First 30 Days with my Mac

Well, I finally went and did it.  It’s actually a very big step for me.  I’m actually out in public right now, writing up the draft of what will be my overview of owning a Mac for 30 days.  ^{(7/4 & 7/5)} I’m at the local Starbucks by Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA.  The social recluse is starting to go out into public.  Let’s see if I can start making this a regular thing.

Go ahead Tyler.  Snicker all you like.

Anyway, so it’s been 30 days since I first opened the white box and saw the machine I’m using right this moment.  So what do I think?  I can say my opinion of Mac’s has changed drastically.  However, I’m not going to be the misled sheep that you so often find connected to one of these things.  I’m also not the goof who will run around boasting I’m safer and better than everyone else.  There are some limitations I have yet to overcome with this Mac.  And yet, there is a world of good things to say as well.  So I’m right now I think I am a level headed medium of computer ownership.  It sincerely depends on what you want, versus what you need and can afford.  Though mostly what you will do with the computer that makes the absolute difference.  Though I can tell you that next time I sit to write a blog from a coffee shop, I’ll choose a more comfortable chair.  This wooden one has already made my bum fall asleep from the lack of comfort.

Design

The MacBook Pro is certainly designed to be elegant and yet super functional.  Having worked in a Machine Shop for a couple of years and working with CNC machines, I can sincerely appreciate the dedication and time they put into making the Unibody.  Though it’s far from being one piece in my opinion since the “body” should be all parts encompassing the inside parts.  Though it surely cuts down on amount of parts and does give the laptop a huge amount of panache.  It’s sleek and sexy and certainly says “Look at me”.  And since I’m not very pretty, at least my Mac will turn some heads.

Software

Again, the included software left a whole lot to be desired.  When you spend $1800 for a computer, you’d like to see more productivity software included and not so much social networking.  That should be left to the iPad and iPod Touch or the sub $1000 computers and laptops.  Thankfully being a resourceful person and über-geek-extraordinaire, I was able to quickly overcome most of the obstacles.  So I can have an office suite, coding and programming tools as well as some games to successfully waste time when I have it.  Which lately, is a lot (and I’m on vacation ).  I did have to purchase a decent Zip Program (File Compression) which I managed to catch at 50% off in the “App Store” for $9.99 and still need to pay for the Pixelmator (Photo Editing Program).  I’m currently using in demo mode.  While it’s not as nicely laid out or free like Paint.net (which is all I need on a PC), it is only $29.95 which is infinitely cheaper than Photoshop by Adobe.  Which is currently going for a stomach wrenching $699.  How do folks get duped into paying that much for software?  If I were to pay for it, I had better get a life servant/lover out of that deal.  I tried to use a Paint.net clone for Macs, Pinta, but it has miles to go before it can be considered a decent clone.  Thankfully both of the programs I need to buy are worlds cheaper than their Windows PC counterparts.  Odd huh?  You’d think having to pay a lot of money for an American designed, assembled and supported machine, the software would also be astronomical.  Thankfully it’s not.  At least not the majority of it.

Security

Well as I stated before, that has been a myth for years as documented by this fine website.  Recent events have proven just how “not so” it is.  Honestly, people should think about it.  If such a thing were true, all the worlds governments simply need to switch to Macs and we can live in safe peace forever.

Seriously though.  They claim to have safe guards in place, but why was my firewall turned off by default?  Any known exploit would easily be used the moment an unsuspecting user connected directly to the net with their cable modem.  You’d be surprised how many folks do not use routers.  They have firewalls (turned on) by default.  Cable Modem + No Firewall = Bad

These “safe guards” are only good if the customer ensures to check for patches for their OS daily.  If an exploit comes along and they aren’t patched.  The end user is going to be unhappy to say the least.  Besides, “safe guards” still don’t account for lack of common sense to protect one self from Phishing, Identity Theft and Viruses.  You still need security software.  Just to prove it, I tested my Mac using the Beta of Avast! for Macs.  Just to see if the little bugger worked.  Avast as always, has never let me down and I’m still safe to say my Mac is still safe and sound even though I went looking for trouble.

Other Thoughts

As for using it, I’m more than comfortable using the Mac.  I feel very confident I can start giving technical support and helping people make good choices for their Macs.  And that was the goal for me.  I’m 80% ready to go in that field.  I’ll be 100% in no time.  Maybe even get myself qualified as a “Genius“.  I do frequently tout myself to be one for PC’s, why not officially for Macs too!  We’ll have to see if my self training pays off first I guess.

I still struggle with the whole “command” “control” key thing and I sincerely miss my HOME, INSERT and END keys.  I’m sure my fingers will adjust in time.

It’s certainly a beautiful machine.  It is very impressive in design, video and play some mean 3D video games.  I’m very glad I made the decision to buy it.

I do need to pay it off yet and still need to come up with another $350 to get the extended AppleCare Protection Plan.  For a machine like this, it would be well worth the purchase as it’s built to last, both internally and externally.

So ah… Any website design or WordPress theme work would be welcome to help me pay for all this