One Year With a MacBook Pro: What I Learned Along the Way
After using a MacBook Pro for a year, I thought it would be worthwhile to share my experiences and what I’ve learned along the way, especially since I made the switch from a Windows PC.
As my previous five year old Windows gaming laptop was beginning to reach its end of life, I started researching suitable replacements. I had long believed that choosing an Apple computer would be the best option for photo and video editing, so I narrowed my search in that direction. I eventually settled on a 14 inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip, 32 GB of memory and a 512 GB drive. When I compared a Windows machine with similar specifications, the MacBook Pro turned out to be only about $300 more expensive than the equivalent Windows model. I also decided it made sense to buy directly from Apple New Zealand rather than from retailers like Harvey Norman or Noel Leeming. Once the purchase was complete, the MackBook Pro took seven days to arrive, as it was shipped from an Apple factory in southwest China.
After the MacBook Pro arrived, setup was fairly straightforward since I also had an iPhone to help with syncing. The first issue I discovered was that my Razer Basilisk V3 X HyperSpeed gaming mouse’s software wasn’t supported by Apple, although I could still use the mouse via Bluetooth without the software. The other complication was that my external SSD connected and worked perfectly, while my older external HDDs showed up as read only because they were formatted for Windows. I decided it was more important to get the MacBook Pro properly configured and to learn how to make the most of it, leaving these two compatibility problems to address at a later date.
As I was completely new to macOS, I spent some time getting to know how it worked and finding the best settings that suited my needs, I discovered a couple of excellent YouTube channels, Proper Honest Tech and Craig Neidel, both dedicated to Apple products and which continue to be very helpful.
Once I was happy with the setup of my MacBook Pro, I began exploring the apps that come bundled with macOS. I had already been using Calendar, Reminders, and Notes on my iPhone, so having the same tools on my Mac felt familiar. The integration between iPhone and MacBook is seamless and fits perfectly with organising my daily and weekly schedules. I also switched to the Mail app on the Mac, and it seems to integrate my Google Workspace account without issue. For my needs, the 5 GB of iCloud storage that comes free was not quite enough, so I decided to upgrade to 50 GB of iCloud storage for $1.95/month. I had also taken advantage of the three month trials of Apple Music and Apple TV, and as those trials neared their end I wanted to keep using these services. In the end I chose the Apple One bundle, which included 50 GB iCloud storage, Apple Music, Apple TV, and games for $29.95/month, making it a more cost effective option for everything I wanted.
I then decided it was time to address the compatibility issues with my Razer Basilisk V3 X HyperSpeed gaming mouse’s software. I found the mouse was sometimes difficult to connect to Bluetooth and it would occasionally lag, so I decided it was time to upgrade. After a lot of research I chose an Apple Magic Mouse. It did take a little while to get used to the different feel and gestures, but I now find it to be perfectly suited to my needs. I also spent some time getting my external HDDs optimised and properly set up to be used with my MacBook Pro, ensuring they run efficiently and are organised for quick access. You can read more about the steps I took to optimise my external HDDs here.
Having handoff enabled is also a very useful feature, as I can copy text, photos, or web pages on my iPhone and easily paste them into files or documents on my MacBook. Similarly, if I need to scan a document, I can right click on the MacBook desktop, choose Import from iPhone and select Scan Document, the iPhone camera opens automatically, I scan the pages, and the scanned document is saved instantly as a PDF on the MacBook desktop. I recently upgraded my Bluetooth earbuds to AirPods, what a noticeable difference that has made to the sound quality, and they can switch seamlessly between my iPhone and MacBook without any fuss.
Using a 14 inch screen can feel quite small for photo and video editing, so I connect the MacBook to an Acer 27 inch gaming monitor, but it’s always difficult to get the exact same accurate colours between the two, even though I use a Datacolor Spyder X Pro screen calibrator. There was recently an offer to upgrade the Spyder X Pro software, and one feature in the upgrade is a new studio match function that lets you match the colours on the MacBook and the Acer monitor more reliably, which now makes it much easier to edit photos and videos comfortably on the larger screen. I also needed a much more user friendly desk setup that incorporated my Canon A3 photo printer. By combining two desks I already owned, I created a main workstation with the monitor elevated on a stand and the MacBook placed on a laptop stand for better ergonomics. I added a large gaming mat so the Apple Magic Keyboard and mouse sit and move comfortably, and the smaller desk now holds the Canon A3 printer. The room is lit by two 6500K LED lights that provide clean, daylight balanced illumination to complement the whole setup.
My final thoughts are: “Would I ever go back to a Windows computer?” The answer is no. Although it took some time to get used to macOS, the speed, and seamless integration of Apple products make the switch well worth it. If Google and Microsoft ever manage to make their products work together as smoothly as Apple does, I might consider changing back but for now I’m very happy with my MacBook Pro and glad I made the change one year ago.