A switcher's first impressions (a bit long)

F

Ford Prefect

Guest
So, I got my new 17” PB a couple of days ago, and after spending much time with it, I thought I’d post my impressions as someone who is completely new to Mac. I switched from an old PIII VAIO notebook running Win2k.

Here are the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:

The Good:

- This machine is amazing. I’ve heard that sometimes Macs run loud and hot, but my PB produced a barely noticeable sound. In fact, it’s so quiet that I have to lean my ear down to the machine just to hear the fan and hard disk to their thing. The machine does get warm, but nothing like my old VAIO laptop, which ran like a jet engine.
- It’s fast! I’ve got about 8 different apps running right now, and not even a stutter.
- OS X. This is the real reason I switched. It’s easy to use and powerful. I love the customizability. Just interfacing with this computer is a pleasure.
- Expose. I’m using the “hot corners” feature, and it’s a real treat to use for switching.
- The backlit keyboard. This is a little thing, but it’s really useful.
- Battery life is impressive. I got about 3.5 hours yesterday during light use (safari, iTunes, keyboard light, Adium).
- Everything does indeed just “work”. I’ve connected to all manner of networks in the last two days, all with no headaches. Click and go, even on PC networks. That alone justified the purchase price.
- Safari. It’s been fast, and I love the UI.
- iTunes. It imported all my music, no problem.
- The switching process. I did it over a wireless network. Quick and easy import of my bookmarks and all my documents.
- The display is so easy on the eyes. I feel like Apple did a lot of research into ergonomics. My eyes are never strained looking at this screen.
- The 17” PB is NOT too big. I was worried about this. It’s thin and light for its size, and easy to use on my lap as I am right now.
- Drag and drop installation of software is great.
- Sleep and wake happen quickly and without incident.
- Apple customer service. I ordered it on Feb. 9, and was constantly emailed throughout the process. I never had to wonder about what the status was.

The Bad:

- I use the trackpad to click. When I do, the pointer occasionally moves a lot, sometimes to the point where it even ends up selecting the option above or below the one I want. I think I just need to get used to it.
- I’ve got the mouse pointer speed maxed out, and I wish I could get more acceleration and speed.
- Firefox is not stellar for me, it’s a little jumpy and sometimes slow.
- Adium (I know it’s a third party app) doesn’t always work that well. I’ll change preferences and nothing will change. Or, it will not automatically connect upon launch even though that option is checked. It will connect automatically waking from sleep, but only sometimes.

The Ugly:

- The way my old VAIO looks and sounds now that I’ve been spoiled, even for just two days.
- The fact that I waited until now to switch.

If you can’t tell, I’m thrilled with my purchase. If there’s anyone who isn’t sure if they want to switch, I think you won’t be disappointed if you took the leap. Sorry to gush! It was worth every penny, I look forward to years of enjoyment on this baby!

Thanks again to those on the forum who answered a couple of questions I’ve had, whether I got them from posting or lurking.
 
Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
2,340
Reaction score
82
Points
48
Location
DFW
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Pro 13" | MacBook Pro 13" | Mac Mini 2GHz C2D
congrats on your wonderful computer!!! i am glad that i switched too
 
Joined
Nov 24, 2004
Messages
726
Reaction score
11
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
Black Colorware PowerBook 1.67 GHz G4, 2 GB DDR2, 100GB 7200 RPM
I'd recommend trashing Firefox for a G4 optimized build of Camino, since you're sporting the PB's nice G4.
 
OP
T

Thud

Guest
I'm using firefox right now... it's definitely not as smooth as Safari, but I'm using it because I'm already used to it on windows.


I'll give Camino a shot.
 
Joined
Jan 12, 2005
Messages
1,278
Reaction score
13
Points
38
Location
/home/sheffield/UK
Your Mac's Specs
12" 1Ghz PB 768Mb 10.4.5 30Gb Video iPod 40Gb 3G iPod 1Gb iPod Shuffle
mate even playing on a PB i noticed that the mouse speed is slow, is there any 3rd party app or hack to get it even faster?
 
OP
S

sebeck

Guest
Meyvn said:
I'd recommend trashing Firefox for a G4 optimized build of Camino, since you're sporting the PB's nice G4.

I never even heard of Camino until reading this post. Thanks! I googled it and found it was a mozilla project. Installed! :)
 
OP
D

d-funct

Guest
I found using the G4/G5 optimized build of firefox really speeded it up ...
 
Joined
Jun 11, 2003
Messages
4,915
Reaction score
68
Points
48
Location
Mount Vernon, WA
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Pro 2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo 4GB RAM OS 10.5.2
Yeah I have the G5 Optimized build and it works great :)
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top