If you need a Windows machine, don't buy it from Apple

I read this post some time ago in MacWorld claiming that buying a Mac laptop is a reasonable choice, even if you plan to run Windows. It has the same hardware as Windows PCs and Apple gives you BootCamp which allows installing Windows side-by-side with the Mac OS. When I read it, I couldn't agree more. This was a main argument when I got my Mac. There's no risk here. Well, I changed my mind. I love my Mac and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for the best machine. However, if you need a Windows machine, don't buy it from Apple.

The reason is clear: When it comes to Macs, Apple's main concern is Mac OS users. You don't want to buy from a company which disregards your needs and considers you a second class citizen. Especially when you can just as easy get a machine from a company that (potentially) gives you all the attention you will need (Lenovo, HP, ...).

Here's the example: I installed Windows Vista on my Mac with BootCamp and it worked perfectly. Installation was smooth, performance is blazing fast, nothing to complain. Then I bought a Dell 20" wide LCD monitor. It works beautifully on the Mac. On Windows, well, that's a different story. The graphic driver cannot show the correct resolution. So the image is too big, unfocused and distorted.

My MacBook Pro uses a top-of-the-line nvidia GeForce 8600M GT, so, if it was a regular a windows machine, I would simply download the latest drivers from nvidia's web site. However, on a Mac, the drivers would not install and you have to use the drivers provided by Apple. I'm not the only user complaining about it, there are many posts in Apple's support forums regarding this issue. 

Now, back to my initial claim, Apple does not care enough to deal with the problem. True, BootCamp is still in beta stages. Nevertheless, Apple is strongly advertising BootCamp's abilities as a selling point for new Macs.  Beta or no Beta, the bottom line is that it doesn't work. They explain. If it was a laptop from a different known manufacturer, I'm betting I wouldn't have the problem to begin with. From the same reason I don't have a problem on my laptop when using Mac OS, and if such a problem occurs, Apple quickly releases system updates to solve them. The resources invested in fixing BootCamp bugs are far less than the ones invested in fixing Mac OS bugs.

The lesson is very simple: If you want proper service, be part of the mainstream. To give another example to this conclusion: this is why many companies don't care that their sites don't support Firefox. This is why most countries don't provide facilities for people with disabilities. Being a minority sucks.

Being a minority also means you're special.

Comments

[Boulderdash]

Developing on a Virtual Machine is very much possible and without the pain of drivers etc...

[Zviki Cohen]

I'm a strong believer in Virtualization. I think the software market still does not understand the hidden potential here.

My problem is performance. I value my time. I got the strongest laptop available (which is still portable), because I think my time is worth more than the cost of the machine. On occasion, I'm using Windows Vista in a VM and I'm so glad I don't have to use it all the time... No doubt, this will work better with a Linux VM (tried it). But, if you're primarily going to do Windows specific development, I'd recommend getting yourself a strong Windows machine.

[Johnnyboy]

Correction: If you need a Windows machine, don't buy it from Apple - IF YOU'RE A LLAMA.

I bought my Macbook Pro (same as yours, but with a faster hard drive) with the full intention of running Windows with Bootcamp (beta, no less) to do mission-critical IBM development work. And I do. And it works. And the one time I had a problem with anything was with my video driver (the one that Bootcamp Beta 1.3 installed). Although there was no official driver update available from Apple, I was able to locate the newest video driver from nVidia, tweak an inf file, and install that. Voila. Stable, fast, beautiful.

So what's the lesson kids? Learn to use google, and possibly your brain. Or, if you're lazy (or dumb), go ahead and buy a "mainstream" computer that comes packaged with "support" so you can phone someone when you don't know what to do to fix your own problems.

[Zviki Cohen]

First, I'm glad to know that it can be done.

Basically, I can relate to what you're saying. However, you suggested two options for my situation: lazy and dumb. Allow me to provide a third: my time is too valuable to spend on hacking drivers and chasing inf files.

I reached a point where I know what are my best abilities and I'm focusing on getting the most from myself. Maybe I can hack my drivers to work. But, if I can pay somebody else to make it work and get much more valuable work done in the mean while, I won.