What are the reasons for owning a MBP

[polbit]

I don't get the point of choosing a Mac and Mac OS X, then trying to make it work like Windows. I decided to have an open mind about OS X when I switched from Windows, and I'm really glad I did. I don't want to set the OS X like Windows (just like I don't want to set up Lion to work like Snow Leopard.) I want to use it as intended, and reap the benefits of the OS I'm using. That's why I love my trackpad on OS X and the gestures, but I use a mouse with Windows. Comparing a method to close a program/window is silly, as we can come up with long lists of items for both OSes that work faster in one vs the other, not to mention that Apple is going towards the "you shouldn't car what programs are open" design.

The screen on the 13" MBP is definitely its weak point compared to other MBPs or even MBAs, and I know Thinkpads have the best keyboard in the business, but we use them in the office, and I actually prefer the feel of the Apple keyboard. Again, personal taste.

In the end, if you like your Thinkpad and its screen, keyboard, and want everything to work like Windows, as others have said, sell the Mac.

 

[dusk007]

Even with bettertouchtool. I miss how I can just see all my programs that are open in windows and I can just hover my cursor over them and close them instantly with my middle mouse button. What do I have to do in OS X? I have to go in to app expose or MC. Then I have to find the window that I want to close.

I also never quite understood people who liked the dock or those guys to put something similar in Windows on theirs desktop. Especially if you have 2 - 4 pdfs open the taskbar is missing. Dock is only some kind of quick launch bar that doesn't really do anything. Windows Taskbar with combine if full showed me the names of the pdfs which looks as a thumbnail view exactly alike and you have the position to immediately switch to the right one.
I got used to it however but I work mostly with alt+tab(switch between windows of same app) and cmd+tab (switch between app). If I only have the mouse I set the topleft corner to show the expose with windows of the currently open app. Dock is the cmd+tab for the mouse. Expose I only use with the touchpad. My mouse is more accurate and faster and Expose too slow.

As for the closing of windows problem I found such a great solution that makes up for all the shortcomings. Set three finger swipe up to trigger cmd+W and down for cmd+N(finder,word..) or CMD+T(Tab apps like browsers, editors ..) app specific.
It works so flawless and fast in finder and browsers it is amazing. No Idea why it is not default already. Click a pdf in a browser > it opens > it is not what you were looking for > three finger up > it is gone.
Finder windows down > new window > find something > up gone.
Incredibly smooth and simple. Something you really start missing elsewhere once you are used to it.
The middle mouse button still is useful for clicking away many many tabs but in a browser the swipe is usually better because it works everywhere on the page, you need not accurately move your cursor somewhere first.

BTW if you go back to Windows. WizMouse is a nice tool to enable background scrolling that Windows is still missing for some reason.

In terms of usability Windows has just as many or even more shortcomings. The lack of a comparable touchpad with a software like bettertouchtool is imo the biggest one as you cannot really slove the problem. Most other OSX features (spaces, expose ..) one can enable in Windows too if one really wants them enough. I couldn't deal with an incredibly inefficient default OSX either but I found that I could solve almost all problems to my liking. Replacing finder with pathfinder is the single one that wasn't satisfying enough. It lacks some proper integration and I would want full control over all shortcuts.
Default finder in OSX is definitely crap that would be and still is my biggest complaint. Somtime one needs it and it wouldn't be difficult to make it an at least half decent app.

 

[Alexjones]

What are the reasons for owning a MBP? Simple. They work . You turn it on, It goes on. You turn it off, It goes off. Plus they are so damn sexy...

 

[sweetbrat]

I have a 2008 MacBook Pro and I love it. I do graphic design work using mostly Adobe software. My 15" MBP is large enough for me to do my work on, but small enough to still be portable. It's a little workhorse, and still going strong. Even when I get a desktop system later this year, I'll still be keeping the MBP for when I'm traveling or need to visit a client.

 

[ipodlover77]

@OP

you weren't able to find the flaws within the two week return period? Did these problems suddenly arise after a month?

just asking cause most people would find things they don't like after a few days and from that they would either keep or return..

 

[derickdub]

I wanted to know what some of the reasons for you are for owning a MBP.

I have a 2011 MBP13 and I suffer from major buyers remorse. I recently had to use my old thinkpad for matlab and it caught me by surprise just how easy it was for me to do everything. I came to realize that I just don't like the touchpad and the keyboard of the MBP. And the gestures doesn't make up for superior tactile feedback of the thinkpad. Even with bettertouchtool. I miss how I can just see all my programs that are open in windows and I can just hover my cursor over them and close them instantly with my middle mouse button. What do I have to do in OS X? I have to go in to app expose or MC. Then I have to find the window that I want to close. Then I have to click it. And then I have press CMD+Q. My thinkpad also has an IPS screen and everything looks much sharper and the colors look better. I spend more than 2 hours to configure my MBP13 to look exactly like that IPS screen in terms of color reproduction and I finally gave up.

I bought the MBP13 primarily for its design. After using it I could add another feature to the list. 1) It works better with my airport express when streaming music. So its basically the aluminum design and airplay of the MBP vs the rest of the thinkpad. I basically don't like anything else of a mac.

But I also have buyers remorse because the MBP15 and the MBA. I keep thinking over and over again. Should I have gone for the Hi-res glossy MBP15 or should I have waited a month for the new MBA? Can anyone help me please

Command+Tab sounds like it would do you very much good.

 

[sporadicMotion]

I wanted to know what some of the reasons for you are for owning a MBP.

I have a 2011 MBP13 and I suffer from major buyers remorse. I recently had to use my old thinkpad for matlab and it caught me by surprise just how easy it was for me to do everything. I came to realize that I just don't like the touchpad and the keyboard of the MBP. And the gestures doesn't make up for superior tactile feedback of the thinkpad. Even with bettertouchtool. I miss how I can just see all my programs that are open in windows and I can just hover my cursor over them and close them instantly with my middle mouse button. What do I have to do in OS X? I have to go in to app expose or MC. Then I have to find the window that I want to close. Then I have to click it. And then I have press CMD+Q. My thinkpad also has an IPS screen and everything looks much sharper and the colors look better. I spend more than 2 hours to configure my MBP13 to look exactly like that IPS screen in terms of color reproduction and I finally gave up.

I bought the MBP13 primarily for its design. After using it I could add another feature to the list. 1) It works better with my airport express when streaming music. So its basically the aluminum design and airplay of the MBP vs the rest of the thinkpad. I basically don't like anything else of a mac.

But I also have buyers remorse because the MBP15 and the MBA. I keep thinking over and over again. Should I have gone for the Hi-res glossy MBP15 or should I have waited a month for the new MBA? Can anyone help me please

It sounds like you gave up a good workflow that worked for you for something new. Workflow is everything in computing IMHO. If the other worked better for you and the way you operate, use the ThinkPad instead and get your money back.

I'm the same way (but opposite). I can never find a good workflow on a windows machine. Having choice is good

 

[Naimfan]

I wanted to know what some of the reasons for you are for owning a MBP.

I have a 2011 MBP13 and I suffer from major buyers remorse. I recently had to use my old thinkpad for matlab and it caught me by surprise just how easy it was for me to do everything. I came to realize that I just don't like the touchpad and the keyboard of the MBP. And the gestures doesn't make up for superior tactile feedback of the thinkpad. Even with bettertouchtool. I miss how I can just see all my programs that are open in windows and I can just hover my cursor over them and close them instantly with my middle mouse button. What do I have to do in OS X? I have to go in to app expose or MC. Then I have to find the window that I want to close. Then I have to click it. And then I have press CMD+Q. My thinkpad also has an IPS screen and everything looks much sharper and the colors look better. I spend more than 2 hours to configure my MBP13 to look exactly like that IPS screen in terms of color reproduction and I finally gave up.

I bought the MBP13 primarily for its design. After using it I could add another feature to the list. 1) It works better with my airport express when streaming music. So its basically the aluminum design and airplay of the MBP vs the rest of the thinkpad. I basically don't like anything else of a mac.

But I also have buyers remorse because the MBP15 and the MBA. I keep thinking over and over again. Should I have gone for the Hi-res glossy MBP15 or should I have waited a month for the new MBA? Can anyone help me please

Dude, how many threads are you going to post whining about the MBP? Just take the damn thing back and leave us all alone.

 

[ctbear]

I'm kind of the opposite...I own a MBP only because of its hardware. There is no competition right now in terms of design and (most importantly) the trackpad.
Mac OS X? Meh it's not bad...but Windows 7 is just as good (if not better), and is way better supported in many areas.

 

[surjavarman]

Alt+tab doesn't work. First of all it doesn't show me all the windows. Second its a keyboard shortcut that is pretty awkwardly located from the trackpad. It means I either need to use my other hand or I need to bring my hand over from the trackpad to the keys. Both are uncomfortable things to do.

Dude, how many threads are you going to post whining about the MBP? Just take the damn thing back and leave us all alone.

You are wrong about one thing. I checked what screen I have in my MBP. Its a LTN133AT09 screen. Well I googled and found the official spec sheets. Guess what the color gamut was? Typically around 40%!

You are wrong and Anandtech is wrong.

 

[Naimfan]

You are wrong about one thing. I checked what screen I have in my MBP. Its a LTN133AT09 screen. Well I googled and found the official spec sheets. Guess what the color gamut was? Typically around 40%!

You are wrong and Anandtech is wrong.

Feel better yet? How do you know Anandtech's test one didn't have a different panel? Oh, right, you don't.

Take the damn thing back and go get an air if that's what you want to do. And learn to make a decision on your own and then to live with it.

 

[Synergie]

I was a Windows convert. I switched to Mac in late 2009... I did my research before I switched though! Will I ever go back? You couldn't pay me enough! LOL My MBP has never crashed requiring a hard reboot.... not even once! The hardware far outlasted any PC laptop I ever had (buttons would be falling off by now, scratches, trackpad worn etc.) My MBP looks brand new as the day I got it! Seriously! It also just works... I never have to tweak anything to make something work. It just connected to things flawlessly!

Here are a few hints to make things a bit easier for you:

1) Anything you could do in Windows, you can do on the Mac. You might have to spend a few days leaning how to do those things a bit differently though.
2) As far as applications go, anything you could find on Windows, you can also find for Mac. And if you can't find the same exact application, there are usually alternatives - some of them better than the originals, and many are free! (examples: Cyber Duck FTP; Audium (MSN/AIM/Yahoo etc messengers); uTorrent, Little Snitch (fully customizable Firewall) ) I could list a ton of them!
3) On a Mac you will see less crashes (if any at all - no blue screen of death), things just work (no tweaking drivers, etc) and FAR FAR FAR less nasty people out there developing trojans and virii for the Mac than PC.
3) You are used to doing things a certain way... the PC way. That's all you know right now. If you have an open mind, you will easily learn to do things the Mac way, and there's a good chance you will love it (there's a reason they say 'Once you go Mac, you never go back!).... and if you aren't open to learning new things, well then - return your MBP and go back to a PC which is the world you know and are comfortable with.

 

[surjavarman]

Feel better yet? How do you know Anandtech's test one didn't have a different panel? Oh, right, you don't.

Take the damn thing back and go get an air if that's what you want to do. And learn to make a decision on your own and then to live with it.

I don't know and they didn't say what panel that used either. But the fact is my panel has that kind of gamut and you made the claim that panels of the MBP lineup are superior to panels of the MBA. I gave you an example where its not the case.

This is not the first time that anandtech isn't trustworthy. Whats the point of comparing screens when you don't say which screens they used or what the methods are for determining those numbers. Whats the point of making such a list then when it has no meaning since the panels vary from each individual notebook to notebook. Heck there are even confirmed reports that the current MBA is also using panels from two different suppliers. So which one did they use and how do they vary from each other? Oh for determining color reproduction and white luminance and stuff like that. I'd rather trust someone from samsung, LG or philips WHO is doing this for a living for years, who got Ph.D's in this field! Than some hobbyist from anandtech.

 

[Titanium81]

I don't know and they didn't say what panel that used either. But the fact is my panel has that kind of gamut and you made the claim that panels of the MBP lineup are superior to panels of the MBA. I gave you an example where its not the case.

This is not the first time that anandtech isn't trustworthy. Whats the point of comparing screens when you don't say which screens they used or what the methods are for determining those numbers. Whats the point of making such a list then when it has no meaning since the panels vary from each individual notebook to notebook. Heck there are even confirmed reports that the current MBA is also using panels from two different suppliers. So which one did they use and how do they vary from each other? Oh for determining color reproduction and white luminance and stuff like that. I'd rather trust someone from samsung, LG or philips WHO is doing this for a living for years, who got Ph.D's in this field! Than some hobbyist from anandtech.

It's common knowledge that the MacBook Pro's have better a color gamut than the MacBook Air's.

It's also common knowledge that you don't get a MacBook Air for the best specs, you get it for the Ultimate in Portability.

 

[surjavarman]

It's common knowledge that the MacBook Pro's have better a color gamut than the MacBook Air's.

It's also common knowledge that you don't get a MacBook Air for the best specs, you get it for the Ultimate in Portability.

Well in my case its nonsense and I get pissed when people blindly copy other people's statements without checking the facts. It's not common knowledge. This is called a myth.

And if you give me the product numbers of the other 3 panels of the MBP13 (I believe there are 4 in total over the last 2-3 years) and the 2 panels of the MBA13. Then I'll gladly check the facts for you instead of believing in hype and myths.

Just use your brain seriously and check the facts yourself. That test on anandtech is so flawed in every way possible that its unbelievable.

 

[getz76]

Reasons? For me, Final Cut is OS X only. Pro Tools does not run better, but it is a lot easier to deal with on a Mac portable than any Windows portable.

Other than that, I find Windows 7's UI to be comparable for most things and preferable for productivity.

 

[Naimfan]

Have you returned it yet?

Your decision matrix is very simple: Return it, or don't. Pick one.

Oh, and so now you're simply claiming that the test conducted by Anandtech was flawed without even knowing what panel was in their machine? Whatever.

 

[Dark Void]

I have a 13'' MacBook Pro and I bought it because I was interested in both laptops and especially Mac OS X. I had never owned a laptop before my purchase and had always used Windows.

I am quite young and have had dead end jobs and am currently unemployed, so I think it means a lot when I say that this was a solid investment, coming from someone who really doesn't have much. It was a pricy computer, sure, but I think it's worth it completely, I worked at the time and had enough money to cover the computer and the extended warranty. I gave it a shot and I don't regret it.

It has changed my whole view on computers, really. I had always used desktops, didn't really do anything but game, and didn't have much appreciation for operating systems and their features. I have come to prefer laptops because of it, as well. I just find them to be more "whole" and less of a hassle, and generally a better experience. The purchase impacted my preferences so much that I bought another PC notebook to mess around with, too. It has taught me so much about computers themselves, so much so that I am starting to expand that, and have a nice little setup going here.

At first, I didn't have to much of a reason other than wanting to try out laptops, Mac OS X, and wanting something for Photoshop, mainly. As far as my reasons for owning it now, it does everything I want it to do in a solid, well-built unit. I use it everyday to access the internet, keep in touch with people, listen to music, edit photographs and make graphics, and play some video games. I expect this to last for a few more years, considering the build quality and the fact that this company backs their products.

I really enjoy my MacBook Pro and I am excited to learn more and more about it and keep progressing. I am anxious to eventually upgrade it and mod it to my liking once the time is right. It was a great purchase, even for someone like myself who doesn't really have much and didn't have any knowledge of OS X or computing in general really before hand.

Those are my thoughts, looking back at it, I guess. I own it because it's a great computer and experience, to put it simply.

 

[jimbo1mcm]

Sell it now

But first you have to decide if you want to go back to Windows. Maybe Apple will take it for a trade in. I use a mouse with my 2011 MBP 13 because I don't like the trackpad. Old school.

 

[surjavarman]

Have you returned it yet?

Your decision matrix is very simple: Return it, or don't. Pick one.

Oh, and so now you're simply claiming that the test conducted by Anandtech was flawed without even knowing what panel was in their machine? Whatever.

I am hanging on to it for now until the next refreshes.

The test is flawed in the sense that they take one specimen of the macbook pro and one specimen of the MBA and then run some tests (probably flawed too). And finally conclude that the MBP is better (btw not in every aspect!) when in fact there are multiple panels.

What they should have done is take 100 of each of the 4 panels of the MBP and 100 of each of the two panels MBA and then average those values. Or just google the pdfs of the six panels.

Btw my feeling just says that there number are wrong anyway regardless what panels they used because mac users haven't reported huge differences between the panels. Yet when an IPS screen comes into the equation everyone is unanimously. So since my panel has a color gamut of 45%, that makes me believe that the other 3 panels are also roughly in that range. Otherwise people would have noticed it already. And no way do they have better color reproductions than the IPS panels according to anandtech

 

[Naimfan]

Then please stop posting whining threads.

Apparently you got screwed in the panel department--mine has a 74% color gamut.

Perhaps it would be more productive for you to do your research BEFORE you purchase something next time, eh?

And if you have an issue with Anandtech, write to them.

 

[Young Spade]

Then please stop posting whining threads.

Apparently you got screwed in the panel department--mine has a 74% color gamut.

Perhaps it would be more productive for you to do your research BEFORE you purchase something next time, eh?

And if you have an issue with Anandtech, write to them.

This. Let's let this thread die shall we?

 

[Titanium81]

It's common knowledge that the MacBook Pro's have better a color gamut than the MacBook Air's.

It's also common knowledge that you don't get a MacBook Air for the best specs, you get it for the Ultimate in Portability.

Well in my case its nonsense and I get pissed when people blindly copy other people's statements without checking the facts. It's not common knowledge. This is called a myth.

And if you give me the product numbers of the other 3 panels of the MBP13 (I believe there are 4 in total over the last 2-3 years) and the 2 panels of the MBA13. Then I'll gladly check the facts for you instead of believing in hype and myths.

Just use your brain seriously and check the facts yourself. That test on anandtech is so flawed in every way possible that its unbelievable.

I have checked the facts, and have done many in store comparisons. It's OBVIOUS that the MacBook Pro screens have better quality all around. Hence the name "Pro" if that wasn't obvious enough.

 

[jsoto]

I wanted to know what some of the reasons for you are for owning a MBP.

I have a 2011 MBP13 and I suffer from major buyers remorse. I recently had to use my old thinkpad for matlab and it caught me by surprise just how easy it was for me to do everything. I came to realize that I just don't like the touchpad and the keyboard of the MBP. And the gestures doesn't make up for superior tactile feedback of the thinkpad. Even with bettertouchtool. I miss how I can just see all my programs that are open in windows and I can just hover my cursor over them and close them instantly with my middle mouse button. What do I have to do in OS X? I have to go in to app expose or MC. Then I have to find the window that I want to close. Then I have to click it. And then I have press CMD+Q. My thinkpad also has an IPS screen and everything looks much sharper and the colors look better. I spend more than 2 hours to configure my MBP13 to look exactly like that IPS screen in terms of color reproduction and I finally gave up.

I bought the MBP13 primarily for its design. After using it I could add another feature to the list. 1) It works better with my airport express when streaming music. So its basically the aluminum design and airplay of the MBP vs the rest of the thinkpad. I basically don't like anything else of a mac.

But I also have buyers remorse because the MBP15 and the MBA. I keep thinking over and over again. Should I have gone for the Hi-res glossy MBP15 or should I have waited a month for the new MBA? Can anyone help me please

Ultimately you should get what makes you feel more comfortable. I just got my first mac a MBP mid 2010 15" last November. I read a ton about it before I got it & like the other user mentioned, I got the software right away that I knew I would need. I am a Windows user too as I work in IT & am the Network & Systems admin for the place of where I work. I wanted the challenge of learning Mac & becoming a dual platform user. To tell you the honest truth. Coming from a heavy Windows user as I work in IT & have never used Mac ever. I picked up pretty fast. For the times I had a question well Google was my friend. I use Google heavily for research & what not. I have been extremely happy. I have Windows machines at home & @ work. When I get home I am all Mac full time even for work purposes. You can bootcamp or virtualization software. I use Parallels way more than Bootcamp. In my machine I have three installs Win 7 Pro for Bootcamp. Win 7 Pro Virtual & XP Pro Virtual provided from work. You could buy a retail copy & that would help you as well. Ultimately it is what makes you happy. Cost wise a windows machine will always be less expensive. What I can tell you. I always have issues with Windows WI-FI on notebooks. Macs have incredible Wi-Fi. Even their Wi-FI routers are awesome. If you are not happy take it back. Only you know what is best for you. As for me I held out as long as I could for my first one. Snow Leopard, Intel Chips Core i7, Bootcamp, Native Exchange support, Native Cisco VPN support, etc sold me. Have been very & no regrets on my part.

From what I sense from you. Just take it back & shop for a Windows one. Get what makes you feel comfortable & productive

 

[BiggAW]

Well maybe thats the problem right there. The dock functions exactly like the taskbar in windows except it doesn't show you the windows of a certain app when you hover over it and middle clicking on the icon or windows (it doesn't show any windows so you can't click anyway) does nothing. Neither does middle clicking anything in MC. This is one of those things that makes OS X less productive than windows cause you need to take more steps do certain things and I have encountered this in basically every operation except spotlight.

And I asked about these things before I bought the mbp. I asked mac users how they would quickly open or close tabs in a browser and I was surprised by the responses I got. People told me to just aim for the X to close a tab, right click a link and then select "open in new tab" or select the tab and then press CMD+W. Well this is NOT the fastest way to open/close tabs!!! The fastest way is to configure BTT to allow middle mouse button and then hover over links tabs and use the middle mouse gesture. You need to go to voice or thoughts controls to be faster than that. Neither of those technologies exists.

It's like mac users just don't know about better and faster methods to do certain things. They are perfectly happy using their old proven methods because it just works and then they recommend those methods to me because it works for them.

I am still quite neutral when it comes to os x and windows though. But in my opinion windows is more productive yet OSX works better with my airport express.



I checked both of these before I purchased it. I was satisfied with the screen at that time but now I am not. My opinion changed. My thinkpad has a higher pixel density, a better range of colors and the technology of the screen is superior. You wouldn't know it until you do a side by side comparison. The screen is probably the reason I want to upgrade to any mac that just has a better display. As far as OSes goes. I was neutral about it both windows and os x before the purchase and I am pretty neutral now. Its difficult to tell which one I favor right now. Ideally I'd liked to use W7 with the improved airplay of OS X.

The sole reason I went for the MBP was its aluminum unibody. That was the absolute decisive factor.

Right click, open in new tab. Pretty easy. Or click on the scroll wheel. Basically the same as Windows. Opening and closing tabs and windows is all about Command. I have my caps lock set to be command, I did it originally as it was better than just disabling the key completely, and it ended up making everything faster.

The only thing I still don't like about Mac (7 years now, 3.5 years as primary computer) is it's not as friendly to keyboard shortcuts as Windows.