Help Making the Move to Mac Book Pro

Captivator

Captivator

Captivator

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Can't believe I just typed that topic out. Anyway, I am almost certain I'm going to get the new gen mac-book pro but have some idiot questions that I would rather ask some PC folk than the 15 year old in the Apple shop.

1/ Which screen? One of my requirements is to work outside occasionally - particulary in summer (the joys of self-employment). I am well aware that no laptop screen is great outside, so of the ones on offer - which is 'least worse'? I was about to just spluff out on the most expensive option with 'anti-glare'. However, reading old forum posts for previous gen machines suggests that whilst the anti-glare may be great indoors for not having light reflections on your screen - you don't get the benefit in bright sunlight? Is that right? Also, in previous gen machines they differentiated between 'Matte' and 'Glossy'. In this generation they have a 'Glossy', 'HD Glossy' and 'HD anti-glare'. Is the HD Anti-glare Matte? This isn't clear on the apple website. I ask because it seems universal opinion that glossy is better than matte outside, so if it is Matte I guess my question is answered.

2/ The bootcamp and parallels thing. Is this as painless as they would have you believe? In real world, I reckon I would be in windows 75% of time and Mac maybe 25% (if that). So a bootcamp windows install looks like the way to go. Hadn't even heard of parallels until I seriously thought about geting a MacBook Pro so am intrigued if anyone gets on OK with that and what the pitfalls are.

3) SSD. I will not get the apple SSD because I don't trust the spec for the price premium. At a later date, if I want to swap out the HD is it something a reasonably technical person can do (I wouldn't even think twice on a regular laptop - I just wonder if there is something about the unibody design and mac system that mean an end user doesn't want to go there on a MBP)

4) The trackpad not having two buttons. Is that something people forget after five minutes, or is it an irritation that stays with you for the life of the machine?

5) Anything else anyone would wish to make me aware of.

In case you're curious, and wanting to give me a huge lecture on how I 'could get a similarly specced windows machine for half the price' - I know. As background I develop e-learning materials and output to flash so really would never EVER have considered this until recently when I am finding that more and more clients are being arsey about wanting stuff to run on iOS. It used to be the case I would just tell them to find another developer and wish them good luck getting deliverables of equal quality - but this approach recently has meant turning down some top dollar work. So - I need a Mac environment to begin to figure out how to output to their world. Was going to get a mac mini just for that purpose, but the time was ripe for a new laptop - and frankly the thing looks gorgeous and built to last, on the same logic that I spent a shed load on a decent bed due to the number of hours I spend in it, I don't mind paying a premium for the most agreeable laptop to spend the majority of my waking hours with. Also, it is obviously going through the business so the cost isn't what it says on the tin by the time you have the VAT back and accounted for it as an expense.

Any help on questions above - genuinely appreciated!
 
I'll answer as specific as I can to each question. I made the switch 5 weeks ago.

1) Anti glare is good for outside work, I've worked more times outside on a computer these last 5 weeks than I have done the last 15 years. Whether this is down to me making myself work outside "because I can" is another matter. It's a fabulous screen that you can work anywhere with, never having to be careful of where you sit (near windows or w/e) is definitely a plus. Yes the Hi Res AntiGlare is the matte. By the way I read somewhere the 2011 Antiglare screens are actually a new type this year and definitely better over previous generations.

On the other hand if you intend to watch a lot of movies on it, it does have its drawbacks; recently I watched the new harry potter (which is a dark film anyway) and the colours were nowhere near where I thought they should be - the darks weren't dark enough for example. So I do understand where people are coming from when they say that the colours don't "pop" as much as the normal screen. This is down to the anti glare diffusing the light coming out of the screen as well as light going on it.

However given the choice again I would most likely choose the anti glare once more.

2) Yes, it's amazingly easy, not even worth wasting time explaining how easy it is here.

3) Yes it's very simple, just unscrew 10 screws and away you go. It even prints instructions in the manual that comes with it so it doesn't even invalidate any warranty.

4) Without sounding too corny or too apple like; it is as "magical" as they make out. Joking aside it is truly a wondrous piece of hardware, I personally prefer using 2 fingers for right click rather than pressing the right hand side. What's so clever is that you don't have to change how you work but you can change it to fit around what you want.

In real world, I reckon I would be in windows 75% of time and Mac maybe 25% (if that).
Click to expand...

I must admit I did chuckle to myself at this statement, think a lot of us do say things like this when we make the switch. All I can say is "You'll see".

Hope this helps :D
 
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I made the switch from Windows to Mac when the MBP’s were announced in Feb. I’m also self-employed and had similar concerns and here are my answers:

1/ Which screen?

I wanted the Hi-Res – the extra desktop space is a must for me.
I went into my local John Lewis and had a good look at the Glossy screen. I really liked it, it vibrant and IMHO makes things easier to read. It does cause reflections but for me it’s still very useable outside in the sun but I can appreciate not everyone will feel the same. I can only recommend you have a look at the screen in person before committing to glossy or matte. The anti-glare screen has a matte coating while the default option is glossy both are available in the hi-res.

2/ The bootcamp and parallels thing.

I fully expected to be using windows more than OSX but I found after two days of getting used to the Mac way I didn’t want to use Windows. I have Windows running in bootcamp/parallels only because I need it for work, I never use it outside of work. I have upgraded to 8GB as I run Oracle and WebLogic in my VM’s and the extra memory helps but with the default 4GB Windows is very useable if it’s you primary OS.

3) SSD.

Upgrading the memory and SSD is very simple and I’ve done both myself and cheaper than upgrading via Apple.

4) The trackpad not having two buttons.

I can’t use my HP laptop anymore as I miss the MBP trackpad. It is natural to use and once you’ve memorised all the gestures you’ll be wondering why didn’t switch sooner.

Don’t worry about the added cost over a Windows laptop its worth every penny. It’s the best built and quietest laptop I’ve ever owned. The fans only get noisy when I’m pushing the laptop to its limits, under normal operation its silent.
 
shine said:
3) SSD.

Upgrading the memory and SSD is very simple and I’ve done both myself and cheaper than upgrading via Apple.
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Shine. Many thanks. Out of interest does the swap to SSD make the same dramatic difference to the 'feel' of the thing on the Mac that it does on Windows? Also what size SSD are you getting away with to have both OSs without feeling short changed? Can you do it on a 128 or did you go bigger? Also - was there any marked impact on battery life?
 
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2) Its a totally painless experience but as others have said you will find youself using OSX more than you think :)

4) The trackpad will instantly make every other laptop trackpad you've ever used horrible.
 
Captivator said:
Shine. Many thanks. Out of interest does the swap to SSD make the same dramatic difference to the 'feel' of the thing on the Mac that it does on Windows? Also what size SSD are you getting away with to have both OSs without feeling short changed? Can you do it on a 128 or did you go bigger? Also - was there any marked impact on battery life?
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For now I've ripped the 80GB X-25M from my old laptop and I use the 500GB HDD I got with the MBP via USB caddy. The SSD has around 15GB free space with Windows, OSX and my data. I'm waiting to see what the new generation of SSD's offer before upgrading to a larger one.

SSD does make a difference. OSX is faster than Windows but it still feels snappier on the SSD. The real difference is when using VM - the VM just flies on the SSD and it actually made a bigger difference in startup performance than the memory upgrade.

I should add you need a T6 screwdriver to change drives, sod's law it was the only one missing from my toolkit so I had to go and buy one.
 
Captivator said:
It does help. Enourmously. Many thanks - so it is Matte? Out of interest have you tried the glossy outside and how does it compare?
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I have tried using my 1st-gen iPad outside and found it frustrating more than anything (the screen has basically the same finish as the glossy mbp screens).

I do some work as a moderator on a website in the evenings and working outside laying on a sun-bed really makes it not feel much like work at all.
 
I got my first Mac (a MBP) a few weeks ago, I have a couple of minor annoyances but so far I don't regret buying it at all.

1) I went for the hi-res glossy screen, I wish I'd gone for the anti-glare one though. Even sitting inside I get glare of the house lights, not too bad but still.

arch said:
4) The trackpad will instantly make every other laptop trackpad you've ever used horrible.
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I wholeheartedly agree with this. I had to use my work laptop with its trackpad the other day and was really surprised how much I missed the Mac one. Make sure you find out what the gestures are e.g. three fingered swipe for back/forward etc.
 
I ordered a hi res glossy for my 15 inch, it is due this week, whichever you choose, i think it is worth extra for the hi-res.
 
long time PC user, mbp 17 2010 since launch..

Captivator said:
1/ Which screen? One of my requirements is to work outside occasionally - particulary in summer (the joys of self-employment). I am well aware that no laptop screen is great outside, so of the ones on offer - which is 'least worse'? I was about to just spluff out on the most expensive option with 'anti-glare'. However, reading old forum posts for previous gen machines suggests that whilst the anti-glare may be great indoors for not having light reflections on your screen - you don't get the benefit in bright sunlight? Is that right? Also, in previous gen machines they differentiated between 'Matte' and 'Glossy'. In this generation they have a 'Glossy', 'HD Glossy' and 'HD anti-glare'. Is the HD Anti-glare Matte? This isn't clear on the apple website. I ask because it seems universal opinion that glossy is better than matte outside, so if it is Matte I guess my question is answered.
Click to expand...

Yeah, matt used to be standard, and glossy was a chargeable extra, now it's the other way around...

Personally I was wary about getting the glossy screen, however, totally glad I did. Even for outside it works well, the mac book screens go very bright indeed, (e.g. I often have it at '1' when using it indoors in normal room light) and it goes up to 16.

In terms of reflection, I think it's mostly fan bois hyping up one or the other, basically if you have a direct light source shining on either screen, both will reflect - the difference is the matt screen will diffuse the reflection, and the gloss screen will reflect it sharply. Moving your head an inch, or adjusting the screen angle will resolve the reflection problem. I prefer the hard edged gloss type reflection now, it keeps the definition, matt screens reflected tend to 'wash out'

One reason I got the 17 was for the 1920x1200 screen. It's very nice. Dues to the high pitch, 1200,800 and 1650xwhatever still look very nice. Also CMD+swipe up will very nicely zoom in to your desktop.

I would have considered a 15, but not doign full 1080p was a deal breaker for me. I'd always go highest res possible.

2/ The bootcamp and parallels thing. Is this as painless as they would have you believe? In real world, I reckon I would be in windows 75% of time and Mac maybe 25% (if that). So a bootcamp windows install looks like the way to go. Hadn't even heard of parallels until I seriously thought about geting a MacBook Pro so am intrigued if anyone gets on OK with that and what the pitfalls are.
Click to expand...


Yeah it's pretty seamless. You can boot into windows by holding option at start up. If you have parallels or vmware fusion you can run windows either full screen on a separate space in mac osX or in a windows on your desktop and switch between. You can also run 'windowless' which means you can run windows apps with out the need to have the windows desktop somewhere. You can also right click on files and open with e.g. VLC or VLC (bootcamp) etc. The integration is impressive. You can also share files back and forward, clipboard etc works. I have 8GB of ram and tbh you never know if when using windows you are in vm or native, when doing normal windows tasks. Some games even run in in windows in vmware in mac osx. 3d games etc will need to be booted into bootcamp for best performance.


3) SSD. I will not get the apple SSD because I don't trust the spec for the price premium. At a later date, if I want to swap out the HD is it something a reasonably technical person can do (I wouldn't even think twice on a regular laptop - I just wonder if there is something about the unibody design and mac system that mean an end user doesn't want to go there on a MBP)
Click to expand...

I was plannign to wait until 500GB ssd come down to affordable levels, but may get an optibay and a 120GB SSD and a 2 TB replacement drive soonish.

4) The trackpad not having two buttons. Is that something people forget after five minutes, or is it an irritation that stays with you for the life of the machine?
Click to expand...
Trackpad is AWESOME. End of. Get bettertouchtool to enhance awesomeness 1,000,000 fold.
 
I did the same 2 years ago (well just under it was the 09 refresh) and I wish they did the high res thing then (the 17 inch was a little too far for me at the time). It does seem a very very sensible upgrade if you can afford it :)

The track pad will make you HATE every other laptop instantly, after a few days of use you will sit there and wonder why no one else does it like this (as everyone has said)

Bootcamp is very simple to do, when you install osx on the ssd it helps to make the bootcamp partition at the start (iv had problems not doing that)
 
Thanks for all the responses. You've left me in no doubt I am getting one!

Still a little on the fence between the glossy and matt anti-glare screen though.... what to do.....

(I have an ipad 2 so for casual watching movies on the move would probably use that which points toward the matt for work...)
 
Captivator said:
Thanks for all the responses. You've left me in no doubt I am getting one!

Still a little on the fence between the glossy and matt anti-glare screen though.... what to do.....

(I have an ipad 2 so for casual watching movies on the move would probably use that which points toward the matt for work...)
Click to expand...

Best way to test which one you want is go outside with your iPad and if you can see the screen well enough get the glossy, if not get the matte.
 
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