15" MacBook Pro
I’m seeing more and more preachers switching to the Mac as they upgrade their computer equipment. I made my switch nearly two years ago now. When people ask me my opinion on switching from PC to Mac all I can say is that it would take some major persuading to get me to switch back to PC.
When I moved to Danville, VA I was doing a live TV program. The graphics for the program were controlled by my computer. I would go into the studio and plug my Acer notebook into their control board and run the backdrop with PowerPoint. I was in front of green screen but what the audience saw was me standing in front of my PowerPoint presentation. I had not been doing the program long when my Acer crashed in the middle of a live broadcast. The next day I went to Office Depot and bought a Toshiba notebook. I had used a Toshiba before and really liked it so I thought this would be the answer to my TV production needs. WRONG! It didn’t take long until the presentation, graphics and video demands of doing the TV program were crashing my Toshiba. I had been thinking of switching to Mac for a while so when the Toshiba crashed in the middle of a live broadcast I decided I was done with PCs and would give Macs a try. I ordered the 13″ MacBook White that I’m writing on right now.
From the time I started using it I have not thought of switching back even for a second. As long as I used it on the live TV program I never had the first bit of technical difficulty. To the contrary, I was able to enhance and improve the presentation quality of the program as result of switching.
As I have compared Apple based software with Windows based software, Apple wins every time. The only thing that I have retained from Windows is my Bible software and some eBook applications.
The biggest objection I hear, and the one that kept me from switching until I was so fed up with Windows that I didn’t care, is that you will have to start over with all new software. However, that really isn’t true. When you see the difference between the Apple and the Windows software you will probably want to start using the Apple stuff, but you don’t have to. As I mentioned above, I still use Windows XP on my Mac. My PC Study Bible probably works better on my Mac than it did on my PCs. And I get some eBooks from people that don’t offer a Mac version so I use Windows XP for those.
So, how am I able to do my presentations in Keynote (Apple’s version of PowerPoint) and still do my Scripture references with PC Bible Study? I use a virtual machine application to run Windows XP within Mac OS X. I can have my Windows apps open right along side of my Mac apps. So, there is absolutely no reason not to switch.
If you haven’t had the kind of nightmare stories with your PC that I have then you may not be as motivated to switch, you’re also an endangered species that thinks Windows is a good OS. For you the motivation would be in the quality of the software applications and how they will effect your work. When I got my Mac I thought that I would continue to use my MS Office software (PowerPoint, Word, etc.). However, when I got a taste of Keynote (Apple’s presentation software) and Pages (Apple’s word processor and publisher software) I dropped MS Office like a hot potato.
Then there are all the other really great apps that are available for Apple that have no equivalent Windows counterpart. Some of the stuff I use nearly every day – Bento (database), Toast (DVD production), Espresso (text editor), Final Cut Express (video editor), Front Row (media player), Rapid Weaver (web design), etc., etc. I absolutely love the Mac OS X operating system and all the great applications you can get for it.
If you’re still in school I want you to go get a Mac today and then download these applications as soon as you take it out of the box:
- NoteBook – by Circus Ponies.
- The Hit List – by Potion Factory.
- Bento – by FileMaker.
- Evernote
- Dropbox
These applications, in conjunction with Keynote and Pages that come with your new Mac, will make your student life much easier and your teachers will love you for it. When I think back on my time in preaching school and how much these applications would have helped me I almost want to go back and do it again just so I can use these applications in school.
If you’re on the fence about switching to Mac then I hope this little testimonial will help you make up your mind. If you’re a Mac user let us hear your thoughts about switching. I’m betting there won’t be any Mac users that regret their choice.
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