Before I got my first Macintosh computer, I used a Dell Inspiron laptop for four years. The Dell laptop was, frankly, a piece of crap. The laptop’s cooling fan was inefficient and loud, and I always had problems with overheating (see Wikipedia entry). Liz, my college roommate, used to complain about the noise all the time.
My general frustration with my Dell, coupled with the emergence of Apple’s brilliant marketing campaign (circa 2007), inspired a general hatred for Windows.
In retrospect, I realize that my laptop problems had nothing to do with the Windows operating system, but I was convinced that Mac would save me. In the summer of 2007, I received a MacBook as a college graduation gift. I was a born-again computer user.
Until very recently, I was a die-hard Mac fan, bashing Windows with the best of them. I loved my MacBook and rightfully so: the computer is quiet and efficient, and I never have any problems.
Then, I got a PC. Are you surprised? In this post, I explain why I decided to get a new computer and why I didn’t get another Mac.
After two years of loving it unconditionally, I decided to cheat on my MacBook with Windows XP. Now, I realize that I had been blindly loving Apple all along.
Mac Programs – Earlier this year, I saved up a bunch of money to buy the student version of Adobe Creative Suite 4. When I purchased this software, I never intended on switching operating systems in the future. However, my new monitors are much better suited for graphic design work.
In order to use CS 4 on my new computer, I have to A) buy a new license ($300-something dollars for a student version, $1,799 for the professional version), B) sign an agreement to destroy my other copy and purchase a cross-platform upgrade ($500), or C) illegally download Mac OS X (you can’t purchase the Mac OS without purchasing a Mac computer and build a Hackintosh.
Mac Parts – Another option would be to connect my MacBook to my monitors with a DVI cable. This way, I could run the CS4 program on my MacBook and take advantage of the larger monitors.
Typically, this would be a simple thing to do. However, Mac sells a proprietary cable that doesn’t work with all monitors. I purchased one this past weekend, and it was not the correct product. I am going to do more research.
iTunes Library – I am currently trying to move my entire iTunes library from my MacBook to my Windows machine. iTunes doesn’t really like this idea, and I have failed after using a few different methods: iPod, CDs, an external hard drive, and Dropbox.
The most effective method was using my iPod (a proprietary Mac product), but my iPod mini that only holds about 250 songs at once. I have over 4,500 songs in my library. Also, to get my Mac-formatted iPod to work on my PC, I had to download MacDrive.
In a post titled “Is Apple More Evil Than Microsoft?“, blogger Terrence O’Brien writes: “Microsoft is derided for its closed, proprietary software (often rightly so), but people seem quite alright with the idea that you have to buy a Mac (which outside of the pretty box is no different than a Dell) in order to use the OS X operating system. Its tightly integrated apps, like Safari, Mail, iTunes, QuickTime, iCal, and Time Machine, don’t seem to ruffle nearly as many feathers as their Microsoft counterparts.”
Did you know that you can run Windows on a Mac, but you can’t run a Mac on Windows (unless you’re a hacker)? Mac closely guards its products and framework, which is great for the company, but not great for a frustrated computer user.
(Photo by pandemia)
I would recommend continuing to run your CS4 on the Mac and purchasing a KVM Switch (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182157) to make both your Mac and PC play together with not only the same monitor, but the same keyboard and mouse. Why have one when you can have both?
That’s why when my old computer got stolen, I decided on a dell studio xps 16″ instead of a 15″ macbook pro as my replacement. Not much cheaper, but it has way more bells, whistles, and other things I don’t need. Also it helps that I can be illegal on it. Although, I have a hard time thinking legality is an issue when it’s music I’ve paid for.
Did it not work to transfer your music using an external hd?