I'm Switching To Mac After a Lifetime of Windows

For my entire life, I've been not only a Windows user but a MacOS hater. I've loved Mac hardware but I could never get past the annoying limitations of their software. All of that changed when I bought the new M1 MacBook Pro

The M1 MacBook Pro is the first laptop I've ever used that actually feels like it can do everything. It's the best laptop I've ever owned by far, but it's also the first laptop that feels like it can truly be a desktop replacement. In my office, I have it connected to a ton of peripherals and dual 4k monitors with a single Thunderbolt cable via the Sandisk Pro Dock 4. Although I've dealt with years of unreliable thunderbolt docks and dongles, this one actually works reliably. 

No matter how many applications and web browsers I open, the laptop does not slow down. I can't notice any significant difference in performance compared to my top-of-the-line Windows PC, and shockingly, when it's under load, it's actually quieter than my desktop as well. Almost all of the applications that I'm used to on my PC work the exact same on the Mac. 

As expected, the hardest part about moving over to a Mac was getting used to the operating system, but the laptop was so compelling as a machine that I wanted to like it, and I was willing to put up with the frustration to learn the software. Some aspects of MacOS are infuriating to me, and there are certain things that Windows clearly does better, but the conveniences of this machine easily outweigh the annoyances for me. 

In the past, I had to build a massive custom computer to get the performance I needed, but now that I can get similar performance from a quiet, small laptop, desktops feel a bit silly. Having a gigantic, heat-producing box with RGB lights and multiple spinning fans next to my desk feels archaic to me now.

In the past, it felt like Windows desktops were miles ahead of Macs, but now, with Apple's new in-house chips, it feels like Apple has made a giant leap forward. If you're a lifetime Windows user like me, it may be worth giving Macs one more chance. 

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Lee Morris is a professional photographer based in Charleston SC, and is the co-owner of Fstoppers.com

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36 Comments

Hey Lee,
you can get normal text messages on your Mac (and all other apple devices):
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/messages/icht8a28bb9a/mac

And then they will automatically be filled in into PayPal/bankaccoun/ebay and so on

The other great feature linked to this is being able to 'copy' on one device then 'paste' on another with the same iCloud account.

this is a total game changer for me. Copy/paste from every to every device.I was a windows user as well and struggle with some of the same topics as Lee is mentioning in the video. Most I have figured out. One thing that also blew my mind (sounds for sure silly to long time Apple users) is a reinstallation of an M1 Mac. Just holding the power button and choosing reinstall, without loosing any data and without setting up anything afterwards was is just plain magic when you come from a windows system. There was NOTHING I had to do after about 30 minute of installation. All looked like before, with every tiniest setting or installed app.

Yeah, I use Windows at work and sure enough its a very good OS, but my life at home is so much better using Mac OS. I don't even have to use a Mouse on my laptop because the trackpad is so good and intuitive. I even use it for brushing masks into my photos.

Couldn't agree more. Former Mstf, lifelong Windows advocate. But as I got more into travel vlogging and photography, the cost and frustrating experiences became too much. Still getting used to the UX for "simple" tasks like moving files around, but my M1 is a rock solid performer. Thanks for sharing!

I really never use the dock. Use Spotlight (Command+Spacebar) as an application launcher, just type the first few letters of the app... Use Command+Tab to cycle through open applications and use the 'Mission Control' key to see all open windows on all monitors including the different desktops at the top. Lots of great things to discover in Mac OS!

I think the issue is that you have been, as you describe, a 'Mac hater'. Once you hate something it is hard to be rational about judging it.
I tossed away my last Windows based machine in 1992 and have been on Mac ever since. The entire infrastructure of their IT has been so far ahead of anyone else for 30 years that there has been no need to change. Don't forget, they introduce the first real smart phone, the first real smart tablet, integration across a common data set with iCloud and I have never, in 30 years, had a hardware failure on any of my Mac computers, desktop or hardtop
I am sure you will be very happy as a convert

Gotta laugh at this one. I’ve used both platforms in my career. Windows is great for business apps, Mac is great for DTP, photography and video editing. PS was written for Mac, and has always run better on the Mac OS.

Mark, I have no idea where you got the idea that Photoshop was designed specifically for a Mac. Adobe wrote Photoshop for the operating systems that could handle it which included Sun Microsystems' Solaris and Silicon Graphics IRIX as well as Microsoft Windows. In the late 1990's I used Photoshop on three platforms, Mac OS System 7.5, Windows NT 4.0 and Solaris 2.5 SPARC.

Photoshop debuted as a Mac exclusive when it first launched: https://www.cultofmac.com/685433/today-in-apple-history-photoshop-debuts...

And yet Adobe ported Photoshop to three different platforms in the 1990's. What might have started out as an "exclusive" did not stay that way for long. The UNIX workstation market was heating up and software vendors who had graphics applications were making sure that UNIX customers could use them. Adobe lost interest in UNIX versions when Linux started to eat the lunch of workstation vendors such as Sun, IBM, HP, SGI and DEC.

DTP? What is this, 1991?

Every app I used is cloud based - so why would a PC, which has a 6 step screen grab process, be good for anything over a mac?

6 steps? Really?

Prnt-scrn - Copy to clipboard.
Windows + Print-scrn - Save to file.
Alt + Print-scrn - Copy active window.
Windows + Shift + S - Copy a specific portion of the screen (draw a box).

You can also use Snipping Tool.

Whoah, I didn't know about the Windows + Shift + S method. Thanks! :D

Actually, it is my understanding that Adobe had to remove the shake reduction filter from the latest version of Photoshop because it wasn't compatible with the platform required by the M1 chip. I mistakenly upgraded to the latest version of Photoshop but had to quickly revert back to the older version. This filter is just too invaluable. I now can't do any further upgrades until Adobe figures out how to fix the M1 platform problem. My information comes from an Adobe forum not monitored by Adobe.

Patiently waiting for the "Why waste your money on a Mac, I can build my own faster and cheaper computer"

Those days are over.

Kind of like ‘why I switched to Sony’ but laptops

In any FINDER window, if you click on the name of that folder or HHD.SSD, holding down the COMMAND key lets you navigate as many levels as you want. You can move files/folders to another window by dragging them over the <> arrows (active depending on what level of a folder you are at).

In the SAVE box, the file name that is a pop up menu and you can quick navigate to any folder including at the bottom, the most recent folders.

On that subject, you can jump to any item at any folder content by typing the first letter or type fast the name of the file if you know there's dozen that start with W for example. In the FINDER, you also TAB through folders and then use keyboard commands for many functions. The 4 keys at the bottom left of the keyboard bring up a lot of shortcuts (you can modify some of them).

Good video.

Great video, I too was a life long pc user who just go the MBP. For me it was the performance per watt, how long it runs on battery. being able to edit on a long flight on battery is amazing. Up until the M1 chip I saw no benefit of a Mac . It is just a tool, not a religion.

As someone who has used most platforms, completely agree with this.. i love Mac and love the Apple eco-system that links in with it, but the religious tribalism that accompanies tech is straight up annoying. Its no different for cameras and games consoles though is it, lets be honest.

I use both Mac and Windows. I can't see that either is any better than the other. I have an M1 Mac running the latest OS, next to my Core I9 Windows 11 PC - I jump back and forth between the two (I use the PC for Lightroom/Photoshop) and the Mac for DaVinci Resolve). But, mostly I use the PC.

Curious, why not use them all on the Mac?

Or all on the PC? I find that I'm more productive on Windows. I do have LR/PS on the Mac, just find I use it more on the PC. I started using Windows with Windows 2.0, so I have a long background with it.

The reason I got the Mac wasn't photography related, I use it to compile iOS code from my Windows machine (in C#). I have a 32" curved Dell monitor on the Mac and a 27" BenQ on the PC (which is hardware color corrected, unlike the Dell).

In the exact same boat. My 12 core AMD now sits under my desk, silent, off.

I use both platforms. I do Blender, 3Ds Max and UNreal on my i9 RTX PC; FCPX, DaVinci Resolve, and Adobe on my M1 Pro.

Drink every time you hear awesome and first time. 🤓

This may be a ´boomer´ comment, but I´ll stick to Windows greatly because I do not wish to learn a new OS after over 20 years of using Windows. It just takes too much time.

The only thing I wish I had a Mac for is because I am an iphone user and indeed, the file transferring process from Iphone to Windows is excrutiating.

Honestly, I feel like others make it sound worse than it is. I've used a PC my entire life (42 yrs old), and switched over to Mac for the first time ever at Christmas with the new MacBook (I ditched a 1.5yr old custom built PC because the laptop is more powerful for video editing and I wanted to be mobile). Yes, there's somethings that obviously don't work the same as PC, but it's easier than ever to just Google something or watch a YT video about it to remedy something. And the upside is huge, especially if you have an iPhone. At least in my case, I highly doubt I'll go back to a PC for quite a while because there's so many little conveniences that really start to add up, which have really added to my productivity this year.

Nah, most of the OS is copied from Mac anyway so the change would take you no time to adjust

With all respect, learning something new is probably the healthiest thing one can do when older. Whether it be a computer system or a musical instrument, one needs to keep those brain gears spinning.

Lee Morris you can get messages sent from Android and copy pase codes...you have to have all you iMessages from phone and computer linked on your account to appera on you laptop. Now, that may be a limitation of your Telcos carrier as well...but here in canada everyone can chat easily together and yes you can images too.

I'm a PC gamer but I admit I've been tempted by one of these new Macs for mobile use and editing photos.

I've thought about purchasing a mac and every few years when I'm ready to upgrade my desktop, I consider it. I always come up with the same conclusion: for the same money as a Mac, I can buy a PC that is loaded with more hard drive space, more RAM, a faster processor, better video cards, more ports (usb, usb-c, etc), more add ons (like dvd-rw, built-in SD card readers, RGB lighting) and just... more. I'm into keyboards like the IBM Model M or DIY builds with Cherry MX switches -- this is a PC thing. I've also heard the argument that a Mac lasts longer but once you build a PC with enough horsepower and boot off of an SSD or NVME, I've found they can last at least 6 or 7 years before they noticeably slow down. Lastly, an ATX PC tower allows you to modify and repair your rig and I bet that not one of you mac users have ever repaired your mac or done much if anything to upgrade or add to it. I've had to repair my PC power supply once and it was quite easy and cheap to swap out the old part with a new part from newegg.

That being said, I believe the following to be true:

Macs are beautiful machines
Macs are less likely to get viruses
Macs have better support at Apple Stores
Macs have better resale value
While PC hardware issues are easier to diagnose and fix, when a mac software issue does arise, it's easier to diagnose and fix.

Also, from the comments, it seems that there's a lot of you out there that are really zealous fans of the mac, particularly the macbook so maybe I'm missing something. I am considering getting my daughter an iMac so that we have at least one Mac in the house (and so I can try it out). Any thoughts out there?

your daughter won't want you snooping around her laptop, for fear that you'll see that she's really a Soviet spy

I don't get the "Hard to find apps on the dock" comment.. it literally shows you the name of the app when you hover over it.