This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Well I spent weeks doing my research, and most importantly trying to decide if I wanted to change from my old Toshiba laptop to a MacBook. I knew there would be a learning curve to get used to the small differences that there are between a PC and a Mac. I don't have a tremendous amount of free time and I surely didn't want to spend it learning how to transition and operate in a new format. Ultimately I decided it was best for my wife and I that we have a MacBook as it would work well with our iPhones. Of course I didn't quote know what that meant.
I was very wary of the difference in price - the MacBooks were quite a bit more expensive than a PC. I was told that Apple uses "premium" components in building their computers. That's all fine and dandy, but had a hard time paying nearly double and not getting the highest processor, the highest hard drive, as well other items. Having an old PC that was so slow it was painful, I couldn't much of a difference between the fastest PCs and the MacBook I ended up with.
I asked a lot of questions to the sales staff, and found they weren't well equipped to answer the main question of what the main difference was between the PCs and the Macs. I took my research to friends and online forums. Ultimately there was too much online and my friends gave the best advice and info on how they are different.
So I won't do it justice here, but there are MANY ways in which the MacBooks are superior to PCs. The biggest knock against a Mac is that they are less customizable. Well I couldn't care less about manipulating my computer - I just want it to work. The MacBooks make most things more simple. From organization, to functionality, it just works better. They offer the same level of simplicity (in the right ways) as the iPhone does. Setup was very easy. I thought I would need Geek Squad to help, but the migrate assistant was very easy. I did make one mistake though, when transferring data from my PC to the Mac, I plugged the two computers together via ethernet, but instead I was supposed to plug them both into my router. After quite some time of online research I finally realized they were supposed to be put together through the router. I was glad I bought the ethernet adapter (there is no ethernet port on this laptop) because I don't know if I would have been able to transfer my data from my old PC if not for it. Aside from this setup was very easy.
I was annoyed that all computers and laptops no longer come with a CD-ROM / DVD drive. I did purchase an external BluRay player, which I am please with. It works well and I really don't use it much. So having it external makes the actual laptop more portable.
I purchased Microsoft Office when I bought the laptop, as there were discounts to do so. I am happy I have it, and it works well. Looks just slightly different, but works the same.
I was surprised to find that my text messages link to the MacBook, so I can send and receive them. My yahoo email also works nicely through their program. It reminds me of having Outlook run your email although it doesn't operate the same. I just like it.
As expected the iPhones link simply and quickly through the MacBook. I also LOVE the HDMI port. I like using it to connect to the TV to run Skype and it will work well with other streaming media like Netflix and Hulu (don't have now, but will in the future).
I wished the hard drive was bigger. I know it will fill quickly as everything seems to be taking up more space as time goes on.
Overall I'm very pleased with it. If you are on the fence between the two, I would strongly recommend going for it, especially if you are already and iPhone user. Many programs/apps are the same for both. It helps to make a transition more simple. I can't remember all the different ways in which it's better, but it's just a lot of little things that make the experience better. If you are new to Apple, be prepared to be a bit more patient while you learn the differences. On occasion things will come up that annoy me because I knew how to do them on the PC, but will have to look online for answers. Also don't worry so much about getting the top of the line processor, I have the 5 and it's plenty fast. In my opinion though it's worth paying for the hard drive space. I have owned this MacBook for 2+ months and am feeling pretty good about how everything works.
