Ben
10th April 2006, 02:20 AM
Alright, so, as a PC user of a zillion years, the time has come to recount my early experiences of Apple, Apple Mac's, and the infamous OS X Tiger.
I'm pretty sure that all of you who have lived with Windows will have at least wondered if there was 'another way' out there of computing. Some of you may have even installed some of the various Linux distributions and tried to use them as a Desktop OS via either Gnome or KDE. If you have, I'd imagine you were thoroughly disappointed and so the vast majority, if not all, of your computing needs are still catered for my Microsoft. As someone who will likely have to use Windows in at least some measure for the foreseeable future, my wondering if there was another, better way of doing things for my personal computing life has come to a head in the new Apple Mac mini.
The first thing you notice when you contemplate 'switching' is that you don't get a lot of Mac for your money. If you know someone in education I strongly suggest using them to get whatever education discount is available. This can be had both online and over the phone. Mac's are available in highstreet stores like PC World, though not only are they expensive but they also tend to be out of date. My local PC World still doesn't have the new Intel stock. So, for your ordering needs, I strongly recommend using the Apple Online Store (http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore).
Shipping takes a while. Up to two weeks infact. Though, if you're fortunate, you might get your Mac in about a week - especially if you buy it 'stock'. However, this isn't the avenue I'd recommend. OS X running on Intel isn't too RAM hungry in itself, but Rosetta, which you never see but allows you to run applications designed for IBM PowerPC processors, uses a considerable amount when active. Apple Mac's also aren't readily expandable or upgradable (excluding the PowerMac, which isn't Intel yet anyway), so for your own sake I recommend clicking on at least 1GB of RAM while trying to ignore the price. I myself spec'd my Mac mini up at an Intel Core Duo 1.66GHz processor, 2GB RAM and a 120GB HDD, choosing to order over the phone. A 'BTO' (built to order) system takes a little longer to ship as it takes two or three days to make it first, but it's worth it in the long run. If you just want the sub-£500 Core Solo Mac mini for your first foray into Macland then you can be reassured that I've heard many positive things about their ability in general computing, but once again I suggest upping that RAM.
The Apple Online Store has reasonably good order tracking (very good compared to Dell's, anyway) and you'll find yourself checking it a lot - daily if not more! Once you see the status updated with the courier name and tracking number you know your order is about to arrive. All of the couriers Apple used to get the various parts of my order, Harmon Kardon Soundsticks II, 23" HD Apple Cinema Display, BT Keyboard & Mouse, Applecare, were extremely good. I placed several orders as I couldn't decide what I wanted initially. Couriers included TNT, UPS and Flextronics.
Applecare, by the way, is important. It's a very good warranty, and from my experience with Apple CS you wont regret it. More on that in a second. If buying the Mac mini and an Apple monitor in the same order your Mac mini Applecare can actually cover both, along with the Apple keyboard and mouse if you go for it - so bare that in mind if one of these beautiful ACD's gets the better of your wallet like it did mine. Basically, Applecare extends your 1 year warranty and 90 days telephone support to a full 3 years of both. This was invaluable when the first Mac mini I ordered died on me two days in. Admittedly it was one of the very first Intel Mac mini's, and during the weeks that I was without my machine many problems were rectified. Apple CS didn't even have to be asked for a replacement when I described the problem. A World of Warcraft CD, purchased elsewhere, was stuck inside the dead mini and Apple CS even refunded me the retail price of that so I could buy a new copy. Can you fault that? I can't.
Discounting that first Mac mini experience, I've now been a Mac user since Friday. The first thing I noticed about my new computer was the keyboard. Apple's layout is somewhat different to a normal PC. Yes, it can still do everything you need, but it takes some getting used to. Interestingly, though, I already try and replicate the various shortcuts on my Windows machine - which has to be a testament to the logical layout. It's not as fully featured as your typical Windows keyboard, and neither is the single button mouse, but it's all so blissfully simple. Suddenly I wonder why I have all those extra buttons and scroll wheels on my PC's.
I also immediately noticed how easy it was to do the basics. Setup is fast and flawless, with the Mac mini/OS X connecting to my wireless LAN and updating itself with all the latest patches and wotnot. How very Windows ;) Browsing the web, instant messaging and using email are a single-click away and, if you get .Mac, which I highly recommend, the tight email, IM and online storage integration is superb. Some things, however, like connecting to my Windows shares, are a tiny bit more complicated. We're still talking orders of magnitude easier than networking in Windows, though. You'll also be impressed by the raft of integrated networking tools such as Ping and Traceroute which have their own purdy graphical interface.
For the more advanced/adventurous, OS X includes access to the console. You can install and run many applications from the Linux/UNIX world on OS X, and things like Apache come preinstalled. Ever wanted a teeny tiny web server? Now you can have one ;) Some people even offer colo for the mini! (http://www.macminicolo.net/)
One slight source of confusion, from the switch to Intel, is Universal Binaries. They're still not as common as you'd hope, with big guns like Real still running under Rosetta. That's fine, ish. Unfortunately pages that have integrated Real content wont work properly as applications running under Rosetta just don't work as plugins. Likewise, I still haven't found a printer driver as HP's aren't in UB yet. This will get better over time, but I'm not going to fool myself that everything will be UB any time soon. Oh, and QuickTime is unimaginably better on a Mac. Yes, I hate it on Windows too.
As for the stability of OS X, it really is generally very good. This is largely due to Apple controlling both hardware and software elements of their computers, and while it wouldn't scale to much more than 10-20% market share it's a fantastic concept which I hope remains. I have, however, managed to make OS X crash once. That, though, was the fault of the Camino (http://www.caminobrowser.org/) web browser that I am using inplace of the truly terrible Safari. Ok, so it's not truly terrible, but it's not as good as Internet Explorer so I had to set that straight ;) What is Camino? Well, it's a brand new browser from Mozilla that basically takes Firefox and integrates it better with OS X. They've done a good job, too, minus the 1.0 bugs.
One thing you will love about new Mac's is Front Row. My mini shipped with a 6-button Apple Remote, which makes any other remote control look like something for time travel, that somehow does everything you need it to. The transition from your desktop to Front Row when you push the Menu button on the remote is stunning. What amazed me is that just using the remote in Front Row I can browse a massive range of movie trailers from Apple, and watch them, without going anywhere near the machine. Likewise for music - I never turn my Mac mini off, it's always there ready to supply me with music (or television via Elgato EyeTV EZ v2.01 UB) by remote. You can even sleep and wake your Mac with the Apple remote by pushing and holding the Menu button, though as I said, my mini just stays on.
It all just looks so nice. So inviting. All the graphics used in OS X, the industrial design of the hardware, the anti-aliasing. You become 'involved' with the machine, and it's ready to do whatever you want whenever you want to. You do have to be careful what other hardware you buy if you want Apple to support it within OS X, mind, and one example would be your mobile phone if you want to use iSync over Bluetooth without any third party software. To my amazement, my SE W900i is fully supported and my phonebook was rapidly assimilated into the Address Book. I can also browse my handset via Bluetooth in two clicks.
This is another world, to be sure. It's not computing as you currently know it. The Apple slogan is 'Think Different' and they certainly have, creating something that for the most part is miles better than how things are done in Windows. Expose, for example, where a guesture with your mouse tiles all your open windows on the screen so you can click the one you want to be active, is just so perfect that I don't know how I lived without it in Windows. Not everything is as good as the Windows world, of course. Finder, the OS X version of Explorer, is bizzare. It's the best ever navigation tool I've seen for a unixesque Desktop OS, but it still has some way to go. Apple recognise this though, which is why it has been through so many overhauls over the years.
Apple hardware is expensive, yes. But it is worth the extra money. You truly are getting what you pay for in terms of the experience, from opening the inspiring packaging to every time I've flicked to my Dictionary widget to check a spelling while I've been writing this. The sheer quality of materials makes an Apple computer a nice place to be at and, if you, like me, spend a lot of your life infront of a machine, don't you want it to be nice?
If you need a reason to buy an Apple Mac then let it simply be that life is too short. There's more to life than antivirus, antispyware and BSOD's. Oh, and with Apple's new Boot Camp software, a feature to be fully integrated in the next increment of OS X 'Leopard' but available for download now, you can always dual-boot your Intel Mac into XP to run that unsupported piece of software or just for a reminder of why you switched to a Mac in the first place.
I'm pretty sure that all of you who have lived with Windows will have at least wondered if there was 'another way' out there of computing. Some of you may have even installed some of the various Linux distributions and tried to use them as a Desktop OS via either Gnome or KDE. If you have, I'd imagine you were thoroughly disappointed and so the vast majority, if not all, of your computing needs are still catered for my Microsoft. As someone who will likely have to use Windows in at least some measure for the foreseeable future, my wondering if there was another, better way of doing things for my personal computing life has come to a head in the new Apple Mac mini.
The first thing you notice when you contemplate 'switching' is that you don't get a lot of Mac for your money. If you know someone in education I strongly suggest using them to get whatever education discount is available. This can be had both online and over the phone. Mac's are available in highstreet stores like PC World, though not only are they expensive but they also tend to be out of date. My local PC World still doesn't have the new Intel stock. So, for your ordering needs, I strongly recommend using the Apple Online Store (http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore).
Shipping takes a while. Up to two weeks infact. Though, if you're fortunate, you might get your Mac in about a week - especially if you buy it 'stock'. However, this isn't the avenue I'd recommend. OS X running on Intel isn't too RAM hungry in itself, but Rosetta, which you never see but allows you to run applications designed for IBM PowerPC processors, uses a considerable amount when active. Apple Mac's also aren't readily expandable or upgradable (excluding the PowerMac, which isn't Intel yet anyway), so for your own sake I recommend clicking on at least 1GB of RAM while trying to ignore the price. I myself spec'd my Mac mini up at an Intel Core Duo 1.66GHz processor, 2GB RAM and a 120GB HDD, choosing to order over the phone. A 'BTO' (built to order) system takes a little longer to ship as it takes two or three days to make it first, but it's worth it in the long run. If you just want the sub-£500 Core Solo Mac mini for your first foray into Macland then you can be reassured that I've heard many positive things about their ability in general computing, but once again I suggest upping that RAM.
The Apple Online Store has reasonably good order tracking (very good compared to Dell's, anyway) and you'll find yourself checking it a lot - daily if not more! Once you see the status updated with the courier name and tracking number you know your order is about to arrive. All of the couriers Apple used to get the various parts of my order, Harmon Kardon Soundsticks II, 23" HD Apple Cinema Display, BT Keyboard & Mouse, Applecare, were extremely good. I placed several orders as I couldn't decide what I wanted initially. Couriers included TNT, UPS and Flextronics.
Applecare, by the way, is important. It's a very good warranty, and from my experience with Apple CS you wont regret it. More on that in a second. If buying the Mac mini and an Apple monitor in the same order your Mac mini Applecare can actually cover both, along with the Apple keyboard and mouse if you go for it - so bare that in mind if one of these beautiful ACD's gets the better of your wallet like it did mine. Basically, Applecare extends your 1 year warranty and 90 days telephone support to a full 3 years of both. This was invaluable when the first Mac mini I ordered died on me two days in. Admittedly it was one of the very first Intel Mac mini's, and during the weeks that I was without my machine many problems were rectified. Apple CS didn't even have to be asked for a replacement when I described the problem. A World of Warcraft CD, purchased elsewhere, was stuck inside the dead mini and Apple CS even refunded me the retail price of that so I could buy a new copy. Can you fault that? I can't.
Discounting that first Mac mini experience, I've now been a Mac user since Friday. The first thing I noticed about my new computer was the keyboard. Apple's layout is somewhat different to a normal PC. Yes, it can still do everything you need, but it takes some getting used to. Interestingly, though, I already try and replicate the various shortcuts on my Windows machine - which has to be a testament to the logical layout. It's not as fully featured as your typical Windows keyboard, and neither is the single button mouse, but it's all so blissfully simple. Suddenly I wonder why I have all those extra buttons and scroll wheels on my PC's.
I also immediately noticed how easy it was to do the basics. Setup is fast and flawless, with the Mac mini/OS X connecting to my wireless LAN and updating itself with all the latest patches and wotnot. How very Windows ;) Browsing the web, instant messaging and using email are a single-click away and, if you get .Mac, which I highly recommend, the tight email, IM and online storage integration is superb. Some things, however, like connecting to my Windows shares, are a tiny bit more complicated. We're still talking orders of magnitude easier than networking in Windows, though. You'll also be impressed by the raft of integrated networking tools such as Ping and Traceroute which have their own purdy graphical interface.
For the more advanced/adventurous, OS X includes access to the console. You can install and run many applications from the Linux/UNIX world on OS X, and things like Apache come preinstalled. Ever wanted a teeny tiny web server? Now you can have one ;) Some people even offer colo for the mini! (http://www.macminicolo.net/)
One slight source of confusion, from the switch to Intel, is Universal Binaries. They're still not as common as you'd hope, with big guns like Real still running under Rosetta. That's fine, ish. Unfortunately pages that have integrated Real content wont work properly as applications running under Rosetta just don't work as plugins. Likewise, I still haven't found a printer driver as HP's aren't in UB yet. This will get better over time, but I'm not going to fool myself that everything will be UB any time soon. Oh, and QuickTime is unimaginably better on a Mac. Yes, I hate it on Windows too.
As for the stability of OS X, it really is generally very good. This is largely due to Apple controlling both hardware and software elements of their computers, and while it wouldn't scale to much more than 10-20% market share it's a fantastic concept which I hope remains. I have, however, managed to make OS X crash once. That, though, was the fault of the Camino (http://www.caminobrowser.org/) web browser that I am using inplace of the truly terrible Safari. Ok, so it's not truly terrible, but it's not as good as Internet Explorer so I had to set that straight ;) What is Camino? Well, it's a brand new browser from Mozilla that basically takes Firefox and integrates it better with OS X. They've done a good job, too, minus the 1.0 bugs.
One thing you will love about new Mac's is Front Row. My mini shipped with a 6-button Apple Remote, which makes any other remote control look like something for time travel, that somehow does everything you need it to. The transition from your desktop to Front Row when you push the Menu button on the remote is stunning. What amazed me is that just using the remote in Front Row I can browse a massive range of movie trailers from Apple, and watch them, without going anywhere near the machine. Likewise for music - I never turn my Mac mini off, it's always there ready to supply me with music (or television via Elgato EyeTV EZ v2.01 UB) by remote. You can even sleep and wake your Mac with the Apple remote by pushing and holding the Menu button, though as I said, my mini just stays on.
It all just looks so nice. So inviting. All the graphics used in OS X, the industrial design of the hardware, the anti-aliasing. You become 'involved' with the machine, and it's ready to do whatever you want whenever you want to. You do have to be careful what other hardware you buy if you want Apple to support it within OS X, mind, and one example would be your mobile phone if you want to use iSync over Bluetooth without any third party software. To my amazement, my SE W900i is fully supported and my phonebook was rapidly assimilated into the Address Book. I can also browse my handset via Bluetooth in two clicks.
This is another world, to be sure. It's not computing as you currently know it. The Apple slogan is 'Think Different' and they certainly have, creating something that for the most part is miles better than how things are done in Windows. Expose, for example, where a guesture with your mouse tiles all your open windows on the screen so you can click the one you want to be active, is just so perfect that I don't know how I lived without it in Windows. Not everything is as good as the Windows world, of course. Finder, the OS X version of Explorer, is bizzare. It's the best ever navigation tool I've seen for a unixesque Desktop OS, but it still has some way to go. Apple recognise this though, which is why it has been through so many overhauls over the years.
Apple hardware is expensive, yes. But it is worth the extra money. You truly are getting what you pay for in terms of the experience, from opening the inspiring packaging to every time I've flicked to my Dictionary widget to check a spelling while I've been writing this. The sheer quality of materials makes an Apple computer a nice place to be at and, if you, like me, spend a lot of your life infront of a machine, don't you want it to be nice?
If you need a reason to buy an Apple Mac then let it simply be that life is too short. There's more to life than antivirus, antispyware and BSOD's. Oh, and with Apple's new Boot Camp software, a feature to be fully integrated in the next increment of OS X 'Leopard' but available for download now, you can always dual-boot your Intel Mac into XP to run that unsupported piece of software or just for a reminder of why you switched to a Mac in the first place.