Wired
I have been using a personal computer for more than 30 years, and I have only used Windows and Linux and have never used a Mac.
However, recently, the use of iPhones and iPads has increased, and Macs have become more interesting with the advent of the M1 chip, so I decided to challenge my first Mac.
It will be interesting to see if people who have been familiar with Windows for over 30 years can switch to the Mac.
Hard-core Windows users challenge Mac since Windows 3.0A
The first Windows I used was Windows 3.0A.
From there, I’ve been using successive Windows such as 3.1, NT, 95, 2000, and now I’m using the latest Windows 11. I’ve used Linux, but have no experience with Macs.
I haven’t used a Mac before because it wasn’t necessary and because of hardware and software compatibility issues.
However, recently, the number of software and applications that operate on a cloud basis has increased, and the standards for peripheral devices have been unified, so it may not be a problem for Macs. I thought.
Also, because we are using an iPhone or iPad, the affinity between Apple products that Windows does not have is also attractive.
I was a little worried if a person who was completely addicted to the world of Windows could switch to a Mac, but I decided to take this opportunity.
Why I bought a Mac mini now
I chose the Mac mini (2020 model, with M1 chip) as my first Mac.
With the information that a new Mac will be announced at WWDC in June, there are several reasons why I bought a Mac mini now.
Prices are on the rise
Currently, prices are on the rise in Japan due to the depreciation of the yen and the shortage of semiconductors. As for Apple products, the price of the iPhone 14 series is expected to increase, and there is a good chance that the list price will increase in the future, including products that have already been released.
The Mac mini has a low list price of 79,800 yen (tax included) so far, and since it has been a long time since its release, it is sold at a lower price depending on the store.
Although the price may rise in the future, it is unlikely that it will fall, so isn’t it a chance to buy it now? I decided to buy it.
M1 chip compatible apps are available and problems have settled down
The M1 chip is Apple’s first original chip that uses the Arm architecture for Mac, and when it was first released, there were concerns about problems with both hardware and software and the compatibility of apps.
However, about a year and a half after its release, the OS and apps have been updated repeatedly, so we haven’t heard any information about fatal bugs these days. Major apps are also natively compatible with the M1 chip.
For this reason, isn’t it safe to use even the first Mac now? I thought.
Mac mini is enough because I never take it outside
I basically work from home and never take it outside to use it.
For this reason, even if you buy the MacBook series, it will be a treasure trove, and the purchase price will be higher because the display is attached.
Although there is an advantage that it is easy to make a dual display if the main body has a display, I thought that I should use Sidecar because I have an iPad Pro, so I chose Mac mini.
Buy the cheapest 8GB RAM + 256GB storage model
There are several models of Mac mini with different RAM and storage size, but I bought the cheapest 8GB RAM + 256GB storage model.
I know that the larger the RAM and storage, the more comfortable and long-lasting it is, but I felt that + 8GB of RAM for +22,000 yen and storage of + 256GB for +22,000 yen was too expensive.
As for storage, I would like to believe the rumor that Mac works comfortably even with a small amount of RAM, while making effective use of cloud storage.
What I felt was that the Mac was superior to Windows
For about a week after I bought a Mac mini, I tried to do daily work such as work with only a Mac as much as possible.
I was worried about what would happen with the OS for the first time, but my honest impression is that it was usable without any discomfort.
Since Windows and Mac are operating systems that have evolved by incorporating the good points of each other, there is no big difference in what they can do, and the operability will be similar.
First of all, I would like to mention the points that I felt that Mac was superior to Windows.
Beautiful fonts and animations make the screen easy to see
The first thing I felt when using a Mac was the beauty of the screen. I felt that the fonts were easier to see than Windows, and the animation was smooth, intuitive, and easy to understand.
The difference in font when displaying the iPhone Mania page is like this.
Windows:
Mac:
By the way, the display is 27 inches and 4K resolution, which is exactly the same as in Windows. Depending on your taste, I found the Mac to have a gentler font shape.
For this reason, even if you use it for a long time, your eyes will not get tired easily and you can use it comfortably.
Can be used comfortably even with a small amount of memory
Regarding the memory capacity that I was worried about, whether it uses less memory than Windows or has a better memory management mechanism, it is certainly comfortable to use even with 8GB RAM.
Even if you open a lot of tabs in a web browser, you can use it on a Mac with it open even if it is likely to reload on Windows.
It’s comfortable to use without closing unnecessary tabs, so I had the problem of opening tabs too much and not knowing where to find what I was looking for.
If you want to edit videos and images, you may need to increase the RAM capacity, but for normal usage, 8GB is not enough.
Easy to use live conversion
With the Japanese input system installed as standard on Mac, a function called “live conversion” can be used.
This is a function that automatically converts hiragana to kanji along with character input without pressing the conversion key, enabling smooth character input.
For example, it works as follows:
Being able to use Chinese characters without pressing the space bar or conversion key unexpectedly leads to labor saving in key input. Also, since the conversion result comes out immediately, I felt that it was easy to find an input error.
In order to perform accurate Chinese character conversion, it is better to input as long a sentence as possible instead of word unit, but it is better to analyze the dependency etc., but if you make a mistake at the beginning of the input, it will be troublesome to correct.
With live conversion, the conversion result comes out immediately, so it’s easy to notice strange input, and you can correct input mistakes immediately and reduce rework.
Also, on Mac, switching to Japanese input mode can be done with the conversion key by default, and switching to English input mode can be done with the non-conversion key, but this method makes more sense than Windows switching between half-width / full-width. think.
In the case of Windows, there are many people who have no idea which one it was and have experienced Japanese input mode when trying to enter an email address.
In the case of Mac, it is not a switchable type, so you can definitely set it to English input mode by pressing the non-conversion key.
Cooperation with iPhone / iPad is certainly convenient
Mac and iPhone / iPad can be linked in various ways.
You can use the iPad as a sub-display with Sidecar, or operate the iPhone / iPad with the mouse or keyboard of the Mac with the universal control.
Certainly, if you are using an iPhone or iPad, I felt that a Mac would be more convenient to use.
Quiet, not hot, low power consumption
This is probably a feature of the M1 chip, but it’s quiet anyway.
The fan is built-in and it is not stopped, but it is almost silent because the number of revolutions is low. Furthermore, the discharged air is not hot, which makes you feel the low power consumption of the M1 chip.
The power consumption during sleep may be in the 1 watt range or less as measured by the smart plug, so it can be said that the power consumption is such that you do not have to worry about the electricity bill.
Waking up from sleep is an instant, so you can wake it up immediately when you want to use it.
Unfamiliar and unfortunate things about Mac
Of course, switching to a Mac wasn’t the only benefit. Here are some points that I’m not used to or feel sorry for.
Not as stable as Windows
I was wondering if the Mac was stable because I was developing both hardware and software, but it wasn’t.
I have experienced unstable behavior many times, such as the app crashing and synchronization not working around iCloud.
The most troublesome thing is that the command key and the convert / non-convert key did not work properly when I first started up and connected the keyboard.
When I restarted the Mac mini and reinserted the keyboard, it was fixed before I knew it, but I had to switch between English / Japanese input from the icon on the upper right.
It is said that Windows has many problems, but I think they are both.
There are few biometric options
Windows supports fingerprint and camera biometrics, and can also be used with cheap third-party peripherals.
On the other hand, in the case of Mac, there are only genuine Apple peripherals, and especially in the case of Mac mini, which has no biometric authentication method by itself, there is no choice but to purchase an expensive Apple Watch or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.
Compared to Windows, Macs are more likely to be asked to enter passwords, such as changing settings, which is extremely inconvenient.
If you don’t like it, you can buy an Apple product, but at least I want you to officially sell a device with only Touch ID at a low price. Or I think it would be nice to be able to authenticate your Mac with Face ID or Touch ID on your iPhone or iPad.
I’m not used to the menu always appearing in the upper left
When I was investigating how to use my Mac, I was asked to select a file from the menu, but for a while I didn’t know where the “file” was.
On a Mac, I noticed that the menu always appears in the upper left corner of the screen regardless of the position of the window after repeated troubles and investigations.
In the case of Windows, menus appear in each window, so I’m still unfamiliar with this.
The difference between the command key and the control key is inconvenient
The most frequently used keyboard shortcuts are all select, copy, and paste. In Windows, the control key + A / C / V, while in the case of Mac, the command key + A / C / V.
I’m finally getting used to this difference, but I find Windows easier to use.
In particular, when performing the operation of select all → copy → paste, in the case of Windows, you can input A / C / V continuously while holding down the control key with your little finger, but in the case of Mac, command + A command You will need to replace your finger when entering + C.
Shortcut keys can be changed, so it can be the same as Windows, but that is also disappointing, so I will do my best in the Mac style.
Office files with macros may not open
Many people would say that Microsoft Office is essential to their work, but I thought it wouldn’t be a problem because there is a Mac version of Microsoft Office.
However, when I actually used it, some files with macros could not be opened on Mac, and I had to use Windows.
You can work and live on your Mac without using Windows! I thought, but I have to rely on Windows only when dealing with this file.
If you ever use macros, you should be careful.
It’s possible to make a Mac the main machine, but Windows can’t be thrown away
I’ve introduced the good and bad things about the Mac, but the bottom line is that it’s possible to make the Mac your main machine. I often felt that it was better than Windows, and if you are using an iPhone or iPad, you can use it more conveniently than Windows.
On the other hand, I felt that excessive expectations were forbidden.
There is no big difference in stability, and many of them can be used on Windows by using third-party apps and services such as Duet Display, which makes the iPad a sub-display, and the cooperation with the iPhone and iPad that are sold.
Also, Microsoft Office files with macros may not open on Mac, so it may be difficult to completely abandon Windows and switch to Mac, especially if you use it for work.
In the future, I would like to use Parallel Desktop, which can run Windows on a Mac, CrossOver, which runs a Windows application on a Mac, and create an environment where many things can be done on a Mac alone, and report the results on this site.
Source: Apple
(Hauser)
Source: iPhone Mania