What I Love about My MacBook Pro

Earlier today I vented about Things a Mac Cannot Do, and I feel much better now.
So, why did I buy a MacBook Pro in the first place?

1) Cross-Platform browser testing
In my web development business I need to make sure that web pages look OK in both PC and Mac. About a year ago I bought an iMac and used it in my home office. Now I’m not using my home office as much, instead I’m in an office space in Tualatin so I didn’t want to lug the 24″ iMac along with me each day. The portability of the MacBook Pro lets me tote it to the office. Most Mac users have Safari so I double check that my client sites look OK on in Safari. The biggest issues right how is that bold fonts in Safari on Mac look about 25% larger than on any other browser.

2) Multi-OS Support
As a backup when my PC dies, I need another computer to work on. With the MacBook Pro I have installed Windows XP and Windows 7 using a virtualization tool from Parallels. Four different attempts at putting Mac OS X on my PC simply failed, so having a MacBook Pro it was very straight forward to get multiple OSes up and running without violating a license agreement.



On the MacBook Pro I have installed two main Windows programs: Outlook 2007 and Quicken 2009. I can restore the two back-up files for these programs and continue working on my MacBook Pro.

3) Better Sound
I love classical music and the built-in speakers for the MacBook Pro simply sound better than the Harmon Kardon speakers on my HP Laptop.

4) LCD Display with Matte Finish
My HP laptop has an annoying glossing finish, so that means that I can see my own reflection in it like a mirror. Talk about distractions. On the MacBook Pro my LCD version has the matte finish, or what they also refer to as anti-glare.
While my HP is in for replacement of the motherboard I’m having them swap out the glossy display for a matte display.

5) Built-in Bluetooth
To get a wireless mouse to work on my HP laptop I had to buy a Logitech mouse with a USB connector and plug that into a free port. I don’t like that little connector hanging out. The MacBook Pro has bluetooth support built-in so no ugly USB connector sticking out of the laptop. My wireless mouse on the Mac is the Magic Mouse, very cool to use the finger motions and it even supports Right-Click – something that all PC users simply have to use.

6) DVI Output
My HP laptop only has VGA output and so the DVI output on the MacBook Pro looks a bit better on my external Viewsonic 24″ monitor.
7) Gigabit Ethernet
As a geek I love faster and more efficient. My home network is gigabit so I wanted a laptop with gigabit speeds. Can I really tell the speed difference? No, but I love the spec any way.
8) It’s cool to own a Mac. The humorous commercials capture the essence of why you want a Mac.

9) Build Quality
My PC is mostly plastic and nylon, not exactly long lasting materials. The MacBook Pro is aluminum and well built. I’ve upgraded the Hard Drive from 260GB to 500GB and got to open up the case to complete the job. The MacBook Pro is a marvel of modern engineering and styling.

10) Reliability
I just read this study from SquareTrade that shows the reliability of Apple laptops to HP laptops is about a factor of 1.5X in favor of Apple.

Summary
I own and use both PCs and Macs in my web development business, each performs the job and help me to satisfy clients. May they both live long and prosper.

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