Kyle Berg

After having built my own computer and changed hardware several times, I had become very familiar with Windows. Too familiar. Too many viruses, blue screens of death, random crashes, and wondering what was going on. Too many times having to restart because my ram had drained down. Too many reinstallations of Windows because the system was really lagging. Despite all this, I never saw myself migrating from Windows because I was so used to it and building one’s own machine required their operating system. But when I decided to travel, it gave me a reason to buy a laptop. And when I looked at the difference between a MacBook Pro laptop and those of the competition, there wasn’t much comparison in my mind. The others were big and bulky and felt plasticky. Many of my techiest friends had Macs and it seemed like a good time to let Steve Jobs prove his stuff.

Having owned this one for 5 months, I do not regret the decision. While not perfect, my experience has been pleasant. More than any key feature, what makes me most happy is that it just plain works. I do not have problems. There is no worrying about spyware or viruses. Nor do I have to restart the system to “fix” a problem or in order to get it running more quickly. It’s nothing to leave it running for weeks without restarting. There is no installing of drivers when adding hardware. Everything is detected and installed seamlessly. It’s whisper quiet and I’m not even sure if there’s a fan on this thing or not. The backlit keyboard that automatically detects light conditions is not only futuristically cool, but very handy for those times when don’t want to put your nose to the keyboard to see what you’re doing. The Spotlight feature which allows instant searching of every file on the computer is outstanding. No more waiting for it to chug through thousands of files. Apple uses a different type of navigation bar at the bottom in conjunction with application switching commands and the exposé feature. They work well and are attractive, but I do miss the Windows taskbar at times.

While I was concerned about finding software for a Mac, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I’ve been able to find great programs for almost everything. The program iTunes also has been something to which I’ve grown to like more as I understand it’s powerful search features. The Preview program opens PDF files almost instantaneously and can also write them, thus usurping the need for Acrobat. I can use Office files, edit images, browse the Internet, share files, create music, chat, make calls, watch TV, synchronize my phone, and anything one can do on their PC (other than gaming I guess).

My only beef is with a few software makers rather than with Apple. First of all, Quicken money management software for Mac is atrocious. It looks like it was designed by a 5th grader learning computer programming in 1998. The workaround for this is to use Parallels virtual machine software to run the Windows version. Parallels is incredibly well built and is a good option for running any other necessary Windows program. While not terrible, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac is definitely in need of updating. It’s lackluster and Entourage lacks some of the niceties of Outlook. I guess it isn’t surprising that Microsoft isn’t in a hurry to update its software for its chief rival’s operating system. However, a new version is slated for early 2008.

Overall, I do not see myself switching back to a PC anytime in the near future. The innovative features of the upcoming release of Mac OSX Leopard should only solidify this. A couple years ago I was convinced the iPod was generating momentum at Apple and was intrigued by other Mac users. Now I’m one of them and it makes a lot of sense.