In early May, I decided it was time to purchase a new laptop. For a number of years, my laptop has been my primary computer. I was also interested in the ergonomics of my current desktop situation and the new philosophy of a clean, simple work environment. My current setup was a Dell D630 with a dock and two 22" wide screen monitors mounted in portrait mode. As you can imagine the setup was very obtrusive.
My first thought was to go to the new OQO computer that I had used in the past. Although, low powered, the sleek small form factor appealed to me once more. Unfortunately, OQO failed to make it as a company and will not be shipping any new devices. I then looked at a small compact Sony Vaio TT as well as a Dell E4300. I ordered the Sony Vaio TT series and was very disappointed in the price and quality. I shipped it back, taking advantage of Sony's return policy. As I've been an Apple fan for some time and have owned a MacBook in the past, I decided to give the new MacBook a look. I was actually suprised to see the MacBook was cheaper than both the Dell and Sony. I knew from previous experiences, I could run Windows on a MacBook utilizing an application built into Mac OS X called Boot Camp. So I decided to give it a try.
I went with the 13" aluminum uni-body design. The uni-body makes for a very well constructed laptop. The laptop has recently been upgraded to the Pro series, but at the time of my purchase was considered a MacBook. As soon as I received the laptop I utilized the Boot Camp software to "easily" install Windows 7 Release Candidate 64-bit. The install worked well, and after installing the drivers from Boot Camp and a quick Windows update, I had everything running. I also added to the MacBook the beautiful 24" Apple Cinema Display. This technically is a dual screen setup; however, it works much like three monitors in that I split the large 24" in the middle, displaying some apps on one half and some on the other half. Windows 7 includes a great new feature for splitting the screen by simply pressing the Windows key plus a directional key. My desk is much cleaner and ergonomic with this setup and I really prefer using the large screen over the dual screens. The Apple Cinema Display also works as a docking station. It includes one cable that plugs into the monitor and then has the power, usb and display adapter for your laptop.
An added bonus is the laptop also runs Mac OS X. If you've never used the new Mac OS software you are missing out. When I'm home wanting to browse the internet, update my itunes, work with pictures and home videos, I run the Mac OS. It is as simple as rebooting and holding down the option key on the keyboard. A nice menu will display both the Mac OS and Windows partitions. You simply select the one you wish to work with.
After two months with the MacBook, I will have to say WOW! This has been absolutely the best laptop/computer I have owned. The only negative has been the MacBook does not come with integrated 3g; however, you can utilize a USB modem. You can check out the new MacBook Pro series and the functionality of Boot Camp at www.apple.com. If you would like step by step directions on installing Windows 7 on your MacBook simply google it.
