To think, I hesitated.

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This is day two with my new MacBook Pro i7 15" and I have to honestly say that I cannot believe that I ever hesitated to switch.

I was guilty of being one of those people who only saw Mac owners as arrogant snobs aside from a real graphic artist. That whole tired argument of real computer, etc, etc, etc. Those childish mudslinging commercials they used to run did not help either. I had been using M$ and PCs since the 3.x days of windows and the 2.0.x kernel days of Slackware. Which actually is odd as my first exposure to any computer was an ancient Macintosh with a green monochrome screen and a drive that played tapes that looked like music tapes. Good ole Oregon Trail.

It finally struck me this year as yet another PC laptop from a "major" manufacturer was ready to die after having to start out also needing to go out for a major warranty repair the first couple months of "ownership" of it. This wasn't the first time either. I needed a laptop for college and due to the amount of bloatware needed like anti-virus and anti-this and that and all the rest that make up a basically ineffective barrier, I don't get barrel scraping models that perform like a 486/66. This usually puts me right around the 1 to 1.2K range after I upgrade the memory and so on and so forth. That is when I came across the 13" new MacBook Pro and for the first time seriously considered buying a Mac.

I love my iPhone, aside from the lack of flash (seriously Apple, you need to get a clue with that) I have faithfully had one since the 2G. It was tough (I don't abuse my electronics to start with), sturdy and dependable and secure. I actually cannot even imagine using any other type of cell phone. So, why not consider a Mac? My main apprehension was usually software availability but with Boot Camp if I really wanted to infect my MacBook Pro instead of finding the superior Mac version, I could. I needed a laptop that could perform and keep doing so past one week of ownership. One that could handle being carried and used all over campus. I also am in the process of writing a book and wanted to have something that I could use for that purpose and maybe even get more than an hour of battery life.

After reading in several different places of people actually getting a full 5 years of rock solid reliable performance out of their Macs, I decided on my current model. I could not be happier! A few things irritate me greatly such as having to manually make things full screen but others that I thought would be a great source of frustration such as the touchpad have actually quickly become loved and I have yet to discover and master all the motions. Little quirks aside, everything is superior in every way. I open my lid, it is ready to go...those air books have got to be insane fast. The display, graphics and even the keyboard (backlit...totally sweet) are all the best of the best.

As both a writer and a college student, this could not be anymore a perfect notebook. Even with a M$ infected mind, a Mac is still easy to use and I have yet to learn the powerful keyboard and everything else. I could not be happier and really wish I had just stuck with Macs since my first exposure to them back in the Triassic period.

No more headaches.
No more weekends of defragging and scans.
No more bottle necking choke outs in performance a week after purchase.
No more wasted time on OS commands like sleep or restart or turning on.
No more irritated it always needs to be plugged in.
No more paranoia everytime I connect to any network or the Internet.
No more yearly full replacements.
No more settling for substandard anything.

If you are even thinking about switching from a PC to a Mac, just stop and pick out the Mac match for you. Don't even think about the money, think about how much is wasted in just AV subscription fees, and for those not forced to become geeks, the cost of constantly paying techs to get things working or fixed. You spend a little more up front but in the long run you have saved a bundle of money as well as stress and get the best computer and computer experience you will ever have.

I love my Mac. :Cool:
 
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Heheh, congratulations! Tis a very fine machine you have there!
 
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Awesome post, it's always great to see a switcher be extremely happy with their new Mac. :)
 
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Welcome to the forum. Nice post. Happy to hear you are pleased.

I'm real happy with my switch as well.

Regards,

Pat
 
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All I've got to say to you sir, is awesome! Welcome to Mac-Forums!
 

robduckyworth


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CrimsonRequiem


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Well with the new OS around the corner, the full screen issue won't be an issue for long. Also depends on the software developer as well...if they choose to allow full screen. >_>"

Flash has more to do with Adobe than Apple. Flash is a resource hog and it drains battery life.

Other than that great post.
 
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Thanks a bunch for the warm welcome everybody! :)

Thank you also to Zizuno for a heads up with Right Zoom.

I already had plans to grab up Lion as soon as I could and with iOS 5 and iCloud coming too I am really stoked about a quick push of my iPhone data directly into my MBP. Talk about seriously worth it updates. I may just find that Mac Zen and grow out of needing my whole display area filled up, even with wasted dead space.

As I admitted, I have an M$ infected mind which also includes Flash. The proliferation of it is so extensive that not being able to use it causes exclusions from a good amount of online content. Anybody who owns a MBP and wants to avoid long complicated technical reads, set your battery to show time or percentage and hop onto your Facebook to play some of the Flash games. You almost think you are back on your broken down tired PC. Close that webpage and that quick drain stops and you have battery life again. I have spent already an easy 6 hours just using Scrivener and not even worry about battery life. I know Flash is bad...but it's everywhere. I thought I had read at one time a workaround for the failures of Flash, but really I just need to break the addiction.

But the touchpad, unless I decide to play some MMORPG, has me completely broke from the traditional style mouse. I can do so much more and faster that when I do use a mouse, I feel crippled. Until we get virtual human interface devices that can be used in the air, this touchpad and the Mac keyboard are the keepers and way to that future. In my humble opinion. :Cool:

The things outright different from a M$ infection are at best, trivial. Usually just a bad habit anyway. In just my short time I have done everything I had on a PC from bridging my NIC to my airport to the simple file name change to word processing. I can't say it enough, I love my Mac.

Thanks again everybody, I look forward to lurking and picking your minds of every last little Mac secret.

**UPDATE**
Just started downloading my ->FREE<- Lion upgrade from the App Store. It's great that Apple is not going to penalize new buyers just before the release of Lion! Seriously, I love my Mac!!
 
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Hemmingway
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I completed the free upgrade to Lion last night; purchased my MBP at Best Buy on 07-17-11 and only needed to fill out the request through the Mac store online before being emailed a code to redeem. It was the easiest and most painless OS upgrade I have ever done and to be honest, the first time I did an OS upgrade and feel comfortable with the system being stable. When I dealt with permanently nearly broken garbage, I would always wipe the whole disk and install what they called an OS from scratch.

I am finding Lion to be, of course, much different than the Snow Leopard version I had just gotten used to. Enough so that I was no longer using my MBP in test mode with SL and had gone to full out using it. Lion has knocked me back into the steps on the kiddy pool for now with some of the gestures seemingly difficult to do, such as launchpad. Other things such as expose I really miss and have not found out yet how I can cycle through my programs again without going to the dashboard. However a Mac is still easier than ever to use and I am sure I just have to feel out Lion to get that same comfort level back.

All in all I stand by my advice. If you have opened your eyes enough to even consider a Mac, just find one of the many types that will match your needs and BUY IT! New or refurbished, you will not be disappointed. Don't hesitate over specs, the more muscle you buy in your Mac the more impressed you are going to be. Period. Regardless of your needs, you cannot go wrong in getting a Mac from hardware and software performance to OS upgrades.

That's my switcher story and I still love my Mac. 8)
 
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Ah; there's a program, WINDOW BLINDS! That allows you to do the option tab to cycle through an actual list of the exact window/application you want, as opposed to the current command tab (I think?) of just giving you the large icons. It's at the app store.

But yea, I can't believe it took me this long to get a Mac; honestly my first one was a second hand and I'm trying to find some money to pay for a new one before I go back to college in the fall.

Great machine, great experience.
 
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Thanks Young Spade, I will keep that program in mind if that itch ever comes back. As I have gotten used to Lion, I have found that the four finger swipe up for mission control allows for incredibly easy and quick switching between programs. Similar to most Linux distros, I can even have multiple desktops and with mission control easily switch between them too; I keep one setup for work/study and one for play. Whenever I want to open a new program, the thumb and three finger pinch opens up the launchpad allowing me to again quickly and easily open a new program. I don't even bother with keeping my dock open at the bottom of my screen and just allow it to hide now. Oddly enough, I don't even desire the fullscreen business anymore either despite it being just a click away in the upper right corner with Lion. Once I learned the gestures and got them down enough to usually get what I am wanting, OS X became even more efficient and easier to use. I will never get tired of the look on my Sister's face as I fly through programs and she is stuck with the clumsy Redmond based interface and a mouse. Even my Mom noticed and is going to be shopping for a MBA.

The only wish I have now is that I could get an icon in my top bar from the mail program to let me know when I have new mail, as versatile as it is I have setup my once webmail accounts in there so I never need the websites.

I hear you about the money, it will be awhile before I save up enough to replace my desktop, but I am going to eventually get at least an iMac if not a MacPro as soon as possible.

I can't say it enough, I LOVE my Mac. :Cool:
 
C

chas_m

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I'm sure there is a third-party program that can put such an alert in the menubar, but I have to point out that if you leave Mail open in the background, it will already do exactly this (let you know when you have new mail) in the dock icon. There's also the free Growlmail.
 
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Hemmingway
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I do keep Mail open in the background and have grown rather quite fond it with just a few minor wishes on a list for it. I do also have sounds setup but have always been the type who keeps their sound set very low or just muted. But, I really like not having to see the dock all the time and constantly in my face when it is not needed. My focus stays on the program I am using aside from when I may need to make some changes from menubar options. Trivial little things, really. Just how my tastes are unfolding as my roots grow deeper in the Mac world. Which is the keynote I really wanted to emphasize: Lion has such a natural and intuitive flow to it that there is not much of a curve to speak of, from Snow Leopard or XP/Vista/7, and even coming from the deepest and most hardened Windows trenches you quickly find yourself only looking towards minor tweaks to suit your unique style and use of your Mac. I feel even somebody intimidated by learning will quickly reach this point as Apple provides free workshops at their stores to help show there is an easier way to use a computer than only through a start button.
 

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