Several months ago I started looking for a new primary computer. Our aging PC was not editing as smoothly as I was seeing symptoms of a failing video card. The system board was not capable of accepting newer, faster processors and it did not have the latest interfaces (no USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt). Additionally I do video editing work on the road and lugging that thing is not an option. I do have a Windows laptop. While it runs Adobe CS5.5, it does not do so well. Scrubbing through video is annoyingly rough and processing takes WAY longer than necessary.
I knew I wanted a laptop. It's much easier to use a laptop with external display and keyboard as a desktop replacement than it is to travel with a desktop. My task was then to find a laptop capable of running Adobe CS6 and running it well. There are Windows laptops capable of the job, but after years in IT and a recent bout with my Windows desktop I wanted something different.
The Apple 15" MacBook Pro Retina appeared to be exactly what I wanted. The 2.7GHz Intel i7 processor and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M seemed like the answer. I knew with Adobe's latest updates to CS6, it was designed to be able to utilize all the power the system was capable of.
The unfortunate fact is that Apple made a change to the new Retina MacBooks. While thinner, light and sexy, they are not upgradable. This means that when you purchase them, you better be thinking forward. To this end I loaded the system up with as much memory as possible. 16Gb of 1600MHz DDR3L memory comes standard on the top level Retina. Hard drive space comes in at 512Gb with the standard solid state drive choice. A 768Gb SSD is available, but at a $400 up charge. Since most of our work will be with external storage, the extra charge was not worth it.
When you go through the online configuration there are a plethora of accessories and software that you can add. Since this was to be a desktop replacement, I went ahead and ordered a second power adapter to keep in the bag. The MacBook Retina does not include an optical drive so I added the Apple Superdrive. I was a bit disappointed that it's not a Blu-Ray drive, but I knew about Apple's lack of BR support going in. I was planning on an external Thunderbolt drive, so I added the short Thunderbolt cable.
When we got to the software configuration I included Pages, Numbers and Keynote. I could have just waited and installed MS Office later, but I wanted to work in OS X as much as possible.
The Wait.
Since our configuration was not standard we placed the order and then waited. It took a couple days for the factory in China to assemble my MacBook. I ponied up the extra $12 for 2-3 day shipping. This was the fastest option and I really couldn't argue with spending an extra $12 on a $3000+ computer. Interestingly enough all of my accessories shipped almost immediately. I assume this is because they came from a US warehouse.
The Arrival.
Apple's packaging is a study on how to present a product to a buyer. When you first remove the cover of the box the product is on display. Some would argue that money could be saved on cheaper, less involved packaging. While this may be correct, this is part of the Apple Experience.
The Transition.
I plugged in my shiny new MacBook and powered it up. Of course I was greeted with the obligatory startup wizard that is the norm with any modern electronic device. The process was fairly intuitive and I made my way through it quickly.
Once through the startup and into OS X things were fairly easy to fine. The first major difference I noticed was that the menu bar for each window does not in fact reside on the window. It resides at the top of the screen. This can be a bit confusing at first when several windows are open on the same screen and you are jumping between them. The second interesting thing is that clicking on the red "x" in the upper left corner of the window does not actually shut a program down like the red "x" in Windows. I quickly got the hang of "Command-Q" to close the active program.
As I configured different pieces of software I quickly adapted to the new shortcut keys and the "Mac" way of doing things. Installing software became a very simple manner. Most of the packages I needed to install had their own installation routines. If they did not, then it was just a simple matter of placing it in the "Applications" folder to keep things neat and tidy.
One very lovely thing I noticed was that I never once had to go on the dreaded "driver" search. Installing my HP OfficeJet 6500 was a simple one click matter. When I clicked the "scan" button I was asked to install the software for scanning. However instead of having to go search for a DVD or software package, I simply had to press the download button. The appropriate update was downloaded and installed. I really didn't have to know anything more than what I wanted to accomplish.
I can really see why for some time Mac has been the choice for creative professionals.
Now, to get down to "business".
I ordered my MacBook pre-configured with Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Much of what I needed the MacBook for was video, photo and web editing. However the plan is to transition to the Mac for all my computing needs. This includes the boring financial issues attached to running a house and a business. I use MS Excel for my spreadsheets on the PC. I could have installed Office for Mac or installed Office on Windows 7 under Bootcamp. Instead I chose to go the Mac way and use Numbers.
Mounting my shared Documents folder on my PC was a snap. Simply verifying the proper permissions on the PC and then mapping the drive in Finder had me ready to transfer documents. I pulled my check register spreadsheet over into the MacBook and opened it. Number recognized it and started up. I was greeted by a welcome screen with the option to play a short video explaining the benefit of numbers. I was intrigued by some of the features and immediately started thinking about the use in future products. Once I finished the video, Numbers opened a window showing me what parts of my spreadsheet was incompatible. My split spreadsheets were disabled and the font used was replaced, but nothing drastic had to be changed. I was disappointed that I couldn't use split spreadsheets. When working with very long tables it's a really nice feature. However i quickly figured out how to reconfigure my table to work.
It really didn't take much re-training for simple spreadsheet work. I was able to locate the functions I needed very rapidly. A few small irritations surfaced, but much of it was from my expectation for Numbers to work like Excel, and that really isn't fair.
After an initial learning curve I began to really enjoy using the multi-touch trackpad. The gestures were fairly fast to learn and made switching between applications and windows very quick. A quick swipe up with four fingers showed me what apps were open and allowed me to select the app I need. Swipe to the left or right with four fingers and you switch to the next or previous app.
Scrolling took a bit of getting used to because of my familiarity with the windows method of scrolling. Apple wants to to scroll like you are pushing a piece of paper across the table in front of you. This is a very intuitive method, and I prefer it. It's just a matter of un-learning the scroll bar method from Windows.
The multi-touch trackpad is not all skittles and sunshine. I did find myself often dragging a third finger when I wanted only two. This would switch from scrolling to dragging. Not a big deal on web pages, but it's not so cool in finder when you start dragging files and folders around.
The user interface is definitely well thought out and becomes fun to use after a couple hours of familiarity. I quickly purchased an Apple Wireless Keyboard and Trackpad in order to save some wear on the MacBook components. Pairing them was fast. After that there really wasn't anything to think about. When I walk away from my office the MacBook doesn't give me any nasty warnings. It just doesn't see the peripherals. When I get back to my desk, I can immediately start using them again. No button presses or re-pairing necessary.
So why am I running Windows 7 on my fancy new MacBook?
I am really enjoying my experience with OS X, but the reality is that some applications are just not made for Mac. One piece in particular is a very specialized piece of software that is only made by one company and only for Windows. I also like to play the occasional FPS Game and with a nice fast laptop, the temptation to load Crysis 3 on it is just too great.
There are several options for loading Windows on the MacBook. Most cost money. The least expensive solution is to use the built in Bootcamp feature in OSX. Bootcamp assists you in partitioning your drive and creating an installation package with all the correct drivers for your Mac. It is fairly straight forward, but be warned. You need to make sure you select a large enough partition for whatever you are going to do in Windows. Installing Windows 7 was extremely fast. I am sure this is in part due to the Solid State Drive and Superdrive. Once Windows 7 was installed and configured, running the Bootcamp setup added all the drivers required for the Mac specific hardware. Windows was then able to use all the new fancy hardware. The wireless adapter popped up with no problems and the Retina display still looked glorious. In fact it was just too good. I had to turn the resolution down to make it useable. My eyes are great, but I did not enjoy staring at the tiny icons and text.
Bootcamp is not the only option for Windows on the Mac, but for my purposes it seemed like the best. My father uses VMWare Fusion on his Mac. He had the need to run Mac and Windows apps at the same time. He also does not run games on his MacBook. I had no need to run both apps at the same time. The specialized software that I need is for reference a couple times a month. Due to the speed that the MacBook Pro Retina boots at I can easily boot into the OS I need. It is not like days past where you turned on your PC then made breakfast while it booted. Running one OS at a time via Bootcamp just seemed like a more efficient method when gaming. Games and video editing will really tax a systems resources.
Is the MacBook Pro Retina worth the $3,000 I spent on it? That will take a little longer to determine. I am thoroughly satisfied with the fit and finish of the unit. This is the highest quality notebook I have ever worked with. Even the high power windows gaming notebooks feel cheaply built compared to the smooth aluminum exterior of the MacBook. The feel of the keyboard and trackpad are excellent. The appearance of the display is better than any I have used before and the extra features like the anti-glare coatings on the glossy screen are just the icing on the cake.
I have yet to really tax the processing power of the system, but with some video projects looming, it won't be long. To fully switch over to the "Mac Way" I will need to get our cloud server setup and migrate my iTunes library. That is not something I am looking forward to, but necessary. I will say that so far the MacBook has assisted in my assimilation into the Apple ecosystem. Being able to answer iMessages on the Mac instead of picking up my phone or unlocking the iPad is a welcome addition. Being able to mirror my screen to AppleTV is also a sweet feature.
In conclusion, I am enjoying my experience so far. Thanks to the power of the internet, any confusion is quickly sorted out. Almost every issue I encountered was due to the way I was accustomed to using an operating system. Not with any failing on the part of the OS. I will continue to update as we get some more time on this great little notebook.
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