Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

BFskinnerPunk

macrumors member
Jul 7, 2007
41
28
I am not computer genius, but I have been using the Mac for one week now. Previously, I have been all windows.

I must say that this Macbook Retina Pro 13" works wonderfully. Knowing very little, I have not run into a single issue. It recognized everything I have connected to it, too.

The trackpad is a huge deal. You'll notice this immediately. It is where you spend most of your time (the trackpad), and so it's importance can't be overemphasized. It is graceful to use, not fiddly or weird. I'm not sure why one would EVER want to reach up to fool with a touch-screen monitor when you have such an amazing mouse.

Wondering when I'm going to run into a problem! waiting....
BF
 

marc55

macrumors 6502a
Oct 14, 2011
872
217
Convenient for what?

For a lot of productively I find Windows better that OS X. Also a lot online banking I do only works in Windows. You can call it very inconvenient on the Mac ;)

Can you enlighten me on what banking is inconvenient on the Mac? I only as I'm planning on getting our first MBP, and if my wife encounters any banking issues, I'll be in a heap of trouble.

Every time I think I'm ready to jump on a MBP, I read posts like this that has me rethinking if I should just simply stay with Windows where everything works for us.

Thank you
 

yjchua95

macrumors 604
Apr 23, 2011
6,725
233
GVA, KUL, MEL (current), ZQN
Can you enlighten me on what banking is inconvenient on the Mac? I only as I'm planning on getting our first MBP, and if my wife encounters any banking issues, I'll be in a heap of trouble.

Every time I think I'm ready to jump on a MBP, I read posts like this that has me rethinking if I should just simply stay with Windows where everything works for us.

Thank you

I think it's just Safari. Safari has a not-so-good HTML5 support. Firefox is way better in HTML5.

If you still need Windows, just install Windows in Boot Camp :D
 

marc55

macrumors 6502a
Oct 14, 2011
872
217
I think it's just Safari. Safari has a not-so-good HTML5 support. Firefox is way better in HTML5.

If you still need Windows, just install Windows in Boot Camp :D

Thanks.

I will not need Windows for anything specific as long as OSX works for every day home computing/web surfing.
 

niteflyr

macrumors 65816
Nov 29, 2011
1,034
208
Southern Cal
Can you enlighten me on what banking is inconvenient on the Mac? I only as I'm planning on getting our first MBP, and if my wife encounters any banking issues, I'll be in a heap of trouble.

Every time I think I'm ready to jump on a MBP, I read posts like this that has me rethinking if I should just simply stay with Windows where everything works for us.

Thank you

If your wife uses Quicken for her online banking, Quicken for Mac pales in comparison to Quicken for Windows. That was my biggest disappointment when I switched. I run Windows in a Parallels VM just to run Quicken. Fortunately, a Mac can do this.
 

Beecker

macrumors member
Feb 4, 2013
46
0
Michigan
Fortunately with a good OS running with 7 I have simply bypassed 8-8.1 for my uses and await with interest the 8.2 RC on the test rig to see finally whether it's worthy enough to upgrade my systems.

Not to mention if Microsoft in April release details about Win 9 (Rumor). Seems to me that every odd Windows platform seems to work the best. I'm sitting on seven and refuse to pay for eight.
 

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
Not to mention if Microsoft in April release details about Win 9 (Rumor). Seems to me that every odd Windows platform seems to work the best. I'm sitting on seven and refuse to pay for eight.

Same here. I will bypass 8 just like I did Vista. Great fan of 7, finally a comparable (still) OS to Mac OS I was waiting since Windows 3.0/3.1 to finally have one. Unfortunately I can't stand 8-8.1 despite the start menu replacements and boot to desktop. It has a lot of useful improvements but the menus and options are still a complete and utter mess, all over the shop and yes I would like a classic start menu back - as all of my clients do!

A desktop OS is not a tablet OS period and not even Apple dared go there with OSX, crazy. Microsoft in their blind rush for 'touch' ran into a dead end hopefully 9 (or 8.2 Threshold) will get them back on the right path again.
 

marc55

macrumors 6502a
Oct 14, 2011
872
217
A desktop OS is not a tablet OS period and not even Apple dared go there with OSX, crazy. Microsoft in their blind rush for 'touch' ran into a dead end hopefully 9 (or 8.2 Threshold) will get them back on the right path again.

Eventually they will all blend to some degree and touch will be the future.

I'm sure most folks would like a seamless transition from a computer to a pad.
 

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
Eventually they will all blend to some degree and touch will be the future.

I'm sure most folks would like a seamless transition from a computer to a pad.

Apple are ever so gradually moving towards it, reversing the scroll wheel a prime example. I don't think touching the screen will be ideal though. The leap motion type of technology is going to be the way forward I think, built into to keyboard for the iMac, Mac Pro and Mac mini and in front on the touchpad on the notebooks.

I own the leap motion, it's good but the software and power of the CPU to process the information just isn't quite there yet.
 

notjustjay

macrumors 603
Sep 19, 2003
6,056
167
Canada, eh?
I too cannot fathom how only Apple have managed to workout how to create a trackpad that works. Even in 2014 a Windows machine has never had a decent trackpad. Samsung has tried to copy Apple's implementation but I'm sure there's some patents which has stopped them copying full functionality.

I also don't understand how PC manufactures can sell machines where trackpad drivers are so inadequate that they don't work properly. Sony, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus etc all purchase someone else's badly implemented hardware & drivers and implement them into their own hardware. Why hasn't anyone apart from Apple actually brought it in-house to fix? A trackpad is how the user interacts with their computer and only Apple has done it right. This still amazes me.

I think the answer, ultimately, is cost. All these PC companies are competing madly with each other. If HP's laptop sells for $699, yours had better be priced at $699 too. You can't say "ours is $799 but the trackpad is way better" -- well, you can, but consumers don't go for that.

Company A wants to build a new laptop model XYZ, so they choose a trackpad part number (say, Synaptics model X) and integrate it into their hardware. They get the driver from Synaptics and integrate it with their base software load.

Now, they discover the trackpad is a bit glitchy or the driver sometimes fails to start or something is slightly incompatible. What do they do? They could replace trackpad model X with model Y but that's a significant impact on engineering or cost. They could tweak the driver or write a custom one but that would require engineering effort and time. So, they say "good enough" and ship it as-is, and open a support ticket with Synaptics that "model X trackpad has intermittent issue in Company A model XYZ" -- guess how low that sits in the support queue. Eventually, maybe, a fix is issued and you can download an updated driver, which also fixes a bunch of issues with the same trackpad on Toshiba and Sony units, but guess what, now there's a new bug on recent Dell models using the same trackpad model...

Apple is in a unique position of being able to say "it takes as long as it takes" or "it costs whatever it costs" to get things working to their satisfaction -- they are not under pressure to deliver before or cheaper than the nearest rival, because there really isn't one. The only bar Apple needs to beat is their own -- cheaper (or same cost) as last year's model.
 

Ai-apple

macrumors regular
Nov 1, 2013
138
1
I'm working as product support engineer. The products are computer related devices that will work either with the Windows based PC or the MAC OS based. Most of the support calls are Windows based users, and most of them have no idea how to fix the issue with device drivers or driver installation. If most users are using Mac OS, I would probably be out of work. Thank you Microsoft for keeping me busy.
 

Ai-apple

macrumors regular
Nov 1, 2013
138
1
You don't think that's obvious, since 9/10 or more computer users use Windows?

True but I worked with Mac users and none of them call back for support. I got repeat customers with Windows users...LOL
 

Daysight

macrumors regular
Dec 15, 2011
192
1
If your wife uses Quicken for her online banking, Quicken for Mac pales in comparison to Quicken for Windows. That was my biggest disappointment when I switched. I run Windows in a Parallels VM just to run Quicken. Fortunately, a Mac can do this.
I did that until iBank 5 came out. I imported my Quicken info to iBank in November and simplified that regular part of my life.
 

scaredpoet

macrumors 604
Apr 6, 2007
6,627
342
You don't think that's obvious, since 9/10 or more computer users use Windows?

I have experience in academia, where the proportion of Mac users is much higher. Even so, the overwhelming majority of support requests are Windows users. Second most common are Linux users trying to get an obscure driver working. Then there are the occasional Mac users, usually with initial setup questions and the like.
 

PaulWog

Suspended
Jun 28, 2011
700
103
I've heard so many people say that Mac is more convenient once you get used to it.

Is there some specific features that make Macs more convenient than Windows?

I used to be a major computer power-user. Now I don't do that as much. I find the difference between Windows 7 & OS X (the last one I used was Lion when it came out) isn't all too important. I do find Windows 7 easier to use and multitask with quickly (workflow is much quicker), but that wouldn't necessarily keep me from purchasing a Mac again.

There happens to be a lot of arguments for or against PC computers (or Macs) that are just really unintelligent. People don't know how to use one or the other, and just make terrible assumptions. Maybe they had a bad experience with a PC at one point, or maybe they had a bad experience with a Mac... big deal!

I had a 2011 Macbook Air that crashed on me once every couple of weeks and had major wifi issues. I didn't chalk that up to "OS X sucks!". My brother had a desktop he bought that crashed and got the BSOD, and I didn't chock that up to Windows sucking. The reason why my Macbook Air had issues I do not know. The reason why my brother's PC crashed was because it was set up in a form-factor desktop & there was terrible airflow, and that was Dell's fault: I fixed that by reassembling the setup in a better case.

The fact of the matter is people blur the lines between hardware, software, and the operating system when, often, they shouldn't be. They identify a problem and give it one overarching diagnosis: "Well, I got a virus, or bluescreen, or this or that, it must be Windows! On to Mac I go!!" The three are related and do matter, but there's often a disconnect between knowledge & assumptions that results in infuriating discussions going on such as in this thread. "I had BSOD's all the time, I got viruses, and now my Mac is perfect!" <-- Good, wonderful, great! It works for you. The nice thing about Apple is that very little research needs to be done, and very little knowledge needs to be had in order to go through the process of getting what you want out of an Apple product (usually, and so long as it's productivity-based and not for games). But maybe you were visiting too many porn sites, clicking on the wrong ads, and running your computer on your lap letting it overheat because you didn't pay attention to where the vents are on that laptop of yours.

PC's require a bit more research and knowledge (brand, make, model, internal hardware for the physical computer, then understanding Windows/etc). I find they suit my needs better software & OS-wise, and budget-wise... Macs, on the other hand, really do fit my needs (the laptops in particular) in terms of build quality (the screen, the touchpad, the metal, the keyboard, etc), and I do enjoy using different OS's sometimes for a change of scenery/pace. I also love the resale value (and ease of finding a buyer) when selling Apple products.
 
Last edited:

thehustleman

macrumors 65816
Jan 3, 2013
1,123
1
Great answers, but I will say windows 7 is still easier to use than osx, but once you master osx, it's easily better.
 

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
I'm working as product support engineer. The products are computer related devices that will work either with the Windows based PC or the MAC OS based. Most of the support calls are Windows based users, and most of them have no idea how to fix the issue with device drivers or driver installation. If most users are using Mac OS, I would probably be out of work. Thank you Microsoft for keeping me busy.

I still get a fair bit of Mac OS work, though most of it is remote so I don't have to visit the client. Thanks to 71 days till XP's death and my remaining head in the sand clients who only now getting ready to buy their replacement Win 7 x64 boxes I'm going to be a very busy chap for the next few months!
 

simon48

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2010
1,315
88
I still get a fair bit of Mac OS work, though most of it is remote so I don't have to visit the client. Thanks to 71 days till XP's death and my remaining head in the sand clients who only now getting ready to buy their replacement Win 7 x64 boxes I'm going to be a very busy chap for the next few months!

I'm counting down the days for IE8 to die, hopefully this puts a BIG dent in the IE8 market share. Keep killing IE8 (and 9)!
 

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*

simon48

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2010
1,315
88
Is it the same date as XP/office 2003? The latter package that my clients are going to dislike more getting an enforced ribbon upgrade.

I have the windows XP countdown widget on all my windows boxes :D

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=11662

Indirectly...

IE8 is the newest version of IE that XP supports.

Vista doesn't support above IE9, so it's low marketshare should help kill off IE8-9.

Windows 7 does support as low as IE8, but it supports through IE11 so hopefully most people would update (and somewhere in there IE starts supporting auto updating).

Windows 8 is IE10+.


So maybe by the time IE8-9 are dead IE10-11 will be so blatantly outdated and have a huge market share and we'll get to start all over again, yay. :eek:
 

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
Indirectly...

IE8 is the newest version of IE that XP supports.

Vista doesn't support above IE9, so it's low marketshare should help kill off IE8-9.

Windows 7 does support as low as IE8, but it supports through IE11 so hopefully most people would update (and somewhere in there IE starts supporting auto updating).

Windows 8 is IE10+.


So maybe by the time IE8-9 are dead IE10-11 will be so blatantly outdated and have a huge market share and we'll get to start all over again, yay. :eek:

IE8 is pretty awful, worse than the OS that's dying. You web guys must be relieved to seeing the back of ie6 more though. I know some firms who still used that insecure POS right up till they retired their XP systems a few months ago! Having said that you lot will always be on the treadmill for retiring browsers!

Only XP boxes that are staying past the deadline are those running old apps and will have the internet security settings turned up to maximum. Tucked in a corner, blocked from the internet and used via Remote Desktop with dropbox sending the data over to a win 7 PC.

All my new builds will have ie11 on as default, which for Microsoft is a pretty good browser...
 

simon48

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2010
1,315
88
IE8 is pretty awful, worse than the OS that's dying. You web guys must be relieved to seeing the back of ie6 more though. I know some firms who still used that insecure POS right up till they retired their XP systems a few months ago! Having said that you lot will always be on the treadmill for retiring browsers!

Only XP boxes that are staying past the deadline are those running old apps and will have the internet security settings turned up to maximum. Tucked in a corner, blocked from the internet and used via Remote Desktop with dropbox sending the data over to a win 7 PC.

All my new builds will have ie11 on as default, which for Microsoft is a pretty good browser...

I'm so happy to see IE6-7 dead! IE8 isn't to hard to work with, but it's so outdated and doesn't support a lot of really useful things that every other common browser does.

What IE version has automatic background updates on by default (I think it's IE10+)?

If they keep the direction they are going, once automatic background updates are on by default for all IE versions with more ~2% marketshare, I will be a lot more happy with IE. Sadly that's a long ways out, but XP losing support should help a lot.
 

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
I'm so happy to see IE6-7 dead! IE8 isn't to hard to work with, but it's so outdated and doesn't support a lot of really useful things that every other common browser does.

What IE version has automatic background updates on by default (I think it's IE10+)?

If they keep the direction they are going, once automatic background updates are on by default for all IE versions with more ~2% marketshare, I will be a lot more happy with IE. Sadly that's a long ways out, but XP losing support should help a lot.

Yep IE 10 onwards is auto updates, having said that IE11 was in the recommended section of windows updates with IE10 users for a good while before it became mandatory. They are extending support for MS Security Essentials for another year past XP dying which may prolong it, but all that will need is a zero day vuln to make that useless too. It's had 12 and a half years and its time along with IE6-8 to bloody go now :D
 

LemPh

macrumors member
Feb 14, 2014
43
0
I am not sure if OSX is better than Windows. Or Macs better than PCs.
I can summarize what I think this way.

  • Periphereals and their easy installation
  • Trackpad
  • Backlight keyboard
  • Speakers
  • Gestures
  • Integration with other Apple devices
  • Easy app installation/removal

Basically it just works.

But I even think they're too overpriced. If we compare a $1000 MB with a $1000 PC, PCs usually have better specs. It's not all about benchmarks and power, I know, but some things are just crazy. Like a 1280x800 screen on a $1300 machine in 2012/2013. :D
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.