When it comes right down to it, I’m still not in love with this Mac. Everyone talks about how great they are, but there are a few AMAZING things you can do on a PC that make it, at least to me, easier to use.
- Right-Click – Sure I can control and click to get the same feature, but now it requires two hands instead of one.
- Clear the Desktop – there is a button for this too, but I miss my little icon by my start menu filled with programs.
- I miss the start programs option. Now if I want to access all of my programs I have to go to the hard drive and it requires multiple clicks to get to items I don’t use frequently.
- I liked how all of the programs I had open in Microsoft would stack neatly on the task bar when I minimized them. Sure I can hit a key to show all of the windows at once, but they are still hidden from my view and so I don’t remember sometimes that I already have 16 windows of Safari already open.
- To close anything the icons are all super small circles. Sure it’s artsy, but I want my close button to be bigger and on the right side of the screen.
- I don’t like Keynote, Pages, or Numbers. They are not a substitute for Microsoft Office. Office 2007 is awesome. It takes some time getting used to, but once you know how everything works it is the bomb. Office 2008 for Mac is a turd. Microsoft tried to make Office work more like iWork with it’s look and feel and tiny icons and minimal design and it’s a pile of crap. The functionality is the same, but the ease of use is all messed up.
I’ve got about $2300 invested in this machine and I could have spent $1000 and had a really nice PC with all the bells and whistles. I wouldn’t have had to go out and buy new versions of Photoshop and Dreamweaver and Office. And there wouldn’t be this learning curve that everyone said I would acclimate to in time. What they might not realize is that I was/am a Power User when it came to PC’s. I could make those babies sing and although sometimes they would sing off key, I knew how to get them back in tune.
My review: Unless you just want to pay more for something that works only 10% better than a PC and looks a little prettier, then don’t buy into the hype and just go out and buy a Dell.
I’m due for a new laptop soon and have been thinking of purchasing a mac book. However after reading this and talking with other people about the pro’s and cons, I’m starting to lean more towards a pc instead. I don’t understand why macs are so freakin’ expensive!
Hmmm, you need some serious help. If you are a designer, Mac is the only way to go! But let me see if I can help with your list of dilemmas
1. The MightyMouse has a right click function. It might not have an actual button but if you click on the right side of the mouse the standard right click menu appears. If you are only using the trackpad then click it with two fingers and the right click menu appears.
2. & 3. On the lower right side of the dock next to the trash can is a place you can add custom folders that open up whatever you have put inside of them. I have an app folder which is filled with all my applications. One click and all my apps appear. I also have a custom folder that opens all my design work.
4. Use your dock for your most used applications. They stay there whether they are open or not. Easy quick way to access photoshop. But if you minimize an app it goes down to the right hand side by the trashcan similar to windows stacking them. Or if you right click the app icon you can hide the app altogether.
5. C’mon now that’s a little too picky! It takes a few minutes to get use to the buttons being on the left but the sie of them isn’t that different!
6. I don’t use the iWork apps. I have Office for Mac and I never had much of a problem. I think that is a user problem
Yes you could pay $1000 for a PC but all I can really say is 4 years on a Mac and 0 viruses!