Favorite Things Friday: Apple MacBook Pro
There are many people who believe that Apple products are overpriced status symbols. Many die-hard Windows fans believe that ‘Apple fanboys’ have had too much ‘koolaid’ from the cult of Mac. Until two years ago I was a die-hard Windows PC guy that felt Mac computers were all show and no go. Let me tell you, I am a changed man today. My MacBook Pro is the best computer I have ever owned…and I have owned a lot of computers.
My Experience
My MacBook Pro setup on the treadmill desk I built and love using.
Ten years ago I bought my first Apple computer. It was an iBook and it was the worst computer I have ever owned. To be fair it was also the worst computer Apple has produced in recent history and stands as a outlier in a history of solid computers. I returned to the PC world and had a number of good Sony desktop and laptop computers. Two years ago my Sony laptop took a fall onto a concrete floor and was done. I decided to bite the bullet and try Mac again since all my photographer and videographer friends swear by Mac.
The first few days of a transition to using a Mac can be challenging. Everything is a little bit different. To be honest, everything is a bit simpler. I quickly grew to appreciate the reliability and performance of the hardware and the operating system. When I open up my MacBook it is ready to go every time. The battery life is pretty amazing for a high performance laptop. Installation, drivers, and other technical issues are handled by the operating system in the background with no intervention from me. It all simply works, every time, with no issue.
For years I had always told my wife that technology knew when I was on a deadline. My Windows PCs would freeze up, start having driver issues, or even worse they would give me the blue screen of death. I can do any number of high demand tasks on my MacBook, all at once, and it processes through them without slowing down and it has never failed me.
But What About Windows?
The world of computing is rapidly changing and the line between Windows and Mac is quickly fading away. I still have two programs that I use with co-workers for which there is not a compatible Mac alternative. Would you believe that my MacBook Pro is also the best Windows computer I have ever owned?
I use a program called Parallels to run Windows 7 on my MacBook. I use a two monitor setup at the office and it is pretty mind-blowing to be running Windows 7 on one monitor and OS X on the other monitor. The MacBook Pro can run both operating systems at the same time better than many PCs I have used. This is due to the high quality components and engineering of the Mac computer. You get what you pay for.
If you have to run Windows, there are easy solutions for that. If you’re a bit hesitant to make the switch, this dual operating system option can help pad the change a little bit. You will quickly find yourself using only the Apple operating system.
Quality
The biggest benefit of the MacBook is the quality of the system. As I already mentioned, this computer is ready to go whenever I am. I have never had a problem with the operating system or any of the components. (I am sure there are exceptions out there.) The accessories from Apple are also bullet proof. At the office I use a wireless keyboard and the Magic Mouse on my treadmill desk setup. The mouse is simply the best mouse I have ever used and the keyboard works perfectly all the time.
I have found this to be true across the Apple product line. At home and at the office I was burning through a couple of Linksys wireless routers every year. They were plugged into quality surge protectors but somehow they would wind up fried after a year or so. I bought an Airport Extreme (Apple’s wireless router) and the install was simple. I now have an Airport Extreme at the house and three Airports covering our church building with WiFi and they all work flawlessly and have brought an end to constantly replacing wireless routers.
Reliability
As essential as tech is to my everyday work, I want a computer that will help and not hinder my efforts. I am a daily reader of Lifehacker.com, a site dedicated to technology and simplification. Lifehacker publishes the “How I Work” series where they interview CEOs and founders of cutting edge technology companies. Nine out of ten of the interviewees use some sort of Mac computer. The vast majority use a MacBook Air because of its small form factor, reliability and all day battery life.
Reading the “How I Work” series and hearing the accounts of friends is what caused me to take the leap to try Mac again. I figured there must be a reason that all these highly productive people are using Mac, and there is. Mac computers simply work, all the time, and don’t get in the way.
One of my side hustles is doing computer work for people I know. When you’re known as being tech knowledgable people will ask for help. I started charging for my help because it is only fair. The people who I have convinced to switch to Mac have stopped calling me for help. Their computers now work for them and don’t have the range of driver issues and other software glitches that I would typically address on Windows PCs. Mac computers are simply the most reliable machine out there right now.
The Bottom Line
Apple products are not cheap. They are well made and built to last. My Apple MacBook Pro cost $2,100 when I purchased it two years ago. (To be fair, my last Windows laptop cost $1,600…I make the processors on my computers scream everyday.) If I had a two-year old Windows laptop I would be thinking about upgrading at this point. My two-year old Mac feels like it is brand new. This computer travels everywhere with me and the hardware is holding up well. The processor, RAM and other components still easily handle big tasks.
We have a Dell desktop at home that is the home computer for the family to use. I rarely use it and pretty much every time I get on it I am fixing some sort of software issue. In the next year or two I know some component will fail and it will be time to replace the computer. We will be putting a MacBook Air in its place with an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. Gone will be the days of my wife or children asking me to fix something on the computer. It will simply work and that is why I love Mac!
Thanks for this post Jon! Greg and I were just having this conversation of whether to try a mac or not. I fear everyday when he turns on his laptop that he will get the blue screen of doom! And every time it starts for him, I remind him to grab the external hard drive and do a back up… just in case (I don’t think he has, yet). I’m definitely going to have him read this blog and do a bit more research on the mac.
Have a blessed day.
Tammy
Thanks Tammy! It’s a big (expensive) leap to make for sure. So far everyone that I know who has gone Mac really loves it. Sometimes you really get what you pay for.
I’ve shared many of these feelings. I’ve never understood why someone works want a Mac because they always frustrated me when I had to do something quickly on the one at church. I had to transition to a Mac at school and it was hard the first week. Now, I can’t even figure out how to use our Windows computer! Yesterday, Jared was concerned that our windows laptop was dying and Jaclyn told him not to worry because she was pretty sure I was excited over the possibility of getting a Mac at home. She may have been right 🙂
Sounds very familiar. When I started working at the church everyone had horribly outdated iMac computers that were frustrating as all get out. When I go to work on computers for others I can’t always remember how to get around on a PC. Sounds like we’re both waiting on computers to die!
Hey Jon, I’m completely on the same page with you on this. I bought my MacBook Air last year after suffering with Windows PC’s for years (I still do for work) and it’s been AMAZING. As you said – it just works…always! If you are a laptop user and are on the go a lot and use the mouse – then a Mac makes even more sense – the track pad on Apple products is simply amazing. The gestures (2 finger scrolling, 3 finger screens screen switching, etc) are amazing – oh, and it just works! I have a 2 month old top of the line Lenovo for work and I have to carry an external mouse to use with it because it has the least user friendly track pad in the history of…ever? Before I bought my MBA I did a lot of research into how to run Windows programs (dual booting, etc) but I’ve found that with the apps and MS Office for Mac I haven’t needed it – which makes it even better. All that to say – I agree that Mac’s are awesome – glad you’re a fellow Mac user! Enjoy!
AB
They are amazing machines AB! Several of my family members have MacBook Airs and I was checking them out over the weekend. It is amazing that so much computing power and productivity can be packed into such a small form factor.
And now that they’ve increased the battery life on the new Airs…they’re even more tempting!!! Mrs AB is wanting one for herself to replace a dying netbook…uh oh!
AB
That’s how we wound up as a two iPhone family. My wife saw my new iPhone and decided she wanted one too. Apple products are addicting.