My Dad introduced me to computers with a Windows 3.1 work laptop when I was in elementary school, and I’ve been a Windows fanboy ever since — well, almost ever since.
When Apple released its M1 processor in 2020, I finally caved and bought my first MacBook. I used it for light work while traveling because it only had a 13-inch display and couldn’t run my three external monitors. That meant I spent 80% of my working time on my Windows PC.
I eventually upgraded to the 15-inch MacBook Air when it arrived, but I still put off using it as my daily driver until I finally found a way to use my triple-monitor workstation with it.
But now that I have a DisplayLink dock to work around that monitor problem, I knew I had to try using it as my main machine — and after a week, I don’t think I’m sold on the Apple ecosystem.
Amazing battery life and sleek form factor
The extended battery life and sleek form factor that Apple silicon delivers is a game changer for me, as it allows me to work between three to four hours without needing to charge my laptop. Aside from that, the laptop is thin and light enough that it’s actually convenient to bring anywhere I go, making me second-guess my iPad Air purchase.
This is impossible with my Windows laptop, which could barely last over an hour. Granted, that’s a gaming PC I bought in 2020, and many newer and better options have come out since then, but the best MacBooks are still among the laptops with the best battery life.
macOS has its own quirks and features
As a long-time Windows user, I know my way around the operating system and have memorized the apps and hotkeys that let me work much faster. But when I switched over to macOS, I had to relearn a lot of things, like how to take a screenshot and getting used to the placement of the Option and Command keys.
Finder is one of the Mac apps that I had a hard time getting used to. For example, I open apps, files, and programs by hitting Enter and delete them by pressing Delete on File Explorer in Windows; these intuitive hotkeys make navigating my drive much easier. But Apple requires you to press Command + Down Arrow and Command + Backspace to do the same actions, adding one more keypress to what should’ve been a simple single step. I solved this by downloading third-party apps that helped me get the Windows feel on my MacBook.
Despite that, macOS does a couple of things much better than Windows. I love Spotlight Search as it gives me nearly everything I need in an instant. This feature is often faster and more accurate than Windows Search straight from the Start Menu. Furthermore, I love how macOS lets you calculate and convert figures straight from the search bar. You can also do this with Windows, but it’s just not as fast.
Installing and managing apps is also less complicated, especially if you stick to the App Store. But even if you download apps from a website and not through Apple’s own marketplace, adding software to your Mac could be as simple as dragging and dropping its icon to the Applications folder.
Apple’s trackpad is also so good that I invested in a separate Magic Trackpad for use when I’m at home. The gestures are just plain intuitive, and gliding your finger on its glass surface is just heaven. It’s something many Windows laptops tried (and failed) to copy.
No, 8GB is not enough RAM
Apple VP for worldwide product marketing Bob Borchers once said in an interview on BiliBili that 8GB of RAM was good enough for macOS because of how efficient it is — but my experience says otherwise. I only chose the base specs of the 15-inch MacBook Air because I will mostly use it as a travel and backup device.
It had no problems then when I was running just a couple of apps. But now that I’m using it as my main work laptop with my usual workflow, my MacBook Air is stuttering. When I checked the Memory tab in Activity Monitor, it showed my device using more than 7GB out of the 8GB RAM that it had.
This is a problem, especially since I haven’t launched Trello yet, which could use up a lot of memory. When I edit images in Photoshop and Lightroom, the lag gets so severe that I must close some of the browser tabs I need or even restart the computer.
Upgrades not allowed
My Windows laptop’s old memory sticks, plus the packaging of the SSDs I recently installed on it.
This is the biggest drawback for me with MacBooks — you need to spec the hardware you’d need in the future at the time of purchase, as you can’t upgrade the storage and memory on these devices. Since I initially bought my MacBook as a backup device, it only has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
This was more than enough for its original purpose, but now that I’m using it as my main computer, I’m struggling with the available hardware. I wish I could bump this up to 32GB of RAM and at least 1TB of storage, but it’s just impossible with Apple silicon Macs.
I can’t help but compare this with my Windows laptop. It had 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 1TB HDD when I bought it, but I’ve since upgraded it to 32GB of RAM and 2.5TB of SSD storage. This added more life to my already five-year-old laptop, and the upgrades cost me less than $200.
If I wanted to level up my current Mac, I’d have to sell it or trade it in. Apple currently values it at $540, but I still have to pay at least $1,200 if I’m getting the MacBook Air 15-inch M4. This will give me 16GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage, but if I want to upgrade it to 32GB of RAM and 2TB SSD, I need to pay $1,200 more. This essentially doubles the price of the laptop to $2,400.
Even with the discount, I’ll shell out over $1,900 just to get the memory and storage I need. Sure, I’ll get a new processor (that I don’t really need) — but at nearly 10 times more than what I paid to upgrade my Windows laptop. It’s not worth it.
I’m still sticking with Windows
MacBooks are great devices, and Apple offers an option at nearly every price range. They’re easy to lug around everywhere I go, and the efficiency of M-series chips changed my life.
But after 30 years of using Windows, macOS is actually slowing me down. I could get used to the operating system, but it will likely take a year or two of using it full-time before I can hit the same efficiency I have with Windows. Yes, Windows is imperfect and has its fair share of bugs, but at least I can operate it in my sleep.
More importantly, economics is holding me back from going all-in with macOS. I can buy a Windows laptop that delivers similar performance to a MacBook at a fraction of the price. In addition, I have the option to get an upgradeable Windows laptop, allowing me to use it for years to come.
Still, that doesn’t mean I’m ditching my MacBook Air. It’s a great travel laptop and also serves as my backup device for my main PC. Maybe I’ll be a full Apple convert when it can run GTA 6 natively. Maybe.
