My Mac Experience

[StandingInAlley]

So its been almost two weeks since i have switched over to a Mac and i have decided to share some of my views with others.

I recently picked a Macbook Pro [ 1st model ] for myself. Being confused whether to pick a Blackbook or Macbook Pro, i decided to post in this section and after numerous suggestions and opinions, i finally picked a Macbook Pro for myself. Initially i wanted a Glossy screen Macbook Pro since everyone suggested that the display is a lot more better on glossy screens but due to numerous delays, i finally got a Matte screen MBP.

As i mentioned that Apple delayed my order a lot so basically when i went to collect my MBP, these guys apologized and offered me goodies worth 200$ :D

The best part about this was that i could pick anything from iStore which could be accessory, MobileMe subscription or an ipod too. This really impressed me tbh because i have never seen anyone offering free stuff so i think this gesture was really nice. Just so you guys know, iStore over here is not owned by Apple but by a Company called Reliance which is one of the Top 3 companies in India but have tied up with Apple to sell Apple products over here since Apple doesn't have its own stores over here.

For explaining my stuff, i am dividing the whole thing into various segments :

1) Packaging

I think the packaging of MBP is very nice. It comes in a nice colorful box instead of a boring dull brown box and the whole thing has been packed pretty well. I was really excited to unbox the whole thing. I think one of the best part about the whole packaging thing is that everything is very neat and sleek. I mean there are three cables, a charger and a small kind of box which has manuals, instructions and recovery discs. I also liked how the whole MBP was packed in this grey cloth kind of cover.

2) Initial Impression of Leopard

When i switched on my MBP for the first time, there was a video which i think was really nice. I mean i don't know about others but these small things really impress me. I felt a bit of confidence and excitement. I mean they could have straightly introduced me to a boring screen asking for details and all but instead they chose to do that after the video.

3) The Hardware

The whole laptop is very slim and sleek. Everything built feels solid and good. I mean when one actually starts using it you actually don't mind spending 2300$ on the laptop. Some of the things like various sensors are quite awesome. The brightness of the screen adjusts by itself depending on the external light and the keyboard lights up when there is no light. Slot loading drive is also a nice addition to the laptop. One of the really cool things that i found on MBP was that i could check how much battery is left without actually opening the laptop and running the OS. Apple has simply provided a button on back of the laptop which displays these LED's to show how much battery is left.

I found Magsafe connector quite nice which also made me wonder why the hell did we not have anything of this sort earlier ? I mean its such a neat concept. I am staying with three other friends and i can easily say that so many times these guys walk across when my laptop is charging. If Magsafe was not there, my laptop sure would have fallen.

I also like how my battery runs for so long. I mean once i charge it, it easily runs for 2-3 Hrs with wireless, music turned on. MBP also comes with Multitouch trackpad but i don't use it on daily basis so i find it a bit useless but this could just be me.

4) Full Impression of MAC OSX Leopard

I am a long time Windows user but due to Vista being such a sucker and linux not working out so well for me, Leopard was really welcomed. The whole thing is so damn easy and simple. Being a long time Windows user, i initially was not very sure whether i would adjust to Leopard or not plus with no full screen maximize, i was kinda feeling a bit nervous but Leopard proved me wrong. The whole concept of Mac OSX is very simple and easy. Spotlight is really awesome and helps me find things very easily. I have to admit, i hated iTunes on Windows but on OSX its not bad at all. On Windows i was sick of running an antivirus and anti spyware but i don't have to worry about any of these things.

The OS feels very fast and smooth during usage as such. The thing that i love most about Leopard is that it shuts down within 2-3 seconds and doesn't take very long to start up compared to Vista.

5) Applications

This is a very crucial thing to everyone since everyone asks one common question which is will i be able to find similar or same applications which i use on Windows ? The answer is yes and no. While there are some applications which remain same on both platforms and there are some which perform better on OSX than Windows and vice-versa, the real answer in my opinion is to adjust yourself to the new applications. Some of the applications which i miss quite a lot is Ftprush, Mirc, Msn Messenger etc but i have already started using substitutes like Adium and all plus there is always Vmware Fusion to run Windows applications. I run Leopard + vmware fusion in unity mode and still have 700mb of free ram out of 2GB which is really nice.

6) Awesome Support

Apple support rocks. I have called them only once but my experience was really good.

Some hiccups with MBP and Leopard

1) I tried updating from 10.5.2 to 10.5.4 through software update. Software Update downloaded the file and notified me to install it but somehow when i started to update, it kinda froze. It keeps hanging on 30% and i have tried everything. A little Google search showed that i am not the only one facing this problem which makes me ask why the hell is this happening and why Software Update or OSX was able to detect that the combo update could be corrupted.

2) Random crashes

I have so far experienced some random crashes which i have no idea of. For example, one day when i was working on my project on MS Word, Leopard just froze. Nothing worked and hence i had to hard reboot.

3) Speakers

I have a feeling that my speakers are no longer loud than what they used to be. I took my laptop yesterday for the first time and i handled it well and all and infact hardly used it but when i came back and was playing some music, the speakers didn't feel that loud than what they used to be. I will be visiting Apple store to get them checked.

Besides these problems, i have not really faced anything great or big.

Overall i am enjoying my MBP. After using Mac for the first time, i have decided that when i go back home, i will get my parents to switch over to a Mac and get rid of the PC. I think one of the best part about Macs is that it just works. I also appreciate Apple being loyal to their customers and not ditching them or making them by new Macs when they release new OS.

I would like to thank all Neowin members for helping me pick a Mac and also with softwares and all.

You Guys rock :D

[Cara Veteran]

Glad you're enjoying your MacBook Pro! Told you that you wouldn't regret it. ;)

As for the crashes... Microsoft Products, even on the Mac, are the number one (or two if you count Adobe) products that can still cause random crashes on your Mac...once again...you aren't alone.

About your update problem... Give this a shot.

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/mac...omboupdate.html

This is the manual Apple updater, should allow you do download and update a fresh copy of the 10.5.4 update without any further problems. :)

If we can help at all, let us know... Neowin has a GREAT Mac community. :) 

[giga Veteran]

That's Microsoft Word for ya. :whistle:

[Jase]

Excellent review mate! I have been a long time Linux user and was envious of Mac users.. but finally got the $ and bought myself a Mac Mini.. It's been love ever since :)

Hope you get your sound fixed.. and well done on the purchase (Y)

[MasterC]

That's Microsoft Word for ya. :whistle:

Exactly. Half the time I attempt to open it, it freezes and I have to force quit it. The other half of the time, it freezes when I try to open a document. I just gave up and use Pages now. (Y)

[CPressland]

Agreed, Microsoft Office 2008 was the worst waste of money ever, SP1 even stopped my student licence from working.

Pages is really good but i've recently become rather fond of Bean, has almost all the same features as Office 2008/Pages but it's free and has a TINY memory footprint.

But Congrats on getting your Mac dude. Glad to see you're another person who can vouch for the OS X experience.

[kaiwai]

Just a small tip - download the OS updates from the website; I tend to do that and save the updates 'just in case'. I've never liked the idea of delta updates - too many things can go wrong.

Regarding Office 2008 - I'm running it now, updated from SP1 to the latest update now - and no problems. If you are having problems, then you need to talk to Microsoft about your licence because either they have made a mistake or someone has sold you a pirated copy,.

[StandingInAlley]

My Mac has been updated to 10.5.4 . After which i ran Onyx for general maintenance and everything is working smooth. I just Love OSX :D

It just works heh

[Cadium]

Glad to hear that you are enjoying your MacBook Pro, make sure that you calibrate your battery once a month so that you get the most out of it.

[Knight']

Mac ftw =)

[Brad.]

Nice, makes me want mine even more now >_<

[giga Veteran]

Gotta love the Windows trolls that rate mac threads 1 star.

[Cara Veteran]

Gotta love the Windows trolls that rate mac threads 1 star.

Don't you?

[DrewJW]

I know. It's silly.

[Quillz]

Gotta love the Windows trolls that rate mac threads 1 star.

What about the Mac fanboys that rate all Microsoft threads one star?

[giga Veteran]

What about the Mac fanboys that rate all Microsoft threads one star?

Not near the amount that the mac forums get.

[James812]

Nice review! I am a windows only user but its nice to see a company having such wonderful support.

So it seems to me the best company with customer support is pizza places (just call them and say something is wrong and they send u a new pizza right away) and apple these days... Kinda sad... that is the only ones with that level of support and understanding.

[kaiwai]

What about the Mac fanboys that rate all Microsoft threads one star?

What about people like yourself - Windows users, who hang out in Mac forums. Seems a little strange if you ask me.

[PL_ Veteran]

3) The Hardware

The whole laptop is very slim and sleek. Everything built feels solid and good. I mean when one actually starts using it you actually don't mind spending 2300$ on the laptop.

Absolutely. A few people I know always say to me that for the spec I could've got a ?400 Asus instead of a ?900 MacBook with the same spec. Then they actually use it and see where all the money went. Only problem is that I've started justifying other purchases by saying I'm paying for qualit:p:p

One reason I prefer Microsoft Messenger for Mac is Personal Message support, unless that's changed in Adium?

[DrewJW]

Hmm I add one but I don't see them on my contacts when using Adium.

To be honest my only gripe with OSX is the LACK OF DECENT MSN iSight support.

How hard is it Apple hmm?

[General Disarray]

you can use aMSN

[kaiwai]

Hmm I add one but I don't see them on my contacts when using Adium.

To be honest my only gripe with OSX is the LACK OF DECENT MSN iSight support.

How hard is it Apple hmm?

Don't worry. Right now Microsoft is going to change the video protocol in the next version of Messenger in favour of the same one they use in their communication server product - so it makes little sense developing support for a soon to be obsolete protocol.

[PL_ Veteran]

How hard is it Apple hmm?

Why is it Apple's fault?

[kaiwai]

Why is it Apple's fault?

The assumption I assume he has is that because Apple has AIM support, they should also have MSN support. The problem is that he ignores the fact that Apple were able to get the AIM specifications. Microsoft on the other hand don't want to give those specifications out - or atleast out freely.

[1759]

What about people like yourself - Windows users, who hang out in Mac forums. Seems a little strange if you ask me.

Except that he has a Mac too.