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Apple Macbook Pro Still a Mac

written by John Chow on March 17, 2008

Make Money!

It’s been a little more than a week since the Fedex man dropped off my new Santa Rosa Macbook Pro with the Intel Penryn processor. I had dreams of replacing the Mac OS with Windows Vista but decided to try the OS X for a week to see what the fuss was all about. Boy, am I glad I did. OS X kicks Windows ass!

I now understand why Mac sales are growing at a rate higher than the PC industry. The Mac OS is superior to Windows in almost every way. Because Apple makes both the hardware and software, the Mac just works – there are no compatibility issues to deal with. The system has not crashed once since I had it – not even during the time when I accidentally opened 30 Quicktime windows.

One of my biggest reasons for getting a Mac was that it can run Windows. This is a huge selling point for Windows users – knowing that they can load Vista if they so desired. I think it’s a key reason why Mac sales have been so great. However, once you live with the Mac OS for a little while, you’ll understand what all the fuss is about. I will not be installing Vista on this Macbook.

Publish Videos Direct To YouTube with iMovie

If you’re into shooting videos, you’ll love the Macbook Pro. The built in iSight camera and iMovie software allows you to shoot, edit and publish your video direct to Youtube. It makes Windows Movie Maker look like a joke! The setup is perfect for the video podcaster. Here’s a little video I put together with Ashley using the iSight and iMovie. The entire process from filming to YouTube took 10 minutes.

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{ 90 comments }

Gary Lee March 17, 2008 at 8:46 pm

Congrats . . . I knew you’d see the way! Welcome to the world of Mac! Now Apple shares go up in price!

ViralKing March 18, 2008 at 12:00 am

Yep – I bought a Macbook last week too :)

And I uploaded a video straight to YouTube as well, just a quick one about a charity:

http://www.viralking.com/100000-in-4-days/

Still on my vista Desktop, but will be switching to Mac when I move to europe next week!

Robert March 18, 2008 at 3:56 am

I’ve always been a PC guy. Never had a Mac. Is it really that much better?

David Chew March 18, 2008 at 11:43 am

I guess is better compare to other brand.

Mac-Sage.com March 18, 2008 at 4:04 pm

Very, very, very few PC users who give Mac OS X a try for more than a few days will go back to the PeeCee. I work in a mixed platform environment (Mac, PC, *nix) and I see this over and over again. It’s why Apple’s Switch campaign has done so well. With the exception of some gaming apps, there is nothing that a PC can do as well as a Mac.

Stephanie March 21, 2008 at 12:49 pm

Yes; check out my blog at: http://blog.thewaycomputingoughttobe.com

Affiliate Confession March 18, 2008 at 7:05 am

Yea, the video directly to YouTube in about 10 minutes would be a strong selling point fo me.

Hannah March 18, 2008 at 10:04 am

But for those of us who don’t upload to YouTube, we need some more convincing evidence that a mac is a good computer. I will probably eventually buy one and run windows on it because I don’t like the Mac operating systems.

Art of Webhosting - Jeremy March 18, 2008 at 12:41 pm

Hannah: I bought a Mac back in 2006 and there was no problem with my computer. No virus, no spyware, nothing that would occur on an average PC. Anyway why would anybody buy a Mac to run Windows operating system on it? :shock: It’s like putting a Ford Fieasta engine into a Lamborghini. :D

Shanker Bakshi March 18, 2008 at 9:45 pm

I like that – Ford Fieasta engine into a Lamborghini :-)

SiteHoppers March 18, 2008 at 10:57 am

All newer MACs(since couple years ago) are unix based, pretty much a hyped up Linux machine with great marketing by Steve Jobs. But, yes, go MACS!!!

Chip March 18, 2008 at 12:32 pm

Yeah, that’s so cool. I first tried an emulator to test Mac, and these days I’m waiting to be delivered a Mac Air.

Jeff Kee March 17, 2008 at 8:46 pm

I recently switched – in November, and I like my setup.
Leopard is a very good operating system. However, unlike you, I’ve had my share of fuss and crashes, Kernel errors and all that. My conclusion was that all computers suck anyways, you just gotta work aroudn it.

I use VMWare to use Windows XP – and I run IE7/6 on it through a special software to allow me to test my websites on IE7/IE6/FF/Safari. As a web developer its a huge plus to have all these browsers in one computer.

Not to mention the battery life kicks any PC laptop’s ass!!!

Gary Lee March 17, 2008 at 8:49 pm

ALL OF VANCOUVER is Making the SWITCH! . . .i LOVE IT! this is why Apple is sitting pretty – http://www.mrgarylee.com/apple-is-sitting-pretty/

Paolo Gaspar - Cubicle Blog March 17, 2008 at 9:06 pm

I once opened up all of the applications on my Macbook Pro (including Parallels desktop, Final Cut Studio, Adobe CS3) while watching a DVD Player. It did pause for a couple seconds, but it was find after that. It took longer for me to quit all those apps than it did for them to start up.

Robert March 18, 2008 at 4:01 am

Well, there HAS to be some limit to the number of apps it can have open. Still, that is pretty good.

Shanker Bakshi March 18, 2008 at 10:09 pm

Thats incredible, that’s what one need, Let see when i decide to jump from “WINDOW”

David March 17, 2008 at 9:10 pm

I’m tempted to make the switch for my next computer…I find myself borrowing my Dad’s MacBook more and more these days..

And… “I now understand why Mac sales are glowing at a rate higher than the PC industry.”

Did you mean Glowing? or Growing? :evil:

Syed Balkhi March 17, 2008 at 9:13 pm

lol i like how you won in the rock scissor paper and shoe game with ashley. Glad you like Mac.

Michael Kwan March 17, 2008 at 10:03 pm

And shoe?

Robert March 18, 2008 at 7:34 am

I’ve never heard of the rock, scissor, paper, and shoe game. Is that a variation on the old classic?

Syed Balkhi March 19, 2008 at 7:48 am

yeah … I know when we play it there is a shoe that can step over the rock ….

iPhone in Canada March 17, 2008 at 9:16 pm

Good to see that a traditional hardcore PC user is adopting the power of a Mac! How do you find blogging on it, compared to using your desktop? :cool:

car345.com March 17, 2008 at 9:46 pm

Apple is good at making products, Microsoft is good at killing apple, patenting, getting copy rights, hiring best lawyers.

Robert March 18, 2008 at 7:44 am

Unfortunately, that is where the strength lies: patenting and hiring the best lawyers. Microsoft knows how to play the game well.

bz March 17, 2008 at 9:57 pm

John, WTF would you install VISTA on a MAC?

You may make know a lot of about monetizing a blog .. but .. VISTA on a MAC??

Head out of your ass, man!

jazz99 March 17, 2008 at 10:14 pm

I guess Apple is fine if you want a computer that is solid and works. I, on the other hand, prefer my Windows machine because I like to be able to run all sorts of unstable shareware while trying to make it work in Vista :mrgreen:
I suspect if you run Windows on your Mac and then start installing and running some Windows application, in time it will become as unstable as a PC.

Andrew Pavelski March 17, 2008 at 10:37 pm

That looks real cool John. MAC’s are definitely the way 2 go… I’m definitely looking to get a MAC for my next new comp.

Pyjammez March 17, 2008 at 10:41 pm

Well, now that JOHN CHOW says they’re good, I must try them! I’ve never bothered using a mac because I can’t play games.. but maybe i can have both and use teh macz0r for work!

Mike Huang March 17, 2008 at 10:44 pm

John, you need to talk louder when recording on the Mac. The SCREAMS from Ashley are VERY VERY sharp… :sad:

-Mike

Mike Huang March 17, 2008 at 10:45 pm

BTW, I still don’t know who Ashley is…sister?

-Mike

John Chow March 17, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Johan Cyprich March 17, 2008 at 11:02 pm

Macs are great until you realize that there isn’t very much software available for it. Go to Best Buy and compare the number of Windows apps versus Mac apps. That’s not surprising if you consider the world wide market share. I remember reading not too long ago that there were 650 million PC’s and 22 million Macs. If you were a software developer, which one would you like get a 1% market share with?

John Chow March 17, 2008 at 11:08 pm

The only thing that matters is it has the software that I need. :twisted:

Jorge March 18, 2008 at 3:07 am

Maybe it doesn’t crash because you can only install “limited” software…
But the user experience is really great! :)

Simon Lau March 18, 2008 at 5:55 am

That is the key point, for what you do as a blogger, a Mac is more than enough. For those in school/doing other forms of small business, the software from a mac probably won’t be enough.

Jorge March 18, 2008 at 8:49 am

But you should note that nowadays even medium businesses are trusting Mac.

Simon Lau March 18, 2008 at 2:40 pm

Trusting, yes. But if I were to open a business, I think I’d probably end up with a windows system. Mainly because its cheap to get (DELL small business) and you can find software pretty quick that’ll suit your needs.
I don’t know if it’ll be the same in mac.
Speaking from a student perspective, there are many windows applications that I probably won’t find in the mac world (or the unix one). Industry applications like MS Project / AUTO cad is just too hard to replace. Quite a shame because it’s so damn expensive!

Jorge March 19, 2008 at 7:09 am

You got a point in CAD applications. Graphic cards are other weakness in Mac’s.

Tim March 18, 2008 at 6:48 am
Robert March 18, 2008 at 7:57 am

From a business standpoint, that makes sense. So the problem with a Mac is the lack of software available?

Affiliate Confession March 18, 2008 at 8:29 am

I am a Windows guy, and also a graphics guy so I’m sure I could get all the software I need if I got one of these puppies. I don’t have a laptop at present, but I’d like to get one so I can blog at the local Starbucks while sippin my cafe mochas. That’s all I really want one for…

Andrew Pavelski March 18, 2008 at 11:45 pm

Haha, definitely Alan. I know whatchya mean. I too would like to go to restaurants, Panera bread, Starbucks, etc. and blog while sippin on some mochas ;)

FreeKill March 17, 2008 at 11:57 pm

Come on John, you’re half way there. Now in a year or so you’ll realize that OS X really sucks too, and you’ll finally take the plunge into Ubuntu.

Linux, it’s what you really need!

Simon Lau March 18, 2008 at 7:12 pm

thumbs up to Ubuntu! :mrgreen:

Yulius Haflan March 18, 2008 at 1:50 am

Great! It will be my consideration for making money…

cvrle77 March 18, 2008 at 2:38 am

You cheated in rock scissors paper. :razz: BTW, never had a chance to see MACs OS,but everything is better than Windows.

Royal Radande March 18, 2008 at 3:13 am

That was a funny “Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo”!

Hannah March 18, 2008 at 3:57 am

Hahah cute video! I’m glad you like the mac, though I’m personally gonna stick with Windows. I don’t like the almost superficial look of macs, it’s kind of the same problem I have with Vista.

Maybe one day I’ll give them another shot, but for now it’s Windows for me!

Steve March 18, 2008 at 4:01 am

By the way, if you have a usual AMD or Intel PC Machine, which runs with Windows – PAY ATTENTION! It’s now possible to run Mac OS X on PC with only a little knowledge. You should really Blog about this John Chow, it’s a booming Niche called Osx86.

If you have an AMD PC:
http://osx.kbot.de
If you have an Intel or AMD PC:
http://mac.kbot.de
http://insanelymac.com

Have Fun! :wink:

Guitar Hero Aerosmith March 18, 2008 at 3:18 pm

or you could get a mac theme for windows!!!

http://osx.portraitofakite.com/

didi March 18, 2008 at 5:02 am

@Mike
Ashley is john’s daughter…

Nick March 18, 2008 at 5:23 am

Wow! What a 180! Welcome to the light side.

James Wilcox March 18, 2008 at 6:02 am

You can take my PC when you pry it from my cold dead hands…

I’m a gamer though, so I don’t need a mac. Of course, if you want to give one away, I’ll enter the contest :wink:

Affiliate Confession March 18, 2008 at 7:03 am

That’s cool John. I will definitely take your experience with the Mac OS when it’s time for a laptop.

Amit March 18, 2008 at 7:12 am

Hi John,

I definitely have to agree, I upgraded to a Mac Pro Dec of last year and I LOVE IT! :)

WAAAY better than Windows!

Affiliate Confession March 18, 2008 at 7:16 am

And at a price of around $2,000 (as we can see from the TTZ Media widget) it’s not completely out of sight. I’ll have to seriously consider one.

Robert March 18, 2008 at 8:02 am

$2,000 is still pretty steep.

Joseph March 18, 2008 at 7:19 am

I’m buying it!

Bibokz March 18, 2008 at 7:56 am

You need to talk a little bit louder… I like the blog of lady chow. :)

Britt Malka March 18, 2008 at 9:04 am

Congratulations!
I never understood that you had the time to use Windows.
With Mac – I never waste my time, like I did, when I used a PC with Windows.

Robert March 18, 2008 at 10:30 am

What do you mean wasting your time with Windows? How does Mac save you time?

Ryan March 18, 2008 at 9:33 am

I saw that dual monitor setup you got a few days ago. With the Mac desktop it’s a snap. Just plug and play. No drivers to install. It just works!

Ryan March 18, 2008 at 9:36 am

Oops. I meant I saw it a few days ago. Not that you got it a few days ago. I gotta learn to proof-read before hitting the send button.

Phil March 18, 2008 at 9:43 am

Nice video. Having taught kids in my first life, I can imagine the grief Ashley will give you….with that smile on her face! :mrgreen:

Matt Propst March 18, 2008 at 10:01 am

I’ll be switching to Mac in another month. Right now I’ve got two PC’s that for most reasons work fine, but I just feel it’s time to move to a Mac. That and I’m a Microsoft Student Partner, so that has something to do with it.

Bottom line, all my Mac using friends keep getting me with the argument of “you can run windows on a Mac now, there’s nothing you can do in windows you cannot do on a Mac.”

Jim March 18, 2008 at 10:19 am

Maybe I should put a bit more consideration into the whole Mac thing. I have always been a PC guy, but hey, if it can influence you then it might influence me. Great video by the way, haha :D

Mary March 18, 2008 at 11:06 am

If you stick with a Mac for a while and then try to switch back, any PC will feel like a clumsy, complicated version of a Mac. So if you don’t want to get hooked – get out while you can :)

For your YouTube videos, it’s very simple to add music with iTunes or effects with Photo Booth (this one is addictive, make sure you have some time before you open this :) )

David Chew March 18, 2008 at 11:42 am

Macbook is good but it is a bit expensive.

Robert March 18, 2008 at 3:36 pm

Yea, I’m usually all about getting a good laptop for $800-$1000. $2000 is steep. Well, I guess if you have the cash and want optimal performance, that’s the way to go.

Michael Kwan March 18, 2008 at 6:09 pm

John got the Macbook Pro. The regular Macbook can be had for about $1100.

Start Blogging March 18, 2008 at 1:11 pm

Hehe, nice video. :P

John Hood March 18, 2008 at 1:29 pm

Welcome to Macworld John! :mrgreen:

Mr. Javo March 18, 2008 at 1:29 pm

I told you John, Windows sucks a lot :grin: . The superiority of the operative systems based on Unix is very big.

Roneel Prasad March 18, 2008 at 3:53 pm

Hey John

Great site…..after seeing ur story and the other two dudes in the paper a few days ago …it really inspired me

i have downloaded ur ebook and i am starting to follow it.
Im still working on my site but this its at a working level for now …i hope to put as much dedication as you did with your site for mine

If you have time check it out …its mostly guided for the hiphop world but all are welcome

thanks again :smile:

Mac-Sage.com March 18, 2008 at 4:07 pm

Try GarageBand!!!

Tyson Williams March 18, 2008 at 5:51 pm

I have switched from Windows to a new iMac last December and I would not go back to Windows… ever!

Wade March 18, 2008 at 5:55 pm

Not a mac user, but I respect their place in the computer world. It is cool to see it is packing an Intel chip though.

Charles Hamel March 18, 2008 at 7:18 pm

I made the switch a year ago, after being a PC guy for 25 years.
I have not regretted it one iota, and probably will never go back to a PC!

Congrats on the Mac!

Terry Tay March 18, 2008 at 8:22 pm

I am reading more and more about people starting to like the Mac better than PC. I think I’ll have to seriously consider it as my next computer purchase.
~Terry

Andrew Pavelski March 19, 2008 at 12:19 am

Yeah Terry, everyone seems to be hopping on the MAC bandwagon ;) I enjoy using MAC’s more, but don’t just go hatin’ on PC’s because of it!

Lasers March 18, 2008 at 8:40 pm

No compatibility problems? Man, I have got to get me one.

Robert March 18, 2008 at 8:58 pm

Same here. I always thought there was something weird about Mac’s, but obviously it’s a better machine than a PC.

Shanker Bakshi March 18, 2008 at 9:56 pm

Mac is that really cooooooool , Like i always says being No. 1 is not that you are superior to everyone there is Mac against superior windows

kumar March 19, 2008 at 10:43 am

Congrats for getting a Mac!

Here is my experience with Mac Mini recently.

I’ve Lenovo T60 for about an year running Vista and for the past few weeks it has Vista SP1. Since the day I got this notebook, I’ve attempted several times to install drivers for my old (2 years?) HP4215. It never worked. The drivers would install fine but the printer wouldnt showup in Printers applet. So, whenever I need to print, I copy the files to my XP machine and print.

Last week I got my first MAC. It was Mac Mini. I powered it on for the first time and went through wireless setup, user setup etc. As soon as I was in, the very first thing I tried was printing a pdf file. I opened a pdf file and chose Print. There it was! My HP4215 was already in the printer list!! Literally within few minutes I was able to print! Not only that. MAC already configured my new Dell 24″ monitor with correct color profile etc. On Vista I had to install the software that came with the monitor!

It has been a week and not even once Mac prompted to install a driver for any device I connected to. Sure, it did downloaded updates from Apple!

Why its so hard for Vista to load atleast a generic driver for my printer? I don’t understand.

Setting up WiFi was too easy on MAC. It found my Wifi access point and its name was top on the list. It asked me to enter the passkey. Thats it!!

On Windows, you would have to type SSID, choose type of the key (open or shared, 64 or 128 bit etc).

Vista is just a pain…

WezeeMall Know-It-All March 19, 2008 at 1:49 pm

I only used a MAC a couple of times and was impressed with the speed. The only thing that turned me off back then was I found it difficult to find different software for it…but it’s 2008 now and I’ve noticed Apple is kicking butt in its industry. I guess its finally time for a MAC :!:

G.Davis March 19, 2008 at 2:41 pm

Mac is better than PC. Welcome to the year 2000 :wink:

Nick Sullivan March 19, 2008 at 3:05 pm

I absolutely hate Macs. I’m currently working as Technical Support for Virgin Media, which is where I had my first taste of Macs.

Everything about Macs is just terrible.

You may have compatibility issues with Windows now n then but as long as you know your way around and know what you’re doing, you’re laughing.

OSX… any version, isn’t half the operating system that Windows is.

I’m not talking about Vista though, anything beats Vista, they even know Vista is terrible now which is why they offer XP as a choice! Kill it Gates!

Windows XP is still king.

Affiliate Toolbox March 20, 2008 at 12:05 pm

Wow, Apple is going to have to pay you royalties for converting everyone.

But yeah, I agree. After having my Mac for a couple weeks, I wouldn’t want to go without it. And I definitely wouldn’t trade OSX for Vista.

Chris Jacobson March 22, 2008 at 8:03 pm

I’m glad you made the switch, John! iMovie is wonderful… I use it on almost a daily basis.