My Switch to Mac: Part 2, Operating System

First off: I am not partial to Mac. I actually like Windows very much, even Vista. In fact, I love Vista. Yes it might be slower than XP, but give it enough hardware to work with and it is actually a absolute pleasure to use. I have used it since it was released to developers as a Beta, and I have never looked back. But recently I purchased a new macbook, primarily for the hardware. I just believe Apple machines are better built and look really good. It might sound shallow, but for someone who works on a computer 10+ hours a day, I really dont want to vommit on my keyboard because my computer is so ugly. Case in point – my other machine is a Lenovo Thinkpad Z61m with 4gig ram and a decent fast Core 2 Duo processor. It goes like stink, but looks distinctly ugly. In fact a few people have asked me why I work on such a old computer, even when it was a month old. Doesnt say much.

But back to Mac OSX. I have used it for about a month now. First impressions – its fast. Much faster than Windows. Things actually react pretty quickly, boot up is quick and there is just a absolute feeling of speed, even with 2Gig RAM. Menus react quickly, pop ups occur instantaneously. Multitasking is much smoother – but my biggest issue with OS X is little niggles in the interface that a switcher has to get used to.

First off, closing something doesnt actually close it. You have to manually stop it by quitting. I find it a little quaint, and no, I believe it is a stupid principle to have everything running all the time in the background. Apple really has to identify this as a key issue for switchers.

The dock sometimes also doesnt always make complete sense. Some apps can be restored on screen by clicking its app icon, others you have to actually click on the window on the right side of the dock. I would like more consistency.

Also, the menu bar on the top takes some getting used to. I suppose it is not a worse system, but it can be difficult to use at first for a switcher.

However, most of these issues are negated by other great little features. Something as simple as expose makes a giant difference to yor workflow. Windows Flip 3D is eye candy, but doesnt actually carry much use. Expose is a much better system. Take notes Microsoft.

Unfortunately for Apple, most technical users cant be a complete Mac user in this day and age. I had to get VMWare Fusion, because there are too many apps I cant move away from.I had to install a XP virtual machine, because Vista was really sluggish. Even something as boring as Office 2007 is unparalleled on the Mac platform. I also run Office for Mac 2008, but it is absolutely shocking compared to 2007. Never thought I would say it, but I really miss the ribbon interface. I actually find myself opening most documents through the Windows version of Office. I would actually like to dabble with iWork, maybe its better than Office for Mac. In fact, I even think that OpenOffice will be better than Office for Mac.

If Apple is smart, they would consider making VM a built in feature of Mac OSX Snow Leopard. VMWare and Parallels is currently probably selling like hotcakes.

Overall I am very happy with the shift, but I am most definately not going to make a complete shift to Mac. VMWare is still my friend, and I will definately upgrade to a Vista or Windows 7 machine as soon as I can get 4 gig DDR3 memory. Laptop DDR3 memory is really expensive, so that will have to wait.

I find Mac OSX a very good OS, and I am sure it is a much better OS for someone new to computers. In fact, I wish my parents had a Mac, maybe I would get less tech related calls. I will revisit this topic over time, but for now I am not yet completely sold, but luckily I love trying out new software, so maybe over time I will change my tune.

iSkin Revo2 iPhone 3G silicone case

When I got my iPhone I bought a cheap little simple silicone sleeve which did not really protect the phone fully. The screen was exposed, and the silicone started to stretch somewhat which led to the case starting to fold over the iphone corners.

So I decided to take the plunge and buy a decent case for my expensive toy. I decided on the iSkin Revo2, (the black one) which was quite pricey at R400 ($40). The overall feel of the case is much better, and the silicone has much higher quality look. It also looks really good. It is also quite stiff silicone, and the front of the iPhone is much better protected. The earpiece and home button area is decently covered. The screen can be covered with a clip on hard plastic cover, which I doubt I will keep on using. It can be removed and clipped on the back but it is not an ideal solution.

The dock connector and earphone port is covered with decent clip on rubber pieces which simply fold over when they are in the way. A screen anti glare film is included, but I havent had a chance t use it yet, seeing as I have a film on already.

Overall the phone is very well protected without adding unnecessary bulk, which is in my opinion all I want from a case.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but take at the look at the just released iSkin Fuze. But it does look expensive as well…