer. I guess this is so fundamental to the way OSX works that there is simply no way of getting by without having to use keyboard shortcuts?

I was like a kid at Christmas waiting for this MBP to arrive, but I very much had that sinking feeling last night. I'm disappointed because everything points to this being a cracking machine, and people rant and rave about how great OSX is. I really want to love it, but that £905 credit card bill is niggling at the back of my mind, and that's an awful lot of money for a machine that looks pretty, but otherwise isn't anything special.

Are there any pointers or things that I can do to make me see the value of this thing? I want to give it a fair chance and see if it manages to pick things up as I have 14 days to decide whether to send it back for a refund. Are there any things I can install and do with it that'll blow my mind and realise the potential?

Many thanks for any advice and ideas.

Michael.
 
You are not alone my friend...

mrochester said:
Hi all

Just yesterday I received my first ever Mac - a bottom end MacBook Pro costing me a total of £905. I have to admit to feeling a bit disallusioned about it right now as there's nothing about the OS that's really jumped out at me as being a WOW kind of thing. The hardware itself is lovely, and the trackpad is really nice (other than it being quite stiff and difficult to press), but I don't feel like that alone is worth £905.

I've installed a few familiar bits of software like Firefox and Trillian, and I've setup my email in Mail, but I'm now sort of scratching my head and wondering 'what now'? There are a number of things I can't figure out like how to get a 'network places' type window as per Windows so that I can see and browse the contents of all my networked PCs. Each time I want to access a shared folder I'm having to use the 'Go' - 'Connect to Server' and manually type in the address of the computer I want to access. I would have expected all my network shares to appear in 'Go' - 'Network', but this is totally empty.

I also can't find a way to show desktop, or minimise all windows, and windows appear to have no facility to snap to a grid; rather, you have to manually line them up to sit alongside one another. Is there a setting I'm missing somewhere for these? I might have slight OCD as I have to admit to feeling a bit anxious about my desktop looking so messy!

Another thing that's making me feel a bit disallusioned right now is the apparent massive reliance on keyboard shortcuts to get things done. As a rule, I hate keyboard shortcuts, and I'd much rather avoid them at all costs! However, it seems that OSX has been built on the premise of the keyboard being the main way to issue commands rather than the mouse, and that isn't conjusive to the way I use my computer. I guess this is so fundamental to the way OSX works that there is simply no way of getting by without having to use keyboard shortcuts?

I was like a kid at Christmas waiting for this MBP to arrive, but I very much had that sinking feeling last night. I'm disappointed because everything points to this being a cracking machine, and people rant and rave about how great OSX is. I really want to love it, but that £905 credit card bill is niggling at the back of my mind, and that's an awful lot of money for a machine that looks pretty, but otherwise isn't anything special.

Are there any pointers or things that I can do to make me see the value of this thing? I want to give it a fair chance and see if it manages to pick things up as I have 14 days to decide whether to send it back for a refund. Are there any things I can install and do with it that'll blow my mind and realise the potential?

Many thanks for any advice and ideas.

Michael.
Click to expand...


Hey Michael. When I received my first MBP I had a short while of buyers remors, kinda like the feeling of post coidal malaise lol. Never Fear!! Once you go Mac- you NEVER go back. Here's a couple tips to get you on your feet.

Go to system preferences.
1. Choose Expose and Spaces- customize your hot corners and the like.
2. Choose Dock- customize your dock using combinations of the enlarging and the like.
3. Choose Track Pad- customize your track pad setting with multi touch- and a favorites of mine- two finger scrolling including horizontal scrolling, zoom while holding control, clicking and click drag, TWO FINGER SECONDARY CLICK (like a right click on Windoze that opens options), and ignore accidental input. (Pretty much click every trackpad/multitouch option and USE them).

A LOT of the great user experience revolves around the incredible multitouch trackpad Apple makes, no other PC comes even CLOSE!! Seriously.

Customizing your Mac is the first big step so there you go. I recommend buying a Mac OS beginner/secrets book (there are many of them just choose the one with the best rating on amazon.com) and learn the joys of having a computer than does what you actually tell it to. I <3 :apple:
 
BigBeast said:
Hey Michael. When I received my first MBP I had a short while of buyers remors, kinda like the feeling of post coidal malaise lol. Never Fear!! Once you go Mac- you NEVER go back. Here's a couple tips to get you on your feet.

Go to system preferences.
1. Choose Expose and Spaces- customize your hot corners and the like.
2. Choose Dock- customize your dock using combinations of the enlarging and the like.
3. Choose Track Pad- customize your track pad setting with multi touch- and a favorites of mine- two finger scrolling including horizontal scrolling, zoom while holding control, clicking and click drag, TWO FINGER SECONDARY CLICK (like a right click on Windoze that opens options), and ignore accidental input. (Pretty much click every trackpad/multitouch option and USE them).

A LOT of the great user experience revolves around the incredible multitouch trackpad Apple makes, no other PC comes even CLOSE!! Seriously.

Customizing your Mac is the first big step so there you go. I recommend buying a Mac OS beginner/secrets book (there are many of them just choose the one with the best rating on amazon.com) and learn the joys of having a computer than does what you actually tell it to. I <3 :apple:
Click to expand...

Thanks, I have customised the trackpad a bit (such as tap to select rather than press) and I'll have a further fiddle in the trackpad settings to see what else I can find!
 
Michael, sorry to hear about your disappointment.

I don't want to go in to particulars but if you really feel the need to compose this text right after receiving your first Mac (and a beautiful one that is) maybe it is not right for you.

On the other hand it usually goes like this: people use OS X the first time after years on Windows. Now Windows isn't all that bad, W7 is a great OS, but the older versions just suck a little :) So your switching to the Mac OS and it may be a little difficult to get your head around things. Just take your time.

YOu love the hardware. Allow yourself some time to love the software, too. You won't be disappointed.

All the best.
Sascha

PS: Just a thought for "window snapping" - google "BetterTouchTool". It allows for great customization of window, mouse and trackpad behaviour.

PSS: Maybe have a look: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/903635/ Another new Mac user who describes his feelings after receiving his brand new Macbook Pro :)

PSSS: Apple hosts some thoughts on switching. The Mac 101:
http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/
 
If you have the 2010 model, move 4 fingers upwards on the trackpad to view desktop. Pull 4 fingers down to view all open windows. Move 4 fingers left or right to view all open applications. That helps out a bit.
 
mrochester said:
Hi all

I also can't find a way to show desktop, or minimise all windows, and windows appear to have no facility to snap to a grid; rather, you have to manually line them up to sit alongside one another. Is there a setting I'm missing somewhere for these? I might have slight OCD as I have to admit to feeling a bit anxious about my desktop looking so messy!

Michael.
Click to expand...

I too have the same issue. To show the desktop you need to press F11, but how do you snap windows to a grid? I don't want to do it manually. Does anybody know how to perform the above? Also, how can you maximise a window edge to edge? I always have to maximise and align the window manually.
 
parajba said:
I too have the same issue. To show the desktop you need to press F11, but how do you snap windows to a grid? I don't want to do it manually. Does anybody know how to perform the above? Also, how can you maximise a window edge to edge? I always have to maximise and align the window manually.
Click to expand...

I've just ordered a MBP 15 (antiglare) and will probably be going through the same steps - about 20% of the office are using MBPs and raving about how good they are. Most migrated from various versions of Linux (where 20% of anything doesn't work), whereas I'll be coming from a Win7 background. We run the office on Linux, so OS X's unix foundation is the only reason that it makes sense for me to go to a Mac (Linux is too time consuming to get working properly on a laptop, and often has issues regarding sleep mode)

The multitouch trackpad seems to be the 'killer app' for the MBP - though I cannot honestly say that it's intuitive.

I already know that there will be a couple of features like window management that IMO are *better* on Windows 7:
*window resize from any part of the window edge
*snap to edge when resizing
*Win key + arrow keys for smart tiling of windows (or moving to another monitor)
*I like the maximise button to reduce window clutter - when I'm working on 5 projects I prefer to have only one window visible at a time.


Hopefully I'll be able to find some little utilities that can sort out some of those things. Any suggestions?
 
Take a look at a little program called: sizeup. It's really awesome for window management, albeit it all with keyboard shortcuts. But once you get used to that, you'll wonder how you ever did without.
 
zymeth said:
Take a look at a little program called: sizeup. It's really awesome for window management, albeit it all with keyboard shortcuts. But once you get used to that, you'll wonder how you ever did without.
Click to expand...

Whilst I appreciate your answer, are we saying that to make up for the lack of windows management (refer to my post above) in MaxOS I have to install 3rd party apps to manage the windows in a decent way...? That would defeat the object then...Isn't the GUI one of the OS's key responsibilities? I don't want to install 3rd party apps that might make the system unstable. I would like to keep the OS clean and simple without 3rd party garbage...
 
BigBeast said:
Never Fear!! Once you go Mac- you NEVER go back.
Click to expand...

What a silly statement. I went back and I know plenty of people who have.

parajba...yes there are lots of things weird or left out with the OS when comparing it to Windows. Over time I found I liked it better that Windows except for a few minor things that I just dealt with.

Mrochester....I switched back not because the OS was underwhelming but because I thought the price was ridiculous for what I was getting. I would give it at least the return period and wring it out...you may love it. There is a learning curve coming from a lifetime of Windows. But despite what the fandom here will tell you there are plenty of good laptops from other brands and lots of people go back and forth.
 
parajba said:
Whilst I appreciate your answer, are we saying that to make up for the lack of windows management (refer to my post above) in MaxOS I have to install 3rd party apps to manage the windows in a decent way...? That would defeat the object then...Isn't the GUI one of the OS's key responsibilities? I don't want to install 3rd party apps that might make the system unstable. I would like to keep the OS clean and simple without 3rd party garbage...
Click to expand...

Same thoughts here, but you have to realise in OS X land - it's Steve Job's way or the highway. MS gives people a lot of choices and thereby has to support a *huge* variety of systems and settings. Apple doesn't and can therefore supposedly deliver a more stream-lined experience.

I don't like the idea of extra utilities, but it *should* be pretty easy to add/remove them from the system cleanly.

It is slightly galling to see SizeUp costing 13 bucks (yes OS X is generally cheaper than Windows, but still) - any free utilities to do some of the above mentioned things?
 
Just another thought: Get used to the idea of hiding your applications, not minimizing. Try clicking on another app in the dock while holding OPT (or ALT) et voilà it hides the previously active application. Throw CMD into the mix so you're holding CMD+OPT and it hides all other apps.
 
"Now what?"

Isn't just great you don't have to make all these configuration before you can use your mac? With Windows you need to make all these changes before you can actually use it... also, you're going to appreciate your mac within time, since it won't slow down like windows does. My macbook has never been fully formatted in the last two years and I still enjoy the same speed since opening it. Belief me... you'll like it.

Also, check out the amazing iLife package. iLife is probably one of the best things when switching from a PC. It's easy and fun.
 
Azathoth said:
??? please explain what you mean here.
Click to expand...

He is talking out of his rear like most fanboys. You can use a Windows machine right out of the box just as well as a Mac.

iLife is just a few apps that most people don't use much outside of iphoto (personally I never used any of them)...it's hardly some major reason to switch.
 
pastparticiple said:
He is talking out of his rear like most fanboys. You can use a Windows machine right out of the box just as well as a Mac.

iLife is just a few apps that most people don't use much outside of iphoto (personally I never used any of them)...it's hardly some major reason to switch.
Click to expand...

I can understand some of the iLife advantage - in fact I bought my mother a MB in order to 'empower' her (she'll have to figure out the computer by herself as my father is Windows only) and because I figured that iPhoto would probably be the best way for her to do the photoeditting she wants to do. Myself I use Lightroom as it's cross platform.

In fact my strategy has always been to learn and use cross platform sw as much as possible, to prevent being tied down to any - and I would recommend others reading this thread to do the same.
There is a monetary cost to switching, but even worse than that is the time wasted in learning a new platform & applications. A vendor lockin which has been to Microsofts advantage until now and Apple is picking up to torch (see the iTunes Store infrastructure)

*Firefox
*Thunderbird
*Openoffice (our 25 person company runs on openoffice since 2001)
*VLC player
*Adobe Lightroom
*Audacity


Any Live Messenger recommendations? aMSN was never that stable when I tried it in 2008 ish period.
 
My son summed it all up. We bought him an Acer laptop for school (he's 11), which he set up himself (he also uses my MacPro and laptop).

Without any prompting or bias from me, (in fact I've deliberately not pushed the 'Mac is best' concept, because of the dominant use of PCs at school) and after using his PC laptop for six months he said...

..."Dad, Macs are so much easier to use, things are easier to find."...
..."Can I have your laptop when you get a new one?"

I think that's what you are paying for with the OS.

Secondly the style. Lastly the build. Are they worth it? To be honest - no, they are overpriced, but what other option is there?.

Which would I choose - working in the creative environment, where the look, feel and ergonomics of a product are important - definitely the Mac. If it were down to simple utility and value for money - PC every time.
 
it takes a while.

1. Windows management is better from a "I need to get a lot of work done"
standpoint but horrible from a "I need to look over data while using another program" standpoint. Spaces helps alleviate this, if you can train yourself to use it you wont miss snapping windows as much.

2. You don't need to use keyboard shortcuts. There integrated heavily into the OS but you can do everything with a mouse you can with windows.

3. Showing Desktop / Windows is handled by Expose and is done pretty well. 4 finger swipe up to show desktop. 4 down to show all open windows.

OSX is different from Windows, not better. You get people go on and on about how its so much better - they are either liars or uninformed. OSX's beauty, for me, is Unix. Terminal.app is the single most powerful thing on the computer, and I like that. For others its just a pretty OS with limited options. Its a sidewise computing experience to windows, in someways higher and in someways lower. I WILL say keep the computer and see if its strengths are what your looking for. Those strengths are very good on OSX.
 
Azathoth said:
Any Live Messenger recommendations? aMSN was never that stable when I tried it in 2008 ish period.
Click to expand...

I have almost the same app list as you...they all work great.

Re a messenger I use Microsoft's MSN for Mac....always worked fine for me.
 
Download Adium for your instant messaging


it supports MSN, AIM, Yahoo, etc in one program with Growl support
 
Dont' worry and stick with it!

I came over to Mac from Windows because I was tired of the hardware problems I'd been having and loved the form factor of the new mac's, so I bought one.

I had the exact same feelings as you, even went back my windows machine to work at times the first few weeks ... then before long everything 'clicked' ... I became spoiled by how quick, easy and simple it is to do tasks on a Mac and how there was now seemingly so many steps to do a simple windows task ... once you get to this point you'll never go back.

Stick with it a short time ... then before you know it you'll more comfortable with your Mac than you've ever been with you PC.

It WILL come, sooner than you think I'm sure. Play around with you Mac all weekend and you'll be well on your way.

Good Luck.
 
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