Making the Mac Switch
April 22, 2008 – 9:05 pmI recently was in the market for a new computer. It had been almost 18 months since my last computer purchase (a Dell XPS M1210 in October 2006), and that of course means that I was incredibly behind the times. Hearing some good things about a certain fruit-flavored computer company, I started doing some research on the Apple MacBook Pro. Upon discovering that there’s a discount through my current employer, I ordered the sleek new laptop in early April. I waited to post my impressions because I’m lazy until I’ve had some quality time with this bad boy.
My Pseudo MBP Review
There are tons of MacBook Pro reviews on the interweb, so I won’t regurgitate any specific details about build quality, design, OS X, etcetera. So far, the machine has been an absolute delight. Apple is all about the total package: it’s screaming fast, lots of video memory, a fast hard drive, all in a sexy aluminum package. And yes, I realize that is entirely too close for the words ‘package’ and ’sexy’ to be to each other. My bad. It won’t ever happen again.
One major reason Macs have been gaining some market steam is because of a nifty new tool called Boot Camp. In the latest version of OS X, Apple has allowed their users to load a copy of Windows XP or Vista on to their Intel-based Macs. This has eased the concerns of paranoid would-be switchers by giving them a security blanket backup for their Windex-only programs. I threw a copy of Windows XP Pro SP2 on my notebook for gaming purposes, and it has so far worked flawlessly. And it’s stupid fast. Which is nice.
I learned everything I know about software on Windows. However, my first foray into Mac-land has been a pleasant one. Pretty much any mainstream program these days has a Mac equivalent, and the open source community has robust Apple support. There hasn’t been a single instance where I haven’t been able to do something in OS X that I can do in Windows (except play Orange Box). That might not always be true, but at least I have the Windows install to back me up.
If you’ve recently made the switch to Appleville, how do you like it? If you haven’t, are you considering a Mac for your next computer purchase?
Tags: apple, mac, man this thing is sexier than rachel mcadams
3 Responses to “Making the Mac Switch”
I’ve debated buying a Mac a few times. The thing that stops me is that, just going by the numbers, you can get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Also, I like to be free to mod my hardware.
By Jeff on Apr 23, 2008
True, Jeff…they are not the best value. I think Apple justifies their higher prices because of the sexy stylings and the intangibles that OS X provides. Add to that the ability to run Windows, and you certainly get more than just the hardware provides. Of course, this is coming from the guy who already bought the machine.
By Chuck McKenzie on Apr 23, 2008
I have a Mac Mini, love it. Dunno if I’d get a notebook, not worth the price IMO.
By Ray on Apr 23, 2008