Mac OS X - Review - Mac OS X Leopard

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Mac OS X Leopard (Mac OS X)

Member Name: ChandlerFord

Product:	Mac OS X
Date:	28/06/09 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast, Reliable, Powerful, Included Software is great

Disadvantages: only one... it's about to be updated!

I'm new to the world of Apple Mac, well sort of. I did use an Apple II when I was at primary school! Since those days I've been aware of Mac OS and the loyal fanbase it has based over the years on its stunning graphics.

Fed up with Windows lack of speed, and weaknesses where viruses are concerned I decided it was time to stop buying Microsoft products. I am from a UNIX background, but the wife and kids only knew Windows. I couldn't see Linux as the way to go with too many varieties and complicated setups. Then I read that Mac OS X is now fully UNIX certified, which came as a bit of a surprise. My wife needed a new laptop, so we chose a MacBook, which was expensive but so far has proven well worth the price tag. The OS though is less expensive than it's main competitor, and that is the really stunning bit.

Firstly, it boots very quickly. With Windows Vista and a similar spec PC to the MacBook I could go and make a cup of tea while it booted. With OS X, there's a light, apple logo, and login screen almost as fast as I can say it. Click on your picture, enter a password and there it is... the desktop is ready to go. No waiting while it configures itself, it's ready for you!

The Dock at the bottom is impressive, and very customizable. It comes with Apple Mail, Safari, iChat, Address Book, iCal, iTunes, iPhoto and GarageBand all ready to just click on and run. Then you look at the vast desktop and see it is clutter free: there's not an icon for everything on there, just one for your hard drive and another for the CD/DVD that's installed. At the top of the screen there's the menu bar, which changes to the menu bar for whatever application is active. This takes a little getting used to if your used to Windows, as the menu bar is outside the application window, but once you get used to it you'll find it makes perfect sense to have it there.

Mail is a fully capable email client, and in my opinion is much simpler and yet more powerful than either version of Outlook. The web browser, Safari, is equally impressive, Windows have stopped releasing IE for Mac, and I can see why. As you click along the dock, you'll find each application does what it says on the tin better and faster than the opposition. Then you get to GarageBand.

GarageBank is a multi track music studio, and it's free with OS X. I had a play though I had no experience of mixing music. I downloaded some Nine Inch Nails tracks in the correct format as they are one of the only bands willing to allow you to have access to their music in its original multi-track format. Within a few minutes I was distorting guitars, changing drums, adding sounds etc. It was easy to use and yet powerful enough to play and edit many tracks whilst playing the song at the same time. I had a look for rival products on the market, and they don't come cheap, and yet somehow Apple give it to you for free.

Apple's office suite, iWork, was simple to install and added a couple of icons to the dock. I noticed as it did this that the dock resized itself and its icons at this point. So it still filled the bottom of the screen, and yet I still didn't need to scroll to see everything. By this stage, my old Windows machine was looking cluttered, but OS X still had a nice clear desktop.

Now for the hard part, convincing the wife that she could still do her Open University course without Windows and that this little silver box was worth the price tag. I handed it over and talked her through the differences... then I left her to it. Two days later, she's smiling and declaring that she'll never use Windows again. The children need to be converted next, but they are excited by it, and they want a MacBook each, so we have a good chance.

Finally I got to play! Into the Finder menu, find the terminal and X and I'm back in UNIX land. A few tests and yes... it's a full UNIX, all wrapped up in a great GUI. Scripting for me is a command prompt task, but the wife can do it through automation assistants. I finally get my head back into the simply confusing vi editor and I'm impressed. I don't go into the terminal screens that often, but it's nice to know that all that power is just a mouse click away.

And for piece of mind, OS X comes without anti virus software! All the included software and yet no AV? Well, OS X is secure and robust. It doesn't allow applications to be part of the OS like windows does, and so viruses are not a problem.

So buy this now, right? NO! Don't buy it... wait. In September a new version "Snow Leopard" comes out and whilst you can upgrade for £20, you may as well save the money.