david55

I have been a pc user since my first computer. I have been looking for a beautiful 4K screen ( oled?) 16" laptop which doesn't seem to be available quite yet. ( Asus has one coming out but it seems to be delayed)

Looking at the 16" Apple Macbook Pro......but I am wondering the wisdom of trying to " relearn" computer intuitiveness after a lifetime of PCs.

Possible to retrain oneself?

(I would still have a desktop that is a PC so I wonder if it might get confusing as well.)

phenombr

It certainly is. My parents both made the switch in their mid-50’s (my dad has been a regular computer user since before I was born, and the family computer I first used ran MS-DOS).

It took some time and a couple of tutoring sessions for them to feel fully comfortable, but overall it went pretty well.

If the option is available to you, consider setting up a one-to-one session at the Apple Store when you make your purchase. They have lots of experience with people switching to Mac.

wrp96

My mother made the switch at age 65. As recommended above, if there is an Apple Store nearby, sign up for the classes offered if not the one-on-one sessions.

Need

When the first unibody aluminum macbook pro came out (over 10 years ago), it was so beautiful I just had to get one. I played with the Mac OS for a while, then decided to just bootcamp it back to Windows. So I was running windows on a Mac and it was the best "PC" laptop I ever had. If you are just using normal tools like browser, words, excel, etc... Mac OS is just fine and maybe better than Windows. If you want to play a lot of different games, specialize tools, etc.... they probably don't make them for Mac. For example, my accountant sent us a PC program every year to enter our info for them to do our taxes. There is no Mac version of it.

Visconti

Ah, perhaps I'm in the minority, but both operating systems are somewhat similar, right? There are very minor differences that I'd imagine anyone whose remotely tech savvy can make an easy adjustment. With the Macs, when in doubt, use "command," then "space bar," and you can basically run anything.

PS - Not that it's perfect, but given modern specs, I'd imagine any Mac can run a virtual Windows environment relatively efficiently.

javabytes

It can certainly be done. Many Mac converts I know were exactly that - converts.

I’m not sure I agree. Tech savvy people often have the hardest time switching after a lifetime of engrained habits. It’s like learning a new language. Going from complete fluency to square one is tough. I gave it a good try for six months, using it day in and day out for work, and switched back. I was nowhere near as productive even after all that time. (I’m only in my thirties, but 30 years of Windows was enough.)

(Part of me still believes it’s not just me - that Mac is a dumbed down OS with kludgy navigation and app management. But I don’t want to start a Mac vs. PC debate here.)

As a result I am not a Mac expert, so no doubt there may be workarounds or unsupported avenues, but Microsoft has thrown cold water on Windows support (whether native or virtualized) on the new M1 Macs.

antichef

I had been using Windows from the 1980's and went to a Macbook Pro in 2009 when I made the switch from mainly desktop based to laptop based. I am now typing this on it's 2017 replacement. I have two programmes that have never been available to me in Mac format, but from the outset I have been using Parallels with a Windows interface. This allows you to get the best of both worlds if you need it, and using "coherence mode" you can use them simultaneously rather than a bootcamp relaunch. See:

And coherence mode:

mike_la_jolla

Computer dude here: Shouldn't be a problem, but make sure you understand what the 'walled garden' is. There are things that simply cannot be done on a Mac that are easy on a PC. But if you are not a computer engineer, you'll be fine. And maybe better, but it hurts to say that ...

StuckInYYZ

I've become OS agnostic myself. Took a bit of time for sense memory to adapt but other than the occasional command line issue, I think it hasn't gone too bad. I don't have a Mac yet (just sporadic interactions having to troubleshoot project managers who are supposed to lead technical teams)... As others have kinda mentioned... Just make sure you are switching for the right reasons and you know what you are getting into.

Perhaps search youtube for Linus switching to Linux for an idea of challenges you could face. Yes, I know MacOS and Linux are two different beasts, but it could help show you what issues you could encounter...
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bitterproffit

Dell PC laptop at work running Chrome.

MacBook Air at home, running Safari.

I had a MacBook Pro from 2011 that finally got too old, so I just bought a MacBook Air for under $1000 and it’s great. I don’t need the memory or processing power of the newer MacBook Pros. So, I am fine with the lightweight MacBook Air. It makes my newer Dell Laptop seem clunky.

Plus, it’s seamlessly integrated with my IPad, IPhone, and Apple TV. So, if you have other Apple devices, it works well.

I just don’t mix much between work and home. If I need to, I just use Google Drive as the common interface.

yosithezet

If over 200K IBM employees could make that switch, I'm sure you will be fine.

https://www.computerworld.com/articl...roductive.html

tai4de2

I did exactly this myself at the tail end of a multi-decade career in big tech -- almost all of which was *extraordinarily* Windows-centric. I use Apple's system (Mac, iPhone, iPad) almost exclusively now. The only exception is my camera/surveillance system, which requires a Windows computer for its highly specialized software. But that's more like an appliance that happens to run Windows, and I rarely interact with it outside that specific application.

Caveats:

• Microsoft Office on Mac is considerably less functional and somewhat more irritating than on Windows. Missing programs (no Visio is the big one), missing features (too many to even list), weird incompatibilities, etc.
• If you are used to eschewing the mouse on Windows and using keyboard shortcuts for everything, you'll be disappointed at first until you learn your way around. There are some things that just don't have good keyboard-based functionality like you'd expect on Windows. You can mitigate this using a Magic Trackpad instead of a mouse.
• Macs are actually heading *away* from being compatible with running Windows. A lot of the lineup is now converted to Apple Silicon processors instead of Intel ones, and thus many (most?) new Macs being sold these days cannot run Windows either virtually (e.g. Parallels) or via Boot Camp (which does not exist on Apple Silicon Macs, period). There is a poorly supported workaround that seems to work for some, but it's far from a certainty that this represents a decent long-term solution for people who must use Windows.

But there are many positives that outweigh the above, at least for me.

StuckInYYZ

Actually this last point isn't quite true. It was true earlier (apparently) as Windows for Arm wasn't really a thing, but development of it has been increasing as of late. There have been people who have successfully installed WfA on their macs, but with limited apps, it's not the greatest experience.

tai4de2

Intel Macs had two options for running Windows software. One was specific, direct support from Apple in the form of Boot Camp, which is gone completely on Apple Silicon.

The other option was virtualization, via a healthy slate of virtualization programs (Parallels, Virtual Box, etc.). But usable virtualization of Windows on Apple Silicon requires ARM Windows -- which indeed exists, but is available only as a beta from the Windows Insider program, and is neither licensed nor available more generally. Microsoft hasn't said much about whether that will change in the future, but the few noises they have made aren't terribly reassuring.

Also, most Windows software is for Intel Windows. ARM Windows does support that, but it's via a Rosetta-like mechanism that -- like Rosetta on Macs -- is not 100%. So you're looking at running Intel Windows software via an imperfect translation layer within a virtualized OS. That seems to work for some people, but I wouldn't want to rely on it for anything important...

Losing Boot Camp and having virtualization become so challenging are what's behind my statement about Macs moving away from Windows support. Loss of Windows compatibility on Macs may be an unintended consequence, but ARM Windows being merely available doesn't overcome it. All of this could change, but my point is that someone who has a deep connection to specific Windows-only software may have challenges trying to switch to the Mac ecosystem at this time, and it's unclear that this will change meaningfully, at least in the near term.

EDB99

Def easier going PC -> Mac than the other way around. Apple's garden has the highest walls.. That's also part of the reason they charge you $30 for a cable that should go for $5.