Why I Ditched My MacBook for a Regular Laptop - It Wasn't Worth the Hype

My MacBook Experiment: A Cautionary Tale

I'm a freelance writer, and my laptop is my workhorse. I'm always on the go, except when I'm sleeping. Laptops usually last me for years, and even when they start to break, it's not always a total loss. I'll trade it in for a newer model, give it to a computer geek, and they'll fix it up for me. It's a pretty normal process.

Last year, I maxed out my old laptop's memory (500GB) with webinars, and it started to struggle. It was slow, and I couldn't use it anymore. I took it to a computer repair shop, and they told me they'd switched to fixing MacBooks. They didn't have any laptops available.

I went to a regular electronics store and looked at the prices. The memory on the laptops they had was tiny – 64GB or 128GB. I was disappointed.

The computer repair shop offered me a MacBook Air from 2017 (MacBook Air 13 inches. It's the most reliable model, and it's in good condition. The memory is 128GB, and we ordered a new battery.

The initial downsides were:

The cooling system made a weird noise. I didn't think much of it at the time.

They warned me that the operating system was different from what I was used to.

There's no 'divide' key.

The 'yo' key is in a weird place on the keyboard (not next to the '1' key, but next to the 'enter' key).

There's no right-click button on the touchpad. You need to double-click instead.

So, I had to get used to it. But the price was a steal – 25,000 rubles for a used model. Plus, I added a terabyte of memory (which added 9,000 rubles to the price).

Long story short, I fell for the hype...

It looks pretty nice from the outside! I mean, I've seen a ton of young people using MacBooks in airports - I'm guilty of it too. So, what happened next?For the first couple of months, I just used it to watch movies while I was on vacation. No complaints. But then autumn 2024 rolled around, and things started to get weird. Without warning, the laptop would just shut down and restart.

Crashing on me. The charger is actually magnetic Writing documents became a real pain. I'd get in the zone, have a thought, and - BAM - the MacBook would freeze, restart, and lose all my unsaved work. This happened for a couple of months. And then it just stopped. I was worried it might've been some update that disconnected it from the system. The spinning wheel would appear like the hard drive was dead, even though I hadn't removed it. Maybe the battery was just being finicky?But the worst part wasn't even that. When the MacBook finally booted up, something else happened. Something that's never happened to me in 20 years of using Windows. Even when I've lost a file (like a control or coursework), I've always managed to recover it. So, I'd start writing my control, saving every few minutes like I always do. I'd click the save icon on the top bar, and suddenly this prompt to rename the file would pop up. I clicked it, thinking it would create another copy of the file. But instead, the document closed, and when I reopened it, I was back to the original draft from that morning. All my work from the day was gone. And to make matters worse, I had two identical drafts with different names. No backup copy to be found. I didn't know about running Time Machine in the background to automatically save files to the cloud every hour and every day. Losing a whole day's work was a real bummer.

I was surprised by how quickly the MacBook started shutting down on its own. I couldn't figure out what was going on, but I managed to catch a glimpse of the battery, which had been fully charged just moments before, flashing red and the machine going to sleep. Dead battery? That's after about 8 months of use. I know that even dead batteries in laptops last longer than that. It got to the point where if I accidentally disconnected the charging cable (while moving the MacBook from my lap to the bed), it would immediately shut down and go to sleep. The machine wouldn't work without being constantly connected to the power source.

The MacBook then stopped closing properly.

MacBook wouldn't close properlyIt seemed like there was a gap, and the keyboard felt slightly uneven, with the center key sticking out a bit to the left. That was the final piece of the puzzle. We ordered a new left battery online, and it lasted for 2 months before the MacBook would shut down during restarts. The battery wasn't dead yet, though.

I inflated the battery, and the casing moved, but the machine kept working until it overheated and shut downOne thing to note is that the MacBook's battery is secured with bolts and can't be removed manually. It's a common issue with regular laptops. The casing started to expand!

Hey there, fellow computer enthusiast! Let me break it down for you. The MacBook is all about the looks. Even with its bloated price tag, you can still trade it in and get a regular laptop with Windows for a fraction of the cost.

I personally tried out the MacBook Air for a couple of months, and I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed with its sleek design. However, I soon realized that its stability issues made it impossible for me to work with it consistently. I lost control of a critical project, and I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It dawned on me that the MacBook's fancy features weren't worth the hassle. If I can get a regular laptop with the same specs for a lower price, the choice is clear: I'd rather go with the regular laptop!

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The MacBook's few redeeming qualities: the trackpad is super responsive, and you can scroll through pages with just two fingers.

It's also incredibly compact, lightweight, and visually appealing. Plus, you can install what's called a 'parallels' system, which allows you to run Windows on your MacBook. This way, you can work with familiar software like Microsoft Word, and even close files with the traditional 'X' button in the top-right corner (not the left corner, like on Windows).

And kudos to the MacBook for still managing to function, even with its bloated battery and damaged casing! Okay, it didn't last long, but it still worked, albeit with some overheating and shutdown issues.

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The downsides:

The placement of the comma and period keys (shift + 6 and shift + 7) is super annoying. I find myself accidentally pressing the wrong key when I'm typing quickly.

The 'delete' key is also replaced by a combination of the 'fn' and 'backspace' keys, which is a total pain.

And don't even get me started on the loud click of the trackpad – it's way louder than the one on my regular laptop, which has dedicated trackpad buttons.

Oh, and one more thing: the MacBook's casing is actually made of aluminum, not steel. It's super easy to bend and damage, which is why I recommend getting a plastic case to protect it. You can find them for around 700 rubles on marketplaces.

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I have to admit, the MacBook wasn't the best choice for writing work for me. The keyboard and operating system were just too different from what I'm used to. I struggled to get comfortable and adapt.

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