[kristenelaine1991]

I am very interested in getting a macbook air. However, since they're so expensive I need to make sure i'm making the right decision. I'm curious the differences between mac and windows. and the pros and cons of a macbook.

[iGore313]

I switched from a Windows laptop to a MacBook Pro last year. The thing I notice the most the build quality and how nice the Mac Book Feels compared to any other laptop I have ever owned. It makes me want to use it. It runs smoothly and I feel like the Mac operating system is very easy to use and logical. Plus no right clicking! Honestly I do not think I could go back to a PC now.

The Cons are price and spreadsheet. The Apple spreadsheets are no where near as good or easy to use as Microsoft Excel.

[Bazza1]

Only you can make that call, kristenelaine1991 - and the feedback that you may get here will likely be far from unbiased!



That said, like iGore313, I too switched from a Windows machine. I did it about 4 years ago, and while I'd always switched back and forth between OSs (dependent on the computer immediately to hand), this was my first personal purchase, with the 11" Air. There will be a fairly steep learning curve with the OS initially - controls not where you've grown used to them being (incidentally, with any old mouse, you will regain right-click shortcuts you're familiar with - keyboard combo shortcuts as per Mac just so 1990s) - but, with some patience, easy enough to remap your brain around!
Meanwhile familiar software is not always available in Mac form, though usually an equivalent. Apple's own office suite is available, but, as iGore313 implied, its not as robust as, say, Microsoft Office - nor is it's proprietary file save the de facto file type often used by others, if that's an issue for you. There is a tedious workaround within their apps, but if that doesn't appeal and the cost of a new Office Suite is daunting initially, you can always try, say, the free LibreOffice (available online), which also allows you to set the file save as MS Office-friendly.

Also of note - if you've got older peripherals (printers, scanners, etc), you should do a little research and see if they are Mac-friendly. In most cases, they are - drivers available - and the MacOS is usually good about finding the right driver automatically from its own library. But its still a consideration. I had 'challenges' with Samsung printers and I discovered that this wasn't 'just me'.

Price of the Airs is, understandably, a concern. It certainly was for me. Build quality is generally pretty good - though frankly, others have caught up in the time since I got my Air. I was also initially concerned about the size of storage on the Air. 128GB (or even 256GB) RAM seemed hopelessly meagre, having come from Windows machines when 'size does matter', and a decent, similarly-sized Windows notebook with a large HDD could be had for around $500. But when I started doing the math, I realized that it really wasn't an issue. On my 128GB Air I have tons of documents and pdfs, 25 films, 1300 pictures, 1600 songs, a number of downloaded apps - and still I have 40GB free. I use a portable external drive to store stuff I don't use all that often, and a partition of that drive I use for my Time Machine (backups) use. And I can't tell you the last time I needed a CD/DVD drive...

But back to price - still daunting, I grant you. The 11" Air (Apple's cheapest notebook) has now been killed off - but its still available in stores, I guess until the new Macs start to arrive - and the 13" is the last of the Airs. They haven't discounted either, but I will suggest that you check out Apple's own Refurb store. Here, they sell units that have been returned via buyer's remorse, wrong model, something has gone wrong, or its old stock. Once back with Apple, they do a full diagnostic / rebuild (one might argue, better than 'factory condition) and sell the stuff at a discount. Free shipping and returns are often available and you can buy AppleCare (their warranty program) on them, like as if you bought it in store. Apple is pretty coy about where this site is in their online store, but, for example, the US version is here -

Refurbished Mac - Apple Certified - Apple

Stock revolves thru on a fairly constant basis, so keep checking in if at first you don't see what you are looking for. Prices are usually a minimum of 15% less than the Apple Store.

Hope all this helps!?

[kristenelaine1991]

Thanks guys! This will really help in my computer search~