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The Mac won me over — long time Windows user after a month of Mac only use
The Feld Report ^ | August 3rd, 2010 | Brad Feld

Posted on 08/04/2010 12:09:11 PM PDT by Swordmaker

On June 20th, I declared that I was going to try A Month of Mac.  I took my Macbook Pro (an older model from about 18 months ago) up to Alaska, left my Lenovo x300 in Boulder, and went native Mac.

I’m typing this on my brand new spiffy MacBook Pro 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 with 8GB RAM, with a 500GB solid state hard drive.  I can’t figure out why I’ve been so stubborn about really switching to the Mac.  This is a beautiful computer.

The key to this switch was that the native mac apps (Mail, iCal, and Address Book) sync seamlessly with Exchange.  So I don’t have to deal with the abortion that is Entourage but at the same time I don’t have to mess around with our email server and impact everyone else in our organization.  That’s sweet.  I had a feeling this would work this time since it works flawlessly on my iPhone and iPad, and it did.  The only thing missing is Tasks, but I started using Evernote instead which actually worked even better than the Outlook Task manager.

So – no Parallels or Fusion – I don’t even have a Windows image on this machine at this point.  I didn’t use Windows a single time in the last month and now that I’ve rewired my brain for Mac shortcut keys I think it’d be a pretty amusing thing to watch.

I’ve found peace and happiness with iWork as a replacement for Microsoft Office – it’s more than adequate for what I do.  MarsEdit is a spectacular blog post editor, Chrome works happily on the Mac as does Skype and TweetDeck, and Adium replaced Digsby.  Pogoplug works just like it did before – all my files are where I want them to be.  Best of all, my iPhone actually does what it’s supposed to with iTunes.

Did I say that this is a beautiful piece of hardware?  Sleep mode – check.  Flawless super high resolution screen – check.  Super fast everything – check.  Find a piece of software you want to play around with – download and run.

The most remarkable thing was the transfer of all my data, applications, and settings from my old MacBook Pro to my new MacBook Pro.  I connected them by Firewire.  I restarted my old MacBook and held down the T key.  After the transfer started, I went and had a meeting for a hour.  I came back and my new Mac was set up exactly like my old Mac.  Perfect.

Ross – you owe me $100.

Brad Feld is a managing director at Foundry Group who lives in Boulder, Color\ado. He invests in software and Internet companies around the US, runs marathons and reads a lot.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: ilovebillgates; iwanthim; iwanthimbad; microsoftfanboys
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1 posted on 08/04/2010 12:09:12 PM PDT by Swordmaker
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To: Swordmaker

An unusual post, folks rarely brag about contacting social diseases. Does your significat other know youare infected with apple cod rot?

Caddis the Younger


2 posted on 08/04/2010 12:15:25 PM PDT by palmerizedCaddis
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To: ~Kim4VRWC's~; 1234; 50mm; Abundy; Action-America; acoulterfan; AFreeBird; Airwinger; Aliska; ...
A long time PC user takes a challenge to use a Mac as his sole computer for one month and the inevitable happens... He's a Mac user now, wondering why he resisted so long! PING !

Please!
No Flame Wars allowed!
Discuss hardware.
Don't attack people!


Apple Mac Switcher Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

3 posted on 08/04/2010 12:16:54 PM PDT by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft product "insult" free zone!)
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To: Swordmaker

At nearly double the price, he’s welcome to it.

I’ll stick with Windows 7.


4 posted on 08/04/2010 12:22:08 PM PDT by CaspersGh0sts
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To: palmerizedCaddis

Did you get Jim’s memo?


5 posted on 08/04/2010 12:24:10 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the occupation media. There are Wars and Rumors of War.)
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To: Swordmaker

Nothing wrong with Macs or Mac apps at all—the price point is a killer though. I can put together just as good a Windows machine as a given Mac for about 60% of the price.

I don’t doubt that OS X is “better” than W7 (I’m still running Vista x64 personally). It’s just not worth several hundred extra dollars to get the same performance.

}:-)4


6 posted on 08/04/2010 12:25:09 PM PDT by Moose4 (November 2, 2010--the day that "YES WE CAN" becomes "OH NO YOU DIN'T")
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To: Swordmaker

500GB solid state drive? That costs more by itself than the base MBP.


7 posted on 08/04/2010 12:25:48 PM PDT by Mr. Blonde (You ever thought about being weird for a living?)
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To: Swordmaker

8 posted on 08/04/2010 12:26:20 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet - Visualize)
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To: Swordmaker

Yep!

There is a REASON that PC Magazine once had MAC as their PC of the year.

Of course they took such a huge hit in emails and cancellations from their PC subscribers that they never did it again.... but... the stats haven’t changed.

Mac is still cheaper, and more effective than ANY comparable PC.


9 posted on 08/04/2010 12:28:22 PM PDT by RachelFaith (2010 is going to be a 100 seat Tsunami - Unless the GOP Senate ruins it all...)
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To: Swordmaker

If the Mac wasnt so pricey more people would buy them. You can get a laptop for half the price and that is the determining factor for many people.

I wrote my thesis on a Mac, at the time it was the only computing platform that offered WYSIWYG equation editing. But when I went into industry there was not a Mac to be found. Fast forward 20 years and I look around the engineering building here ... and I still see no Macs.

I maintain it is not because they are not good machines, they clearly are ... they are priced 2x what they should be.


10 posted on 08/04/2010 12:28:28 PM PDT by dartuser ("Palin 2012 ... nothing else will do.")
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To: Swordmaker

After 14 years of using both Mac (work) and PC (home), I opt for PC’s any time I need a new computer. Macs are nice, but I cannot see myself spending money on one. They’re just not that great.


11 posted on 08/04/2010 12:30:23 PM PDT by Clara Lou
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To: Swordmaker
Why people continue to suffer with Windows is just beyond me anymore. I dropped their poor excuse for an operating system back in 2000 and never looked back. Often people come to me wanting help after a viral infection on a Windows system, and I'm just not "there" anymore. The best I'll do is to recover the data onto CD or DVD media. But my stock answer nowadays to people with Windows malware problems is to BUY A MAC.

I am grateful to the piss poor Windows operating for one thing, and one thing only. They're largely responsible for keeping me employed in defending my current employer against malware. I never thought I'd be grateful to stupid, malicious people, but I am. :-)
12 posted on 08/04/2010 12:32:36 PM PDT by hiredhand
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To: Moose4

Macs are really only worth the extra price tag for two reasons:

1. People who work in video editing/videography. Macs do excel in this area.

2. People who have too much money and want to let everyone know they can spend 2-300% more for their computer.

Macs do, overall, run a bit better in general, but not worth the price tag for just that. And if you want to play a game, you’re mostly stuck with, um, about nothing. Starcraft II and thats about it.


13 posted on 08/04/2010 12:33:13 PM PDT by Svartalfiar
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To: CaspersGh0sts; Swordmaker; Moose4

I’ve switched from windows to Ubuntu and love it - it just doesn’t get much spam, viruses, etc. (I guess it’s below the radar screen for vandals) I can leave it on for weeks at a time without rebooting. Most updates don’t require rebooting. And it’s got solid free apps for just about everything.


14 posted on 08/04/2010 12:33:25 PM PDT by aquila48
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To: Swordmaker
I’m typing this on my brand new spiffy MacBook Pro 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 with 8GB RAM, with a 500GB solid state hard drive.

The author of course is bragging but there is much to be said about replacing the travel computer with the iPad and using the new Pro for crunching. I can only imagine the speed of VIs from LabView on this thing.

I also wonder if DMA buffered waveforms are even necessary with a SSHD. The library of generated tests would increase based on storage without the DMA overhead.

I like the Air, however I may have to relegate it to a field only computer.
15 posted on 08/04/2010 12:35:11 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the occupation media. There are Wars and Rumors of War.)
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To: RachelFaith
Mac is still cheaper, and more effective than ANY comparable PC.

People would realize what you wrote IF they considered the total cost of depending on a Windows system. But most people are too short sighted.


16 posted on 08/04/2010 12:35:41 PM PDT by hiredhand
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To: dartuser
If the Mac wasnt so pricey more people would buy them. You can get a laptop for half the price and that is the determining factor for many people.

True, but the one thing you leave out is, the resale value of Macs. You can probably recoup at least 50% of the purchase price on resale even two or three years later, which of course you can apply to purchasing the latest and greatest model.

17 posted on 08/04/2010 12:36:09 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dartuser
I maintain it is not because they are not good machines, they clearly are ... they are priced 2x what they should be.

There's also the propretary hardware platform. No company in their right mind builds a mission critical infrastructure on a single source hardware platform.

18 posted on 08/04/2010 12:36:25 PM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: Swordmaker

My thought is to get a Mac Mini, and simply access it via my Windows 7-based laptop via VNC. Has anyone else done that, and would it be worth it?


19 posted on 08/04/2010 12:38:15 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Svartalfiar
1. People who work in video editing/videography. Macs do excel in this area.

There are others..
20 posted on 08/04/2010 12:39:39 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the occupation media. There are Wars and Rumors of War.)
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