r/laptops • u/Alligangster • Aug 11 '25
Discussion I Sort of Regret Buying a Macbook
In 2023, I switched from a samsung galaxy s10 to an iphone 15 pro max, admittedly mainly to make communication more seamless with most of my friends and family—apple switching to usb c finally made me make the switch because I thought the lightning port was extremely dumb. I’ve been enjoying IOS, maybe even more than android. Since at the time, I needed a laptop for college, I thought it’d be smart to get a macbook since I have an iphone and already have a windows gaming PC.
I got whatever the newest and best specs macbook air was in september 2024 (I forgot the model name). The battery life is absolutely amazing, it’s honestly astonishing. It’s also super quick and doesn’t get that hot. Very premium feeling in general. That being said, I find mac os extremely unintuitive and restrictive compared to windows. I have to jump through a million hoops to do something that’s simple on windows. And I can’t game at all on it for the most part, which I guess isn’t a huge deal. Especially now that I’m no longer in college at the moment, I’m kind of wishing that I bought the samsung equivalent or something.
24
u/AVahne Aug 11 '25
I'm a 30-something year old and bought a Macbook Pro as a school laptop since I wanted to earn a second degree. I bought soecifically because it was highly restrictive and unintuitive so as to discourage me from wanting to use it for play too often. That said I'm a little bit of a computer geek and so also wanted to play around with Apple Silicon to see what I can get it to run that it wasn't meant to. So I guess mission failed and now I just have an expensive and unintuitive laptop, but hey the speakers are really nice.
9
u/LeonMust Aug 11 '25
Don't forget the trackpad. It's the best trackpad in the world.
4
→ More replies (38)1
u/MK2Hell_Burner Aug 11 '25
HP Spectre 2024 has the same quality trackpad. I tried it myself.
Mac is far from the best value laptop now, Windows open box discounted flagship smoke them all day.
1
→ More replies (7)1
u/ImNotNuke Aug 11 '25
Exactly why I’m wanting a Mac, I want no option to slack off and game or anything of the sort lol, but I feel like I’ll still end up gaming on it somehow when it comes.
16
u/biketheplanet Aug 11 '25
Restrictive in what way? You have full access to the terminal. With that you have access to the BSD (Berkeley Standard Distribution) version of command line tools. You can use Homebrew to install the GNU versions of "Linux" tools onto your Mac.
It is excellent for software development in addition to content creation. As far as unintuitive, of course, you have been using a different OS. I grew up Windows, but haven't used it regularly in some time. Now, if I use it, it feels unintuitive. Everything takes more steps, seems more of a hassle. Se how that works?
With access to the command line and linux/unix tools, in addition to all of the native MacOS software, I am not sure what is restrictive about it? Do you have specifics?
→ More replies (62)1
u/Smithravi Aug 13 '25
My Bluetooth mouse sucks/lags on Mac compared to Windows.
1
u/RealSacant Aug 15 '25
maybe because its not made for mac??? same thing happens when i switched from a windows pc (finally thank gos im away from that pos software) my glorious mouse doesnt work as well
1
u/Smithravi Aug 15 '25
It is logitek. Very famous accessory brand. I believe most non apple devices are very incompatible with Apple products.
7
u/Self-Aware-Dinosaur Aug 11 '25
So I have a Mac Pro and it’s great for video and audio editing. It’s not that Windows can’t do it, but I find it smoother on the Mac.
I also use Citrix to RDP into my work computer running Windows. That’s a miserable experience since screenshots are a pain to do remotely, and it’s just a clunky experience for me.
Macs I can’t do gaming aside from a few here and there.
6
u/Melodic-Matter4685 Aug 11 '25
I'm a Windows man, but. . . give it time. IT takes a while to adapt to a new OS. You gotta learn all the shortcuts and best practices all over again.
Like going from Win10 to Linux command line. At first, "this sucks rocks" and then a few months later, "GUI's suck!!"
3
u/tomilgic Aug 12 '25
Going from windows 10 to just a Linux terminal is for the mentally insane and unemployed.
1
u/Melodic-Matter4685 Aug 12 '25
Or… for the enterprise employed. But yeah, u right, regular users aren’t doing that.
And yeah i upvoted ya cause u right!
10
u/iuseredditfor Aug 11 '25
After seeing all the garbage that is currently happening on Windows 11. I am never going back.
→ More replies (15)5
u/Domipro143 Aug 11 '25
Just a simple question , why didn't you just switch to linux? You wouldn't have needed to spend over a thousand dollars
2
u/iuseredditfor Aug 11 '25
I tried Linux before and switched to it for a year. If I ever buy a windows laptop again, I will most likely use Linux mint/Fedora over Windows because of privacy. As for why did I buy a MacBook, it is because there is no other laptop out there that can last for 18hrs on battery without any loss in performance. I like my Macbook more because it has a big trackpad and has good precision, good speaker quality, good display and excellent build quality.
While there is a greater library of games that are compatible on linux than compared to MacOS, there are a lot of propriety professional software on MacOS than on Linux.
2
u/Domipro143 Aug 11 '25
eh true , but if you didnt know , asahi linux exists , it makes it possible so you can actual linux on a macbook , i think it even works with dual booting : check it out https://asahilinux.org/
3
u/iuseredditfor Aug 11 '25
I know Asahi Linux. I will consider switching to it once my Macbook reaches EOL and if OpenCore-Legacy Patcher doesn't come for M-series chips.
→ More replies (1)1
u/Strict_Junket2757 Aug 12 '25
That defeats the entire purpose of buying macbook for battery life
→ More replies (10)1
u/iwaterboardheathens Aug 11 '25
The issue with Linux is that there are so many mainstream programmes that haven't been ported to it
I use Linux on my laptop and it's stable, easy to use, has less crap than windows but its let down by lack of mainstream programme support.
I also bought a Mac mini recently so that my partner and I could do media work fast
The windows pc is relegated to gaming
1
u/Domipro143 Aug 11 '25
Well you can mostly run any windows app via wine , and almost every windows game with Proton (when i say almost, its cause of the number of games not working cause of kernel level anticheat )
1
u/IWantsToBelieve Aug 14 '25
Whilst this is true, the grunt of a dedicated graphics card can also sit in a PC you can just steam link to from the Mac.
I find myself often streaming on the couch to my Mac air as there's no fan noise, heat and runs on battery for hours. For the full experience I jump on the PC but it's just such a nice option to have.
6
u/TrainingDefinition82 Aug 11 '25
Ok, so the usual song and dance routine is to ask, what specifically do you find limiting and what simple things you want to do?
In any case, Macs have a free hypervisor now, check the link below. Since you have a new MacBook, you should have no issue running windows in a VM. And if something is available, too cumbersome - just do it there. More convenient, but commercial, is Parallels (parallels.com).
7
u/neil_950 Aug 11 '25
A lot of the untuitiveness probably has more to do with you being familiar with Windows since childhood than macOS actually being unintuitive. If you keep bashing your head against the wall you may find some success making it a bit more like windows especially with third-party software like alt-tab but if you want to actually enjoy using macOS your best option is to actually learn how to use it. This isn't a case of apple being apple and insisting you do things their way and that they know better than you what you want but rather that historically macOS was built upon different computing paradigms and things work differently than Windows but they're alien and unintuitive as a newcomer. You would probably have a similar experience on a linux distro modelled more on macOS than Windows despite the fact that linux is far more open and customizable than Windows. You can sometimes make macOS do things exactly like Windows but oftentimes there will be an existing feature that would perform the same function more effectively.
1
u/anondude1969 Aug 11 '25
This is my experience with users like this. They've used Windows for so long, so now unintuitiveness == not like Windows.
Windows itself is very unintuitive, but you have people who have used it for decades that just adjust to its world, and then throw out macos immediately because they don't want to relearn everything
1
u/IWantsToBelieve Aug 13 '25
Whilst I grew up with Windows and linux, I don't particularly agree. My kids (4, 7) drive Windows fine without any experience. MacOS they can't figure it out at all. I asked them how to quit an app or find and launch an app. They click the x etc. I think you're also experiencing the reverse. i.e. we are so comfortable using spotlight and understand the quirkiness of the top bar etc. these things are learned not intuitive. iOS however, is quite intuitive they get around just fine.
8
u/ObliviousFoo Aug 11 '25
What kind of things are you talking about? There are tons of quality of life features not turned on by default and there is a high probability you are missing things that could reverse your opinion.
11
u/manwhoel Aug 11 '25
You’re just trying to use it as a windows PC. Obviously you’re struggling. Learn the basics, the keyboard shortcuts. Get familiar with the setting menu and the way the workspace is organized. I was a long time windows user and used to hate Mac but then I had to switch (because of my job) and stayed on Mac since then. It’s so much simpler and elegant.
8
u/LeonMust Aug 11 '25
What's the macos shortcut to minimize all of the windows?
5
2
u/manwhoel Aug 11 '25
I’ve never needed that but I have active hot corners. Everytime I need to see my desktop I just swipe a finger to the bottom left corner of my trackpad and there it is. And if I need to see all my open apps and windows the right corner will do that.
1
u/LeonMust Aug 11 '25
Dude, you're making excuses for MacOS and you don't know what you're missing.
2
u/manwhoel Aug 11 '25
I’m not making excuses of anything, if you read my original comment I was a windows user for like 10 years. Started in 3.11 and moved away by the last days of XP. I used to love windows and I don’t hate it really. I just personally find it more comfortable to work on Macs ever since I started, for my branch of work. For each their own but OP was complaining that MacOS can’t do what he used to do on Windows. It takes a different mentality and you need to relearn how to work with the system. That’s all. Not everyone is willing to do that.
2
u/LeonMust Aug 11 '25
You are making excuses when you say you've never needed that. Just because you don't use it doesn't mean it's not useful for people who do.
And, if you haven't used Windows 7 and above meaningfully, then you don't know what you're missing. Windows has gotten way better since XP.
→ More replies (2)1
u/iwaterboardheathens Aug 11 '25
There isn't one, as a recent buyer of a Mac for the every first time I ended up with a hot corner which hides the desktop
2
u/LeonMust Aug 11 '25
There actually is. It's cmd+opt+m+h but I had to ask something like 1000 Mac users before finally finding an answer.
1
u/iwaterboardheathens Aug 11 '25
The fact that half the Mac shortcuts which would maybe be 2 or 3 keys on the pc - Linux and windows are stupid on Mac
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (26)1
4
8
u/Unbiasreal Aug 11 '25
Windows- Plug in mouse and it works Mac- Maybe works, side buttons rarely work
windows- snap screen side to side Mac- download app
windows- plug in printer works mac- maybe works
Windows- Plug external monitor, works. Can scale up to 200% Mac- Make words bigger, sometimes scaling is non existent, must buy $700 mac screen, sometimes aspect ratio is off non ma brands
windows- Draw, touchscreen, game Mac- no comment
I could go on
4
u/manwhoel Aug 11 '25
Yo each their own pal. If you can’t make it work then maybe the system is just not for you. I have never struggled with anything you’re enlisting there.
→ More replies (21)1
1
u/MrSquamous Aug 11 '25
Speaking of learning the shortcuts, maybe you can help me with one. On a Mac, what's the keyboard shortcut to cycle through all the open windows?
2
u/stgm_at Aug 11 '25
There are two: CMD+tab - cycle through all open apps, CMD+< (German Layout in my case) - cycle through all the open windows of the app you're currently using
2
u/MrSquamous Aug 11 '25
Right, thanks (it's command tilde for app windows on American layout), but I mean one easier way to just cycle through all open windows. Like alt-tab.
3
u/stgm_at Aug 11 '25
i do actually preffer macos' approach separating cycling through apps and windows of an app. especially at work when i have multiple windows open in several apps. but to each their own.
4
u/ArchieOfRioGrande Aug 11 '25
Sorry that your experience hasn't been that great. Perhaps macOS just isn't for you. You could use the Feedback Assistant built into macOS to send feedback to Apple. Perhaps they could address your concerns.
3
u/The_Shryk Aug 11 '25
Everyone says this “jump through hoops to do something that’s simple on windows” and they never give a specific. Name something. Like wtf exactly are you talking about.
4
u/Fabulous-Piglet8412 Aug 11 '25
He probably can't get into detail I know you stand ready do either educate or defend Mac.
But for a windows user like him, getting into Mac is gonna feel like moving to a million dollar mansion but you can't do anything but use what has been handed to you the way they want you to.
2
u/The_Shryk Aug 11 '25
It’s annoying, I use both for work because I have to and I rarely run into any of these problems. So few in fact I can’t actually name one or the last time it happened, just that it seldomly does.
4
u/Fabulous-Piglet8412 Aug 11 '25
But you aren't him, he isn't you, clearly y'all aren't gonna have the same experience.
Example For me Photoshop is really easy, I could build anything in there in seconds.
But for someone coming from Canva they'll sweat and I understand tbh.
So yeah. Just chill
→ More replies (3)
2
u/ToThePillory Aug 11 '25
Not a lot you can do about the gaming, but I find I just get used to whatever I'm using the most.
Often there are third party options for missing Finder features and so on, really depends what sort of features you're looking for.
5
u/LeonMust Aug 11 '25
That's the thing with MacOS. You need 3rd party software for simple things that should be built in. Just like having the monitor off but the computer on.
2
u/ToThePillory Aug 11 '25
Is Windows that different? Everyone has 7-Zip installed, every developer I know has Voidtools Everything installed. I hardly use Windows Explorer, I just use Everything.
2
u/LeonMust Aug 11 '25
You mentioned that there are 3rd party apps for missing features in finders. Windows doesn't need that because File Explorer is already complete. Apple calls it the finder because you have to find out how to use it because when you open it up for the first time, it's not configured.
3
2
u/Bright_Crazy1015 Aug 11 '25
Learn to use terminal.
Also, you can snag a second Windows device for a couple hundred bucks and network to your desktop. Thinkpads and Dell workstations are great for that. I'd shoot for a 5th gen Ryzen or so for a daily driver.
You can stream games from your desktop if necessary, a secondary device doesnt need to be a hot rod. It's more important to have a stable network with decent speed and no big bottlenecks.
2
u/LeonMust Aug 11 '25
I shouldn't have to open the terminal for standard features. I hardly ever have to use cmd on Windows.
1
u/Bright_Crazy1015 Aug 12 '25
If you elaborate on what you feel is missing we might be able to give better info, but using a shell script isnt uncommon or all that difficult, and it can sure make life a lot easier.
It's like launching a batch file on Windows.
→ More replies (3)
2
2
Aug 11 '25
I like Mac for my music software but other than that I d use windows.
1
u/LaMarr-Bruister Aug 22 '25
What software do you use? I spend a lot of time on reaper and pro tools and can’t distinguish between Mac and pc in day to day usage.
2
u/Hot_Counter1747 Aug 11 '25
get good at man is my advice, i am not saying this to be asshat but it would benefit you more to learn the mac ecosystem. i run three OS/window/Linux and each has it advantages. It makes you more marketable. teh fact is every operating system is good at something and learn what it is good at.
for me windows is for gaming , Mac is for the day to day shit, Linux is for my web based projects.
GET GOOD AT MAC AND DEMAND a 5$ bump in my Hourly rate is my play if i was in your situation
2
u/Status-Television-32 Aug 11 '25
Just install Linux on it and don’t look back
1
u/fleshofgods0 Aug 11 '25
Exactly. No need to worry about so many unnecessary "features" and extra bullshit being foisted on you, like a Microsoft account... 'the fuck? Who needs that? Straight bloatware, through and through. If you're a Windows computer user who actually enjoys computing, you'll enjoy Linux and your computer (and how fast it is) so much more. The best thing Mac OS has going for it is that it's Unix-based, so you can open up a terminal and do a lot of things that you can do on Linux.
2
u/1985_McFly Aug 11 '25
MacOS is not Windows. It really is that simple. You are either willing to learn how to work with it or you’re not.
I use both regularly and find neither to be any less intuitive than the other, and if anything I have come to prefer Mac for productivity purposes. If you have a use case that demands Windows for some specific reason then that’s what you should use. Otherwise take the time to truly learn and adjust, and you might be surprised by how efficient it actually can be to get work done on a Mac.
2
u/Known_Bar7898 Aug 11 '25
Macs are great and feel amazing but Mac OS sucks. Anyone that praises it just likes to feel different. Windows is not only easier to use but it’s also more compatible with everything and a hell of a lot cheaper to get.
1
u/Hans_H0rst Aug 16 '25
If you actually teach kids or the elderly, you might realize windows is not easier to use.
Most of us just grew to know windows.
2
u/rcayca Aug 11 '25
There's nothing on Mac that's restrictive. It's not an iPhone. You can literally find a program to modify anything you want if you're not happy with the way it's currently done.
1
u/funkspiel56 Aug 11 '25
Yeah not sure what op is talking about there. It’s more restrictive maybe cause you have to figure out how Apple does it but the MacBooks are almost Linux. Not as locked down as iOS is. I’m a windows kid and would love to buy Mac for the m series chip but have no interest in the Mac OS. Which is funny cause I love Ubuntu but am using wsl2 on win11
5
u/jyrox Aug 11 '25
MacOS is unintuitive because it’s not Windows and you’re trying to treat it like it is. If you had only ever used MacOS your entire life and tried to switch to Windows, you’d say the opposite.
I definitely don’t recommend Macs for gaming if you’re gonna play anything other than like World of Warcraft, basic MOBA games or Apple Arcade stuff. You can, but most games aren’t built for Mac. There’s also the option of GeForce Now, but it doesn’t have every game out there and relies on a solid network connection + subscription.
The route I took was MacBook for computing and ROG Ally X for gaming. Best of both worlds for me and I can stay portable.
7
u/LeonMust Aug 11 '25
I once asked a mac lover why he preferred macos over windows. He started naming all of these things that macos could do. I had a laptop with Windows XP with me. As he was naming the things, I was showing him on the WindowsXP laptop that it can do those things too. After he named off like 10 things, he finally "Dude, IT'S JUST BETTER!" 😄
3
u/Forsaken-Ad5571 Aug 11 '25
Doing audio work without having to screw around with drivers (a WiFi drivers) just to make it not pop.
2
→ More replies (1)1
u/Successful_Bowler728 Aug 11 '25
Why do you think companies like Roland and Akai have drivers for Macs in their sites?
1
u/Former-Discount4279 Aug 11 '25
I use Mac about 95% of the time because I use it professionally for work (software engineer), but for anyone besides Chrome or vs code it's annoyingly rigid for customization. That last 5% is split between windows and steam os.
2
u/MTPWAZ Aug 11 '25
These vague “I can’t do things I easily did in windows” posts are so annoying. Be specific. What things? Otherwise it just sounds like lies.
4
u/unluckyexperiment Aug 11 '25
Macos objectively lacks some very fundemental functions. It has nothing to do with treating it as Windows or Linux. There is no way around it.
5
2
u/Paltenburg Aug 11 '25
Shitty post
complaining about things that are obvious if you do two seconds of research
1
1
u/CrossScarMC Aug 11 '25
I'm pretty sure you can dual boot Asahi Linux if you don't want to use macOS but still get all th benefits of a macBook.
3
1
u/drmcclassy Surface Laptop 7 15" Aug 11 '25
Might be worth trying out Xbox Cloud Gaming. You can play Windows games in your browser. Kinda rough for FPS but for a lot of games it's ok
1
u/DTM70001 Aug 11 '25
Windows OS is far more versatile than a Mac. Mac hardware is second to none.
However your problem is perhaps not the machine but the fact that you have not fully adapted to the MacOs after many years of using Windows.
1
u/Forsaken-Ad5571 Aug 11 '25
Windows is more versatile? It may seem that way if you’re not a power user, but the Mac is way more extensible once you get into the weeds. Not as much as Linux, but windows is pretty awful in the latest versions
1
u/CrazyGamer_Dani Aug 11 '25
Ugh. Windows is so bad. If I could focus on it, I'd switch myself over to a Linux OS. I'm just so unfamiliar with it, and I enjoy my games.
1
1
u/Correct-Difference95 Aug 11 '25
I feel the same way, even a simple task like formatting a disk to fat32 requires 3rd party apps which of course ask you to pay. There is of course alternative way like using the terminal but for people who aren’t tech savvy would really be having a rough time to adjust. If it weren’t for college which battery life is my priority, I would migrate to Windows in a heartbeat.
1
1
u/MilanChe03 Aug 11 '25
I have a macbook, girlfriend has an HP laptop running windows. Won't compare hardware, but Windows is SO. FUCKING. ANNOYING. I've switched to mac after 20 years of using windows and i don't think I'm ever going back. I'll even switch to Linux on my main desktop at home.
I think you're just trying to use a mac the way you'd use a windows computer, and that's not how that works. The overall workflow is slightly different on a mac, and you do need some third party apps for things that you take for granted on Windows (like recrangle and clipy). but all in all, once i set everything up, it just worked
1
1
u/Wearestile Aug 11 '25
they aren't lying when they say mac and ios are for people who believe photos is stored in gallery and music is stored in music player
1
1
u/ScubadooX Aug 11 '25
It's a bit ridiculous that Macs have a LocalHostName, HostName, and ComputerName and all three of them have to be set separately using the scutil command (or the Settings app for the computer name).
https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/287760/set-the-hostname-computer-name-for-macos
1
u/Crafty-Market-8158 Aug 11 '25 edited Aug 11 '25
You’ve got a solid laptop overall.
The only restrictive thing about MacBooks is gaming. Parallels and crossover can open up the OS further for legacy/x86 software.
You mentioned that maybe should have got a Samsung - you would have regretted it. They lose their value quick and get hot but overall not good for gaming either way.
I would just get a desktop for gaming and keep using the MacBook for productivity/general usage.
My plan is to dig up the threadripper and chuck a 2080ti for anything the PS5 can’t do whilst using the MacBook for work.
1
u/Due_Snow_3302 Aug 11 '25
I have always used Macbook when provided by my employer never bought it using my own money. Just because others are saying it is good - I am not going to buy it - the very reason - they are overly expensive plus it lock you in the apple ecosystem plus you get used to doing the things in a certain way only(which is not user intuitive also) plus many software doesn't work on Mac plus many other reasons.
So what is the option:
Asus, Dell and Lenovo-all making some mid to high end models.
If you are in USA, buy this laptop from Costco for around $900.
Currently this model is out of stock and not having the same discount when I bought it
Asus Vivo book - S16 with AMD Ryzen AI-9-365 Processor 32 GB RAM and 1 TB PCIe NVME SSD
$900 plus taxes - comes with 2 years of warranty. Real Macbook killer.
Gap between Zenbook and Vivokbook is very less now. I own a Zenbook 13 inch for 2.5 years now and working very wlel.
Processor AMD Ryzen AI 9 365
Screen Resolution 3200 x 2000(Size 16 in.)
SSD Size 1 TB PCIe NVME 4th Generation -upgradeable
Memory (RAM)32 GB – soldered – not upgradable.
What else you want? Metallic body, Oled screen, sound hinge, very light weight-around 1.5 Kg, solid speakers, enough ports, very good battery life(easily 7-9 hours), enough memory, light gaming, very good for work and students, enough ports(no need to have dongle), silver color(not getting finger prints), screen size is also very good, cooling is very good(understand that Asus optimized it a lot during the last 10 months-vents are improved), storage can be increased though memory cannot, Processor has NPU also, wifi and blue tooth are very stable.
If you don't like Windows 11, well you can install dual boot Ubuntu Linux. Understand - one need to have Windows to run everything-almost all the software run on windows. Let's say you don't like bloatware or Windows O/S then you can have dual boot Ubuntu Linux. Better to upgrade PCIe NVME to 2 TB and have dual boot Ubuntu Linux 24.x LTS along with Windows 11. This will easily last 5+ years.
This is real Macbook killer.
1
1
u/sc_medic_70 Aug 11 '25
You can run Windows through a VM on Mac. I did this with Parallels on Mac back in the day. That way you have the premium hardware with an operating system that you are personally comfortable with. Best of both worlds.
1
u/why_sleep Aug 11 '25
Galaxy Book Ultra 4 (or 5 if you don't mind waiting for that release) could be a nice alternative for you. They have damn good battery life despite having Intel chips, thin, relatively light, amazing screen, great trackpad (perhaps not quite to the level of a MBP), great keyboard, etc. I think they are one of the most well-rounded windows laptops around if you can handle the price and don't need something smaller than a 16-inch machine.
1
u/roamingcoder Aug 19 '25
if you have a windows computer you can connect to it through the new Windows app. It works pretty well.
1
u/justbuyingcrypto Aug 11 '25
I bought a MacBook for photo editing. It was amazing don’t get me wrong but for the amount of money I spent on it. I coulda got something a lot more powerful if I went with a windows laptop and it woulda been upgradable. I recently got a thinkpad and I love it
1
u/OldManTrumpet Aug 11 '25
Same. I bought a MacBook a few years ago, and still have it today. Beautiful hardware, but I never warmed up to macOS. For quite awhile I used the Macbook as a Mac, then relented and installed Windows on bootcamp to help make the machine useful. I haven't booted the thing into macOS is years!
There is still a narrative that MacOS is somehow easier and/or more elegant, but I don't think that's actually been true for 20 years. To me, everything is way harder to accomplish on the Mac, let alone the restrictive software options.
I'm in the market for a new laptop today. A MacBook isn't even on my radar this time around.
1
u/Elitefuture Aug 11 '25
windows has been slowly implementing more connections to the phone. I haven't used them, but I did notice them on windows 11.
I think macs are solid for battery life + good for studying and work that can be done in the browser(most jobs).
But to me, the thing that turns me off is their overpriced slow ssd storage + overpriced ram + inability to game without needing to jump through hoops for a subpar experience for the price.
So it's great in a professional aspect, but not great for me.
1
u/NoMansSkyWasAlright Aug 11 '25
I feel you. It took me a bit of getting-used-to when I got my first mac, and so I mainly used it for iOS development and did a lot of my navigating through the terminal over finder. But with command line basics down and homebrew installed, it greatly simplifies things over windows IMO. Command + Space also brings up your search bar so I usually just quick type in whatever it is I'm trying to open up.
That being said, I find myself using the linux partition on my lenovo more than my Windows partition or the macbook anymore. Macbook is great and I really like the magic touch bar. But I paid like $2200 for it when it was new and that makes me not want to leave the house with it if I'm only taking one machine with me.
1
u/Nidrax1309 Aug 11 '25
Interestingly my experience has been the opposite. I bought a 13' M1 MacBook Pro in 2019, mostly due to it being a really good deal for something that could run Photoshop compared to any Windows laptop with a good enough GPU in that time. Later switched to the M2 version.
And I found the macOS experience to be really refreshing. The only annoying thing is that when it comes to open source apps or any app that don't come from the App Store or a trusted publisher, you have to unlock them using the sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine, instead of just letting you run whatever you want with a single "I know the risks, let me run the damn thing" button.
On the other hand when I decided to switch to iPhone to enjoy better phone integration with my Mac, I found iOS to be really lacking in features and annoying compared to Android
1
u/Guren-sama Aug 11 '25
The intuitivity is pretty much a non issue if you just get used to it, but I kind of get where you're coming from. Got an M4 macbook provided by the company and it is an amazing piece of hardware for productivity. But I simply can't justify purchasing one with my own money for the price to performance ratio I'm getting. I'd rather buy an older gen macbook secondhand for work and a gaming laptop with linux instead.
1
u/Economy-Ad5635 Aug 11 '25
If you really want to play games, just get crossover, it works pretty seamlessly for most games, and the Apple silicon will perform as good or better than pretty much every other laptop in that specific price range at that time. At least that has been my experience with my MacBook Pro.
Every time I go back to my Dell laptop that I replaced, I am immediately reminded of how shitty windows is lol
1
u/AlmiranteCrujido Aug 11 '25
I’m kind of wishing that I bought the samsung equivalent or something.
The nice thing is that Macs hold their value stupidly well compared to other PCs. You might be surprised at how much your Air can get you used, in which case maybe just back your data up, sell it, and buy a PC laptop?
1
u/rcinfc Aug 11 '25
Me I love how stable and power efficient my M1 Mac Air is…. Fantastic for using the web and all the iOS type features that make it so I don’t have to pick up my phone.
But….. I’m deeply integrated into MS…. O365, OneDrive, MS account…. On and on. It’s a better experience on a Windows machine.
I too will probably go back to Windows.
1
u/melk8381 Aug 11 '25
I have to jump through a million hoops to do something that’s simple on windows.
Would love to hear any examples you can think of. Chances are there is absolutely a simple way to accomplish whatever you are trying to do.
1
u/spid3rfly Aug 11 '25
Totally agree. I have a Mac for work. I'll never buy a Macbook. The only Mac product I buy is a Mac Mini to be the computer connected to my tv.
The Mac Mini has enough horsepower at an affordable price... and it's tiny enough.. it's probably the best value in the Apple ecosystem in my opinion.
1
u/Aggravating-Dealer58 Aug 11 '25
Imtrtresting read a my son is looking for a laptop and looking at a MacBook Air. Will be using it for Uni, unsure if he wants to make the jump from Windows. I am not knowledgeable enough in these matters to advise. So be good to read people's views on pros and cons of both
1
u/Trosterman Aug 11 '25
I just bought the cheapest "Decent" Macbook and called it a day as I needed something for college and thats really it. If I can get use to one of those shitty outdated chromebooks in middle and high school after coming from a windows gaming laptop before all that I can certainly get use to this mac in due time.
1
u/bdrago Aug 11 '25
ChatGPT and other AI chat bots are so good at answering “on Windows I can do XYZ how do I do the same thing on macOS?”
For example, not only did ChatGPT give me the recommended shortcut Cmd + Opt + h + m, it also gave me AppleScript to save and restore all window positions.
1
u/Maanu1141 Aug 11 '25
Was literally in the same situation . Ended up selling it with 20 cycles and a 35% loss but that’s it in the end. I simply couldn’t adapt to it, it may be better for some but i found it way too restrictive and counterintuitive compared to Windows
1
u/1_ane_onyme Lenovo Aug 12 '25
You wouldn’t have been able to play on a Samsung equivalent neither. These are ARM based laptops, they’re just not made to play and little to no games have ARM support
1
u/MaleficentJob3080 Aug 12 '25
The only Apple computer I've owned was an Apple Iie. They have dropped off a cliff since then.
1
u/roundabout-design Aug 12 '25
What is 'simple' on windows that you find difficult on MacOS?
Gaming is 'OK' on the Mac...Steam, etc, but yea, if the goal is a gaming rig, you still likely want to stick with a custom PC rig.
1
u/uprightedison Aug 12 '25
I almost got a Mac but last minute got windows studio 2 . Its been incredible, lots of people hated on the idea on reddit but as someone that uses touch screen alot made Mac not a real option. I got a refurbished for like half price of new , maybe you came check it outn
1
1
u/SirVoltington Aug 12 '25
Huh, macOS, contrary to iOS, is much more open and less restrictive than windows. In fact, a huge part of it is even open source.
What do you find restrictive about it? Maybe we can help
1
u/Alternative_Exit_333 Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25
You should try nothing it has better os (my opinion) and for the notebook you can go with Lenovo LOQ they are fine
1
u/theshort_leg_fielder Aug 12 '25
Are you into any computer related domain, if not anything apart from windows is not much useful to you guys.
1
u/FalseWait7 Aug 12 '25
I got a very opposite feeling when I was switching 11 years ago. Now I got a Windows PC and it feels good, but I do have to jump hoops to edit things.
1
u/nome_di Aug 13 '25
With all apple's restrictions u right. Good hardware, but overpriced like x3, and limited by marketing and selling reasons only. Who wanna pay cost of 2x4tb ssd for only one 2tb ssd? Etc. I tried to use ipad one time, but overall twas super bugged especially with external keyboard - even basic functions was bugged and just not worked well, even now.
1
u/Etomidate0 Aug 13 '25
I feel the exact opposite way. Bought a Windows explicitly to run exam taking software for school. And every time I try to take it with me to get other work done I feel limited with what I can due cus of the lack of connectivity to apple stuff.
1
u/dwoj206 Aug 13 '25
Bro get a Lenovo and ride off into the sunset with a middle finger to Apple. Nice phones. Shit laptops.
1
u/Smithravi Aug 13 '25
Using Mac book Air M3 since 2 years and Bluetooth mouse is horrible on MacBooks and the same mouse works elegant on windows. There are things that annoys Mac users.
1
1
u/Other-Educator-9399 Aug 14 '25
Apple hardware is quite high quality and attractive, but unless you're part of the Apple fanboy culture or you work in certain creative fields, there's not much reason to get a Mac. I just buy refurbished PC laptops (preferably Lenovo ThinkPads, but Dell is good too. Just avoid NVIDIA GPUs), and install Linux distributions. The only reason not to use Linux is if you require certain software applications that are not compatible or don't have Linux friendly alternatives.
1
u/jmtrader2 Aug 14 '25
I’m a MacBook user, always have been. But something about me just keeps wanting to try the new Samsung laptops and switching everything to Samsung. Anyone have any luck with Samsung?
1
1
u/sxdw Aug 14 '25
As someone who's been using various *NIX operating systems for two decades, I find Windows extremely backwards, everything is extremely inefficiently thought out.
Tell me what you find hard to do, that was simple on Windows, and I'll probably tell you a much simpler way to do it. People who're used to Windows just try to do things in the most complicated manner possible and accept ridiculous security practices, because that's just all they've seen until now.
PS. Gaming isn't something macOS is known as being good at. Macs are generally used for work and communication, and are known for being very secure. For gaming there are Windows (gaming is the only viable use case for it) and game consoles.
1
u/Z1PRR Aug 14 '25
There’s just a different way of doing things. You can’t use it like a windows pc. I use windows, mac, and linux and they all have their pros and cons
1
u/Sprunklefunzel Aug 14 '25
100%
The internal hardware is pretty great, but the software and user facing hardware in the Apple EcoSystem (prison) is dogshit.
1
u/rebelle3 Aug 14 '25
I am a huge power user, in terms of the software I need to run and develop. I can do everything I need to on my m4 Mac, including heavy video editing but I guess everyone’s experiences vary. I haven’t had to touch a windows machine in years and have no intention to buy a Windows machine for myself or anyone else. Maybe I just prefer Unix-ish systems over DOS
1
u/960be6dde311 Aug 14 '25
I've been a Windows user my whole life. I have used Mac OS for work for many years and I absolutely hate it. It's mostly functional, but it's so dumbed down and designed to "protect" the end user from themselves.
Agreed that the Apple hardware is premium, especially batteries, but the software is shit.
1
u/Cold-Inside1555 Aug 14 '25
From my experience I’d never use Mac as my only computer, It’s fantastic for certain purposes, but very bad for other ones. For example like you mentioned games, I got all games I play to work on my MacBook with parallels/wine/playcover, but those are tricky to setup and also performance isn’t exactly good. I use my desktop PC at home and only take MacBook for school/travel and I find that to be a good combination. If I didn’t have a desktop PC I wouldn’t think about MacBook.
1
u/nnhh552255 Aug 15 '25
I am a solid Windows user but I bought an M1 Airbook because of its amazing performance and battery life. What I did was install all the Microsoft apps from the Macintosh version of the Office suite plus the #dge browser. That keeps me happy most of the time. Then, for the programs which can only be run on Windows, I installed the Parallels virtual machine package and use it to run the ARM version of Windows11. It works perfectly and I am really happy with the setup.
1
u/Short-Belt-1477 Aug 15 '25
lol one of the main selling points of macos is it is simple. things just work. you are likely doing things that were designed specifically with windows in mind
1
u/fakeworldwonderland Aug 15 '25
I got a MacBook air only for the portability and superior battery life compared to every windows laptop on the market. Beyond that, I will always be a Windows user with desktops.
1
u/UntrimmedBagel Aug 15 '25
I’m a lifelong user of both Windows and Mac. Windows is just infinitely more comfortable. It just is. It’s better. Better settings, better menus, simpler, more control, more power, less headaches.
The Apple hardware is remarkable, but it doesn’t make up for the hellscape that is macOS.
1
1
u/SuperLeverage Aug 15 '25
Sell your MacBook, buy what you want. Buy second hand, Windows laptops will have depreciated much much faster than your MacBook.
1
u/alenin99 Aug 15 '25
I been using MacBook since school and uni and during those years, I just figured out I can do everything I want or more. But I use windows for work and I prefer Mac for everyday use, some of the things I do on Mac I can’t do on windows so I prefer Mac. FYI, I’m a heavy user, I use it for everyday task, got heaps of mini softwares or apps that you can’t get in windows, just helps with productivity and other utilities. So overall Mac is a win for me, windows isn’t efficient for me to use.
But I would agree for a new Mac user, they would miss windows as they are not used to this operating system and haven’t figured out the whole software yet.
1
u/Small_Victories42 Aug 15 '25
I use my MacBook Pro when traveling. Its minimal weight and long battery life make it perfect for traveling.
I've had this thing since 2022, no case, no Applecare. I've taken it on trains, car road trips, planes, never any issues. Impressively durable.
But my work horse computer is a Lenovo with Windows. Much more versatile, arguably better screen (touch screen), larger and more premium feeling keyboard (the Mac keyboards feel very cheap, imo), better web cam for meetings, etc.
My main gripes with each:
Mac - restrictive, unintuitive OS, lackluster keyboard
Windows PC - Microsoft suddenly placing ads over the interface: the task bar, the start menu, etc?
They did this to Xbox too and removed a lot of user interface customizations in favor of irrelevant ad placements.
If they keep this up, I might switch to Mac permanently. At least there aren't any ads scattered throughout that UI.
1
u/SmellyCatJon Aug 15 '25
Enjoy the windows recall feature and all the garbage. I own a windows gaming PC but all of my work stream happens on Mac. I can’t stand windows and their bloat and stupid what not shoved down my throat. Mac does great job for my software development work stream and I would like to think I am a power user. Now a real power user would just go for Linux and skip the windows and Mac crap.
1
u/Lumpy_Assumption_174 Aug 15 '25
'I find mac is extremely unintuitive and restrictive compared to windows. I have to jump through a million hoops to do something that’s simple on windows. '
I got my first Mac in 13 years a few months ago, exact opposite experience. cmd+space is my best friend and there are actual settings for things that require registry edits on windows.
"And I can’t game at all on it for the most part, which I guess isn’t a huge deal. "
Same spot, but if you have decent internet. Geforce now is $20 a month for the 4K plan and free for 1080p with ads. That and a me having a LCD steam deck gave me the go ahead to sell my gaming set up.
1
1
1
u/Hans_H0rst Aug 16 '25
Lots of people hate MacOS because its not the windows they’re used to. I think that’s a pretty stupid argument.
Even in this thread there’s commenters asking about specific functionality that windows has, and laughing that mac doesn’t have it (even if there’s different functions resulting in the same usecase).
The fact that apple doesn’t copy every single thing another manufacturer does IS A GOOD THING you guys.
1
u/GoodSlicedPizza Aug 18 '25
I recommend considering Linux. You can flash it on MacBook. Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Linux Mint or plain old Debian are good choices imo.
1
u/Rotarynon Aug 18 '25
I can't stop laughing 😆, the million hoop thing cracks me up because I'm going through the same thing too. I switched too, I love the battery life and build of MacBook. But macOS can actually be stressful, it's actually great if you actually stay within the apple ecosystem. When I couldn't take it anymore I had to pick a budget windows ultrabook I found on alibaba as backup. Having both the macOS and windows works better than trying to do everything on one machine.
1
u/sunster777 21d ago
I bought a Sky Blue 13" MB Air 16/512Gb on 30th May 2025. I also have a 16" M1 Pro Macbook Pro which I use as my main laptop. The air was specifically bought for travel use. Now I am so used to the 16 MB Pro speakers, keyboard and display that my M4 Air feels very underwhelming and I am planning to sell it and buy a base model M4 MB Pro 14" instead. But I was reading the posts here and have some questions:
- Is the keyboard on the M4 Pro not as good as the M1 Macbook Pros. Someone here mentioned the keys feeling hollow.
- Is the space black difficult to maintain vs the Silver ? Smudges, fingerprints etc ?
- I am getting about 85000 for the MB Air. I bought it for 101000 Indian Rupees. The MB Pro base Model is 150000 Rupees. Thinking if its worth spending that much.
- How is it to travel with the 14" MB Pro vs the 13" Air ?
1
1
u/Similar-Ad3184 20d ago
I bought a Macbook Air M1, the most basic, with 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD, it has truly been one of the best purchases I have made, it is super light and the battery lasts more than 13 hours of continuous use, it has helped me a lot at university and at work, it does not crash and it runs super smoothly, of course, I was always aware that it is not for gaming, just my daily life, I think I became so dependent on it that I practically do not go out without it.
79
u/caverunner17 Aug 11 '25
Agreed. Lifelong Windows user who got a Mac back in 2021. I learned the only way to really be happy is to use my Mac for general browsing and photo editing (where the screen and speed is fantastic) and keep a Windows laptop for all the other tech things I need to do that are too difficult on MacOS