Okay, this is almost painful to say, but I need to say it: “I really like my Mac.”
When did I become an Apple fanboy, you ask? Well, I wouldn’t go that far. One of the things I “really like” about the Mac is the fact that I can run Windows apps through Parallels. It’s so cliche, I know, but it IS the best of both worlds. By purchasing a Mac, I got some quality hardware – maybe a little expensive, I understand – and the ability to run pretty much anything out there.
Using Boot Camp, I can boot into Mac OS X, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or almost any flavor of Linux you can imagine all at the touch of a button. All of that functionality comes with the Mac for free. And if you don’t want to be bothered with all of that “rebooting into a different OS” jazz, plop down 70 bucks on a piece of virtualization software (like Parallels) and you can have BOTH operating systems open at once!
(For maximum fun, try Coherence mode. I have both the Mac OS and Windows taskbars on the screen at once. Click on the start button to launch a PC-based program or the Dock for a Mac app. Way cool indeed!)
Now, keep in mind that my first computer was a Commodore 64, NOT an Apple II. I was the geeky kid with the “My Commodore eats Apples for lunch” t-shirt. Really. So, I wouldn’t call myself a fanatic about Apple products. But they have slowly invaded my digital life. An iPod nano turned into a newer iPod nano turned into an iPhone turned into a Mac Mini….
I’ve been using computers for almost my entire life and I know my way around the Windows registry and such. So the allure of Mac isn’t necessarily the “don’t look behind the curtain” ease of use. I would say it’s the simplicity. And those aren’t the same thing.
When I talk about the simplicity aspect of my Mac, I’m talking about the fact that most applications install by simply dragging the app into the Applications folder. I’m talking about UNinstalling that same app by – you guessed it – dragging it OUT of the Applications folder and into the trash. Why does Windows require a trip to the hidden Control Panel, display a warning or three about how this will permanently remove your beloved program from the system and question you, the user, if you really want to remove this DLL file or if it’s used by another program, to do the EXACT SAME THING?!?
Now, my Mac isn’t perfect. Remember the whole Parallels thing? I need that to run a few apps that I either can’t run or didn’t want to repurchase for the Mac. In fact, I use QuickBooks for the accounting system for my business. I could either buy a Mac version for an extra $200+ or buy Parallels for $70 to run my already-owned PC version. Duh! Come to think of it, I really should blog about how great Parallels is! In time, in time.
I’ve grown tired of trying to find a video driver for my PC laptop that doesn’t spontaneously change resolutions every third boot. It’s depressing to see how much of my day is wasted by the excruciatingly long time it take Outlook to download 10MB worth of email spread out in 100 messages. And why isn’t Time Machine available for the PC? Seriously.
Well, enough of my thoughts. I mean, I’m acting like this is my blog or something! I just wanted to a write a little love note to my Mac. I’m not giving up my PC – I just want BOTH.
What OS do you like best?
