It’s now been 3 weeks since I was forced to buy a laptop to replace my Sony Vaio.  I ended up going with a Mac because of the superior hardware specs and the option to run OSX while still keeping XP on the same machine. Was it a good decision? I am still trying to decide.

It took me at least 2 weeks of INTENSE frustration to get used to some of the things that are different/worse. My fingers had a hard time getting used to all the new keystrokes, and I spent forever just trying to find stuff or match the functionality of my old Sony. When I used XP on it, the keyboard and trackpad was so  incredibly annoying that I resorted to a bluetooth keyboard just to be able to get anything done. And the multi-touch trackpad works like ass in Bootcamp (there are, as yet, no drivers that Apple has put out for XP. You can’t double-tap, and when you click, the cursor jumps.)

Plus, I have hundreds of dollars worth of Type 1 fonts that won’t work on the Mac. Although Adobe will crossgrade software from Windows to Mac at no charge, they won’t upgrade your Type 1 fonts to cross-platform Opentype. So I’m stuck with some of my best fonts that will only work in XP.

So here’s my partial list of pros and cons, in no particular order:

Things I don’t like:

• OSX file management is my #1 pet peeve. The finder positively STINKS compared to Windows’ explorer. I feel like I spend twice as long looking for things. There is no way to group folders together at the top… they are interspersed within files alphabetically, which is very inconvenient. If you create a new folder or file in Finder, then rename it, it jumps into alphabetical order rather than staying put so you can add stuff to it… then you have to go hunt it down again. And there is no "folder merge" feature like on XP, which is something I depend on when I merge job folders together or do backups. This is such a painful missing feature that I’ve decided to do job backups from XP just so I don’t accidentally overwrite data.
• I dislike [the single integrated menu bar at the top of the screen. I prefer the Windows-style menu-attached-to-app style. I think there is far more visual clutter in OSX than in Windows, and unless you go to pains to move windows around or minimize stuff, it is very easy to not know which application you are working in, or accidentally bring another one to the forefront. I still find myself wishing for a Maximize button just to get all that background crap out of my sight, especially when I’m trying to work in only 1 application without distractions. (I have learned to rely on Cmd-Option-H to hide all the background clutter). Also, when you work on dual screens, you have to travel waaaaay over to the far side of the 2nd screen to get to your tools. In Windows, they’re right there, attached to the window you’re on.

The macbook hardware has some design flaws which annoy:

• Sharp edges dig into your wrists. I feel like Apple sacrificed comfort and usability for style. I either try to cover my wrists with my sleeves, or else I am forced to change positions to the way the Macbook wants me to sit. The user should be the one to decide that, not the computer.
• Screen hinge is too loose and flops down whenever the computer moves or is tilted beyond 45 degrees. It doesn’t close completely shut, but stops within a few inches. This is especially annoying when you’re readjusting your position, trying to use it in bed, or simply moving the laptop (gently) from one place to another while the lid is open. (This problem doesn’t exist on the smaller 13" Macbook.) This makes the Macbook Pro unusable for people who need to use the computer at more extreme angles (such as those who have it on a stand or need to use it from a bed).
• Ports arent very usable. There are only 2 USB ports, placed very close together on the left side which prevents bulkier USB items from fitting in at the same time. I think all 15" laptops shouId come with a minimum of 3 USB ports at the very least. I am always having to unplug my Wacom Bamboo if I want to use a portable hard drive. Also, the port for the external display is a MiniDisplayPort, which doesn’t work with any monitors except 1 (Apple Cinema Display) without a special $30 adapter that you have to go out and buy because Apple wouldn’t include it in the box!!! And they are difficult to find right now at most stores, including the ones that carry the new Macbook Pros!
• No built-in SD card reader. That’s just cheap, Apple. Every single Windows machine comes with a card reader nowadays. The good part is that I was able to pull out the card reader from my Sony and use it in the Mac’s one available slot, so now I’m grudgingly satisfied.
• Keys smudge the display. The keyboard, although recessed into the unibody, isn’t recessed quite enough. When you close the lid, oil from the keys gets on the glass screen, meaning you have a keyboard-shaped grid of smudges on the screen when you open it. Another 1/16" of recessing would’ve solved the problem. Now, I either have to clean it every time I open it, or lay a piece of cloth or plastic over the keys every time I close the lid. Or a third option is to wear gloves when I type so hand oil never gets on the keys. (ha)
• The wireless signal gets constantly dropped. Not sure why this is happening– whether it’s a flaw with the machine or with Leopard, and I haven’t had time to hunt down a fix.
• The Mac doesn’t always go to sleep properly. A couple of times, I have taken it out of my computer bag to find the fan running full steam, and the computer so hot I almost dropped it. I have read that it may have something to do with not unplugging USB devices before putting it to sleep.
• Dismounting drives. I really hate having to drag a device to the trash to eject it or "dismount" it. In XP, you could plug and unplug without risk of losing data. The Mac, on the other hand, complains nastily when you unplug something before it’s ready. And in a spiteful act of retaliation, it corrupted my Terabyte external backup drive (HUUUUGE disastrous pain that caused me 2 days of grief) simply because I shut the computer down while the drive was still plugged in. (After extensive searching online, I see it has something to do with NTFS-formatted drives being corrupted because of an OSX driver).

Things I like:

• Instant wake from sleep. Believe it or not, this is probably my #1 favorite thing about the Mac. Unlike Windows, which takes up to a minute to wake up from sleep, or even longer from hibernate, the Mac is read almost instantly when you open the lid.
• The machine looks great and feels very solid. Whereas my Sony felt like a delicate assembly of many fragile parts, this Macbook feels sturdy and unbendable. There is no flex whatsoever in the thin screen, and I don’t feel the need to pamper it like I did with my Sony. Also, there are no air vents at all– just tiny "pores" for the speakers on either side of the keyboard. I don’t have the feeling that dust will be clogging this machine up since it won’t have a way to get in there.
• Bright, big screen. Many design pros prefer matte screens and have complained of the mirror-like reflectiveness, but I haven’t found it to be a hindrance at all. I haven’t tried working outside with it, but in very sunny conditions I could barely make out what was on my Sony Vaio’s matte screen. Plus, the Macbook Pro doubles as a handy mirror, after you wipe off the keyboard grease prints!
• Built-in color calibration. Hurrah! Setting up the color calibration on my second monitor was a breeze, and now both displays match. This would be impossible on XP without 3rd party sofware.
• Multi-touch glass trackpad. It only took me about a half a day to get used to it, and it beats any trackpad I’ve ever tried. It’s big, easy to move your fingers across (unlike the HP ones which feel "sticky" to me), and it’s incredibly useful. Scroll with 2 fingers, tap with 2 fingers for a "right click,", shove everything out of the way by moving 4 fingers up, and bring it all back by moving 4 fingers down. I set the preferences to double tap for click.
• Backlit keyboard. So useful when working at night. And the keys have a very nice action when I type.
• OSX design. OSX is a lovely, organized, aesthetically pleasing operating system which inspires confidence in its design. XP, with all its legacy parts and disparate components which are often buried deep in its innards, feels old fashioned and slapdash by comparison. It also runs quieter and cooler than XP does on the same system. I think that paying attention to OSX’s usability details is bound to help my own design career as I incorporate the good ideas into my own interface work.
• Time Machine. This is a super-easy built-in way to do incremental data backups so that if your hard drive dies, you can restore it easily from your external backup.

As I’m finally getting accustomed to this Mac and getting speedier on it, I’m starting to cut it more slack for costing me so much time, money and grief up front. (David’s estimate is nearly $3,000 in hardware and software and over 80 hrs of time!!!). David remains unconvinced that this was a wise move for financial reasons, and he could be right. That’s what kept me from ever doing this years ago. But I hope that once I hit my stride, using XP in tandem with OSX, that I’ll be more flexible, more knowledgeable, and more productive to make up for it.