So my laptop finally cracked – literally.
First the left hinge rivet snapped clean. Two weeks later, the right rivet snapped clean. Now my screen doesn’t stand up by itself. As my friend Brandon so aptly put it, “Your laptop had a stroke. Now you own a paraplegic laptop.”
But like being handicapped in any way (like say, HAVING NO LAPTOP, which might happen if don’t stop abusing my current one, who’s screen is hanging by wires), this is no laughing matter. In fact, this is bad. Really bad. Enormously bad. Gigantically bad. Colossally bad.
As a result, I feel this all might be a sign from God – A sign that it’s time to come out of the closet. Whether I was actually even in the closet is debatable, but according to Tom, I’ve been hiding in there for years, only to come out ever once in awhile to touch his shiny new Apple toys.
It might be true. Maybe.
Regardless, I think it might be time to make the switch. I’ve had my beloved Windows laptop for years and we’ve been through a lot; 1 pair of hinges, two internal hard drivers, and three A/C adapters, not to mention the brutal murder of its sidekick, the external hard drive.)
It’s time for me to move on. I’m sorry, baby.
It was easy to fight against flaming mactards back when their OS really was a piece of shit. But as of lately (read: two years, give or take), it’s all become fairly level playing field. Plus, on a Mac, I can run Leopard and XP simultaneously on the same machine, and avoid Vista altogether!
Whatever happens though, you have my solemn promise: I will NOT become one of those yappy mac lovers who can’t STFU. Or a mindless, talentless, pseudo-artsy flaming Mactard.
All in all, I’ve been giving the 15″ Macbook Pro a lot of thought lately. In fact, the only really big switching problem I can think of should be fairly obvious to any Windows user who has ever used a mac: THE WORLD MIGHT JUST EXPLODE WITHOUT THE CHOICE OF A SECOND MOUSE BUTTON.
Shame on you for deserting the wonderful Windows and converting to Mac! Honestly though, I do see the appeal. I just like the lure of the comfortable, tried and tested (by me at least — I’m useless with technology!).
Now I shall resume my usual, “Boo hoo, I want a laptop too!” chant. Not only because it rhymes, I promise you. :P
I love Macs – I really really really want a Macbook. I agree that there are some things that are less-than-perfect, such as the fact that there aren’t as many keyboard shortcuts. For me, this is bad, because I use my keyboard for everything. Mice (mouses?) are a waste of time. However, I’ve had lots of experience with both Macs and PCs, and I find Macs easier to operate (and much nicer-looking).
Ohh, I have a Mac! I converted last year, and love it. And I am really beginning to sound like a person from the article your linked (http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant).
Don’t worry about the no second button to click. It is there, just not on the mouse pad. You have to click control then click, or you can attach a normal USB mouse and the second mouse button with work! :P Solve your problem? GOOD, ORDER THAN MAC NOW! hehehe
I hate using the Macs at school, mainly because of the mouse. But Ben’s solution sounds bearable… I think I could live with a Mac, but I’m not ready to leave Windows just yet.
Everyone is going on about that missing second mouse button… but all the Macs in school have 2 click mouses, at least you can set them to have 2 buttons instead of one. I’ve been thinking of getting a Mac too.. but they’re so expensive, and I’m still attached to my PC. Maybe when the laptop breaks.
For real, you need the right-click option!
My mother is an Apple person; my dad was all about PCs. Growing up, I was exposed to both; I like both of them. The Mac is sexy; the PC is universal. A few months ago, when it came time for me to get a new laptop, I seriously considered the tiniest Macbook Pro.
But – I realized that I love the ’07 Vista Office Suite, that all of my software would go to hell (Macs can run Windows – yes – but it doesn’t work as well on them and why buy a Mac to run Windows?), that I wouldn’t be able to use some of my favorite websites, that typing in foreign languages would be pain… It doesn’t help that they’re “over-priced.” So I got a tablet PC instead. When Apple makes a powerful laptop I can write on, I might reconsider.
Reply: Actually, I read somewhere that the fastest Vista computer is currently ran on a Mac! Though I suppose that is no real indicator of how well it works *on* it.
Make the switch! And the right click in the Mac is no problem. Just tap your trackpad with two fingers and voila! You have it :D
I really encourage you. Isn’t it tempting? Once you go Mac, you’ll never go back. I never thought I’d leave Windows, but I’m glad I did.
Okay I need to STFU. Hahaha.
I switched last year as well.. after my PC Desktop just DOA on me. And while it did take me a bit to get the use to the Mac enviroment (about 1 week tops) I would never go back to the PC. I use one at work and hate it… I just cannot wait to go back home and open my MacBook and finally use something that WORKS the way its suppose to.
And for those that say that they are overprice… if you compare what comes in a Mac vs the PC, you are getting way more for your buck than the regular PC. Plus did I mention that it WORKS.. like right out of the box.. no messy set ups, no opening the manual (which is like 20 pages).. its just there all ready to go.
Now, go to your nearest Apple store and PLAY, PLAY and switch! :)
I don’t buy laptops, I just update my PC all the time :]
Wait..
There is no second mouse button?
I am never ever leaving Windows.
Haha
xo
I can’t seem to imagine life without Windows. :D If I could have both, I’d be all set. :D
Every time my laptop breaks (which is, well, once every 3 weeks lately), someone around me will inevitably suggest I “just buy a mac,” as if that was the solution to all of life’s problems.
Grr.
Windows ’95 moved into my room in 1995. Its just been one lovely upgrade after one lovely upgrade since then. But just when Vista came out, my PC conveniently decided to crash, and I started a media arts program, where we were provided with 17″ MBPs.
Two weeks in a Mac environment and many repairs later, I turned on my PC and realized to my dismay that the operating system I had been once a fan of annoyed me quite immensely. Haha! Apple definitely comes first in regards to usability. =)
Yes, I wholeheartedly recommend getting a Mac…
But it took me a year to get over my one-buttoned-mouse bitterness.
[...] after disappearing off the face of the earth for two weeks, I’m back (and with my very own brand new Macbook Pro!) … I’ve got lots of things to say and share (and an overflowing mailbox to conquer), [...]
“THE WORLD MIGHT JUST EXPLODE WITHOUT THE CHOICE OF A SECOND MOUSE BUTTON.”?
HAHAHAHAHAHAH! LMAO! You are funny.
There is a secondary click, girl, but not in the laptop’s mouse pad… Just buy a regular mouse. And even the new Apple mouse, the Mighty Mouse, has a secondary button. You don’t see it, though. It looks like it’s just one button, but when you click the right side you get your expected right-click menu.
And yay for you, going Mac! I switched almost a year ago, and I can’t say I miss Windows, at all. I’m not of those who say Windows and Bill Gates suck, but I’m of those who say that Macs rock :)
Merry Christmas!
Clem: You’re effing kidding, right? You do realize that you can define a keyboard shortcut for *anything* available in *any* application’s menu bar, yes? And that there are many, many system-defined keyboard shortcuts already there in the Keyboard preferences panel, that can all be changed, yes?
Okay, cool.
As for everyone complaining about right-click … the Mighty Mouse that comes with some Macs has 4 buttons that are all customizable (yes, including a right click). On a MacBook/MacBook Pro, tapping with two fingers instead of one gets you a right-click. Putting two fingers down on the touchpad and clicking the button also gets you a right-click.
Now for a quick lecture on why Apple still puts only a single clicker on their touchpads: Because the Mac OS X UI is designed so that you don’t HAVE to right-click — all options in a properly-designed Mac OS X app (all Apple apps) are exposed via the menus and keyboard shortcuts. It’s only applications that have followed the Windows way of doing things that you need a right-click for, and there aren’t many of those in the Mac world.
Haven’t you ever looked for an option in a Windows app only to find that the developer stupidly put it in the context menu, and nowhere else? That’s bad UI design. You shouldn’t need a hidden context menu and a right-click to be able to do everything with an app.
Apple actually has strict human interface guidelines about this.
Pwnzed. :-D
BTW, congrats on the MBP, Chanel. I knew you’d lustfully leap out of the closet any day now. ME LOVE YOU LONG TIME!
[...] been just roughly a month since I bought my Mac and officially became part of The Dark Side—Or, as my father would call it, the lonely and caffeinated [...]
Haha… I had the same dilemma when switching from a PC to a Mac, but when I got my 17″ MBP I also picked up the BlueTooth Might Mouse which has touch sensitive clicks which allows for both left and right clicks.
Such a lifesaver for a PC user switching to a Mac.
Mac ever! :)