Running windows7 on a MacBook

[Bill Schenker]

So, I'm going to need to get a new laptop soon, and after watching Tom Tanquary go through Dell hell and now my wife, the new laptop Won't be another Dell. Much to my surprise, my PC, and I don't mean Politically Correct, Dad told me if I wanted the best in laptops, get a Mac! But I'm not so sure about using a different OS after all these decades of using Windows. So, how well does Windows work on a MacBookPro?

TIA

[Mako Koiwai]

Why would you want to?! The Mac interface doesn't get any better ... give it a try first.

If you google "Windows 7 on Mac experience" you'll probably find your answer. Here's one: http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/48855

btw. Karen just came home with her new DELL ... "present" from her companies IT ... "upgrade" from her old IBM laptop ... with Windows 7 Pro installed.

[Karl Asseily]

Hi Pinky !!!

I have a Macbook Pro 17" (as a matter of fact I'm typing on it now). It has Windows 7 loaded, both in Virtual Machine mode and Bootcamp mode.

I use it in Virtual mode (meaning it runs on top of my native operating system OSX), to view and edit the latest Office files, and generally use programs that are not available on Macs. The program to use for virtualizing is Parallels Desktop 6.

In Bootcamp mode, you reboot the computer straight into Windows. This gives you the benefits of faster speeds and better hardware function usually, but you'll be strictly under Windows, not OSX. This is the best mode if you want to play 3D games, for example.

Overall, Windows 7 works wonders on a macbook pro. Under Parallels, it runs quite fast, provided you allocated enough RAM to it. For me, it's a life saver.

And yes, your Dad is correct. Listen to him.

K.

[Rick Brown]

Why would you want to?! The Mac interface doesn't get any better ...

But that's your opinion, based likely on years of use. Don't think there are many from either camp that find the other better. As someone who installed and worked on the first IBM PC's made, it's what I know. So I find Mac's frustrating to use. Don't seem logical or well organized to me. But that's just my opinion because of my experience.

[Jeff Shyu]

The two platforms have more similarities than they have differences at this point.

most mac users think they've got something PC users don't, and vice versa (probably stemming back to the days when it was DOS based windows, and macs had 1 mouse button), when really, they either already do, or you can easily download something that will do it.

it's a personal preference thing - and $$$ certainly factors into my personal preference.

[Mako Koiwai]

Sorry Rick ... I.T. types have no problems with PC's ... but for your average folk there's nothing like just sitting down and using a Mac. You'll never know

(because you're a master PC power user)

[Randy Chase]

I bought a Mac powerbook and struggled trying to understand how to work things. Eventually gave it away.

I think the real ease of use now shifts to the iPad.

But I agree with Rick, it all depends on what you are used to. I used to hate Windows because I liked the command line interface.

[Bill Schenker]

I bought a Mac powerbook and struggled trying to understand how to work things. Eventually gave it away.

I think the real ease of use now shifts to the iPad.

But I agree with Rick, it all depends on what you are used to. I used to hate Windows because I liked the command line interface.

I actually wrote my post on my wife's new-from-work iPad. Seems pretty slick, but don't think it will be up to the task of work: downloading from my .mp3 recoder than uploading that; using Excel and Word to create invoices, stuff like that. But it sure is a cool 'net toy!

[Mako Koiwai]

I bought a Mac powerbook and struggled trying to understand how to work things.

You engineering types have a peculiar handicap!

[Robert Puertas]

I bought a Mac powerbook and struggled trying to understand how to work things. Eventually gave it away.

I think the real ease of use now shifts to the iPad.

But I agree with Rick, it all depends on what you are used to. I used to hate Windows because I liked the command line interface.

I actually wrote my post on my wife's new-from-work iPad. Seems pretty slick, but don't think it will be up to the task of work: downloading from my .mp3 recoder than uploading that; using Excel and Word to create invoices, stuff like that. But it sure is a cool 'net toy!

You don't need to run windows on a Mac to use Excel or Word. They are both ported to the Mac and work fine. I use them both everyday on my Mac.
The .mp3 file transfers should be the same, unless you need to use some proprietary program to do the transfers...

[Bill Schenker]

I bought a Mac powerbook and struggled trying to understand how to work things. Eventually gave it away.

I think the real ease of use now shifts to the iPad.

But I agree with Rick, it all depends on what you are used to. I used to hate Windows because I liked the command line interface.

I actually wrote my post on my wife's new-from-work iPad. Seems pretty slick, but don't think it will be up to the task of work: downloading from my .mp3 recoder than uploading that; using Excel and Word to create invoices, stuff like that. But it sure is a cool 'net toy!

You don't need to run windows on a Mac to use Excel or Word. They are both ported to the Mac and work fine. I use them both everyday on my Mac.
The .mp3 file transfers should be the same, unless you need to use some proprietary program to do the transfers...

Yes, I saw that MS Office is available for Mac - so yes, that's a choice. But on an IPad? The way I download my .mp3 files from the recorder is via USB cord - I don't see a USP on the iPad

[Tom Tanquary]

Now that the wife has every mac toy there is, I'm forced to continually get her out of trouble on Apple computers. There is an adapter to let you use a USB cable with the iPad to import from cameras or readers, so that wouldn't be a problem. I still find the mac stuff hard to use. As Rick said, after growing up on PC everything about macs are upside down and backward. I call it the culture of the secret handshake society. Her first computers were PCs and she just started using them without too much trouble, but when I got her this mac she literally couldn't even turn it on (the switch is very well hidden as is the DVD drive). And it got so bad she wanted to take it back. She couldn't make it do anything. But for a $100 she bought those Apple classes and she goes every week. Now she's pretty proficient but still amazed it has taken so long just to get where she was on the PC without any help. Apple's bias in favor of the keyboard over the mouse is really annoying and requires remembering way too many things. The PC's method of pulldown windows may be a bit more time consuming but you don't have to remember anything to drill down to what you want. PCs are like toaster ovens - they require no knowledge to use them. Mac require a commitment to learn things - even to finding the on button.

But that's just my experience...... ;)

[Randy Chase]

I bought a Mac powerbook and struggled trying to understand how to work things.

You engineering types have a peculiar handicap!

I believe it is still more a testament to what one has learned to use. Apple certainly has done well promoting the seeming complexity of the PC in their marketing. But reality is, it is just different. When I had Mac people tell me how to do this or that, when I had no idea... it became obvious that the MAC OS was also complicated, but once you learned it... then all was fine. I do not see a big difference in what it takes to learn Windows 7 or programs that run under it, and learning to use a Mac OS.


But I also like mice with many buttons... and wheels. I miss my old tablet device days... or just typing and cursing at the limitations of the keyboard buffers. ;)

[Robert Puertas]

But I also like mice with many buttons... and wheels. I miss my old tablet device days... or just typing and cursing at the limitations of the keyboard buffers. ;)

I just got a new Magic Mouse for my Mac.
Check it out:
http://www.apple.com/magicmouse/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tom Tanquary]

I have the magic mouse for both my macs. It's really cool, works great, just 10 years too late. I mean, come on, right click and a scroll wheel are THAT hard to come up with?!

[Robert Puertas]

I have the magic mouse for both my macs. It's really cool, works great, just 10 years too late. I mean, come on, right click and a scroll wheel are THAT hard to come up with?!

I've had a 2 button mouse with a scroll wheel hooked up to my Mac for years, I think the aesthetics of them just made Jobs' skin crawl...

The magic mouse is just so much cooler though.

Has anyone tried using the new Mac Trackpad?

[Greg Peng]

I mean, come on, right click and a scroll wheel are THAT hard to come up with?!

I LOL'ed when the speaker started discussing the individual new features in the video.

[Mako Koiwai]

The PC's method of pulldown windows may be a bit more time consuming but you don't have to remember anything to drill down to what you want. PCs are like toaster ovens - they require no knowledge to use them. Mac require a commitment to learn things - even to finding the on button.

That is ALL SO WEIRD!

Mac's are all about no manuals. It's all about pull down menus with Mac's also. It's MAC's that are suppose to be like toasters?!

My world ... 7 Mac's and 1 PC ... belonging to the corporate client. Among the rest of the crew ... a commercial for TGIF ... 14 more Mac's!

[Will Kalman]

I mean, come on, right click and a scroll wheel are THAT hard to come up with?!

You don't want those things when you are busy trying to Think Different! ;)

Even worse is open-source anti-microsoft zealots. I'm working amongst a few now and it's torture. They cannot admit that anything in their system is bad or that anything from Microsoft is good. Complete and total lack of objectivity to the point where it's cult-like. Any time I voice a complaint about some aspect of Linux or Ruby on Rails, I'll never get an admission that something is deficient, I get "well, it's quirky" - they're like politicians! They are not interested in objective analysis because they truly believe that are trying to purge the world of an immoral entity.

[Mako Koiwai]

My elderly mom has two Macs and a Toshiba laptop. The Laptop IS the most convenient for her these day ... but she's had to bring in help on at least three occasions to "right" things and get rid of viruses, etc. They charge her exorbitant fees, like $500 last time. I've never heard of anyone paying someone to come in to help or fix things with a Mac. Well of course we have Dan Shaw and the Apple Genius Bar. OK, I had a built-in hard drive go down once in the 20 years that I've been using Macs. Apple consistently comes out on top of owner satisfaction and computer reliability surveys, making any extra initial price worth it to me.

[Tom Tanquary]

Well, there's no end to this discussion. Apple has about 5% or global computer sales but does make 10% of global computer sales income. They make a lot of money selling very few computers. That's a clue. After 20 years mac has failed to change these numbers. They make a great profit but still can't attract anything approaching a majority of users. And it really comes down to things like finding the on button. Me, my wife, and others really don't like having to hunt all around to find where the f-ing button is. It's an absolute insult. Apple is the cult of cool and they design things to stay that way. On the forums they openly ridicule people like me. We are not cool. We just want an appliance that works. i don't buy a toaster oven so I can sit and stare at it for an hour figuring out how to turn it on (hyperbole) because they hid the on button so well. The entire world runs on PCs and not macs. If they were as easy to use as they claim this wouldn't be true. Apple has to offer classes, like the ones my wife takes, because how else would you figure it out?

I would love to switch entirely over to a mac but that cult thing is a total turn off.


;)

[KJ Christopher]

I have the magic mouse for both my macs. It's really cool, works great, just 10 years too late. I mean, come on, right click and a scroll wheel are THAT hard to come up with?!

The mighty mouse I bought five years ago did that too? And I think it had been around a while then too? Albeit with a rolling ball to scroll. But it was seamless and allowed right clicking.

I use it at work with my PC. Like most things Apple, good quality and great battery life. And being Bluetooth, I'm not tying up a USB port.

On edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Mighty_Mouse" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ok, looks like it was new in 2005.

[Mako Koiwai]

Well, there's no end to this discussion. Apple has about 5% or global computer sales but does make 10% of global computer sales income. They make a lot of money selling very few computers.

Sounds sort of like Porsche.

OK, my old iMac had it's On Button in back ... out of view ... one had to know where to push ... but really, once one knew where it was. I thought Karen's IBM laptop keyboard was a confusing mess. So many buttons and keys!?

In my job I have to learn a new video camera every month, so I guess I'm use to locating buttons ... besides Henry says I'm the "fastest button pusher in the West." (Sometimes to my detriment.) When we use ENG style cameras in "studio" mode I often find it difficult to find the RUN button. So There!

My MacBookPro On button is right on the top, large, bright, and adorned with the standard International Electrotechnical Commission 5009 Stand By symbol incorporated on it.

The newer iMac's have the On Button on the side and it's slightly indented so one can more easily find it.

I don't think the On Button location is a deal breaker issue any more. ;)

On our recent trip to the North West (MS territory) and Canada I was surprised to see so many MacBook's in the hands of commuters on our numerous ferry rides. A number of Karen's friends had both PC's and Macs. The two Apple stores we stopped by were choked full of ... I guess potential owners ... since Apple doesn't have much market share.

[Leonard Cachola]

I've owned PCs for 17 years and worked with Macs professionally just as long - I find it boils down to usability differences here and there that are annoying between the two OSes. Just different tools to accomplish the same job, really.

[Jeff Shyu]

That is ALL SO WEIRD!

Mac's are all about no manuals. It's all about pull down menus with Mac's also. It's MAC's that are suppose to be like toasters?!

My world ... 7 Mac's and 1 PC ... belonging to the corporate client. Among the rest of the crew ... a commercial for TGIF ... 14 more Mac's!

This is more about the image than anything else.

macs aren't any better at doing anything for you than a comparably priced PC would be, and it wouldn't be any more reliable. believe me, when you start doing massive renderings that hog up every ounce of processing power, the mac is every bit as touchy as a PC

I will say that the mac is easier to learn for a completely computer illiterate person. Jobs has built the whole thing on intuitive usage. Once you get into more advanced usage though, window+function keys (or apple+functions, etc), it's all pretty much the same. I actually personally prefer the way the mac shortcut keys are laid out, the function+W to close a window.

at least once upon a time, when windows didn't use that, but now everything basically homogenized, and ctrl+W works on the PC too.