So Long Windows - Hello Mac (Posted by Brad Bowers)

I'm having a hard time believing it myself, but after some consideration, I've decided to make the switch from Windows to Mac.

My MacBook Pro is set to arrive tomorrow and I'm quite excited about the change, and looking forward to learning the Mac OS and starting a new "life" as a Mac user.

I can't quite pinpoint the exact moment I decided to make the shift, but it came fairly quickly.  My Gateway 200X ultraportable has been a great computer, and has served me well over the last 3+ years, but it is starting to fall apart and needs to be replaced.

Although I spent a lot of time first looking at potential PC notebook replacements on CNET, PC World, and other sites, I started to realize that I'm quite sick of the constant Windows OS crashes I have to deal with, and the incredibly frequent and annoying updates that I need to download and install for Windows.  From what I understand, Mac users don't experience nearly as many of these issues.

As I started to consider the move, which for me is considerable (at least in my mind right now) given that I've only ever used PCs, I found there were a few colleagues who have previously made this shift, and they were unanimously happy they did so.  They reported no major compatibility issues regarding the key business apps such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint, which was a concern I had.

I waited a bit before taking the plunge in hopes that Apple would release a 12" ultraportable MacBook, which has been widely rumored for a while as a possibility.  But this past week at the Mac press conference, no such system was announced,  so I decided it was time to get moving on this.

I did a good amount of research, but it was ultimately a trip to an Apple Store during a recent trip to L.A. that made me go with the MacBook Pro vs. the MacBook.  The top of the line MacBook is very close in specs to the MacBook Pro, but after touching and holding the MacBook Pro, and considering things a bit more, I was convinced that the Pro was the right choice for me.

I'm sure it won't be totally simple to switch over, but I'm expecting it to go rather quickly and easily, and I'm looking forward to a long-lasting relationship with Apple and my MacBook Pro.