MacBook Pro PRIMARILY for use with Windows?

July 29, 2006 11:30 AM

Please comment on the wisdom of buying a MacBook Pro PRIMARILY for use as a Windows computer.

I need a new Windows laptop for work, and I think a new MacBook Pro would be way better than anything IT would spring for. I've always liked Apple's laptops for their form factor, quality, and good design. Nothing in the Windows laptop world appeals to me.

I do use the Mac OS occasionally, but not every day. Having the ability to reboot into MacOSX would be a great bonus.

How well is XP working on these MacBook Pros? Is it totally seamless? Or is it a dumb idea to hope that I can run Windows XP on it and expect all the same functionality I'd get with a Windows-native laptop?

Thanks!

posted by scarabic to computers & internet (26 comments total)

I have an Intel iMac, and use it 98% for running XP. It has been completely seamless, with no exceptions. As I understand it, the MBP and iMac are essentially the same machine in a different form factor.

The MBP-specific things I would check are heat/cooling (is it running the fans at full blast all the time instead of adjusting with the temperature?) and making sure it sleeps/suspends properly.
posted by trevyn at 11:44 AM on July 29, 2006

I'm running a triple boot Windows XP/Ubuntu Linux/OS X on my MacBook (not MacBook Pro). I haven't had any problems (well, a few with LILO), because BootCamp is a really good product, and it really can trick Windows into thinking its being booted by a BIOS and not EFI. Once you've gotten past that hurdle, the MacBook and MacBook Pro are just basically really well-made Intel laptops.

There's a good chance the MacBook Pros will be running Core 2 Duos (Merom) within a couple months, I'd keep this in mind when considering your buying timeline.
posted by onalark at 11:45 AM on July 29, 2006

It works very well for me. It took some work getting other sound drivers installed so I could have audio through the headphones, but otherwise it has been perfect. The iSight doesn't work currently, and there are some other missing things that are Mac-only (keyboard backlighting, etc.) but overall it works just as well as a PC. VERY FAST. Check out the Apple Bootcamp FAQ page for more information.

If I were you I would wait until after WWDC (Aug 7th I think?) to see how Apple is going to integrate Boot Camp (or whatever they'll call it) into Mac OS X 10.5.

I've been very surprised at the performance and reliability. The integratation and support is going to get very good.
posted by carson at 11:46 AM on July 29, 2006

Not a bad idea, but keep in mind that you could get a comperable windows system for MUCH less.
posted by GilloD at 12:45 PM on July 29, 2006

GilloD: I think that the "MUCH less" arguement has been shot down many many many times, especially considering what you get. Yes, at face value, the Dell laptops (a classic example) are cheaper. But once you add on all of the things that the MBP has (Bluetooth, Superdrive, ATI graphics, larger HD, etc..) the prices equal out. The "PC world" no longer has the advantage.

The OP asked about buying a MBP, not "can I get a cheap win-tel laptop." :-)

To answer the OP, I know several people that have purchased the MacBook or the MacBook Pro and use it primarily in Windows. None of them have reported problems, and a die-hard Windows Server admin I know said "This is the first laptop I've purchased in years, and I don't think I could have made a better choice." He absolutely loves it, and actually finds himself in OS X more and more these days.

From what I've seen and heard, XP works great on the MBP units. You'll probably be very satisfied with it. It's not a dumb idea at all. It's quite the opposite.
Let us know what you decide!
posted by drstein at 1:36 PM on July 29, 2006

As a counterpoint, I hate using Windows on my MBP. Right clicking is a pain, useful Function keys don't work such as Page Up/Page Down/Home/End, the Eject key on the keyboard doesn't work, etc. However: it beats the hell out of having two laptops, and it really is a damn sexy fast machine. It works great, but there are a lot of little inconveniences in Windows. Parallels fixes a lot of that, but on the other hand it doesn't let you play any games because the virtual video card is a very crummy one.
posted by evariste at 2:03 PM on July 29, 2006

If you like the MacBook, but plant to run Windows, then just get an S-series sony.

If you seriously want to run OS X, then get the MB.

The Sony won't necessarliy be cheaper than the mac, but mine (an S360 and an A690) seem to be much better built than the Dells I've had in the past.
posted by b1tr0t at 2:32 PM on July 29, 2006

I was planning on doing the same thing, but four months later here I am, running Parallels. Make sure you get InputRemapper, it's a godsend for BootCampers.
posted by jedrek at 2:56 PM on July 29, 2006

Visit the Apple store and see if there are OS X apps that you find useful or entertaining. I'm a devout Mac person who sometimes needs to run Windows apps, so the MBP is my dream machine. It'd be similarily perfect for a Windows person who wants to use OS X for video editing (or whatever) but not much else.

Unless you have a real need for the Mac, I don't know that I'd suggest that you buy one. Although, as has been mentioned, they are very well designed and built machines and the customer support is generally good (though you'll undoubtedly hear some horror stories).
posted by aladfar at 3:16 PM on July 29, 2006

The right-click thing would bother the hell out of me... not being able to right click has always been annoying in OS 9/X, but to not be able to right click in windows would cross the line.

Of course, there are utilities that let you map a point on a track pad to a certain button click, but not sure if it works on the apple hardware.... That really is the only downside to having an Apple machine. I wouldn't rule out the nice sony machines if you wouldn't ever use OSX, the low-ends are crap, but I've their high-ends seem very well built.
posted by hatsix at 4:28 PM on July 29, 2006

not being able to right click has always been annoying in OS 9/X

Then get one of the bazillion USB mice that has a right-click button. OS X supports right-click just fine.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:00 PM on July 29, 2006

Or you could just use two fingers on the trackpad instead of one to get that right click. No right-clicking is a silly anti-Mac argument.
posted by emelenjr at 5:36 PM on July 29, 2006

If you don't want dell written on your laptop that is your choice, but there is no question, Dells can be purchased cheaper.

You have to search a deals page, like fatwallet, and jump at the right time.. It may be a one day only deal, for example, but at minimum price you'll save 30% for identical specs (except the OS, of course).

Apple doesn't seem to play the same pricing games as Dell, that means non-savvy consumers don't get screwed, but savvy consumers do. Things that make you go hmm..
posted by Chuckles at 5:39 PM on July 29, 2006

As others pointed out, not having a windows keyboard and mouse buttons will be a pain, and you can get something cheaper if you don't need all the addons.
posted by delmoi at 6:28 PM on July 29, 2006

Or you could just use two fingers on the trackpad instead of one to get that right click. No right-clicking is a silly anti-Mac argument.

Actually, no right clicking is a very strong anti-Mac argument. I use right click VERY often in my daily routine. Adding a mouse to a laptop is not an answer, it's assumed that if you're going to sit at a desk for any length of time, you're going to get a mouse, and you're going to get a mouse that you're comfortable with.

That said, I did not know about the two-finger click, it doesn't make my argument silly, just invalid, as long as it works in windows (because the OP wants to run windows, I think this two-finger click is the best news I've heard all week!)
posted by hatsix at 7:19 PM on July 29, 2006

Well, it looks like the two-finger trick on the trackpad doesn't work in Windows on a Mac yet because of driver issues, but I bet it won't be long before someone figures that out. In the meantime, from that Google search up there: Input Remapper.
posted by emelenjr at 8:00 PM on July 29, 2006

i have to agree that while there are plenty of PC laptops that approximate the buildout of the MB and MBP, a lot of them are just... cheap. a co-worker has a 17" dell machine and while on paper it would be kind of the same as the 17" MBP, in reality, it has very poor build quality, is too thick, and just feels and sounds cheap.

macs make excellent windows machines. i never thought i'd say that in my lifetime, but there you go!
posted by joeblough at 11:28 PM on July 29, 2006

the difference between a dell and an apple is much more than the name on the case. i would never buy a dell laptop for the same reason i would never buy a dell desktop: because they are made out of cheap generic parts.

the only downside i can forsee see to running windows on a mac is that you are going to have to repartition your hard drive, and you won't be able to access your windows stuff from your mac. can anyone speak to this? does paralells address this issue? i would love to know, because i am thinking about buying a macbook myself.
posted by sophist at 12:40 AM on July 30, 2006

the difference between a dell and an apple is much more than the name on the case.

I shouldn't have been so inflammatory, I didn't mean it literally.. Also, weight is a cost factor in laptops, and my 30% savings estimate does not consider that, so the figure is probably too high. However, all computers, and all electronics in general, are made out of "cheap generic parts." Consider, for example, the phenomena of Capacitor Plague:

the first release of the iMac G5 appears to have suffered as well (see this forum thread and these photos).

And many, many other apple quality control issues.

the only downside i can forsee see to running windows on a mac is that you are going to have to repartition your hard drive, and you won't be able to access your windows stuff from your mac.

It doesn't seem like it should be a problem: WinXP and OSX dual boot in MacBook Pro. Search for "partition" on that page, there isn't that much though.
posted by Chuckles at 12:59 AM on July 30, 2006

Scarabic: I think the Macbook will make a great Windows box, and you might find yourself using OSX more than you think. Also check out Parallel's Desktop (already mentioned upthread) for OSX/Windows VPC when you don't want to dual boot. I'm in the same boat, nothing in the Windows laptop world appeals to me. Might want to look at Leopard though, if you can wait till Christmas for the laptop you won't have to upgrade the OS.

found an answer to my own question:

Install MacDrive on the Windows side and you will be able to access all your Mac files from the Windows side. And as Mac OS X can read Windows NTFS partitions, or read and write to FAT32, you can store your files where ever you want.

Chuckles:
If i was going to build a desktop i would build it myself, thereby negating the "cheap generic parts". Not all computer parts are made cheap, but I can gaurantee Dell isn't using Crucial memory, Seagate hard drives, Asus motherboards or Antec power supplies.

While Apple has had some quality control issues with their products, they usually provide a low-cost or free repair service after a bad defect pops up. And there is always Apple Care. They seem more genuinely concerned about customer satisfaction than most computer companies I have dealt with.

Aplogies if that came off flamy, the last thing I want to do is start some horrible Apple/PC war.
posted by sophist at 2:31 AM on July 30, 2006

the only downside i can forsee see to running windows on a mac is that you are going to have to repartition your hard drive, and you won't be able to access your windows stuff from your mac. can anyone speak to this? does paralells address this issue? i would love to know, because i am thinking about buying a macbook myself.

I'm pretty sure Boot Camp does the repartitioning for you, and non-destructively at that :) As for accessing stuff: I believe OS X can read, but not write, NTFS, which would give you a one-way sharing capability (OSX can grab from XP but not vice versa). And you can always make a third, FAT32 partition which both can read/write (note: pretty sure this would negate the easy BootCamp partitioning mentioned above).

Parallels makes it super easy, you can set up any local directory to show up as a shared drive in XP. On my work iMac I have it set to access my OS X Desktop directory, and it works fine.
posted by cyrusdogstar at 5:14 AM on July 30, 2006

Cool, it sounds overall like I'm good to go with a couple of upcoming-news caveats. I will check out Parallels and InputRemapper.

The Mac/PC pricing argument is an old one. Simply put: it's more true than ever with Desktops but no longer remotely true with Laptops.
posted by scarabic at 11:50 AM on July 30, 2006

Thanks for the answers!
posted by scarabic at 11:50 AM on July 30, 2006

AsusTek manufactures the MacBook, using its Chinese Asusalpha Computer subsidiary for volume production. AsusTek also OEMs basically the same model for Toshiba and Dell, with minor cosmetic differences (such as mouse buttons, control keyes, etc).

You can often buy the same laptop directly from OEM manufacturers such as Asus, sometimes for much less.

Some of the other main manufacturers of laptops today that get branded by US sales and distribution companies such as Apple, HP, or Dell are Mitac, Uniwill, Clevo, and Compal. You can often but the "off" brand laptops directly from them, or from smaller online retailers, for significantly less. Another bonus is that you can sometimes get a fresher component set than that specified in a branded system build that could be several months old.

A search like this will doubtless pop up many AdWord retailers eager to sell you the "latest" OEM laptop from China or Taiwan but without the added branding sauce.
posted by meehawl at 12:20 PM on July 30, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Apparently, people thought I was kidding:

No, really: 203 degrees.

I can't imagine it would run any cooler under WinXP.
posted by baylink at 5:27 PM on July 30, 2006

meehawl is misinformed. Yes, many Apple products are physically manufactured by Asian OEMs. No, Apple does NOT rebrand someone else's design. You cannot buy anything with the same fundamental design as a MacBook or MacBook Pro from another vendor. It is an original Apple design, and is sold exclusively by Apple.

"Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China." is what the products read.
posted by trevyn at 2:24 PM on August 2, 2006