Switching to a Mac January 20, 2008
Posted by Vikas Tandon in Gadgets & Tech, Life, mobile telephony.Tags: Apple MacBook, Windows
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My first ever new year resolution was to start taking Guitar/Singing lessons and commence Yoga. Almost at the end of Jan and I haven’t really made much progress on either. However, fair amount of effort has been put into a completely unplanned (and indulgent) exercise – figuring out how I can switch to a Mac and what kind of potential issues I could face. As some of those who know me would vouch, dealing with these kind of tech and gadget challenges is quite a high for me.
Anyway, to start with, Why switch to a Mac? you might ask. Well, simple answer, sex appeal. God (and wife) knows I need some.
So have spent some time on Google and its results, chewing the brains of mac dealers in Mumbai, experimenting with a borrowed ibook etc. And I have to say, its really not as easy as Apple makes it sound.
My impression so far is while you can pretty much do everything on a Mac that you can on Windows, you can only do so at the basic level. If you are an advanced user, and use some of the less common features and services of Windows and its software, its difficult to let go. Compatability is not that much of an issue, you just have to work harder and may have to opt for workarounds. Some of my key obstacles:
1. I work in an office which runs a Windows network with Active Directory and the Mac needs to join the domain, access its services, etc. While joining a Windows is no longer an issue, will I be able to access services like firewalls, proxies, play administrator, and manage things like security permissions etc from my client?
2. I use Outlook 2003. While Entourage provides all the basic functionality of Outlook, at first glance it does not seem to be as full featured as Outlook – the address card does not seem to hold as many fields, not sure how easy it is to create a distribution list, manage multiple email accounts and sending mails with chosen account etc.
3. One of the biggest issues is likely to be 3rd party applications – like sync for my Sony Ericsson with Outlook. Again, iSync etc will allow basic syncing of contacts, calendars and mails, how accurate and reliable will the syncing be – will it sync all fields, alarms, categories, notes etc? What about using my phone as a modem via Bluetooth?
4. And then of course there are the little utilities that are available for windows like password managers that sync with my phone – not sure how easily I will get that for a Mac.
All in all, I guess my problem is that I’m just too comfortable with Windows. Its like a marriage – you know there are problems, and the other women really looks appealing, but you’re just too cosy in the current familiarity.
And the final obstacle – for all the praise that Mac gets for being far easier to use than windows, I still haven’t found that one single feature about the Mac yet that makes a really strong argument to support that claim. But I’m still waiting and haven’t given up yet…
Looks like switching to a mac is easier said than done. Especially since familiarity with Windows and being an advanced user are good things. Learning to do everything from scratch can be quite painstaking. However…beyond all the sex appeal, is the Mac a really worthwhile investment? Or is that a very contextual sort of question? Would life be easier if everybody was a Mac user?
Good question Satz, and that’s exactly what I haven’t yet found – what’s the killer feature to swing it in Mac’s favor? The most touted features are stability (well, i haven’t had my windows XP hanging or my machine crashing for the last 4 years at least, touch wood), and no virus threats (with norton antivirus, i don’t have to worry about that with windows either).
I don’t really think its about everyone using a mac either, cos compatibility is no longer much of an issue. In fact the new Macs on Intel chips run windows too, so if at all you’re stuck you could hot-swap to windows and complete your task.
I think its really about what you’re used to, and the sheer number of widgets available for windows.
But I’m still discovering…
Here’s a transcript of my conversation on facebook with a friend. Looks like I managed to create some post-purchase dissonance in a recent mac owner. So the question still remains – what is so great about a Mac, apart from the sex appeal, that would make a BUSINESS user already in control in Windows switch to a Mac?
Shobhit Gupta
6:15pm Jan 28th
mac of course…i just got one
Vikas Tandon
6:23pm Jan 28th
matter of fact, I ordered mine today. macbook black. which one did u get?
Shobhit Gupta
6:49pm Jan 28th
smart decision…i got the silver pro…huge differnece betwen windows and this baby…what else is going on?
Vikas Tandon
7:00pm Jan 28th
BTW, when u say huge difference, what exactly do you find great about the mac? have been doing a lot of research and have been test driving a borrowed mac, but honestly, apart from a bells and whistles interface and just great looks, I’m really not finding what a mac can do better than a PC…
Shobhit Gupta
7:08pm Jan 28th
All bells and whistles…….I agree.
A few other things:
1. Screens are better
2. Looks cooler
3. Defintely feels afster than windows machines
4. Doesnt crash
5. Seems lot more convenient ( interface) for everyday use
BAd things:
1. Itunes takes over all music..which kind of sucks
2. Transferring your outlook email is a bitch
3. Interface takes some time to get used to.
4. Plenty of websites and applications dont work.
5. Iphoto wants to take over all your photos( which really sucks)
Hmm …maybe i should return mine and get a sony..
Vikas Tandon
7:11pm Jan 28th
fucking hell, now you’ve got me thinking cos its a lot of money for just a better screen. my windows has not crashed or even hung for the last 4 years (touch wood) and outlook is my lifeline man. I’m just so damn comfortable with windows, can rip it apart and reinstall, push comes to shove! damn!!
Vikas Tandon
7:12pm Jan 28th
and u said websites and apps don’t work? like transactional stuff, if i want to book tickets etc? even on IE?
Shobhit Gupta
7:13pm Jan 28th
dont do it then…just get an iphone instead if you want some mac love…
Transferring outlook stuff really is a bitch
Shobhit Gupta
7:15pm Jan 28th
you should be fine with transactional websites….
Vikas Tandon
7:16pm Jan 28th
then what sites and apps don’t work? u’ve got me worried…
Shobhit Gupta
7:20pm Jan 28th
mainly media heavy sites that involve streaming etc. ( eg, netflix)..some seem to depend on microsoft tech, so they dont work…i think you should be more worried abt outlook….
Vikas Tandon
7:21pm Jan 28th
what do you use? Mail or Entourage?
Shobhit Gupta
7:27pm Jan 28th
im using thunderbird right now.entourage doesnt seem to be as functional as outlook somehow…and i dont understand why msoft cant maker it easier for people to transfer data from outlook t entourage
Vikas Tandon
7:32pm Jan 28th
oh shit. man, this sucks. I got that feeling about entourage and i had the same reaction, its their own frigging product – no fucntional specs were required, they just had to cog it for Mac!! how’s thunderbird compared to entourage?
Vikas Tandon
7:47pm Jan 28th
Btw, have a look at http://www.chordsoflife.wordpress.com. I’ve even blogged about this….
Shobhit Gupta
8:12pm Jan 28th
i prefer thunderbird..maybe becuase ive been using it for a long time…
Chords of life?..hmm..sounds like a “best of” musical compilation….
Shobhit Gupta
9:11pm Jan 28th
one thing though…you dont get a calender with thunderbird…..for a busy businessman like you, that would be important
First off, the benefits;
1. Macs don’t “age” as fast: superior build quality – see the interface ports & magnetic power cable contact
(your analogy of “Other Women” vs. those with oodles of facecream applies here, i guess)
2. Most 3rd party apps are actually bundled & native: look at the native apps with iWork and/or iLife: Mail, iCal, Address books (fully customisable fields)
3. Point 1. above: active directory seems like an issue – my sense is there is a workaround, because the kernel is still based on BSD & the admin console is just as usable (not to mention stable)
What i’ve loved:
The product integration is great, and v. well thought out – as compared to other platforms (one might accuse them of playing monopoly here) But syncs seamlessly with cameras, any other hardware (scanners used to be an issue) and they manage video/media exceedingly well.
Price is a serious concern: premiums of upto 60% more than like-for-like PC-based laptops. But in return, the peripherals (optical drive, screens) seem to outweigh the costs of replacement on a similar PC.