Return to the Mac...

I used to be a heavy-duty Mac user, from about 1986 to about 2002. I even co-authored a book about it. Then I went over to the Dark Side, for two reasons: cost of the gear, and difficulty and cost of buying peripherals and software for it. My last Mac was a G3 iMac; it had a very poor monitor, and I wasn't all that impressed with the real-life performance of OS X -- it felt like I was staring at the spinning beach ball all the time, and it felt just plain sluggish.

Now I'm back, kinda. That is, I just had my work rig upgraded -- my Linux laptop got transferred to other duties, and my replacement is a white 2.4GHz MacBook running OS X 10.5.

It rawks. Seriously. I've got both Ubuntu and Windows XP running on it as well in VMWare, and both work as well or better than any box I've used that runs them natively. Java software (which I use a lot, since most of my dev tools are written in Java -- we're talking Eclipse, oXygen, that sort of thing) runs blazingly fast and integrates seamlessly with the desktop, and there are just gobs of extremely slick little usability touches, like the way I can bind applications to Spaces and then select a Space with Ctrl-Number. Meaning, I can switch to the Finder, e-mail, the web, the terminal, Eclipse, or VMWare/Windows with a single keystroke rather than by hunting for them in the mess of windows I have open -- without having to manually manage in which space I open them.

And everything just *works,* and very fast too -- whether it's about logging onto a Wi-Fi network, syncing iCal to Google Calendar, or flipping my screen when I rotate it to vertical.

Compared to both my home box running Vista x64, the Ubuntu box it's replacing, and just about any other box I've been using lately, it feels like a Mercedes next to a fleet of Chevy minivans in various states of disrepair.

I'm mightily impressed -- so much so I can't help gushing a bit. The Mac has come a long, long way since I left it in 2002, and with the open-source software available for it (I like NeoOffice more than the current incarnation of Microsoft Office, for example), the software-availability/cost problem is pretty much gone.

In a nutshell, it combines the best characteristics of Linux and Windows, and it makes them work so smoothly it feels almost effortless. Being in the business of making this kind of thing work, I can appreciate the dedication that's gone into making that a reality.

I have a feeling my next home computer will be a Mac too, although there isn't currently any in the line-up that would really do the job. I figure by the time I'm ready to retire it, there will be. (Basically, I'd want the same form factor but a GPU powerful enough to run my games in Windows, preferably through VMWare but in a pinch in Boot Camp -- I *think* the MacBook Pro could do it, but it's bulkier than I'd want in a laptop, and rather pricey to boot.)

Edit: Did a bit of research, and the GF 9600M GT GPU's in the MacBook Pros are still clearly underpowered. Steve Jobs never did "get" gaming, and it looks like that's one thing that hasn't changed. Apple will have to wait a while until it gets my money again...

I found quite a few specialty shop selling Mac and related products. The price is general much higher compared the PCs. I got the feeling that Apple will never change the pricing strategy of its products. They already have their own market segment - why dismantle the established market and diluting its brand by competing with PC products?.

As for Mac's hardware performance compared to PCs, the last time i read a Mac machines reviews i am quite impressed. But then again, a high-end Macs or gaming machines will come premium price. It's the biggest hurdle for me to get a Macs.

And the level of hardware customization, upgradeability or build your own Macs are much limited when compared to PCs. When particular components inside my PC became too slow to handle newer software or spoilt, i only need to change that particular parts which are much easier to find and cheaper to replace.

Not that i'm anti-Macs as there is not need for that but until i have more money than i need, i don't see Macs as a practical choice.

I love my Macbook Pro, new one ... run WinXP via BootCamp as well.

I never liked the mac asthetic, if I was geoign to spend that much on a piece of technology I wouldn't want something that looked like it came from Fisher Price.

Remus said:

I found quite a few specialty shop selling Mac and related products. The price is general much higher compared the PCs. I got the feeling that Apple will never change the pricing strategy of its products. They already have their own market segment - why dismantle the established market and diluting its brand by competing with PC products?

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You're probably right -- but at current prices, Macs are actually somewhat price-competitive in their segment. They don't make any "entry-level" laptops; the cheapest MacBooks slot into the lower end of the "premium" segment, but compared to similarly-specced and built laptops from HP, Sony, or LeNovo, they measure up rather well.

As for Mac's hardware performance compared to PCs, the last time i read a Mac machines reviews i am quite impressed. But then again, a high-end Macs or gaming machines will come premium price. It's the biggest hurdle for me to get a Macs.

And the level of hardware customization, upgradeability or build your own Macs are much limited when compared to PCs. When particular components inside my PC became too slow to handle newer software or spoilt, i only need to change that particular parts which are much easier to find and cheaper to replace.

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All true, that. Macs never were meant to be upgraded.

Not that i'm anti-Macs as there is not need for that but until i have more money than i need, i don't see Macs as a practical choice.

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That depends on your needs, for sure. That super-slick user experience does have its cost, and you named some of it. But it does have its value too. I've spent a quite a lot of time at work messing with my computers just to make them work -- certainly enough that my hourly wage would've bought several MacBooks over that time. Similarly, the extremely fast and fluid virtualization means that I can do with one machine where otherwise I would've needed two, or would've had to bother one of my colleagues.

In fact, the MacBook's slight price premium has certainly already been amortized -- it took considerably less time to set up than a comparable PC/Ubuntu box. Those few hours would've cost the company much more!

V7 said:

I never liked the mac asthetic, if I was geoign to spend that much on a piece of technology I wouldn't want something that looked like it came from Fisher Price.

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Which one?













(Edit: As an aside, anyone who thinks the current-generation of aluminum Macs doesn't look cool wouldn't know cool design if it bit them on the ass.)

I actually prefer their black books ... The aluminium is better than white though.

I have been loving the Aluminum since they switched from the Titanium ... which I also loved. Never had a plain Macbook, no interest. Has a 12" G4 Powerbook that was pretty sweet for its' time.