I’ve now had my Macbook Pro for one week and am ready to share the joy!

So I finally went to the “darkside” as PC folks say.  Yes, I bought a Mac and here’s why:

5 reasons to “Go Mac”

1. Macs can run Windows - That’s right folks.  You can run Windows on Apple hardware.  You have a few choices.  You can boot into Windows using Apple’s Bootcamp or virtualized through VMWare Fusion or Parallels so all the excuses for compatibility are out the window (haha joke).  Seriously, I’d rather have a computer that can run 3 different operating systems than one that only supports Windows and Linux.

2. Macs have better power management – For mobile computing, reliable performance and stamina are a must.  How many PC laptop owners do you know who complain about battery life, laptops that burn up due to overheating or who find out when they closed the lid if their computer, hibernation failed so their computer was still on with the hard drive spinning as they rolled it over bumps in the road?

3. Macs are built better – Everything from how Apple computers look to the operating system to the guts, I am impressed each time I encounter them…similar to how I got to IKEA and the furniture just makes sense.  Last year, my sister’s iBook G4 needed the hard drive replaced.  I didn’t know the first thing about taking apart a Mac but using the awesome site, iFixit, I was able to figure out the 20+ steps to get to the hard drive.  I even ended up showing my sister how to do it.  We ordered a drive from Newegg, salvaged her files from the old drive, reinstalled the OS, created a backup plan with SuperDuper and she was all set!

4. Professionals use Macs -  All the cool kids are using Macs; For example,  37 Signals, the company that makes the wildly popular web based project management tool, Basecamp, develop on Macs.  Many  cloud computing companies develop on the OSX operating system instead of Windows.  This tells me that if I want raise the bar, I need to get a Mac.  Also, many more IT folks are picking up Macs.  I interviewed @rachelbaker about her choice to “Go Mac” as I was doing my research and got to hear from a geek with similar IT experience how she adapted and brought Mac’s into her life.

5. Apple has excellent service and support – Now people hate computers because trying to find out what’s wrong sometimes feels like talking to a rock.  It doesn’t talk, doesn’t move and gives no indication on what you should do next.  Until I had a chance to see the back end of an Apple store, I wasn’t familiar with how Apple delivered support.  I always get warranties on my hardware so with my first iPod in 2004, I got the extended 2 year Apple plan but never had to use it.  I can definitely say that Apple support is amazing and that the people who work for Apple are truly invested in providing a positive outcome, take responsibility for the resolution and truly seem like a happy-go-lucky bunch of folks overall!  When I’ve had to call in for support or went in to talk with folks at the Apple store about future purchases, I’ve been amazed at how helpful and knowledgeable they were.

My Love Affair with Apple

I’ve been trying to think when I first began to seriously consider getting a computer from Apple.  I think it was when I did the upgrades at the Apple stores in 2007.  I was doing contract work for a company that would send me out to various places to troubleshoot routers, install equipment and do upgrades (Interested in this?  Contact me as they’re always looking for good folks) when they told me there would be a string of assignments at various Apple stores in the Twin Cities.  The stores were getting their Internet connections upgraded so we would be replacing the routers and CSU/DSU (aka the modem).  I signed on board.  The hours were from 10pm until we finished which turned out to be about 3am.

What this meant is that I had time to see the Apple stores when they weren’t crowded with people.  I spent time looking at these “strange” looking computers and laptops and was able to ask the staff all sorts of questions.  I talked to the managers, floor staff and Geniuses about their roles in selling computers.  I found out that Apple had a totally different philosphy about how to sell and what to sell vs Dell and Geeksquad.  This blew me away that the Genius did not sell any product so they were free to focus on fixing things right.  The repair area was immaculate!  Everything had a place, cords were neatly hung up on wall hooks, bins were clearly labeled (and often barcoded) with replacement parts and computers in for service were neatly arranged and tagged.

The Average PC Repair Shop is Chaos

Most computer repair shops suck. It’s a chaotic, stress milkshake for staff and customers swirled with heavy dose of distrust and anxiety.  I’ve been in 4 positions in this scenario: PC workbench tech, working with PC vendors on RMA hardware returns, customer for warranty repair, customer service/front desk person at PC repair shop.  Working in this environment makes you grow old fast:  It’s a day filled with dread on who is going to complain, freak out, call or stop in.  Not fun.  Working with vendors wasn’t much better when I couldn’t negotiate simple requests for in-warranty hardware due to the cluster-poo support staff on the other end of the phone who must be reading from a knowledgebase article on how to accept RMA shipments.

The average computer repair shop looks like this:

• There are cords strewn over the workbenches
• You can’t find the right screws to close up a case
• Irate customers keep calling about their computers
• You can’t find the work order
• The customer can’t find out the status of the repair
• The receipt does not explain the repairs in plain English
• Repairs can take days or weeks
• The original problem was not fixed

I assumed it was like this for everyone but those experiences at the Apple stores woke me up to the possiblity that not every computer company ran like Microsoft, Dell and Geeksquad.

This experience was further confirmed when I ordered my 13″ Macbook Pro.  The online ordering process was a breeze, I called support to get the One-To-One training and got nothing but knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and focused service from the Apple folks.

Make your next laptop a Mac