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I got my first MacBook. Could I be any more happier?
A laptop upgrade was long due for me as my Dell 5370 started giving me trouble almost a year ago. From screen flickering to battery, I didn’t expect the laptop to have such hardware issues. It barely lasted 3 years or so. When I used to work from cafes, it made me feel embarrassed as I used to spend a few minutes flipping the screen to turn on the display. So a new laptop was needed.
When I was planning my first international trip to the USA, I was keen on exploring laptops there. Because we all know that the choices of laptops there are way better than what you see here in India. Plus you get a good deal with features and pricing too. So I had my homework done in terms of research, the only thing was to go hunting and buy it.
While you already know now that I got a MacBook, I’ll talk more about why I ended up buying a MacBook in the first place. Being a Windows user ever since I came to the world, getting a MacBook was never on the cards.
ZenBook – The Laptop I Wanted To Buy
My priorities for a laptop were clear. I needed a laptop that was sleek, light and powerful.
My office laptop, a Lenovo was already bulky. The Dell was good, but the battery and raw power needed an upgrade. After going through a lot of blog posts, websites and videos, I zeroed in on the Asus Zenbook 15 (or 14). This one looked a beast on paper with a Ryzen 7 processor, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Graphics Card and weighed only 1.4 kg!
This model ticked all the boxes of what I needed. It was sleek, light and had the raw power. This model has a lot of variants with different configurations, screen size and quality, graphics, memory etc. I couldn’t find this model online in India on any website. Most of them had the Zenbook Duo was had dual screens which I didn’t want.
I looked for this laptop at stores in the US, and it was readily available. At some places, it was ready to pick up in 15 minutes! So I had made up my mind to get this one from the US. BUT, it didn’t happen. Why? Read on.
Why I ended up buying a MacBook
I won’t deny it, but MacBooks had my heart since the launch video of the MacBook Air. Yes, the one where Steve Jobs pulls it out from an envelope.
Over the years, the design of the MacBook changed quite a bit – physically and technologically as well. The MacBook Pro 2016 was the one that I fell in love with for the looks. The form factor and the looks just had me. But we all agree they were (and are) expensive. Plus the whole iOS, Apple ecosystem thing always repelled me from MacBooks. The sheer trouble of moving files from Android to Mac or Windows to Mac is troublesome and that was another reason I never eyed buying a Mac.
So what changed in 2023 and why I ended up buying a MacBook? There are multiple reasons for this, I’ll share some of them below.
Exceptional Battery Life
Every person using a MacBook or even a laptop would agree that MacBooks have exceptional battery life. My Dell and my office Lenovo both cannot last on battery for more than a couple of hours. And for someone like me who’s on the move most of the time, this meant carrying a charger always. (Not that I didn’t carry one otherwise). And not all places have charging points in India. On paper, the battery on MacBook might not be among the beefiest ones, but it’s the sheer optimisation that gives it the endurance. A laptop guaranteeing a battery life of more than 5 hours, I want it!
Fluidity & Snappineess
I’ve been an iPad user for quite some time now. I own the first iPad mini, the iPad mini 4 and the iPad 7. These were the best tablets that I’ve owned. The rich experience these devices provide is unmatched. The UI/UX is quite intuitive and snappy. The same is replicated on the MacBook as well. Though I hadn’t used a MacBook in the past, I had seen people juggling between tabs, and windows at such an ease. This is credited to the good RAM management done in the operating system; So the software/OS was fluid compared to Windows.
Light Weight & Sleek
MacBooks are known to be less heavy than their Windows counterparts and also very sleek. I’ve held the MacBooks of my friends and colleagues and they feel solid in hand. The laptop lid opens with a single hand, the build quality is exceptional. It’s all metal body if I’m correct and made from premium materials and not plastic or any such material. My Dell had a good metal finish, but the keyboard and the area around the touchpad were flimsy.
Lastly, the design. I wasn’t a huge fan of the tapered design of the earlier MacBook Air. But ever since the design language changed from the MacBook Pro in 2016-2017, I always wanted a MacBook Pro. Yes, a MacBook Pro. But my bank balance and my sensibility ensured I bought what I needed – the MacBook Air M2.
My First MacBook – MacBook Air M2
I remember I was at KubeCon Chicago when I entered a room to listen to a talk. What I saw there were rows of tables with MacBooks as people were taking notes, trying out things that the speaker was saying. 90% of the room had a MacBook. And it was expected, it’s the US, fair to say that everyone there uses a MacBook. I also casually discussed my thought of getting a laptop in the US with a few colleagues and all of them suggested a MacBook.
My usage was going to be like that of any regular user – web browsing, writing, viewing photos. To add to it, I’d be editing videos and photos once in a while. So it would be mostly used for writing and browsing. For this need, a MacBook Air seemed sufficient.
Apple Store Chicago – Experience
I looked for it online in different places and found it to be in stock. I also checked it out at the Apple Store in Chicago – the one from where the Chicago River Cruise starts. There’s quite some waiting there, so had to get my name entered in the list and wait for a person to assist. While I wasn’t there to buy it yet, wanted to understand the options I had, delivery timelines, pricing and everything else.
The lady explained everything about the MacBook Pro and Air and while she also leaned towards the Pro, the pricing was holding me back. Though it was cheaper than India, it was still breaching my budget of Rs 1.2L or 1400 USD.
Further, I asked her about discounts and stuff and there wasn’t much. While talking to her, I mentioned that I’d be heading to New York after this. That’s when she suggested checking it there since the taxes in New York are lower than what was in Chicago. Around 3-4% is what she said.
Also, since I was going to be flying out of the US from New York, I didn’t want to buy it in Chicago and carry two laptops for the rest of the trip. Hence I dropped the idea of purchasing it from Chicago and instead started looking for options in New York.
Micro Center Brooklyn – Where I bought my first MacBook from
When I was in New York, one of the places that I wanted to visit was Micro Center. There was one in Brooklyn which was fine as I was anyways going to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Micro Center is a tech lover’s paradise, if you’re one, you must visit. Anyway, I searched for the laptop online and placed an order. Placing an order is free, so you need to pay online at pickup.
I reached Micro Center and took a couple of hours to explore the store. I spent a lot of time with the ZenBook and the MacBook. Talked at length with the salesman who also vouched for the MacBook. Eventually, I made up my mind, that well, MacBook it is and headed to the online pickup station. I shared my order ID and the person went to a rack and brought my MacBook.
One thing to remember is that taxes will be added to the final price shown online. So the price online was $1349, and I ended up paying $1400 as the final amount – which was a little over the Rs 1.2L limit I had for this purpose. I made the payment using my Amex MRCC Credit Card. I used it to earn more reward points and use them to stay at luxury hotels in the future – like I did in New York- Staying at Marriott for $40 for 5 days!
I made the payment, and took the MacBook in my hand – I was the owner of a brand-new MacBook! My first ever MacBook! The feeling was surreal. It was surely going to be a priced possession for a long long time.
I went back to my hotel, unboxed it and it was true to everything I had heard and watched. The laptop looked beautiful. The brushed metal finish and the overall build quality were superb. I quickly configured everything and logged in and MacOS felt fluid. The mouse gestures and snappiness of shuttling between apps were pretty good. I was excited to use this as my regular laptop from then on.
Final Thoughts
It’s been over 5 months since I’ve been using the MacBook and I’ll not deny, I still feel dumb using this. For a Windows laptop, I knew my way quite a bit, so I was able to do a lot of things. On my Mac, I’m barely able to figure out how to get photos from my SSD to show up in Photos (really if you know, please let me know). I haven’t felt this technically challenged ever.
On the flip side, the battery life is AMAZING! For my limited usage of writing blog posts and growing along with occasional video and photo editing, I charge this laptop maybe 2 a week at max and use it for a few hours every day. Working from cafes is fun (not because I also have a MacBook) but because even if I forget the charger or the cafe doesn’t have a working port, I know I can work for a few hours easily.
I’ll probably do a detailed review later on, but for now, I’m loving this piece of tech I own. Owning a MacBook was never on the cards mainly for the price point, I could extract way more value from a Windows laptop. However, I valued battery life and build quality and got this one and have no regrets.
Are you also a MacBook owner? When was the first time you got yours? Let me know in the comments below. Twee to me @Atulmaharaj, DM @Atulmaharaj on Instagram or Get In Touch.
