Adapting to an Apple Mac
I’ve been getting familair with my new 15” Powerbook G4 for the last few weeks.
I was encouraged to switch over from my hard-working and long-serving Windows PC to improve my efficiency. Twelve months ago I was frustrated that my work was slowed by my stupidly slothful internet connection and got myself an ADSL line as soon as it became available. More recently I’d been moaning to friends that much of my time was being spent having to use the task manager to close down unresponsive programs, and I was in need of a change.
In all honesty there was no real need to get a new computer, I’m working far less that I ever have been, but being the geek I am, I decided to reward myself after some really productive months.
It seems that Apple Macs are getting more commonly recognized. I guess that the IPod put them back on the map although I’ve yet to stumble upon a person in Starbucks tapping away at one when drinking his latte. I’m very aware as to the ridiculous Apple V’s PC squabbles and thought I’d document my impressions after testing things out for a month.
THE COMPUTER ITSELF
GOOD: I am getting about 3 and a half hours battery life when connected to a wireless internet connection which is about 3 hours more than I ever got with my PC.
GOOD: I love the vaginal (sorry) DVD slot, and that they eject button is part of the keyboard.
GOOD: The backlit keys are genuinely useful
GOOD: The 2-fingered scroll with the trackpad is wonderful
BAD: The screen resolution is so high that it can get to be a strain reading things
BAD: The laptop only includes a 1-button trackpad!
OS X OPERATING SYSTEM
GOOD: Everything seems to work together unlike the PC where every program looks and works differently
GOOD: I love QuickSilver - a fantastic way of launch programs
GOOD: The systems ‘Spotlight’ feature allows you to search for anything in realtime
BAD: Some keyboard shortcuts require as many as three presses, there’s no efficient way of getting to the top pull-down menus
BAD: So many applications which have been availabe on the PC for years are many months behind on the Mac.
….
It’s a bit boring writing much more but on the whole I’m pleased with my new toy. I’m very comfotable with it already and I can’t see myself returning to my old PC any time soon. For those Mac fans who can’t say a thing wrong about their babies I’d say they’re a bit blinkered and I’ve experienced crashes, screen freezes and glitches on the Mac for those who claim it’s bullet-proof. For what I intend to use my computer for I’m pleased that the Mac offers all the software I need and, as far as first impressions go I’ll be able to do everything with only minimal extra software.
