Switching To The Mac: The Real Story

Rafe Needleman: The Process Of Switching Is Not As Easy As Ads Lead You To Believe

(CBS)  Written by CNET's Rafe Needleman, the Real Technology column appears Thursdays on CBSNews.com.

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Apple's compelling advertisements may have you believing that moving from a Windows computer to a Mac is both a simple and a rewarding experience. I certainly believed it. In my circle of friends and co-workers, I observed that Mac users were to a large extent happier with their equipment and software than the Windows users. Most people I know who have moved from PCs to Macs never regretted the decision. The few people who had moved the other way seemed to have done so reluctantly. And I know only two of them; I know dozens of PC-to-Mac switchers who are delighted they've moved.

So figuring that I was going to be in good company, I made the switch. In December, I bought a new MacBook for myself, and a second one for my wife. We both needed new computers, and I thought it'd be a good time to move up to what everyone told me would be a superior experience.

Here's what we found: In many ways, the Mac experience is indeed superior. But the process of moving from the PC to the Mac is not nearly as easy or as straightforward as the advertising leads you to believe. And people who have switched a long time ago apparently don’t remember how difficult it was.

In a previous story that I wrote shortly after I first tried to make the switch, I talked about technological inertia. That's what can prevent the switch from a PC to a Mac from being a happy experience -- the hardware you have that you want to work with your new computer; your expectations of how computers “should” work; and the muscle memory you have developed that lets you use the computer you have quickly, without thinking about it. All these expectations will be challenged when you try to move to a new computer paradigm, such as from a PC to a Mac.

The Big Mistake
Before making the switch, I studied the Mac, read blogs, talked to friends, and learned about the changes I'd be forcing on myself. Going contrary to popular advice, which recommends running the new Mac and the old PC side-by-side for a while, I decided that the best way to make the switch would be to go cold turkey. That way, I thought, I'd force myself to learn the new Mac applications, new keyboard shortcuts, and new Mac mindset. I wouldn't have to switch my brain back and forth between platforms, and while it would be difficult for a while, I thought it would be quicker, like learning a language by moving to a new town in a new country where nobody speaks English.

In practice, I couldn't do it. There's only so much immersion a person can take in a day before he or she gets fatigued. And when your income relies on using a computer, you cannot afford to mess around with a new platform all the time. Sometimes, you just need to work.

For instance, I had a bear of a time adjusting to the MacBook's keyboard. It's missing keys I'm used to, like a forward-delete key (the "delete" key on a MacBook actually functions like the "backspace" on a PC), PgUp, Home, End, and so on. All of the things these keys do can be accomplished by pressing various key combinations on the MacBook, but getting those new keys into your muscle memory takes effort.

So going cold turkey didn't work for me, and it didn't work for my wife, either. We both ended up running our PCs and Macs side-by-side for a period of time (I still do), although the amount of time on the old PCs has been decreasing a little bit each day.

Other issues conspired to make the switch more difficult than we expected. There are some things that just don't work on the Mac. Not things that work differently, which I was prepared for. I'm talking about things that are supposed to work but don't, like the software that comes with Blackberry smartphones (my wife is a Blackberry user) that's supposed to synchronize your calendar between the phone and a Mac. It just flat out doesn't work (at least, it didn't for her). Or the software that comes with a Sprint cellular modem that's supposed to connect you to the network. Again, it doesn't work (for me). Apologists for the Mac will say that I cannot blame Apple for these faults. True, but that's not really the point. When you buy into Apple, you're buying into a promise, and the promise is undermined by bad apps.

Now, there are workarounds for these and problems we had, and for many users the apps do work, but the Apple message that all technology "just works" with Macs is hyperbolic. Sure, a lot of things work beautifully. But, just as with Windows, there are miserable examples of buggy and flawed products that don't work as advertised for everybody who has them. And for us, there were far more of them than we expected.

Getting Into It
It's been about two months since I bought the Macs. After the first few weeks I felt the need to step away from the machine for a while (it's you, not me, I said to my MacBook). But the Mac has now become part of my daily routine and it's working well. And I have some advice for other people trying to make the switch.

The smartest thing I did was to drop my philosophical opposition to using the Mac and Windows side-by-side. In fact, I'm running both operating systems on new MacBook. There are different ways to do this, but I'm using VMWare Fusion, which lets me run Windows XP at the same time I'm running OS X. Apple's free solution, Boot Camp, turns your Mac temporarily into a Windows machine, but you can't run OS X at the same time; you have to reboot. The only thing I need Windows for is my e-mail application, Microsoft Outlook (which raises another complaint: If your business uses Outlook on PCs, be warned that there is no equivalent Mac app that does the same thing as well -- not even Entourage Microsoft's own business e-mail program for the Mac.) I set up Fusion so Web links I get in e-mail open up on the browser in OS X, and e-mail links on the Mac side open up in Outlook on Windows. It works well. However, to do this you need to buy both a copy of Fusion as well as a license for Windows. I’m bothered that I have to run Windows on my Mac to get my work done. But at least I can.

I also discovered the benefits of Spaces, the OS X app that lets you set up different "virtual desktops" on your computer. You can of course run multiple applications at the same time on the Mac or and Windows PC. What Spaces does it let you group apps together into their own desktops that you can easily flip between. I put VMWare Fusion to support my Windows setup on one desktop, and OS X on another, and I can quickly slide between them with a shortcut key. It's really slick.

I bought the Mac because I needed a new computer, not because there were any specific Mac apps I needed to run. I still haven’t found any software that will do something on the Mac that I can’t also do on the PC. But that’s OK. I have Microsoft Office for the Mac for word processing, and it's fine. I use iTunes for music, and it's the same as on my PC. The new iPhoto is nice, but as a frequent Windows user and someone who’s got enough change going on at once right now, I'm sticking with Google's Picasa, recently made available for the Mac. Other favorite apps I have work on both Windows and the Mac: the browser Firefox, the note-taking app Evernote, Skype, and Twitter clients like Twhirl, that run on Adobe's cross-platform AIR framework.

But although it’s not offering me raw capabilities I can’t get on Windows, I enjoy the Mac a great deal. The hardware is brilliant. It's not just thoughtfully-designed (except for the keyboard that’s missing key buttons), but beautiful to look it. The MacBook's trackpad lets you use multi-finger gestures to switch between apps and spaces, and it's a complete joy to use. The platform is also robust: My Mac itself has yet to crash despite the dozens of apps I’ve put on it (some of which have crashed themselves), and it goes into sleep mode and wakes up reliably, unlike every Windows PC I’ve ever used. I basically never have to shut it down.

The Mac is a lot more fun to use than a Windows PC, but I can't say that it was worth the switch financially. The MacBook is expensive and I've lost time toward training myself to use it. I'd recommend a Mac to almost anyone starting out, but caution Windows users that it takes far more time to become comfortable with the platform than is generally understood.

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Rafe Needleman writes about start-ups, new technologies, and Web 2.0 products as editor of CNET's Webware. E-mail Rafe.

[OldenFard]

.... make that -cheap, Fast and EASY ......

[OldenFard]

Jim,

I to am one of the ancient ones - started with Unit record equipment and moved on to the IBM 1401 then thru so many programming languages it would fill a wall just to list them. Once things got easy vis-a-vis the graphical user interface productivity exploded - mine included. The GUI was intuitive or nearly. And a darn site better than constantly changing function keys, code words and syntax.

With the GUI I could now focus on what I wanted to do rather than which keys I needed to memorize (weak there) with each new application. Viola, I'm a visual guy!! Windows felt right from the first moment I used it. Maybe it's because it was my "first love" and all the warm parts are still there - like the right mouse button - and still do the same thing - mostly, and I can buy fabulous programs like Alibre' where I can learn and become proficient in a whole new world I've never seen before in a matter of a few hours. Maybe because I know the guts of this baby from usb port to microprocessor to disk drive to video card to ALU to instruction set that I love this little machine.

Nahhh, I'm just a cheap bastard looking for the cheapest fastest most reliable way to get my work done. I don't wear Tommy - not even from the Goodwill. That's why I love my PC. It's cheap, It's fast, It's inexpensive - like a good woman. That, and the fact that I invented it.

Your friend Al

[felipedmnt75]

Last year bought a new pc and a mac, a following months later, like 6 months the pc crashed due to Vista. I have been a PC user since 1997 and now I'm proud to say that I have made the transition to being a "iperson" the iMac is the coolest computer out of the box I was able to start my work and have fun at the same time without installing all the mobojumbo stuff that a PC needs to work on certain projects. T.V. adds don't compare to the use of the Macs, and it is all about what is going to work for you in the long run, not like less than a year and then CRASH!

[jimoase]

We have witnessed the competition between brands and brand followers since childhood. We have heard the cost argument which pits entry level products, Chevy's, against top of the line, Rolls, Lexus, saying for what I do the the low cost product fills my needs. That's nice. Is it fair to disagree with someone whose needs or choices of solutions are different?

My computing experience begin in the 1950's, my Mac experience in 1985, my DOS experience from when it was called CP/M in the 1970's, before Gates lifted it, and Windows since version 1. I used Word and Excel when it was Mac only. I like Mac's because I learned most of the keystrokes in 1985 and they still work today. I still have some working 1985...86 Mac's with the signatures on the inside of the case. Until last year one of those Mac's was wearing out a succession of printers, printing mailing labels three times a week. Its replacement, an iMac, cost less, $1400 verses $1600, and does far more.

Most of my family has switched to Mac's because of virus and spyware problems. Their reluctance to switching was cost. They could find a very stripped down $400 PC in most discount stores and feature rich Mac's started at near a $1,000, when they compared systems with the add-ons included the prices were similar. My family is technology challenged so not having problems with their computer is a plus. Most of their computer are now over 5 years old and still ticking.

Jim

[jaklyn]

I'm a brand new PC switcher (just bought my Macbook today) and I didn't find the switch THAT bad... in fact, I'm totally use to the mac already! (and it's only been... 3 hours) So I guess the time for one to get use to the mac depends on the person.

[dk1960]

By now you've no doubt found this out, but for those that may not know, pressing the function key while hitting the back space key will emulate the PC key function you're looking for. Not as straightforward as on the PC, but that is just the way it ended up.

[cassellwp]

PC or POS users have been using an interface in windows that was designed to imitate Apple's OS. Whining about "change" to the original OS seems a bit juvenile. Apple's lousy marketing did not ever make windows a better operating system.

[DaveRieck]

I would highly recommend Linux as a great alternative to both Windows and MAC. There are many Linux offerings; most are free, the two I would suggest are:

For a Windows like experience try Linux Mint (GNOME Version). For a MAC like experience try DreamLinux. Both are excellent OS's with everything needed installed by default.

I personally use DreamLinux on an older Acer laptop. Since installing it I've managed to breathe several more years into my older laptop, never contracted a virus or spyware and have never experienced a crash. Linux does entail a bit of learning, but once you get used to using it you'll never go back.

[Slrman]

I have just gone back to a mac after over 6 years of having to use a PC. Where I live in Brazil, Macs have been nearly non-existent until the last year or so.

Having made the change in the last 6 weeks, I have to say this. You haven't really switched to a Mac or else you did not try very hard. I have been able to do this seamlessly. All of the Windows applications I needed, including one Flight Simulator game (not MSFS) have worked without purchasing any software or using Boot Camp. A free program (Darwine) has run everything I wanted with no problem.

Speaking of free programs, I have been gratified to see how many freeware programs are available for my Mac. Some things I had to pay for on the PC are even included in Mac OSX. For example, an unlimited screen shot saver. The software to set your preferred keystroke for this and other functions is also part of OSX. THe freeware program Gimp has fufilled my need for Photoshop. It has 80% of the functionality for 0% of the price. 100% of MS Office has been replaced by the open source program NeoOffice.

All of my windows files, including video, music, and images work perfectly. I have lost no functionality, files, or usefulness.

Finally, the quality of this iMac 2.66 GHz system far exceeds any PC I have ever used. Having worked as technical writer for decades, I was using PCs when they were an IBM-only device. Even the keyboard is the best, most solid I have ever used. In the nearly two months with the iMac, I have never had a system crash or even a program crash.

As a free-lance tech writer, I used a Mac and PC side-by-side for years. I thought then and now, anyone that has a PC when they could have a Mac just doesn't know much about computers.

[MacOO7]

I've used just about every kind of computer starting with punch card mainframe systems to what I have now which consists of a Mac Pro, a Mac Mini, a MacBook, and a iPhone. I've also witnessed the Wintel vs. Mactel wars and even, at one time, been an active participant. Now at the age of 56 I have mellowed with time and I say live and let live. For me Macs are a much better choice and I don't mind the price as I'm getting my money's worth plus I'm helping someone keep their job which makes me feel good. If others find Wintel systems the better choice I say more power to you. You're probably thinking is this guy nuts? No just tired of all the fighting over something which basically comes down to personal choice. None of us knows what's the best computer us except ourselves. Those who argue otherwise are impressing no one but themselves and their friends who agree with them. With the economy in the current state it is I ask the reader to ponder this, what good is to blast someone's choice in computers when tomorrow you may lose your job and be out on the street? Don't say it can happen because it can! Think about it!!