My Mac Experience


Recommended Posts

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

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/649240-my-mac-experience/
Share on other sites

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. :) 

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.

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,.

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.

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?

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.

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.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Disabling open on hover, great! That was so stupid! They need to do a fix, where if a network share is disconnected, it doesn't hang when opening "This PC" 20 seconds.
    • Microsoft releases major feature updates for stock Windows 11 apps by Taras Buria In addition to releasing new Windows 11 preview builds, Microsoft announced that inbox Windows apps now have dedicated release notes in the official documentation. At long last, users have access to all the release notes for each app, with changes listed in chronological order. Microsoft used to announce feature updates for stock apps with each build. Now, with Windows Insider release notes hosted on the Microsoft Learn website, each app has a dedicated space for its changelog, which is very useful for those who want to track new features and improvements. Alongside that, Microsoft dropped massive feature updates for six stock apps: Clock, Media Player, Calculator, Voice Recorder, Photos, and Paint. Each app packs quite a lot of changes and new capabilities, so here are the release notes. Here are quick notes so that you can jump to the app you are interested in the most: Calculator Camera Clock Media Player Paint Photos Sound Recorder Here is what is new for the Calculator in version 11.2605.9.0: More accurate square-root results — Fixed rare cases where a calculation that should equal zero (like sqrt(2.25) - 1.5) returned a tiny leftover value instead. Readable text in High Contrast themes — Settings text now shows the correct colors in the High Contrast Aquatic and Desert themes. Fixed layout for right-to-left languages — For languages like Arabic and Hebrew, the graph, number pad, equation fields, and scroll buttons now appear correctly oriented. Reliable launch after upgrading — Fixed an issue where upgrading from much older versions could leave outdated settings that stopped the app from opening. Here is what is new for the Camera app (version 2026.2605.7.0): Zoom slider works on more cameras — The zoom slider now works on the latest cameras, respects your system zoom settings, and updates instantly when you change those settings. Full range of zoom levels — Fixed an issue where the zoom slider only showed three steps on some devices that zoom in finer increments. Front camera works on more devices — Resolved a problem that blocked the front-facing camera on certain wide-angle devices. More video resolution choices — You can now pick video resolutions that were previously hidden; the app shows a heads-up warning instead of removing them. QR links you can still use — When a scanned QR code points to something with no matching app, the link is now copied to your clipboard (with a notification) while still offering a Store search. Smarter default settings — When you haven't set a preference, the app now follows your system settings by default. The Clock app has a massive changelog with the following improvements in version 11.2605.9.0: Timers keep counting after they hit zero — When a timer runs out, it now keeps counting up (for example, -00:27:31) so you can see how far past the time you've gone. You can turn off the daily goal — Focus Sessions now include an "Off" option so you can skip setting a daily goal entirely. New 15-minute snooze option — Alarms now offer a 15-minute snooze interval. Run up to 3 countdowns at once — The Countdown Widget now supports three simultaneous countdowns, up from two. Timer Widget notifications now appear — Fixed an issue where the "timer finished" notification didn't show when the timer was started from the widget. Less clutter in Focus Sessions — Tasks you've already completed no longer show up in the Focus Session task list. More accurate focus progress — Fixed a rounding issue that could show your daily focus progress as a minute short (for example, 49 minutes instead of 50). Smoother World Clock comparisons — The World Clock compare page now loads dates as you scroll, so it feels more responsive. Up-to-date World Clock locations — Refreshed country and city names to match their current names. Correct sun and moon icons during midnight sun — Fixed an icon that wrongly showed a moon during all-day daylight in polar regions. Fixed back-button behavior in clock comparisons — Pressing back once now takes you back as expected, instead of jumping the date to 1926. Corrected the Newfoundland time zone — Newfoundland now uses the right time zone (St. John's). Disabled alarms stay looking disabled — Editing a turned-off alarm no longer makes it appear turned on. Cleaner timer cards — The expand button is now turned off on timer cards that have no time set, preventing actions that wouldn't do anything. Clearer theme setting — Updated the wording to "Choose your preferred app theme." Smoother Settings links — The "About" links in Settings no longer trigger an unexpected "switch apps" prompt. Fixed spacing in Spotify settings — Corrected uneven spacing in the Spotify settings card. Better focus visibility in High Contrast — The focus highlight in World Clock is now clearly visible in the High Contrast Aquatic and Desert themes. No more double announcements — Screen readers no longer read the timer value twice. Countdown names read correctly — Screen readers now properly announce the name of each countdown. Keyboard focus stays put — Focus no longer disappears after you press the Timer Reset button. Clearer alarm toggle for screen readers — Tidied up how the alarm on/off switch is announced. The Media Player app received plenty of changes as well (version 11.2605.14.0): Custom captions — You can now personalize how closed captions appear, with caption styling tied to your Windows caption settings, plus a quick link to open those settings directly. "Indexing" banner in the play queue — When your media library is still being scanned, a banner now explains why some items may not appear yet. Fixed the look of selected items — Corrected a layout glitch with selected items in lists. Fewer playback failures — Improved how the app recognizes supported file types, so more files play without issues. Playlists need a name — You can no longer accidentally save a playlist with a blank name. Cleaner look for empty playlists — Improved how a playlist appears when it has no items yet. More stable play queue edits — Fixed a crash that could happen when changing the play queue while the app was switching between sessions. Clearer "missing codec" message — Improved the dialog that appears when a file needs a codec you don't have, with clearer guidance on what to do. A big update is also available for Paint in version 11.2605.61.0: Adjustable eraser transparency — You can now control how transparent the eraser is. Cleaner stamp brush strokes — Fixed visible color shifts and artifacts when using stamp-style brushes. JPEG photos save in place — Opening a rotated JPEG and pressing Save now overwrites the original instead of unexpectedly prompting "Save As." No more crash on bad image files — Opening a damaged or invalid image, from within the app, by double click, or commandline, now shows a clear error message instead of closing the app. Classic selection behavior restored — The selection outline now hides while you move, resize, or rotate a selection, just like in classic Paint. Tidier AI image panel — Fixed missing spacing at the bottom of the AI image generation panel for a cleaner layout. Visible button hover in light theme — Toolbar split buttons now show a clear hover highlight in the light theme. Snappier toolbar — Streamlined how the ribbon lays out, giving a small speed boost at startup. Fewer background crashes — Fixed a crash that could happen while background tasks were finishing up. Stable app shutdown — Prevented rare crashes when closing the app. Fixed layer removal glitch — Deleting the active layer no longer leaves the layers list in an inconsistent state. Here is what is new in the Photos app (version 2026.11060.2004.0): AI watermarking — AI-generated or edited images can now carry a visible Copilot watermark. You choose Never, Always, or Ask Every Time in Settings, with a confirmation when saving. The watermarking is off by default in settings. Better viewing of small images and pixel art — Tiny images (like 16×16 pixel art) now zoom in far more to fill the screen and stay crisp instead of looking blurry. Select scanned text with the keyboard — When text is detected in an image, you can now navigate and select it using the arrow keys, Shift+Arrow, Home/End, and Ctrl+A, with a clear focus highlight. Fixed a crash in text recognition — Resolved a crash that could close Photos while detecting text in images; the app now recovers gracefully. Easier keyboard navigation — Tabbing through the navigation bar no longer stops on hidden controls, so it takes a single Tab to move past it instead of three. And finally, here is the Sound Recorder (version 11.2605.1.0): Waveform shows with Bluetooth mics — The live waveform now displays correctly when you record using a Bluetooth audio device. No more stray scrollbar — A non-working horizontal scrollbar no longer appears at the bottom of the waveform unless you've zoomed in. Mark button ready right away — The Mark button no longer looks grayed out until you hover over it after opening the app. Markers hidden for WAV files — Markers are now turned off for WAV recordings, since that format can't store them — so they're no longer lost silently. Smoother deleting — Quickly pressing Delete and Enter to remove several recordings in a row no longer triggers a "file doesn't exist" error. Fixed a memory issue — Resolved a memory leak that occurred each time a recording started. You can find all these changelogs in the official documentation here.
    • again, an article about Microsoft Edge and ridicules hater's comments
    • From this very same article: "For organizations that prefer a “more deliberate pace”, the Extended Stable channel remains an option."
    • Or every other browser, because they all behave the same, at least the mainstream ones. Firefox does exactly the same: background updates, restart to install them. Haters gotta hate, I guess.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Very Popular
      AndrewSteel earned a badge
      Very Popular
    • Veteran
      Taliseian went up a rank
      Veteran
    • One Month Later
      Clizby earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      Timaximus earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Timaximus earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      493
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      167
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      162
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      85
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      77
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!