If we were to talk about computers one year ago, I'd scoff at the idea of me owning a Mac computer. If we were to talk about computers six months ago, I'd laugh and say owning a Mac computer is an awful idea. But now that I am older and much more experienced in the world, I've come to the realization that Macs are changing the game and taking over the world by storm. I have come to see the value in owning a MacBook Pro and really enjoy using one over all of the PC laptops I've had. Here are six reasons I made the swap to MacBooks.
1. They're an investment.
It's no secret that MacBooks are crazy expensive. Even older models have a high retaining value and can cost a pretty penny. What do you get out of paying so much for a laptop? Longevity. Over the past five years I ran through a Toshiba laptop and an HP laptop. Both of them are in horrible operating condition, though I make sure to take care of my machines. They were great computers for me when they were running up to speed, but those days of decent computing were gone after about a year. Battery problems, stuck keys, and dead pixels plagued the devices after a mere year and a half each on basic computing. I wasn't trying to be the next Bill Gates, I was just trying to write some essays and laugh at YouTube videos. Meanwhile, my neighbor was using the exact same MacBook Air for four years with no problems, and the only reason he doesn't use it now is because it was a loaner, provided by his private school.
2. Gaming isn't a problem, and it won't be in the future.
I was sure I was going to need a good, strong Windows-based laptop because I was going to game. League of Legends, Smite, Overwatch, you name it, I was going to play it. Those Alienware laptops looked nice, maybe I'd snag one of them. However, when the last PC gaming I did was a year and a half ago of intermittent League of Legends with no intent to return, I decided it wasn't fair to make this a point. Plus, with the surge of popularity Apple machines are making, developers are starting to cater to the Mac market and create games that can run on the OS X platform.
3. Customization is limited in both spheres.
In the same vein as gaming, I knew I wanted a computer I could customize. Macs are all-in-one machines, and if one part stops working, you're looking at buying a whole new machine. That idea repulsed me; why in the world would I shell out so much more money when all it takes to fix is a quick replacement of one or two parts? The problem with this logic is that PC laptops are largely the same way. Sure, you can upgrade some aspects of a PC laptop, such as popping in a little more RAM, but most PC laptops are all-in-one machines as well, and that's how I had been treating my earlier laptops.
4. OS X's updates are not painfully annoying.
I hated Windows' system for updating. At least twice a week my HP would push a notification saying it had an update ready to be installed. I delayed each update as long as possible until the computer forced itself to update. It's not that I didn't want my computer running well or locating bugs, it's that the computer was constantly stopping to "update" a program that didn't need fixing. There was nothing wrong with my machine one week after it performed a gigabyte-large update, but by golly did the HP think it needed one. I've had one update on my MacBook since buying it, and that update took 10 minutes. The machine is running perfectly fine and smoothly.
5. Apple products are interconnected.
When I first got my MacBook, a close friend of mine told me that since I had an iPhone, the MacBook would be a seamless transition and as if both machines were one device. He was right. All of my bookmarks, notes, and iMessages from my phone instantly transferred over as soon as I logged in with my Apple ID. I have a bad habit of thinking I got a text from someone and checking my phone only to find it's empty. Now if I'm working on my laptop and get an iMessage, my MacBook gets the message and I can answer the text without missing a beat. It truly is a nice little perk that seems arbitrary and pointless, but it's a nice and enjoyable perk.
6. Apple products can run Windows.
It's true, if I were to grow tired of working with OS X and wanted to run Windows for any reason, I can download it on my Mac and get right back to work.
While I still feel Windows has the edge in the desktop market, there's no doubting Apple is taking over the laptop market and making a statement in how consumers should go about owning a portable computer.
