The Pros of a Macbook Pro

I can still remember when I first realised that I wanted to own a Mac.

My friend Rey was in Singapore for a layover, so we met up for dinner and somehow ended up walking into an electronics store. I told him I wanted to buy a laptop and was thinking of getting a pink Sony Vaio because it looked cute, but he said, “If you’re going to buy a laptop, you should get a Mac. It’s the best.” Then he steered me towards the Macbooks in the store and showed one to me. It was my first time ever to see one up close and personal because I was an ignorant git, and I fell in love with it at first sight.

So a few weeks later when my friend Ngangi also suggested a Mac, which was the same laptop she had, I bought a white macbook, the cheapest Macbook at that time. This was back in 2009. And once I tasted Apple, there was no going back.

A Mac is more expensive than your average computer and other people would say that it’s a waste of money. Maybe they’re right, for reasons of their own. But I never once regretted buying that Mac. I have used a lot of PC’s and laptops and nothing compares to a Mac. The screen resolution, the software, the apps and programs, the lack of viruses (okay, there are apparently some Mac viruses already, but still)… Rey and Ngangi and all the people in the web forums and pages I consulted were right. It was worth every single cent I paid for it.

But even so, they are not infallible. My trusty Macbook became sluggish and started to act wonky, like one time it suddenly blacked out while I was using it and refused to turn on. I thought it was dead… a blogger’s worst nightmare. I then realized that maybe it was time to put my five year old laptop to rest and buy a new one.

So when I found out that there was an IT sale in Marina Bay Sands last March 2, I headed over there and bought this baby:

It’s a 13-inch Macbook Pro with retina display.

You know that saying which goes: “Once you go Mac, you never go back”? It’s true for me. There was never any doubt in my mind what brand computer I would buy.

As to which Mac, though, well, that part I had some trouble with. At first I really wanted a Macbook Air because it’s so thin, you think it’s a pantyshield, but it’s not. But I heard that Air has limited performance compared to an MBP, and I do a lot of stuff on my computer, and would probably need an MBP more.

Then when my roommate bought her MBP with retina, I saw that it was about as thin as that, so I realized that I could get MBP functionality with Air sleekness. Which should have solved the problem, you think, until I found out that the old MBP has bigger memory, 500 gb, compared to this one which has 128 gb.

So I was very much confused until I found this article which convinced me that retina display was the way to go.

Twinsies! My roomie and I have more than just love for purple and over-chattiness in common.

My roommate and another friend both had rave reviews about the clarity of the screen, so I wasn’t that surprised when I opened mine and saw it with my own eyes.

Nope. I take it back. I still was. I was in awe. The colors of all the pictures on all the websites are so much crisper and have so much detail. The down side, however, is that you can now see old low res pictures for the low quality that they really are, and they now look blurrier.

Aside from that, all the things I had already grown to love in my old Mac were there too, but better, like an improved iPhoto app, the ability to sync all your pictures and messages and stuff with your other Apple gadgets, the capacity to allow your computer to reopen everything the way you had them open before shutting it down, a faster start-up time, and a bunch of other things.

Anyway, since I bought it at an IT show, I got some freebies – a palm guard, keyboard cover, HDMI cable connector, and a really cute 8gb USB that looks like a key. The palm guard is the same silver colour as the Mac and the keyboard cover is transparent, so you don’t even know they’re there, until you compare it to a bare computer, as you can see below. These prevent the areas from getting dirty.

And oh yeah, I also bought a WD my passport 1TB hard drive specifically designed for a Mac. Looks cute too, right?

But wait, there’s more! I also bought a purple tinted crystal case and a screen protector from Qoo10, where they are a lot cheaper than in malls. Granted, the ones in the malls are probably of better quality, but I just can’t justify spending above S$70 EACH for them when Qoo10 sellers sell them for less than S$20!

I know, overprotective owner much? Let’s just say I learned from my previous experience. Teehee. Obviously, I really REALLY love it! I’ve wanted this since 2012, when I consoled myself by buying a Mirrorbook Air instead – a mirror compact that looks like a Macbook Air. 😀

P.S. If you’re using a Mac, especially if you’re shifting from a PC, you might find this list of Mac keyboard shortcuts helpful. My roommate and I certainly did!