A Few Simple Questions-

[ElliottH]

Hello, Mac-users

I have never owned a Macbook but I am thinking about purchasing one. Before I make this purchase I would need to know how smoothly the Macbook Pro 13" 2010 model will run Windows XP SP2 or even Windows 7.

Don't get me wrong, OS X seems like a great thing to have but I loathe change and would like to make it slow and steady. Therefore, I would use Windows as the primary OS on the Macbook Pro.

After some net-research I have gathered these few questions...

-How does a Windows OS effect the Battery life, would I be losing 30 mins. or 50% of my battery life?

-How well does the multi touch trackpad translate into Windows? Can I use the basic practical functions? (Two-finger scrolling, two-finger right-click, swiping to turn browser pages etc.)

-In your personal experience, what "hiccups" have you found in the hardware that are cumbersome, or even just annoying.

Because I am searching for the answers from people with the most first-hand experience, I must request that you refrain from posting an answer unless you have booted Windows XP SP2 or Windows 7 on a Macbook Pro 13" 2010.

[chscag]

-How does a Windows OS effect the Battery life, would I be losing 30 mins. or 50% of my battery life?

Windows will wear the battery down a bit faster since it does not use robust power saver features as does OS X. 30 minutes? Depends. If you're playing graphic games in Windows, then yes; maybe even more. 50%? No, not that much.

-How well does the multi touch trackpad translate into Windows? Can I use the basic practical functions? (Two-finger scrolling, two-finger right-click, swiping to turn browser pages etc.)

The Boot Camp assistant will install control features in the Windows control panel from which you can adjust the trackpad. I'm not a trackpad user (I'm from the old school, I like a rodent instead) but I understand most gestures are supported.

-In your personal experience, what "hiccups" have you found in the hardware that are cumbersome, or even just annoying.

Not sure how to answer that one. Are you referring to Windows running on a MBP, or to a MBP in general?

You mentioned using Windows as the primary OS on the MBP. I think that would be a mistake. If that's what you intend to do, why not just keep your Windows machine to use for Windows and the new MBP for learning the Mac OS? IMO, once you get used to the Mac, you won't want to use Windows.

Unless there's some app that you must have that's not available for OS X, it's always better to run OS X apps.

In my work I have a mix of Mac and PCs, and I run Windows 7 in a dual boot scenario on my MacBook. We are now in the process of switching everything to the Mac and eventually will retire the remaining PCs. I hope to do that before this Winter. Except for a few of my favorite games, there's really nothing that I need Windows for.

Stay tuned to these forums and take notes.

Regards.

[ElliottH]

Windows will wear the battery down a bit faster since it does not use robust power saver features as does OS X. 30 minutes? Depends. If you're playing graphic games in Windows, then yes; maybe even more. 50%? No, not that much.

Thank you. I probably wouldn't be playing graphic intensive games. It's good to know that Windows software does not cripple the excellent hardware of Apple

Not sure how to answer that one. Are you referring to Windows running on a MBP, or to a MBP in general?

A Macbook Pro using a Windows operating system.

You mentioned using Windows as the primary OS on the MBP. I think that would be a mistake. If that's what you intend to do, why not just keep your Windows machine to use for Windows and the new MBP for learning the Mac OS? IMO, once you get used to the Mac, you won't want to use Windows.

I love the portability, power, and ease-of-use that comes with the Macbook. IMO, since I have not used OS X, I think the software is somewhat of a "con" when I think about purchasing a Macbook. I'm sure that, if I decide to buy one, I will become accustom to the Apple opperating system. I just want to make sure that all of that lovely, and elegant hardware can still be used to it's full extent, even when using a non-native operating system.

Thank you for your help!

[bobtomay]

I'm with chscag on this one. There are plenty of laptops out there that are portable, powerful and easy to use. If you're going to be buying a notebook with the full intention of running Windows - buy one of those Notebooks that come pre-installed with Windows on it.

You might enjoy one of the posts I made about two weeks after the purchase of my first Mac - link - and here I am over 3 years later.

[ElliottH]

I'm with chscag on this one. There are plenty of laptops out there that are portable, powerful and easy to use. If you're going to be buying a notebook with the full intention of running Windows - buy one of those Notebooks that come pre-installed with Windows on it.

You might enjoy one of the posts I made about two weeks after the purchase of my first Mac - link - and here I am over 3 years later.

The closest thing I could find as a Windows alternative was the Asus U30JC and that still has some flaws. The Macbook Pro really hits that niche that I'm looking to fill in performance, endurance, portability, and ergonomics.

Why do you recommend this? As far as I can tell, a Macbook Pro running Windows will function as a work-horse, and something new for me to explore with OS X.

From my point of view, buying a Macbook and installing Windows and then slowly progressing into OS X is a better solution than buying a lesser Windows machine.

Unless I am unaware of something?