Ten Reasons Why I Hate My MacBook Pro
22 April 2006 | By Ian in Apple
This article is the first in a two-part series. Please check out Part II: Ten Reasons Why I Love My MacBook Pro.
With the release of Apple’s Boot Camp I decided that now was the time to upgrade my laptop. My old machine was a very sturdy Dell Inspiron 5150 with a 3.06 Ghz processor that turns three years old in a couple months. While the old computer was still very capable, it was time for me to upgrade.
Now that I’ve had my MacBook Pro for a week, I have accumulated a healthy list of gripes presented here in no particular order. Please note that I refer to Windows XP several times in this list. This is not to say that one or the other is a superior OS. This list is simply ten reasons why I hate my very shiny, fancy, and sexy new MacBook Pro.
#10 Stripped Down Keyboard
The MacBook Pro has a 78 key keyboard. The Eject button is the only one that doesn’t appear on my laptop keyboard (CD eject is handled by a fn-key combo).
Compared to the Dell, it is missing the following keys: Delete (the delete key is backspace), insert, home, end, page up, page down, and pause.
Granted that the functionality of these keys can be emulated with key-combos from within OSX, but they require special handling if I am going to dual boot into any other OS (which is a main reason why I bought this laptop).
#9 Function Keys are not System Level
On a PC laptop, most of the function keys are system level. When I press the key combination to change screen brightness, toggle wireless, or turn on numlock, it just works no matter what OS I’m running or where I am at in the boot process.
For that matter, I sure do wish the backlit keyboard was system level as well, but I’ll cut them some slack on that one (even though, again, this is a main reason why I bought this laptop).
#8 Minimize vs Hide
When I click the yellow minimize button on any given window, it shrinks to the tray (with a fancy “genie” effect) just as I would expect. However, if I have minimized the last visible window for an app such as TextEdit, I also expect focus to leave that application and move to the next window in Command+Tab.
The problem of not moving to the next app upon minimize is compounded by the fact that when you Command+Tab back to the program, the windows are still hidden in the tray.
Hiding windows with Command+H accomplishes almost exactly what I’d like, but I’ve noticed that a few apps don’t behave like they should with this action. I’d probably be able to ignore this if they’d just make the minimize button perform this action and make the key combination hide windows away so they don’t return when you cycle back to the app.
#7 It Does Too Crash
“Lesson 1: It doesn’t crash.”
Au contraire! I’m very familiar with Windows crashes, but I’ve been keeping track and this new laptop has crashed requiring a hard restart five out of seven days since I got it. My Dell laptop, whether running XP or FreeBSD would crash on a bi-weekly basis. Tops.
I’ll grant you that I am a power user and that I may do more demanding things with my computers, but I don’t feel that resuming a computer from sleep or losing network connectivity during various actions should warrant a full-on hang.
#6 The Title Bar Hates Me
In Windows, double-clicking the title bar toggles the window between maximized and a smaller state. In other window systems, this same action rolls the window up into the title bar. It is still under your mouse and able to be double-clicked again as soon as you realize what you did.
In OSX, double-clicking the title bar triggers the dreaded minimize feature where the only sure-fire way I’ve seen of bringing it back requires mousing down to the taskbar and fetching it. For a Windows user, it’s like shock therapy to perform the exact opposite of the expected action when a user double-clicks the title bar.
While I’m on the topic of the title bar, I sure do wish that I could define more visual distinction between the window in focus and all of the others. There are several subtle clues if you take time to look for them, but the average switcher is used to a complete shift in the title bar appearance for any out of focus window.
The close/minimize/resize buttons on each window aren’t visible in all circumstances, so I can’t reliably tell at a glance which window will respond if I start mashing my fingers on the keyboard.
#5 Backwards Compatibility
To be honest, I am ignorant about a lot of Mac software history. I haven’t had an Apple since my Apple IIc and a Mac Classic or two. All I know is that when I want to run an application I found on the Internet, I can’t always do it because it’s not Intel compatible.
It just doesn’t work.
Most of the software worth installing is written by developers who have revisited their apps and built a universal binary over the past few months, but there are some apps that I’ve found that don’t have any competitors and haven’t seen any updates in nearly a year.
One of Microsoft’s biggest boons and limitations is their backwards compatibility. I can make good arguments on both sides all day long, but the net for this topic is that non-backwards compatibility is a pain point for early adopters.
#4 No Reinventing the Wheel
My early impression of finding and installing Mac software is that not many people have taken to re-inventing the wheel yet. I realize this has a lot to do with the size of the userbase, but I’m disappointed by the lack of programs that try to beat what Apple ships by default.
For example, I can name a handful of different Windows SSH clients. Because OSX has a client built in, I believe developers are disinclined to write better versions.
#3 Installing Apps
Windows installers may have their flaws, but at least the typical install process is fairly simple:
• Download the .exe
• Execute it
• Answer a few questions
• Delete the installer
• You’re done!
When I entered the widget loving phase of the switch, I downloaded over two dozen of the little buggers. Some arrived in .dmg format, others arrived in some compressed form. A couple arrived as .dmg.tar.gz. The install process went like this:
• Download the .dmg.tar.gz
• Double-click the file to un-gzip it
• Double-click the new .dmg.tar file to un-tar it
• Double-click the new .dmg file to mount the image
• If the file inside the image is an app, drag it into your Applications menu
• If it is an installer, execute it and answer a few questions
• Drag all four of the files and mount points created into the trash.
• You’re done!
There are several advantages to the OSX way of installing apps, but you can see how an install can get out of hand pretty quickly.
#2 Only One Window Resize Region
In most window managers, any resizable window has eight regions to grab; each of the sides and corners. OSX only allows the lower-right corner to resize a window. If you have a small window in the lower-right area of your screen and you want to make it bigger, you must first drag it out of the corner. This obvious omission is quite surprising to me, coming from a company who so emphasizes ease of use and a smooth user experience.
#1 No Maximize
All of the Mac users I know will go on and on about screen real estate and how a properly designed app shouldn’t take up the whole screen. However, when I want an application to take up the whole screen, I shouldn’t be forced to drag the window to the top-left of the screen (see above) and then drag it to be full screen.
I choose full-screen because it blocks out all other applications and distractions. I choose it because if I wanted my apps to be smaller, I would have bought a smaller computer. I choose it because it makes me feel happy. Please don’t make me hunt for it.
Conclusion
I spent well over two grand to join the cult. Now that I’m in, I see that the punch is all diet and they don’t have any black Nikes in size 15.
All that aside, be check out Part II: Ten Reasons Why I Love My MacBook Pro.
22 April 2006 | Eric Said:
I’ll take it if you don’t want it
22 April 2006 | Andrew de Ridder Said:
It seems to me that most of your issues are with OSX and not the laptop. Is this your first Mac?
22 April 2006 | Kenneth Said:
I like to think that most of this will be fixed, as Andrew de Ridder pointed out, the problem is mostly OSX. Remember that boot camp is still in its beta stage.
22 April 2006 | Aidan Tomlinson Said:
I am willing to bet that number 7 deals with the UNsupported Windows XP on your laptop and not with OS X. I have had an iMac G5 for about 9 months and it has never crashed. Not once.
22 April 2006 | Reaperducer Said:
I assume your next blog entry will be complaining that your new Jaguar doesn’t haul as much as your old Ford F-150. Macs are different than Windows machines. Get over it. It takes a little getting used to, but once you’re used to it you’ll start to see why. If you wanted a Windows machine, you should have bought a Dell.
22 April 2006 | Henry Said:
I’ll try to be a little more pragmatic than the above comment!
Basically – give it time! I got my first Mac 18 months ago (PowerBook) and I’m now using my second Mac, an Intel iMac. I only got a Mac in the first place because I wanted to learn something new. I became a fan accidentally.
I was a professional Windows programmer, and used to fly around Windows applications using keyboard shortcuts and all the little tricks I’d learned over the years. So when I first got a Mac, I was rather annoyed by many of the differences (including ones you’ve mentioned – particularly with regards to the keyboard layout), and my productivity on the Mac was much lower. But it turns out that Apple chose to do things differently with good reason, and I’m now more productive in Mac OS X than on Windows. That seemed impossible to me at one point.
After 3 months the Mac became my primary desktop (e-mail, bookmarks, music, everything moved across), and after 18 months Windows now feels clunky and broken. For me, Apple made the better choices. I only use Windows to play the odd game and when work demands it. Sigh.
Specific points:
#9, #10 – it’s a Mac. For Mac OS X, the mini keyboard is great. (Delete is Fn+Backspace, by the way.) I’m sure Apple will get Boot Camp sorted out and all the shortcuts will work in Windows too.
#8, #6 – Minimize/Hide are distinct because one is window level, the other app level. After only a few months of using a Mac, I found I preferred the Mac way – I now find Windows limiting. The Mac makes it easier to manage a large number of open windows.
#7 – You’ve required 5 hard resets? You’re doing something very, very wrong – or your hardware is broken! I’ve not had to do 5 hard resets in the 18 months since I switched to a Mac. Are you using Parallels or something? That’s the cause of the one hard reset I’ve needed since getting my Intel iMac. You might want to check your disk incase an install screwed up. (Reboot with the OS X CD and run Disk Utility.) But yes, that shouldn’t happen.
#5 – This is a short term Intel thing! My PowerBook had no problems and ran almost every Mac app I threw at it, including Classic stuff. It should hopefully be fully sorted out within the year.
#4 – I agree with you on #4. But wherever the Apple apps are obviously broken, there is a replacement. But Apple apps are rarely obviously broken anymore.
#3 – You’re not using Safari are you (or you have the “open safe files after downloading” preference switched off )? It unpacks gzs, opens a .DMG and shows you the app. You then just drag it wherever you want it. And most .DMGs I’ve seen are not gziped anyway.
#2 – I’ve seen other people complain about only having one window resize corner too, but I honestly don’t seem to resize windows all that much.
#1 – Maximize really makes sense for single window applications, which are the norm in Windows. For example, Visual Studio. All of the panels and utility windows are docked on to the main window. That kind of layout is very unusual on the Mac (usually bad ports, e.g. Eclipse). If there was a maximize button, it would maximize the window and leave all the panels and utility windows on top of it, getting in the way. So Maximize doesn’t really make much sense considering the Apple user interface guidelines.
22 April 2006 | Walt French Said:
Re #5 incompatibility — yes, it’s possible that an app _REQUIRES_ hardware features of the IBM PPC. But while there are a couple of scientific apps that emphasized the G4’s & G5’s advanced math and/or 64-bit engines, most used Apple-supplied routines that automatically provided the best support for the work. This also comes up for some apps that require plugins with advanced features.
So if you’re running into any but the oddball app, you must have turned off the “Rosetta” compatibility option. Either that, or you’re going for OS9 or earlier wares, which has been deprecated for something like 5 years. Your generic, year-old OSX application should work without a hitch.
22 April 2006 | Steve Said:
A lot of these look like they stem from the fact you’ve been using Windows forever and MacOS X for a week. Maximizing windows and minimize/hide are things you will end up getting used to. A lot of Mac applications that use utility windows or palettes (Word 2004, Photoshop, OmniGraffle) are essentially maximized since their utility windows can be anywhere on any screen. When the application is active they’re available whereever you want to put them.
3) That is the fault of the folks distributing applications and a complaint seen too often on the Mac web. Disk images (dmg files) support compression and maintain file system attributes. Therefore there is no need to tar/gzip disk image files as they’re not likely to get any more compressed. Some people do it because their web host or ISP doesn’t support modifying Apache’s MIME types so a disk image downloads as an ASCII file. A disk image needs to be defined as an octet stream for most browsers to download them correctly. Also if you get Allume’s StuffIt Expander (freeware) it will handle tar.gz files a little more gracefully than MacOS’ built in decompressor.
5) I’ve yet to find an app that doesn’t run on my MacBook Pro. I haven’t done an exhaustive test but I have quite a few applications and not all are UBs. The only apps you’ll likely find that refuse to run at all are Classic ones as Classic will not run on Intel Macs. There also might be some apps that require a G4 or G5 as they might have hard coded AltiVec code in them.
7) Don’t leave Windows file shares mounted before you put the system to sleep. If Finder can’t get ahold of a mounted Windows file share it will sit around forever waiting for it. This has been addressed in system updates before but it seems like a deeper problem in Samba’s use/configuration. You might have other issues unrelated to this but check on it if you have Windows file shares mounted.
22 April 2006 | Andrew Said:
“In OSX, double-clicking the title bar triggers the dreaded minimize feature where the only sure-fire way I’ve seen of bringing it back requires mousing down to the taskbar and fetching it.”
It’s called the Dock. If OSX sucks just keep 1 partition and install XP on that and viola! a $2-3k PC laptop that does less than normal PC laptops.
22 April 2006 | David Lightman Said:
Want some cheese that that “whine” of yours?
22 April 2006 | appleswitch Said:
I would normally put everything I found incorrect about your article here with facts and references and such in an attempt to sway the opinions of your readers from your twisted point of view and just overall make you look like an ass but I think the comments on your digg page will suffice, you know the URL because you submitted your own blog but for all these kind readers: http://digg.com/apple/Ten_Reasons_Why_I_Hate_My_MacBook_Pro
P.S. You suck
22 April 2006 | Matt Said:
wow, no kidding buddy… Give it time.
22 April 2006 | Chaz Said:
#7: I have no idea what torment you’re putting your poor machine through, but it still shouldn’t be crashing. I operate on an ‘03 iBook model, a significantly less superior laptop than what you’re using. While it has crashed in a major way about three times over the course of its operation, I have never had a full-system hang. For that matter, I’ve known very few people who have had full-system crashes. Those who do experienced them do because they have little idea how to use the OS. If you try to do things that you would normally do on a PC, you’re bound for system failure.
#4: People reinvent the wheel all the time for XP apps because the default ones shipped are there solely to take up space. They serve no useful or practical purpose. Apps shipped by default on an Apple machine are actually useful. While there may be some flaws to anything you would find, the simple fact is that they’re already superior, so it would take too much unnecessary time and effort to correct a problem that is insignificant anyway.
22 April 2006 | Aychamo Said:
Wah wah, all of your complaints are stupid. How on earth do you crash your Mac?? And, you are saying you hate your Mac cause someone who made a program for it compressed with into a tarball?
Idiot.
22 April 2006 | Dave Said:
The new apples suck, Intel is the worse choice apple could have made. FUCK YOU APPLE!
22 April 2006 | Bender Robot Said:
My my my… and Windoze drones accuse us Mac users of being intolerant…
As others have said, if you wanted a primarily Windoze machine, you shouldn’t have bought a Mac. Nor should you expect that OS X is going to behave exactly the same way as Windoze, or that you won’t have a learning curve to deal with.
Grow up. Or get a clue. Or develop some patience and/or tolerance. Or all of the above.
Let’s just start calling you “Little whiny bitch”.
22 April 2006 | Darryl Said:
Your intire list of complaints appear to stem from your unfamiliarity with osx and your desire that it behaves like windows.
If you wanted a machine to behave like a windows machine, you should purchased another dell.
Also Boot Camp is beta software, so perfection should be far from expected.
I’d have to agree with the poster that made jaguar\pick up camparison.
Sometimes it difficult to make adjustments to living in a nice neighborhood if your unfamiliar with the customs of the well to do.
22 April 2006 | Gabe Said:
You may also want to run memtest (http://www.memtestosx.org/) to make sure you don’t have bad RAM. I’ve got an Intel Mini and have had no systemwide crashes in the 6 weeks I’ve had it. My old PowerBook maybe once or twice a year…
Looking at your list the only one that I think is a serious issue is #2. It turns out to be a real annoyance. The rest of the issues have either faded away as I got used to Mac OS X (or as it was improved) or don’t affect me:
#10,#9 – When I’m at home I plug into a full-size keyboard, when I’m on the road the keyboard works well enough. Of course, I only dual-boot for very specific reasons so I don’t really demand a good Windows laptop.
#8 – Meh. Tomato Tomahto.
#7 – This is definitely not normal.
#6 – See #8. Just gotta get used to it. If you want to use a system designed for switchers than maybe try Linspire.
#5 – The vast majority of OS X apps run on Intel. I don’t know if you’re referring to apps designed specifically for PowerPC or Classic apps. Either way I guess it could be a real issue, but considering the fact that they’re moving to a whole new architecture I think Apple’s done better than any other company ever could.
#4 – I think once you spend more time and look around you’ll be surprised. Certainly there’s not 10% of the number of Windows apps out there, but there’s quite a lot less crap too. For SSH terminal I use iTerm, SSH Agent as a frontend for ssh-agent, and Transmit for SFTP.
#3 – The differences seem hardly worthy of note.
#1 – In my experience the green button usually does the sensible thing. I admit though that combined with #2 this can occasionally be frustrating. Still, I usually work on a Apple Cinema Display, so its rare that I want a window to go completely full screen.
22 April 2006 | Andrew Said:
You know, this article is funny. I have a windows desktop and a 12″ powerbook g4. Quote me on this: On the first day I got the G4–on the first boot!– The system locked up and needed a hard restart. I haven’t had any problems with crashing since aournd 10.4.3, but still! …and I love my PB, but no OS is invulnerable.
22 April 2006 | Jeffsters Said:
You sound like me on my PC at work which I have customized with freeware/shareware apps on Windows to get close to what I am used to on the mac.
#10 This is a Mac NOT a PC! VERY little use for the keys you mentioned and all are available as you pointed out. There are plenty of freeware/shareware apps that can give you what you want. you sound like me on my PC at work where I have mapped the keyboard to be like the mac! lol!
#9 The function keys, unlike a PC, are not hardwired electronically but under sophisticated software control. Software control is MUCH MUCH superior and again allows countless freeware/sahreware modifications. Again, this is a Mac, and under OS X this scheme is perfect. You’ll need to wait for drivers on the XP side.
#8 Again a quick search in VesionTracker will yield your freeware/sahreware apps to provide the functionality you’re looking for.
#7 Something is wrong! I’ve had my macBook for two weeks and have yet to crash! This while running a bunch of non-intel apps brought over from my PBG4 using Apple’s migration tool. You have an issue here.
#6 Go to VersionTracker!
#5 The only thing I haven’t been able to run are some hardware drivers. Everything else, that ran on my PPC G4 PowerBook, runs on my MacBook.
#4 Go to VersionTracker and do a search for SSH.
#3 You’re describing a shareware downloaded installer situation and based upon your settings for security and the like. Hey, if you want to open anything and everything and install upon completion of the download. GO FOR IT! As for commercial apps, it’s usually a drag-install. Can’t get much easier than that!
#2 Press the green maximize button….done.
#1 I so so so so so hate maximize on the PC!!! IT’s there because under Windows you have Windows within windows and multiple menu bars and you know what that SUCKS! There vented, Now go to VersionTracker!
Sounds to me like you’re having as much fun with learning the mac as I did learning Windows!
Good luck!
22 April 2006 | rain Said:
I agree with everything! OSX does not get a lot of things right, it needs a lot of work.
22 April 2006 | bearchow Said:
Give the guy a break, he/she is just telling readers why he/she is not totally happy with his/her new laptop and OS X, I am sure as a primarily Mac user, I would have a lot of adjustments picking up an XP box too … and he/she promises to talk about what he/she likes about the MacBook later … he/she is a “switcher”, don’t beat up on him/her, is that how we welcome a returning “newcomer”? … after using Mac for all these years, I still have my own share of complaints about the platform, like the seemingly diminishing performance of Safari ….
22 April 2006 | Kevin Said:
Lets face it. MAC OSX is MUCH better then any version of windows and is still inproving. Sounds like this is your first Mac. Most real techies love mac… Why, it works better then anything else out there. You will soon jump the learning curve and find all your Windows habits can be cured with 3rd party apps.
Get used to the better world of Mac. Once you go mac….
22 April 2006 | Jack Said:
Hey,
I’m a Mac user who switched in 2000. There are some quirks compared to the Windows model (for instance, the maximize button drove me CRAZY) but the more you use Mac OS X, the more you’ll find it makes sense.
I wanted to comment on thing thing you said though: Alt + Tab and minimized windows. This has always pissed me off. A good friend of mine suggested an Application, which I’ve come to love. It’s called, “Witch”, and allows you to Alt+Tab between applications, but also target any window within that application – regardless of whether its minimized or not. The link is:
http://www.petermaurer.de/nasi.php?thema=witch&sprache=deutsch&kopf=labor
Good luck!
Look forward to Part II.
- Jack
22 April 2006 | nak Said:
• Download the .dmg.tar.gz
• Double-click the file to un-gzip it
• Double-click the new .dmg.tar file to un-tar it
• Double-click the new .dmg file to mount the image
Well, first, Tiger’s default is to ungzip then untar. It should not be a two step process. But, this gripe really has nothing to do with OS X or the MacBook Pro. Your complaint is with the developer of the widget for not posting it in the one click install “internet enabled” dmg.
Most of your other complaints are just an unfamiliarity with Mac OS X, which is understandable. You could just have as easily called this ten things I hate about my (Mac mini | PowerMac | iBook | OS X)
22 April 2006 | Richard Said:
Change is hard.
I have a friend whose Windows machine bombed constantly often needing a tech to restore it for her. She asked me if my Mac had ever needed service and I responded, “I’ve had twelve Macs and I’m not even sure if there are any Mac techs.” Based on this she bought a Mac.
The first thing she asked me was, “How come my exe files don’t run?” Because exe files are PC programs, I told her, and this is a Mac. Eventually she had the Mac bombing, or freezing up, or doing other things all the time and started blaming the Mac for it. When I patiently explained how Macs are operated, she would nod that she understood, and then repeat the PC action that started the whole mess in the first place.
Finally, certain that all Macs are crap, she placed her three-month old machine up for sale. I bought it. Now she proselytizes against Macs and for PCs. I asked her if her new Dell was treating her well and she said “Perfect. I’ve never had to call in a tech. How about that crappy Mac I sold you?” “Perfect,” I replied. “No operator error here.” Her husband revealed to me that they’ve had a tech out to the house at least six times to keep her Dell up and running. It’s not the Dell’s fault (probably), merely operator error. My friend just refuses to learn, first Windows, and then Macintosh.
The moral of the story, give it a shot before telling the world you hate Macs. You’ll look less, well — let’s not say dumb, let’s say uninformed.
Best wishes,
Richard Taylor
22 April 2006 | Cory Said:
For the forward delete function, just do fn-delete. Works on the MBPs at the Apple Store I’m at.
22 April 2006 | brian Said:
A comment about number 7. A a long time mac user, and developer, I agree with this blogger. While OSX essentially never has a Kernel Panic (BSoD to win users), the Finder can be a real piece of crap. I have heard it will be replaced in Leopard, and if so, good riddance.
Come on Mac users, admit it, how many times have you tried to force quit the Finder for whatever reason (which only successfully relaunches maybe one out of 10 times). When this happens, the only solution is to reboot.
Also, it is not multithreaded enough, and waiting for one process to complete, often hold up the entire system. Don’t believe me? Mount a server, open a window showing a file on the server, disconnect server, and click file. Finder is inoperable for over thirty seconds. This also holds up any process in any application that depends on the finder (ie. Open and Save).
I am a huge fan of OSX, and dislike Windows very much, but have come to hate the Finder (which includes most of the functionality we think of when talking about OSs).
22 April 2006 | Shane Said:
Ok. I never have crashes on OS X. I use 10.3 at work (graphic designer) and 10.4 at home. If you are using rosetta, running non dual binary apps, that might be the reason. I’ve not had my hands on an Macintel yet. I use terminal to crash any applications that freeze by opening terminal (command-shift-u (this opens your utilities folder)) then open terminal and type ( TOP) &( enter) to execute. This will start a UNIX application that monitors all processes running on your Mac. Then, check the amount of CPU being used on each application running. If it is obvious which app is hanging, find the corrisponding PID number and type this in terminal. (kill -9 PID). You can also press (command-option-esc) to get a list of the running programs and quit the culprit that way. I just like the techy way better because it’s faster.
This will kill that program that hangs even if it is the finder that is hung up. You shouldn’t have to reboot your Mac ever if you can kill the app that is giving you hell. I hope you’re part two is better than this part one, good luck.
22 April 2006 | Bruno Dexter Said:
Thanks for the feedback on your recent purchase. As a mac head who has to use windows at work – i’m in a similar boat – that is certain XP conventions frustrate and annoy me – it’s all in what you are used to. So keep plugging away and hopefully you’ll get to be comfortable in your new environment.
As to your crashes – I’m sorry for that. On my g4 ibook – i curently am at 30+ days of uptime (and not unsual either) – with only a restart needed for an OS upgrade or a shutdown if I leave the machine unattended for more than a few days. If you have 3rd party ram – try using the diagnostic partition (on the restore CD – hold option as you boot off of it – choose diagnostic) and check your ram – OSX can be fussy with suspect ram.
Also consider booting off and external HD and see if you can duplicate the crashes (this can only work with OSX .)
If you still have issues – check macfixit.com or Apple suport pages for similar problems and fixes.
Anyone who publishes an honest opinion on either platfomr is subject to the wrath of the reading public – but for those who are still wary to jump to intel (rev A’s at least) and utilize bootcamp (a very early beta BTW) do benefit from the field reports. so thanks…and good luck.
22 April 2006 | tim Said:
I’ve worked in IT for over 15 years and have seen more iterations and variations of hardware, software, operating systems and networks than many people in the business today have even heard of. How many people remember things like the PICK OS or StarLan (MS LAN Manager running on AT&T Unix System V)? My first “portable” computer was the size and weight of a sewing machine and had 2 floppy drives and a 5″ monochrome display. I tell you this for background. I’ve been around the block a few times and have some basis for the things I say…
To address your points in the order you presented them:
10: If your main reason for buying a laptop is to boot Windows, then you made a mistake. The MacBook Pro was not designed for Windows, it was designed for OS X. On top of that, Windows is Not supported (yet) running on this system. Boot Camp is Beta software… use it at your own risk. The intent behid it is, if you absolutely positively have to run a Windows app or three, then it’s possible to do it. Especially given that there is no Intel Mac version of Virtual PC at the present time.
9: Yeah, and there’s not BIOS either. Mainly because the MacBook Pro is NOT a PC. If this is important to you, then buy a PC, not a MAC.
8: OS X is not Windows. Get over it. I use both on a daily basis and don’t have a problem with this behaviour. If you really want OS X to behave like Windows, just hang it up and run Windows instead.
7: Please clarify. What is crashing? Windows, or OS X? If it’s Windows, what did you expect? You’re using a beta BIOS emulator to run an unsupported OS. If it’s OS X, I would suspect bad memory or some other hardware defect based on the frequency of hard crashes that you report. Pop in the DVD that came with the machine and run the diagnostics.
6: See # 8 above.
5: Not Intel compatible or not OS X compatible? The vast majority of (legitimate) software that you’ll find on the Internet that is OS X compatible will run just fine under Rosetta. Anything designed for OS 9 or earlier, won’t work. I’ll give you that. But OS X has been out for 5 years now.
4: I’ll grant you that there is “less software” available for Mac OS than for Windows as a general rule. And yes, this has a lot to do with the size of the user base. The current market just can’t support 12 different variations of the same program. On the other hand, I’ve rarely found myself in a situation where I couldn’t locate some program that provides the functionality I need on OS X. (no, I’m not implying that I’ve been left in the lurch under Windows. I have no problems finding what I need under either one) If you think there should be something better, then by all means, write it, market it and sell it.
3: Programmers, especially those who design installer routines, can often be idiots. Expand “Answer a few questions” into “click next 5 times, agree to the license agreement, enter your vital statistics, click next 3 more times, click back once because you didn’t actually read the screen, select the options you want installed that should have been the default to begin with, select an installation location, answer inane question about whether this should be installed for everyone or just you (even though all that does is control where the shortcut gets placed and has nothing to do with who has rights to run the application), click OK.” and then talk about the difficulty of installing applications on OS X.
2 & 1″ See #8 above.
Maybe you should have gone with a $600 investment in a Mac Mini before blowing $2000 on a MacBook Pro.
I am curious to hear what it is you Love about the machine.
22 April 2006 | brotherStefan Said:
I’m just curious.. How much interest would the original blogger have in reading a similar column written by a long-time Mac user about “10 Reasons Why I Hate My New PC Laptop”?
22 April 2006 | ckm Said:
It sounds like you’re experiencing “switching pains.” I won’t revamp the various counterpoints to your article, since they’ve been covered sufficiently above, but I will encourage you to give yourself time to adapt to OS X, since that is what seems to be the source of most of your frustration. No, it’s not Windows, and that’s overwhelmingly a Good Thing. You’re just used to doing things a certain way, and you’re learning to adapt to a new way of doing things.
The only thing I see of concern is the consistent crashing. If it’s OS X that’s crashing, then that’s not normal…the culprit could be bad RAM (if you purchased 3rd-party RAM from a budget source, I’d bet dollars to donuts that’s to blame). Mac OS X is notoriously picky about the RAM it uses…use only “Apple recommended” RAM, not “Apple compatible” RAM.
You’ll find yourself much more productive in OS X after you adapt to it a bit more.
Good luck!
22 April 2006 | Kent Said:
Boy… If you gripe this much about MACs (esp. #3) don’t walk within twenty paces of a Linux machine…
22 April 2006 | Steve Said:
These typical ‘well you’re just an idiot’ comments from Mac users is one of the biggest reasons you don’t find more people switching.
22 April 2006 | Patrick Said:
Don’t forget there is no ‘cut’ command from the Finder. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WILL APPLE PLEASE ALLOW US TO CUT AND PASTE FILES IN FINDER!!!!
22 April 2006 | Hans Said:
As others have said, if you wanted a good laptop, you should have bought a Thinkpad or something similar. ;) *wink* Nor should you expect OS X to live up to all the hype, because, to be frank, it’s just another operating system with its own few bells and whistles.
Install Linux… at least when Linux pisses newbies off, we are apologetic instead of calling you an idiot. And then we try to help you fix your problem, instead of telling you to go back to a “Windoze” computer
raa raa raa raa fanatics
22 April 2006 | visionautiks Said:
You can turn off the “double-click a title bar to minimize” option in the Appearance Preference Pane. So your Title Bar won’t hate you anymore. ;-)
22 April 2006 | Matt Said:
Its like you bought a new car but the volume control is on the stering wheel but you insist on reaching for the volume on the stereo…..learn to use the one on the wheel its easier and youll like it better in the end.
22 April 2006 | WelshDog Said:
“Her husband revealed to me that they’ve had a tech out to the house at least six times to keep her Dell up and running. It’s not the Dell’s fault (probably), merely operator error. My friend just refuses to learn, first Windows, and then Macintosh.”
Boy that is the truth – on both sides of the fence. I have known so many users who just can’t figure out how to use a computer without breaking it. My wife isn’t quite that bad, but she (like so many others) is very impatient with all computers and quite often creates problems by not paying attention to how the computer is responding to input. Clicking a button 6 times is not going to make things happen faster and very likely will dork something up, but you just can’t explain that to some people. Our blogger may need to take 5 bucks and by a six pack of patience!
22 April 2006 | Joseph Villagomez Said:
I understand your frustration, although I agree with the others that it’s mostly due to the fact that you’re coming from a Windows mindset. Now that I’m hooked on Macs, using a Windows system feels awkward for me. Once you get used to it, I’m positive you won’t regret the investment at all!
22 April 2006 | Ryu Said:
You are a pathetic idiot. You sound like a third grade whining about College life. Go use windows 3.1
23 April 2006 | MacGolfer Said:
First I’d just like to say, give it a little time and it will all become much clearer. I design applications for at a Windows development shop, but I also own a few Macs. I honestly tell you, if I never had to use Windows again, I wouldb’t shed a tear.
On the issue of “Maximize” on a window, the green control button is called “Zoom”. It will increase the size of your window to fit the content. If the content requires full screen, then it will size accordingly. However, if it only requires half the screen, then that’s all it will take.
Good luck with your Mac… enjoy.
23 April 2006 | Nano Said:
Regarding: #4 No Reinventing the Wheel
You are not looking hard enough;
Try http://www.versiontracker.com
Mac SSH client
http://rsug.itd.umich.edu/software/fugu/
Most me-too Win apps are pathetic. You have to sort through a lot of crud to find a decent one.
23 April 2006 | Sixer Said:
The part about installing apps is very ignorant, I’m sorry.
Apple is not responsible for the way apps are distributed, which is what you’re describing. Apple doesn’t tell developers to ship things as a .dmg.tar.gz.
Install the actuall app is a single drag-and-drop action. Try beating that in Windows.
23 April 2006 | Tony Said:
Nano,
You are a moron. Fugu is not an SSH client! It is an SFTP client. Those things are very different.
23 April 2006 | foop Said:
Hey moron click the damn green button in the top left hand corner. Its a fucking maximize button! Oh and if your mac crashes that often you don’t deserve to use it.
23 April 2006 | Big Al Said:
You can operate the Mac like you do Windows with the help of a few shareware programs. You can operate Windows as if you were using a Mac as well. I do it all the time.
As for wanting finder level cut and paste of files, try drag and drop. It works and it is more logical just moving the file from one place to another. You can also duplicate a file while dragging and dropping it.
The universal spell checker is something you’ll love in OS X. Enable it.
Blame Microsoft for the confusing differences in the two OS’s. The major differences between Mac OS’s and Windows OS’s occurred when Microsoft was copying the Mac OS to make Windows and they were making it slightly different to avoid lawsuits.
Using the Start button to shut down the OS was a stroke of genius. No one could ever accuse Microsoft of copying that from anywhere else.
23 April 2006 | TriangleJuice Said:
Hey, if you hate it so much, why don’t you just buy yourself a Windows laptop?
Your comments are so typical: “I’m used to drink coffee in the morning, so when my wife brings me tea instead, I’m pissed at her.”
And what kind of person buys a $2,500+ laptop without trying it out first (if you haven’t used one of that kind before)?
24 April 2006 | John C. Randolph Said:
Dude, if you’re seeing that many crashes, your machine is not normal. That’s more than I had when I was using pre-release builds of Tiger between WWDC ‘04 and Tiger’s release. Dig out the hardware diagnostics CD that came with the machine, run all the tests.
You describe yourself as a “power user”, which is a term that engineers generally don’t use. Are you using third-party hacks that might be damaging the stability of your system?
-jcr
24 April 2006 | Dylan Said:
Hi,
Here’s a few things that might help you:
As someone else mentioned, you can go to System Preferences, select Appearance, and uncheck the preference to “Minimize when double clicking a title bar”.
Generally, the green Zoom button accomplishes most of what you want with maximizing, in that it should resize to the largest point required to show the content of the window. If you want the window to fully cover your monitor, try Option-clicking on the Zoom button, as some apps understand that to be equivalent to the Windows behavior. However, not all apps support this.
If you just want the window to be large to ignore the other windows behind it, try Command-Option-H, which is the shortcut to “Hide Others”. I often use Command-Tab to quickly switch between applications, then Command-Option-H to hide everything except the current application. I generally don’t want my windows to be “maximized Windows style” in case I want to drag-and-drop text from one window to another, or drag something to the desktop, etc.
24 April 2006 | John Said:
I see this blog entry as a totally reasonable set of complaints from someone who has little familarity with the system. A computer is a computer, but if you are used to a particular computer acting in a certain way and you get a new one that works differently, you are thrown off.
I have been on both sides via work, and when it finally came time for me to buy my own computer I bought a Mac. No regrets. I have to type this message on a Windows machine right now, and I get annoyed that when I make a correction I cannot just press the down arrow to get back to the end of the line (when it is the last line) instead I HAVE to find the End key to get the same thing. Just have to get used to it…
Do yourself a favor and ignore the flamers and the baiters. They are social maladjusts who would be just as messed up talking about trees or hockeysticks as they are about computers. Those people are just trying to get a rise out of you and everyone else. Monkeys who throw their feces at the wall just to be annoying.
There are plenty of helpful people out there, just like many of these responses prove.
Give it a little more time, and enjoy your Mac!
24 April 2006 | Aaron Said:
#7 It Does Too Crash
You may need to do an install from scratch. After years of Mac administration I have found that a fresh install of the OS on a brand new machine can make worlds of difference.
The drives in these machines are flash fried with data after they are built, and for whatever reason, the build process doesn’t quite work. Either there is file corruption or something else that causes machines to crash regularly. It sucks, but whenever I get a new machine, I put the system discs in and install from scratch.
It takes a little longer, but you’re guaranteed a fresh install of a working system and when you’re done it picks up in the same place, just like when you pull the machine out of the box for the first time.
The problems you describe of crashing coming out of sleep, etc. really shouldn’t be happening?
24 April 2006 | Andrew Kneebone Said:
The only thing I don’t like about the macbook pro is the price.. But I am tight and want everything for free..
25 April 2006 | Jimmy Said:
Sounds like you like windows a bit more. Just use Windows then.
Also, try installing two dozen windows apps and compare it to installing two dozen OSX apps. Notice any difference?
29 April 2006 | Sheldon Said:
I too am a ‘Switcher’ and the learning curve is steep. I agree with you on all points but am going to persist with my MacBook Pro. I also had a few freezes.. And applications looking for an AGP card don’t work.
The biggest annoyances for me are
1. That this machine only has Firewire 400 and not 800.
2. The thing runs very hot indeed.
3. Only single layer 4x DVD-R ( my 2 and a half yr old acer had that)
4. Only 2 USB ports!
5. Screen size, too narrow.
6. They bring out 17″ with all the above fixed three weeks after i purchased this rubbish 15″ one.
7. Did i mention this thing runs HOT
05 May 2006 | T-Top Said:
Check out the WindowShade utility from Unsanity. It adds indispensible flexibility to how windows are handled beyond Apple’s frustrating ‘minimize’ function.
http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/wsx
05 May 2006 | Ian Said:
T-Top,
I really want to buy their software, but it’s not intel compatible yet. I was going to mention that in the software one above, but it didn’t fit right. Hopefully they’ll get around to recompiling their software soon.
18 May 2006 | Shaun Said:
If you were actually a power user, you’d appreciate the ease of use of the Mac OS for programming…Or maybe i’m confused and you’re just interchanging the word “power user” as someone who is running Safari and iTunes at the same time…
22 May 2006 | Renaud Said:
#1 If you want that a window fills the screen, it is “shift”+maximize button.
26 May 2006 | dog training basics Said:
dog training
ta very much, did i say that the dog training blog is done? finally sussed this out!! :)
31 May 2006 | Shane Said:
Wow – You guys are horrible.
I found this article very useful – I am considering trying to switch from Windows to MAC for the classroom and knowing some of the issues I might have to get used to is very important to me.
With that being said – alot of the comments are valid (ie. Give it time) and others are just plain unfair – it seems as if many of you are making excuses on behalf of apple!!
For example, how can you compare your Ibook or lower to the macbook when they run different architecture!?? The complaint about the universal binary and wanting to use old applications is valid (unless of course he truly did miss the compatibility option in the OS during setup)
End of the day – There are differences – but how can you call this guy an idiot? I mean, the mac is marketed for the idiot – so they can get work done rather than messing around.
//sc
05 June 2006 | Kernalpanx Said:
I am sysadmin and use my MacBookPro all day and night…… the only thing that has caused it to need a hard restart so far is running Parallel VM….. still in beta…. i have created 3 different lab images and copied them to both the Intel iMac and Mini with little or no problems i am usually in Iterm or X-11 all day too scripting or managing users or servers with little or no issues……. If you are having so many hard crashes i would have the RAM or hardware tested. If you know any Unix u can generally kill or work around all of that…. u use BSD check the logs see where the problem is……. hard restart should be very traceable.
One thing i will give u is on the Intel the finder freezes a lot and requires a relaunch of the finder…….
09 June 2006 | Joey Said:
Hi!
I’ve just made the switch myself, and I’m a proud owner of a MacBook Pro. I’d have to say that I do agree with most of the points you’ve made, though I wouldn’t call it “things I hate about the MacBook Pro”, but rather “things I find very different about MacOS X compared to Win XP”. Yes, it was a steep learning curve (contrary to what Apple claims!), especially if you’re used to Windows’ shortcuts, etc, but I’m getting used to it now.
My MacBook Pro has crashed before. I got the dreaded spinning wheel, and nothing I did worked. Left my machine on for sometime to see if it would do anything, but the dock remained unresponsive, and pressing different keys didn’t make anything happen. The cure: a forced reboot. In case you’re wondering, I was running Photoshop CS2 at that time.
Photoshop is unbearably slow on Rosetta. Can’t wait for the UB.
One thing I hate about my MacBook Pro is that my palms start sweating after about 15 minutes of typing on it. The amount of heat radiated from it is enough to cook an egg. Really. I’ve measured the external temperature with a digital thermometer, and it hovered around 60°C. But then again, I was told by the people at my local Genius Bar that its meant to get that hot, because by radiating all the heat through its aluminium body, the MacBook Pro keeps its processor cool. Fair enough, but it is rather uncomfortable! I get a circle of heat around me, and there’s no need to switch on my radiator!
One final thing, I’ve noticed that some Mac “fans” get all fanatical and upset when someone like this writer (Ian?) says anything negative about the Mac or the OS X. Why? Why can’t you guys grow up and learn that not everything you believe in is right? There are other valid opinions and POVs about the Mac, and you shouldn’t criticise or insult someone for what he believes in. He (and many others) helped convince me to get a Mac, contrary to his negative views on MacOS X, so I don’t think it’s fair to be harsh on him.
11 June 2006 | PatboyX Said:
#1 is the biggest problem. as a user of both systems many of the problems are simply user adjustment (as admitted).
but with windows and apple having many of the same programs (good and bad sides to both) it is rather annoying to use photoshop or even a native OSX program like widetarium that requires multiple windows be open that can be navigated to quickly to change all sorts of settings and not be able to fill up the whole screen with them.
02 July 2006 | Chaz Said:
Your #3 – installing Apps – is ridiculous.
Why’ll you’re at it, why don’t you mention the uninstalling factor and how painless that is on macs vs pcs. Oh, wait, you haven’t gotten that far yet…
03 July 2006 | david in san francisco Said:
Help me please,
Most of the letters submitted are far beyond my expertise, but i am proud of all the community input you have generated.
Therefore, I am hoping that one of you could answer this question:
What do i do with all those dmg files and the hard drive icons on my desktop?
( for example, after downloading garage band jam packs, or skype)
Can some one please explain?
Also, i do have one comment about those red, yellow and green buttons at the top of a window, which reallÂ¥ confused me, so i installed something called “window shade x, really really great.Any one else using it?
thanks, david in san francisco
03 July 2006 | Ian Said:
David,
You can simply drag all of those icons into your trash once you’ve installed the apps. Last time I tried Window Shade X, it was not Intel compatible. It seems they have an Intel Beta out now, so I’ll give it a try. Thanks for the tip!
04 July 2006 | david in san francisco Said:
Ian,
thanks so much for getting back, i followed your advice.
now i have a new mystery to solve, that is to say:
Yesterday, I decided it was time to clean up my hardrive on my g4 because i had a lot of redundancies from the time my hardrive had crashed. The data recovery people managed to save a lot, but they created a new folder on the new drive, called something like “recovered data.’
So i threw away anything i did not recognize, and it was a lot of data, and i managed to gain about 30 gigs more space.
I could not find my website data at first, but managed to relocate and install in new folder.
This morning, i found something open on my desktop called “console” which i have no idea what it is.
Am i in trouble?
Thanks again Ian
david
04 July 2006 | Ian Said:
David,
No need to worry about Console. It is just a system administration tool. I wouldn’t delete the app, just go ahead and close it. If the application icon itself is out of place, stick it in your applications folder.
You might also check out Apple Discussions:
http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa
There you will be able to find a lot of great and authorative information on what’s going on inside your shiny mac. =)
06 July 2006 | david in san francisco Said:
Thanks again Ian
David
18 July 2006 | Ries Said:
I don’t understand the blogger,
I am a newbie macuser, and I have been using windows from 3.0. After W2K (yes I never used XP since I didn’t understand, and I did follow a course, implementing and supporting windows XP professional). I was used to my macBook in two days.
I needed some tools like switch and Desktop manager (I did run lightstep II on my win).
Now I have installed Eclipse, openOffice and quite some stuff and I have never been more happy with a computer then this little piece of mac!!!).
I am just open for changes… and I don’t mind really… this thing is fast and it rocks, no crashes so far (not even finder as somebody mentioned) I can connect it to whatever I want to connect it with and it simply works.
Ries
25 July 2006 | Tommy Said:
OMG! I searched for something like this to see if I’d like a “switch”. Most of the comments are issues that would concern me as well (notably keyboard issue), but seeing these comments I wonder if I want to be associated with such a smug religious crowd. Children, no OS, whether from Microsoft or Apple, is perfect. Allow for critisms and respond constructively (which some have).
08 August 2006 | Ray Said:
I can concur with many of the things stated here. I don’t know why people have the urge to flame the writer for stating discontent with some things of his Macbook Pro.
I am the same type of user, a longtime Windows user, that never have felt the need to badmouth MacOS.
At this moment I believe XP runs more stable than OSX on my Macbook Pro. I have the same problems and may add to that the Airport driver which is nothing short of being total rubbish. The network connection under MacOSX drops quite constantly which does not happen at all running XP.
I have needed a hard reset several times under MacOSX. A program like Stuffit does not work on my Intel based machine. Adobe Bridge crashes several times a day, Adobe Photoshop runs quite slow. I know all of this is because they are not yet Universal Binary.
No problem, I can understand that, I have been getting used to that with Windows for many years. Currently XP is absolutely more stable than OSX on Intel based machines however working with OSX is more fun. Consider that I just picked up the Macbook about a month ago!!
All things said, I really like MacOSX. I look forward to using it even with the few glitches that are still in there.
I wish people would stop comparing the two. Stop flaming one or the other unless you have an in depth knowledge of BOTH OS’s.
10 August 2006 | Kyle Deoct Said:
Your a fucking moron….I use my 17 inch Macbook Pro everyday and I thank god that its not a piece of shit Dell that most people fucking have. Go back to Windows…your not ready for OS X.
08 September 2006 | Dave Said:
It is amazing how many people wrote in to defend the MacBook Pro. I bought one of these things a few weeks ago and it rocks! I don’t have time to give you feed back on all the issues you have with the MacBook but I can give you one reason why your having issues…. IT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE AN ASS CLOWN!
12 September 2006 | Ben Said:
I’ve got to say that I have encountered the same annoyances as you have.
I use Windows XP at work but have collected antique Macs over the years, particularly the compact Macs running anything from System 6, 7 and OS 8. I have also used OS 9 and my current personal computer is a last edition 12″ Powerbook (just upgraded from a last edition iBook).
It is true that some OS-Xisms are what we can live with. Some are for a reason. Others are, well, OS-Xisms. Think different.
Since my current Mac has a 12″ screen (a portable PC should be PORTABLE), I maximize most of my application windows. So, yes, #1 and #2 are major annoyances.
#7 has happened to me just once so far over the past year. However, OS 9 and earlier Mac OSes did have a habit of crashing. Often.
#6 is new to OS-X. Older Mac OSes (at least OS 8) would actually do a rollup when you double click on the title bar. So you still have the title bar lying around for you to unroll. I agree though that minimizing to the dock can be a little annoying if you like to ALT-TAB or ALT-` like me with Safari windows (Firefox is great on Windows but sux on OS-X).
#9 and #10 are probably only because you’re trying to run Windows. I don’t use any of the function keys except to turn on/off the sound and the LCD brightness :-)
I think my main gripe with the portable Macs in general (my 12″ Powerbook and 12″ iBook) vis a vis my 12″ HP Windows notebook is the heat and fan noise in the Macs.
One reason why I have so far resisted going to Intel Macs.
17 September 2006 | vantur Said:
On a side note… guys….. INtel mackbooks CAN run os9……… an emulator is necessary……
http://www.uneasysilence.com/archive/2006/08/7352/
05 October 2006 | Concrete Cucumber Said:
WHO FUCKING CARES???
17 October 2006 | Uma Said:
Look, when someone has a problem with a computer, people who know how to fix it should offer their insight and help, not call the person with the problem a moron. The cult mentality sucks. I stumbled upon this thread because I was looking for a way to remap the superfluous ENTER button in my new MacBookPro. It is next to the second command key, to the right of the space key. I see no purpose for this second ENTER key, an inch away from the regular ENTER key.
Now, as a designer, i think this is a mistake on the part of Apple. A “forward delete” button should be there. In fact, this button should be part of the new, excellent feature in System Preferences that allows you to remap the functions of CTRL, OPTION, COMMAND and CAPS LOCK.
This is a legitimate issue and if you just don’t know how to help me remap my second ENTER key to perform FORWARD DELETE, then just be quiet. Don’t tell me I don’t need it because I do. Don’t tell me to use Fn+DELETE because, if you haven’t noticed, they are at the two very opposite places of the keyboard, and it is not practical for me. I work with word processing programs all they long and forward erasing is necessary, as well as full word forward erasing.
If you think I am an idiot for having this problem, then tell me how to fix it. Don’t deny that it is, in fact, a problem.
05 December 2006 | Gala Bingo Sharon Said:
Gala Bingo Sharon
Gala Bingo Sharon
20 December 2006 | Me Said:
Uma, Im having this problem too. Although I solved it in OS X, I`m now also looking for a solution in XP.
For the OS X solution, I can offer you DoubleCommand (http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/), which seems very simple to use and offers many common tweaks in one box. Worked for me.
As for XP, I tried rktools, but the key remapping doesn`t seem to stick and no help is offered to locate the key or scancode. I wouldn`t want to stay on a board where people take offense for their holy OS, so I`ll be off now.
Hint to Macolytes: Calling people names, says more about yourself and your own insecurities, than anything else.. “Rebutting” someones experiences point by point, proves nothing other than that you are very insecure and not able to objectively discuss something that obviously is very very touchy subject to you. This is doing so much more damage than you think. I remember Linux having the same problem years ago, but it is better now. So I believe it can happen for Mac too. You just have to see it, and then something will change.. Good luck!
20 December 2006 | Me Said:
More horrible OS X designs:
Finder – Can`t argue with that.. Finder _is_ abysmal.
Uninstall – Does such a thing exist? Pretty scary to delete kernel extensions manually. Debians apt-get / dpkg combo beats most package / install / upgrade systems hands-down.
Btw, installing apps on OS X may be easy, but it is far from *constistent*, reversible or logged. I think the author is trying to point out that the experience varies wildly, even more so than on XP even.
And before flaming back: Either you take this as constructive criticism, or you close your eyes, and anyway… praise Apple when they finally fix these things. Only difference is how people will regard the userbase of Macs by your reaction to negative feedback on your beloved OS.
PS. No, uninstalling by pressing “Install” and choosing an obscure option which may be there doesn`t win me any love. Quit trying to excuse yourselves!
15 January 2007 | rudy Said:
I stopped reading after you said the main reason you bought a MacBook Pro was for the backlit keyboard.. give me a fucking break.
22 January 2007 | Ian Said:
Rudy:
There is a significant difference between a main reason and the main reason.
06 February 2007 | Eileen Said:
If someone would like to buy my 17″ MacBook Pro, with wireless mouse and airport express, I would love to sell it. I purchased it in June 2006. It is incompatible with most of the applications I use, so it has been getting dusty.
06 February 2007 | victim of mac Said:
There’s a group of people in the world who have found the one true way, nobody can talk them out of it. At best, they’ll get you in. They cannot see any downsides to their choices, since they know they’re right.
I am talking about junkies, of course. Their smack habit is the one true way.
Mac Heads meanwhile have less redeeming features.
This post’s comments typifies the kind of behaviour that makes Mac users look like vile, disgusting arseholes of the first degree; not to mention a group of people with a mental age around 14.
Seriously: “PS. You suck”? Grow up.
I’ve sought help from Apple users and received this sort of treatment myself, for no greater crime than not knowing my way around OSX’s arcane interface.
Maybe if Mac users didn’t behave like a rabid mob, you would inspire a little less hatred.
13 February 2007 | chris Said:
#6
please can some one answer this.
there should be an option in system prefrences to toggle this by now.
Seriously, how many Mac users are Mac and PC users? a HUGE majority.
How many of them want this? a HUGE amount.
WHY? because it WORKS. and its what we want. It’s not a hard thing to program.
They should just do it.
Quit defending Apple for being LAZY. program it already and get on with it.
13 February 2007 | chris Said:
#6.5
One other thing.
WHY does the + not go to FULL SCREEN? can we have an option to toggle the currant Arbitrary Size option to a Full Screen option?
Thanks
17 February 2007 | do i brave the screaming hordes? « sharing the mac experience Said:
[...] I’m thinking that I should start posting these thoughts. But then I see the response that this guy got: http://isnoop.net/blog/2006/04/22/ten-reasons-why-i-hate-my-macbook-pro/ [...]
24 February 2007 | Merideth Said:
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06 March 2007 | someone Said:
#6 erm Exposé is your friend. :P
26 March 2007 | kiran Said:
Im using my first ever Macbook (I was a hardcore Windows user!) and it amuses me evryday…I luv it very much,Keyboard and stuff is a lot different but they are build to support mac OS X,if you want Windows funcitonality,y did u go with a mac in the first place?
07 April 2007 | yesterday Said:
wow…people like you guys really have NO LIVES…huh?
09 April 2007 | Daniel Wood » Blog Archive » I have finally made the Switch™ Said:
[...] I started writing a post on the things I loved and hated about the switch. However, I read a post after where someone had done exactly that and didn’t fancy the fanboy backlash and decided against it. [...]
15 April 2007 | Stathis Said:
In my opinion, the only thing that mac is below windows is the fact that
you don’t have that much variations of options for something… For example in internet explorer i can set up everything in contrast to safari and all mac programs that properies ( command + , ) are so few.
Except this, macs are hundreds of years better than windows.
19 April 2007 | kris Said:
wow, i’m a mac user and i completely agree with #1. I don’t understand why so many mac people think that a desire to have a window take up a whole screen is so “pc”….. I mean, if i’m watching a video in in itunes i can hit command-f and go full screen. But if I want to see more of an indesign layout without zooming out i’m suddenly some nerdy accountant with a lack of mac apprectiation? Screw that. I’m a designer, i need to see what I’m working on, and I like to get where i need to be intuitively and in as few keystrokes as possible. That is about as mac as it gets i would think.
28 April 2007 | Charlie Said:
Well, u must consider the fact that no system runs without flaws as it is human to fail. I just can help being annoyed over all the PC freaks’ nasty habits, as some are good but most are bad (my workflow increased over 40% after my switch to Mac.
To comment on your “issues”:
#10: Try finding the full keyboard functionality .. ;-)
#09: Because of “EFI” usage. This is what PC developers have tryed making possible for years.
#08: Learn the right keyboard shortcuts (They’re all there and can be found in System Preferences under “Keyboard shortcuts”. At least OSX has a shortcut for “New Folder”. I always wondered why Windows left that one (and others) out?
#07: I’ve had 2 crashes since installation. Try avoiding installations of crappy 3rd party softwares as much as possible.
#06: Keyboard shortcuts, my friend! :D
#05: New times makes new hasards. bare in mind that Mac’s are now Intel and that’s a major update that will give you some issues for a time being.
#04: sourceforge.net, macupdate.com, versiontracker.com .. ;-)
#03: Read about your formats and you’ll realize why the better world (read: linux, unix and Mac users in general) are using these formats.
#02: Loving it! This makes a true believer come true! :-)
#01: Available when needed!
If you wanna sell and have bigger trouble with PC’s – Please email me with a price for your mac .. lol
14 May 2007 | lars Said:
whoa! you sure got a lot of angry answers just for telling the world what bugs you about your new laptop. i’ve got an iMac at work for the first time, and after using it for almost two months i’m having the same trouble that you are (except for the hardware issues; heat and crashes). especially #1, 2, 8.
hope some of the usabillity issues will be fixed in leopard, but regardless i will probably still buy a macbook soon (after testing its ubuntu compatibillity).
30 May 2007 | Pony Express Said:
My boss wants to get all the office staff imac laptops, i will tell him to check this blog out and then decide!
21 July 2007 | MacArmed Said:
Mac is a Mac and all these are several actions. some of them are great and simple add’s on the principal idea for mac is Innovation, be different. be easy, Be helpfull, be a MAC.
the Combo keys are a beauttifull tool and I LOVE IT and some times the mouse is no needed. the app’s are easy and just Drag it. doesn’t need’s install severall Folders into several folders. there is not a #$”$%”/ system 32
06 August 2007 | l4zybone Said:
I like your logo. Your web site is helpful. Keep up the great work. I will be back!
14 September 2007 | Jason The Saj Said:
Lot of valid points….good luck not being eaten alive by the MacSharks. I mean, rather then try to improve their system the MacSharks want to deride people for saying “there’s a better way”. Of course there is, or everyone would still be using that perfect little Mac Classic from the 80’s.
There are a number of areas I find in which the Mac impedes efficiency:
• Being able to stretch a window from more than just the bottom right corner.
• Right/Control clicking in a folder or desktop and having a list of options (such as create new text document, unzip, etc, etc)
• Cascading “Start Menu”, frankly, I use WAYYY more apps than OSX’s feeble “dock” can intelligently support. Apple knows this, as screen shots of the new Leopard or what not seem to reveal a cascade menu system addition to the dock. So I guess I just need to wait for the next version to remedy this issue.
• Show Desktop/Minimize All (in other words, move the windows out of the way, and keep them that way). Yes, I know there is the whole expose. But I find it sadly annoying. It’s nice to rapidly clear my screen and see my desktop. But it’s annoying because it allows me only one action. So as soon as I click or do something everything swoops back in. Well, my main use for “show desktop” is usually to utilize two apps/folders/files/etc. Expose does not facilitate this. It’s an all or nothing.
• Clicking app instance in taskbar/dock bar to open window, re-clicking minimizes window. This is one of the most useful features in Windows. I really wish Mac utilized a similar behavior.
• Highlighting and dragging, very useful. BOY DO I MISS THIS FEATURE. Highlight text and drag to new location. Talk about an efficient time saver. Pretty non-existent on Mac.
• File Explorer URL, so as to be able to easily copy/paste/send a location of a file. Yeah, can I please see the path to where I am in the file explorer. I love being able to grab the path, paste it elsewhere and be at the folder.
• Up folder button in the file explorer. THIS IS THE #1 ANNOYING THING ABOUT OSX TO ME. It drives me crazy. Look, I know the file I want is one folder up. Can you please let me simply go there. And yes there is the side slide panelling view. Sadly, it doesn’t let me adjust the window. It’d be great if the right most panel could be adjusted in size so I could READ my file names thank you.
I also agree, I prefer maximized applications. It is so annoying accidentally clicking between two panels and finding myself in a completely different application.
Also, I find Apple’s implementation of Home/End, Cntrl-Left/Right, hightlight to be less effective. And very inconsistent from application to application.
That said, there is a lot to like in OSX as well. I find it a much more responsive and communicative OS. I’ve found programs to hang or crash just as much as on XP. However, the OS seems less inclined to take a hit. Though I’ve had some major hangs after OSX updates.
30 September 2007 | apple sucks Said:
os x sucks apple sucks safari sucks.
constant stalls, slow as molasses, unending dropped internet and network connections spinning beach balls hands stalled drops
unfortunately windoze may sometimes be only slightly worse — but that’s no excuse for the piss poor mac os x performance issues and the LIES AND AVOIDANCE lazy-ass coding by apple and refusal (inability) to fix the problems that have been around for at least 5 years
01 October 2007 | madhatter Said:
Dude!! It’s like I wrote this myself! Great job…
28 November 2007 | naisioxerloro Said:
Hi.
Good design, who make it?
04 December 2007 | Nikita Aleksandrov Said:
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20 January 2008 | mario Said:
#11
OSX sucks with dual monitors. The menu bar stays on one screen.
I’ve gotten the spinning wheel of death so many times it’s not funny. You can’t even kill it. At least in XP, if something goes wrong I can kill it with task manager. XP is smart enough to know something is wrong. OSX just spins and spins and spins.
28 January 2008 | OSX sucks Said:
The OP is dead on accurate on all the points. Macbook pro on Leopard sucks royally and Mac way of doing is seriously handicapped. It’s really cumbersome to handle multiple windows and you constantly have to be careful not to click outside an app window as that will change the top menu to finder instead of the app.. MEGA irritating that alone.
An app should just open up and fill teh desktop. Period.
28 February 2008 | I agree Said:
My husband bought me this stupid macbook just last week. In my attempt to find a graphics program that will do the basic editing that I do I have managed to lock the darn thing up at least 3 times a day and crash it daily. I hate the thing. My old PC laptop handled the large image files just fine.
I am ready to pack it up and take it back. That was a freaking lot of money to not get a computer that would handle my pretty basic needs.
All I need is email, internet, and basic graphic editing. And this piece of junk can’t do it without crashing or locking up. And on top of that things I could do one handed on my PC takes two hands because a darn right click just isn’t possible – nooooo, we have to have key combinations.
I hate this thing.
20 December 2008 | AVP Said:
I used macbook pro for a year and I loved it especially in winter when that warm thing made me feel less cold and also kept me alert with random freezes during installation of leopard updates and quick battery drainout which forces me to always keep a charger wherever I went.
Ah,the good times.
Cheers,
AVP
09 April 2009 | Griffin Said:
If you don’t like it why not return it
20 May 2009 | killer Said:
I’ve had PCs since day one. Got a mac book pro 6 months ago. It bites. Sorry but I HATE IT. I only use it to watch movies now while I us a 5 year old pc. So many things I don’t like about it but the top two are the screen maximize thing. I want it BIG. and the fact that with a PC it’s put the thumb drive it click an icon start a slideshow. With a mac it’s I have to hunt a bunch of crap out and download the pics blah blah blah. I hate it. And yes it does crash
21 May 2009 | Jo-jo Said:
Hmm… Well I don’t know what has changed since 2006 but I get around a lot of these problems easily with the ‘command’ key and configuring some setting in the Sys Pref. Personally, I’ve never had problems as rarely as I have with my Mac compared to what I had with the numerous PC’s I’ve had.. It depends of course what you use your computer for. My main is editing videos.
08 August 2009 | Corrianna Said:
I just got my first Mac – a MacBook Pro – and I can totally relate to every point you’ve made! I’m still adjusting, but I find myself learning to love each new lesson as I get the hang of it. I can’t wait to be completely used to it and back to the level of productivity (or better?) I had on my PC. This machine is beautiful!
21 November 2009 | Sean Said:
It so frustrating.
So many nice features with the machine itself – I run a 17″ macbook pro thats 3 months old now (The second unibody model from mid 2009) and it is without a doubt an amazing machine. (I have become used to the lack of keys now, but still sometimes wish for more, but not a big deal.)
But the Apple OS is driving me nuts. In particular the minimise feature – or specifically the lack of a simple way to manage open windows.
For work I require multiple applications running with perhaps 10 pages open at any one time. With my Mac you cant easily organise or see these pages and so one ends up up loosing pages and then spending a considerable amount of time hunting for the page one wants.
With Microsoft every window you open, from an application page to a web browser page, all are shown in the Tool Bar. When a page is minimised one can see it there immediately in front of you. It is so easy to see and select the pages one wants, if they are minimised or open it doesn’t matter you can see them all. Its simple, easy and logical.
It seems that Apple know their system doesn’t work as well and so have tried to improve it with Expose, but in the end Expose complicates things even more..
Apple have tried to re-invent the wheel and have made an OS that despite having some nice features, is sadly overshadowed by overcomplication. They have tried too hard and lost ease of use and simplicity as a result.
I write this as constructive criticism to Apple as well as to vent my frustration. I love the machine, but wish the OS was a more logical system to use – specifically the way to manage pages.
26 February 2010 | GA Said:
Gee, what a surprise…mac sucks.