Being platform agnostic

DrMacintosh · February 26, 2017

Ok, So I got a 2016 13" MacBook Pro without the TouchBar about a week ago and I actually just turned on my Windows Desktop to do something other than watch Netflix and I must say, this is kinda weird.

After using my new machine for about a week exclusively and I got used to MacOS right of the bat. I really do love MacOS. That being said I can already tell that my Desktop has already been relegated to gaming and heavy workload tasks where more than 2 cores and an iGPU are required. This might have been true if I had gotten a Windows laptop such as the Spectre x360 but I have to give it to Apple, they know how to make a solid machine.

My main reasoning for getting the MacBook Pro was that I already had an iPhone, so features like Continuity and iCloud (while the core elements of iCloud are available on the PC, services such as iCloud Photo Library are not nearly as refined as on MacOS which is a no brainer) were giant factors. Not to mention the ForceTouch Trackpad (that thing is amazing), and the speakers are better than anything I tested at Bestbuy . The Display is one of the best out there and the 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports can give even the 13" model without the touchbar the same or more I/O than any other laptop.

Another BIG factor that I think many people do not take into account is the "preloaded" software (really its just a core part of the OS now). Macs are out of the box ready for what most people could throw at it immediately. Pages, Keynote, and Numbers are awesome applications whos file types work with Office. For a person who might not always have 24/7 internet access to use something like Google Drive, or someone who just simply does not want to work with a web based word processor, Pages is there and comparing these "free" programs to the cost of an Office 365 subscription is laughable.

iMovie and Garageband are also pretty cool bits of software in their own right. Garageband is such a powerful application for music people like my father who uses it on his iPad. iMovie is a completely competent linear movie editor with a lot of practical and standard features.

MacOS has a lot of good things about it. The tight integration with other Apple devices, the reliability of the OS, excellent battery life (for laptops), the best trackpads on the market, and overall aesthetic....oh and it doesn't have adware like a fresh Windows 10 copy does . Windows has a lot of good things too being the main platform applications are developed on, having support for upgradable hardware, having way more hardware options, and being generally cheaper.

Using both is a dream. Having the reliability and quality of the MacBook pro on the go while also having the performance and the multi-monitor multitasking of my Desktop at home is a 2x combo of satisfaction. If forced to use one OS forever I would probably go for MacOS, but I dont have to do that. I live in a world of options and I choose to use both, and really I dont think you can go wrong with either.

DocSwag · February 26, 2017

Lots of people bash on Apple calling their products overpriced and whatnot, but I disagree. While I prefer android and windows, I can see why people might prefer Apple. This perfectly describes my thoughts

Phentos · February 26, 2017

Personally I don't have a problem with Mac OS or Mac computers in general. Had to learn the ins and outs of Mac OS for my A+ certification anyway.

However the biggest factor that drives me away from that ecosystem is the price.

Droidbot · February 26, 2017

macOS is really nice, yeah. I keep trying to CMD-Q on my school SP4. So used to it from my Hackintosh lmao

captain_to_fire · February 26, 2017

How to be platform agnostic? Here's what I do:

Music: Spotify (I occasionally buy songs from iTunes)

Movies: Netflix or rent something from Google Play Movies

Productivity: Office 365 Personal (I hated paying for this) and Google Docs

Password manager: Last Pass (instead of iCloud Keychain)

Cloud storage: Google Drive (mostly), OneDrive (rarely)

18 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

MacOS has a lot of good things about it. The tight integration with other Apple devices, the reliability of the OS, excellent battery life (for laptops), the best trackpads on the market, and overall aesthetic....oh and it doesn't have adware like a fresh Windows 10 copy does . Windows has a lot of good things too being the main platform applications are developed on, having support for upgradable hardware, having way more hardware options, and being generally cheaper.

Indeed. With the exception of the Surface line and the Razer Blade, most Windows laptops are filled with proprietary crapware and OEM trialware that you won't use. I mean who needs a 30 day trial of McAfee Live Safe? I haven't seen a trackpad in Windows laptops that can come close to the multi-touch trackpad of a MacBook. When it comes to video editing, Premieres Pro might have more features but not even maxed out rig with an i7-6700K and 32GB memory can beat export and rendering times of Final Cut Pro X on a MacBook Pro.