Why I'm Making the Ultimate Upgrade to a Mac
I'm a lifelong Windows user. In fact, I'm typing on a Windows Vista-equipped PC right now. But in a few weeks, I will hopefully be getting a Mac. A 21.5" iMac to be precise. Switching is a big think, and I want to weigh up the pros and cons of switching and blowing hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars/pounds on a big ol' block of aluminium.
What attracts me to the Mac? Three things: Design, Operating System and iLife. There's probably others but these three are by far the most important factors to me. Let me take them in-depth.
Design
The design of Apple's products are by far the best in the industry. I'm pretty proud that Jony Ive studied Industrial Design at my local university. My iPad is my first, and only, Apple product now and I love to hold it naked without a case. There's something about the aluminium that draws you in. The iPad is sturdy, big and great to feel and touch making it the casual and convient product I bought.
However, when we discuss this large, aluminium surface there is a large downside. Scratching. As with pretty much everything on a computer, this surface is prone to scratching and I don't like the look of my iPad in some lights. Sometimes the plastic of a PC is better. Luckily the iMac's aluminium areas don't come into much contact with other items.
Operating System
Mac OS X. What an amazing system it is. Something I've admired for long time, both its design and its usefulness. Another thing that draws me into the Mac is that (forgive my shameless plug for Apple) Apple's teams work in unison so the hardware is designed around the software and vice versa.
Then there all the features unique to OS X. Time Machine and its backup features are one major pull. There's also all the inbuilt apps such as Mail, iChat and Dashboard, which offer out-of-the-box functionality. Coupling this with Expose, Spaces and the Dock really skyrocket your productivity, I think at least.
iLife
And how can we forget one of the best suites out there, the free one: iLife. On a PC, i've been stuck with c*** like Movie Maker wheras Mac users have been living with iMovie, GarageBand and all the iLife apps. Come on Microsoft, is it too hard to make something that actually works?
And pretty much that's why I'm switching to a Mac. They're faster, have better apps, better life, better performance and to top it all off, they're cool!
Connor Turnbull
Reader Comments (9)
Wow, this is a super post, I LOVE IT!!!!! I am happy for u, you are SWITCHING TO A MAC! really, you will enjoy it, as I enjoy mine, seriously u are having a great experience! VERY NICE POST!
.When you get an iChat Account add me: abrahamlpas@mac.com
Very nice post! After you get settled in with your Mac, outsource to some other features/software not explicitly seen when you start using it. There's a ton of features not too many people know about!
This is a very nice post! Being a proud owner of multiple Macs, I can tell you that you won't regret the switch. Be sure to write another post about your first impressions when you purchase your iMac!
You will not regret your purchase of a Mac. As a recent switcher as of March 2011, my life has changed with all the peripherals that come included. I can now organize, create, and do so much more with the simple, fast, and easy to use operating system. I wish you the best of luck on your purchase, and hope you never regret it!
Wow! Nice post, You will not regret your purchase of a Mac, Macs are cool. After switching, you never will see the world the same way you do now.
Welcome to the mac club!! Glad you saw the light haha
Good post, but, and this is coming from a PC and Mac user, you should not base your Window experience off Vista. Widows 7 was a gigantic improvement over Vista and now both my MacBook and Desktop PC run fantastically.
I thought that I would use iLife at first too, but it quickly became gimmicky, the only application I now use in iLife is actually pHoto and extremely occasionally iMovie. Just don't expect your Mac not to crash at all like some Apple fans make out, it WILL crash, and I have noticed it does as much as Windows 7 does.
Good buy and have fun!! Macs are good, but sometimes I have found my self wanting to boot up Windows haha
Hi Matt.
I haven't. I used Windows 95 first, then XP (and used XP throughout my entire school life) and now Vista (and 7 for a few hours). For me, I actually like Vista's Aero UI very much and to me, Vista hasn't been a problem. On both XP and Vista, i've experiences some really bad viruses but I can usually get rid of them.
But Macs are so much more appealing to me. Yet, i'm actually looking forward to Windows 8 and will buy that and use it in BootCamp.
And to everyone else, i'll be sure to do another post in a few weeks/a month or so when I get my Mac. I'm also going to do a first impressions video with it to see how it compares with my laptop on my day to day tasks.
Thanks everyone, this was my first post :)
-Connor
I love my 21.5" iMac to bits. You won't regret it.