Former Mac-hater: canceled Dell Inspiron 1520 order, MBP shipped today!

I just wanted to say that, after years and years of Apple-scoffing and Mac-fan-bashing, I myself am switching to Macs.

The thing is, I've always made fun of Apple for a very, very long time. This was not an ignorant rant, I've been around Macs for the last 15 years (with my dad being a graphic designer and all). I just thought they were clunky, expensive to buy, expensive to fix (technical support for Macs was not as easy to find), expensive to upgrade(closed hardware = incompatible = no cheap and easy upgrades), the OS was IMO inefficient and buggy (lots of crashes and the internal process scheduling routine in MacOS 9 and earlier sucked), and overall there was very little interesting software (to me at least, I am a computer scientist) for them (Photoshop is only so amusing, and Macs used to be very non-developer-friendly in the past).

Then there came MacOSX and the switch to Unix. At that time I was hooked on Linux, so Apple gained a little (itsy bitsy) of respect on my part, but still I thought Macs were for commies and metrosexuals only. Besides, I found the iPod trend very, very irritating for various reasons. I seriously swore I'd never own white headphones in my life.

Next was the switch from IBM's PowerPC to Intel Core and (now) Core 2. This is really cool, since now if I wanted to, I could run Windows for all my work and gaming needs (Crysis, etc). But this fact alone was not enough to make me wanna switch (I don't think it makes much sense to buy a Mac to run Windows only).

I've always liked Linux, and I've used it for work/school/personal use for a while (alongside with Windows, pretty much all my comps have been dual-boots). I am just as confortable in Linux as I am in Windows, and I really don't care much which one to use. The main reason I've been using Windows in the last couple of years is only because I use hardware that has Windows-only drivers, for gaming or because my work requires me to use Visual Studio (which is a cool product btw).

Now MacOSX really is just another OS in the Unix family (with all the corresponding technological advantages over Windows). Furthermore, if I really wanted Linux software, Fink is cool, it installs pretty much the same software you can get with apt-get in Ubuntu and it's just as easy. Furthermore, there is no tweaking, fiddling and tinkering needed when getting new hardware or setting up a bunch of stuff (yes, even in Ubuntu I have to do some tweaking in order to get all my software running). But yet, still not enough to make me want to switch.

So, what made me want to switch?
1)iLife: there just isn't any decent movie editing or DVD authoring software for PC (Windows or Linux) that doesn't cost a lot of money (no good free solution, don't bother, I looked HARD). No Open Source or shareware that comes even close to the programs that come in iLife (now, iMovie's gotta the best software IMO, so, considering that it comes bundled with a Mac, it's just a no-brainer). Also, if you want to do some video encoding, there is no easy, cheap solution for Windows. Either it is a complicated thing using lots of diffeent programs and scripts with 897897987 options, or you buy expensive software. The only nice, easy and cheap alternative is Quicktime Pro, which is Apple in the first place! Also I thought iDVD was awesome.

2)FrontRow: it's just...soo cool!

3)Aqua: it's so pretty, prettier than Compiz in Linux or Aero in Vista.

I already replaced my Sun thin client desk computer (using Linux) at work for an iMac. Also, my grad school advisor (a Mac fan) is buying a high-end laptop for me to use, and at first I asked him for a nice Asus C90S or a Dell Inspiron 1520. Now, I asked him to cancel the order for the Dell and asked him to get me a MacBook Pro (the 15.4'' 2.4 Ghz one). When I get it, I'll get BootCamp installed for work/gaming, but I think I'll use MacOSX as my primary OS (I just like Unix!), and in fact we have use for MacOSX here at the place I work at (there is this new 3D game engine for MacOSX that we really want to try). The school will give me free upgrade to Leopard when it comes out

I'll still keep my desktop PCs at home running Vista Business and my other PC running Linux (I'm gonna turn it into a MythTV box), but the next time I buy a computer, it will be a Mac

One thing, my despise for iPod has diminshed, but I still don't care for it. But the iPhone is cool, I guess I was previously ripping at it just because for sake of being consistent with my then anti-Mac zealot stance. Last week my wife and I went to the closest Apple store to go check it out.

So, I thought I'd share my story. I hope I didn't offend anyone with my criticism of earlier versions of Mac products, but I have to say that I really, really like the direction Apple has taking, and I can't wait till my MBP arrives!!!

I should also say, both my dad and my grad school advisor had a big, hearty laugh when they heard me say I wanted to switch to Macs, considering my previous trolling on that regard. Steve Jobs, you pwned me

 

I also made the switch today and I love my MBP. The only problem I have is learning some new shortcuts and methods which I was only familiar with in Windows. You made the right choice!

 

Congrats! I am amazed at the number of people who ditched Dell for Macs in the past few weeks. Quite ironic, Dell's new lineup, intended to attract more people to Dell, are causing more to consider other options .

You're joining Dvorak . John C. Dvorak, an influential tech journalist who's famous for cranky rants and a hate for Apple products, who recently used a Mac and actually enjoyed it .

And I don't know if you've seen these articles yet, but these articles are helpful in switching from Windows to Mac OS X. Hope they help!

http://www.apple.com/support/switch101
http://www.apple.com/support/mac101

 

How about adding this to your sig?

 

I've been thinking about that, but I don't like links on my sig (it will ruin my image sig ). I guess I'll just continue recommending the links twice a day .

 

I'm glad to hear that I no longer use the same computing platform as John Dvorak.

 

Sam, you could be the official "welcome to Mac OS X" poster.

 

why stop there? Sam could probably be in the next mac vs pc commercial.

 

Haha, I don't know if these are compliments or teasing , but anyhow I'm happy to help others out . I often wonder if other members actually "recognize" me but now I guess they do .

 

I almost bought a MacBook Pro, but Apple still refuses to put WUXGA resolution on a 15.4" laptop. Dell, HP and now Lenovo offer it. Why not Apple?

 

WUXGA on a 15.4-inch notebook? Wouldn't that be small to read? And I thought 1680x1050 was already small enough

And once again, it is hard to justify "Why doesn't Apple have this? Dell and HP have it", well, Apple doesn't sell 5 million computers a quarter. Apple's sales do not reach the level where putting out ten models of computers at all screen sizes and resolutions and offering AMD processors will still be profitable for them. As Apple's sales grow (and they're growing quickly), we will begin to see a larger product lineup and more flexibility.

 

Welcome.

 

I think Apple's 15.4" WXGA+ screen is just perfect. I wish more vendors offered it. Having matte and glossy options is just icing on the cake.

I heard some mumblings about "resolution independence" features in Leopard. I'm not sure if those features are still scheduled for Leopard, but if they are (and I assume this is DPI-adjustment type stuff), then it wouldn't surprise me if Apple started offering more resolution options.

 

WXGA+ belongs on 11.1" laptops.
SXGA+ belongs on 12.1" laptops.
WSXGA+ belongs on 13.3"-14.1" laptops.
WUXGA belongs on 15-15.4" laptops.
WQXGA (2560×1600) belongs on 17" laptops.
WQSXGA (3200 x 2048) belongs on 19"-20" laptops.
I am not sure what WQUXGA (3840 x 2400) is used on. Probably big screen TVs

 

Well, I see now I was mistaken... Thanks for clearing that up, Homer.

 

I was a mac hater too :-D

I still hate none intel based macs. They're absolute trash. But these MacIntels are sweet.

 

I totally agree. My current 15.4" Dell has 1680x1050 res, and I had to make ALL the text larger -- EVERYwhere.

A WUXGA on a 15.4-inch notebook? No thanks.

 

Sure, maybe with one of these:

 

I don't think that's it. Of course having fewer models helps support costs.

But with Apple, you'll notice that they don't have many models of anything. Steve Jobs is "proud of the products that Apple never released" because they were not perfect enough. If Apple thinks WUXGA on 15" is stupid, they just won't offer it. It can be irritating at times - especially with their computer line-up, I think there are some pretty obvious gaps there. 15" MacBooks, 12" MacBook Pros...

WUXGA on a 15" screen is crazy. If you have super sharp eyes you might try the new HD 17" MBP (1920x1200). I checked it out in the store - for me, it's just over the limit. As much as I like high resolution screens, 133 dpi is a bit uncomfortable.

My colleague had a Dell WUXGA with 15.4" screen and pretty much never used it in native resolution. Stuff is _tiny_. Either you rub your nose on the screen, or you will get a headache. He ended up running it in slightly blurry 1680x1050. My acer has that too, and it's OK. Things are small but not too small.

 

I don't see a demand for the 15.4-inch MacBooks yet, but the release of the ultraportable MBP is a matter of when more than a "if".

 

Apple would definitely need to introduce some sort of innovation though. The U1, U3, X61 and M1330 pretty much have all the bases covered for now, without counting the OS...

Somehow, I can't picture Apple just releasing "just another" ultraportable with all the works.

There's actually very little demand for WUXGA on a 15". It's on one (possibly two) models of high-end gaming machines for god knows what reason, and it's an option on performance business class notebooks. People doing graphic design and/or databases/spreadsheeting might find it useful - but otherwise it's just not practical for daily use.

I think one of the biggest complaints over on the Lenovo forums these days is that Lenovo has only released a WUXGA screen for the T61P so far.

That said, I wouldn't have minded if the 15" MBP had a WSXGA+ screen, but 1440x900 is great for gaming natively, if nothing else.

This is just unrealistic

 

Little bump I got my MBP a couple of days ago, and I absolutely love it...I still haven't even bothered to set up BootCamp (I will have to for work/gaming though). MacOSX is just like I've always dreamed Linux would become...

A couple of questions:

1)Any good PVR hardware/software solutions for Apple? I looked around but there seems to be very good products. Any PVR products any of you have tried and liked?

2)What's wrong with these covers: http://www.macmerc.com/articles/Mini_Media_Mac/327 I read some negative comments in another thread. I inherited these, and I like them, but I want to know why some people recommend against them.

 

Congrates calvarez
My niece is looking at a macbook for school. I'm in a state of confusion what to get a Compal or macbook UGH! We are going to a Apple store next weekend hopefully
Lynn