As some of you may know if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, I recently bought a MacBook Pro. Not a big deal right? Well for me it was because this is my first Apple computer ever! I have been using the Windows platform since my first animation job at Soup2Nuts back in 1996 where we ran a Dos program called Animator Pro (Autodesk). Eventually we upgraded to Windows 95, then 98, then XP and during those years it was a well known fact that Macromedia Flash ran smoother and faster on Windows than it did on Apple computers. Flash being primarily my software focus, I simply never considered a Macintosh for my animation needs.

Last year I needed a new and reliable desktop to run the Adobe Master Collection and games and all other necessary graphics applications, so I stuck with a Windows machine but this time built my own through parts ordered from NewEgg. That machine has been running flawlessly since day 1.

2 weeks ago my 5 year old Dell Inspiron 9300 17″ laptop started making extremely loud “click” and “whirrrr” sounds from the hard drive and then BAM! – blue-screened at 2am. Tough to rest comfortably with that visual etched into my brain as my head hit the pillow. With mission-critical project files needed on my trip to San Francisco a few days later, it was time for a new laptop even though money isn’t exactly growing from trees these days.

I did what I usually do when shopping for a new computer by going to Dell’s website and looking at their XPS game systems. Then a perused Alienware’s site for what, if anything, I could realistically afford in a high performance gaming machine suitable for creating processor intensive animation and graphics.

Then Chris Rhodes, a friend and the client programmer on our RockFREE! team typed a 3-letter acronym into Skype and sent it to me: “MBP”.

Now I have to admit I didn’t understand what “MBP” meant at first, and reluctantly had to ask after about 1 minute of trying to figure it out on my own. It seems silly to me that it didn’t come naturally that “MBP” meant MacBook Pro!I have to give Chris Rhodes credit for providing the subtle push in the right direction at the right time.

I have seen far too many platform flame wars on various forums indicitive of the passion people have for their chosen platforms. Therefore I didn’t want to start soliciting the advice of anyone on this blog, Twitter or Facebook as to what platform I should choose. I knew I had to decide for myself either to remain with what was familiar to me for all these years or freely hurl my carcass into the abyss that is Apple and let the vast unknown shower over me.

The nearest Apple store is 5 minutes away from my house. I decided to go there first thing the morning after the “blue screen of death” incident and look at these MBP’s in person. Moment of clarity: Knowing my own consumer habits, it was clear that if I did go to the Apple store and if my credit card was with me for the ride, then a purchase of some kind was imminent.

I felt like a big shot as I walked into the store’s entrance and looked the first employee between the eyes and told him I was there to buy…err…look at a MacBook Pro because I was seriously “considering” them. In my own mind I was already sold, but I had to play a little hard to get.

The salesman (Genius?) that was assigned to handle my inquiries was helpful indeed. He answered my questions and touted the MBP as the most capable machine I could buy. This came of no surprise because he works for Apple and likely has been using macintosh computers since he was born. Besides, what negatives could he possibly reveal about something so infinitely perfect in its most basic form? It’s like walking into a Ferrari dealership and looking for flaws in the craftsmanship to help you decide it’s not for you. It ain’t gonna happen!

The only decision to make was if I should go with the 15.4 or the 17″ screen. I chose the 15.4″ because the dying Dell is a 17″ and it’s impossible to open on an airplane as its footprint is 30% larger than the fold-down trays and its weight was unbearable on long trips.

The next decision was to go with either the slower processor and smaller hard drive or the faster processor and larger hard drive.

Duh!

Throw in the extended 3-year warranty and before I knew it, I was signing along the dotted line and was walking out the door with my new MacBook Pro.

It felt good in my hand as I walked trough the parking lot to the car – even though it was still in the box – it felt good enough to nearly make me forget how much I just contributed to this country’s stimulus plan. The exchange was almost too easy. I started to feel that it should have been a little more painful to achieve such a socially iconic piece of hardware and software – then I remembered that I live in America and buying almost anything has always been a little too easy here for most of us.

I made it back home without being mugged or car-jacked (a natural fear reaction I usually have after purchasing something I can’t really afford). I opened the box, marveled at the way Apple packages their products and lifted the MBP out with both hands. Instantly something felt different. The MBP feels so solid! I mean really solid! Like a brick or something. A quickly learned after skimming the manual that the MBP’s body is machined from a single piece of solid aluminum! That’s crazy stuff! I have been so use to all the flimsy plastic components that comprise most windows machines, when held or carried they would always bend and make small cracking sounds. The MBP was like holding a single piece of granite at a fraction of the weight. I was seriously impressed and I hadn’t yet started it up.

Initial start-up was smooth and fast. Apple requests some personal info and after about a minute I was staring at a virgin OSX desktop. Now, the most amazing and unexpected thing happened. My MBP not only found my network without asking, but it also found every single computer connected to it without any manual input from me. WTF? If anyone has ever tried networking windows machines you must understand just how amazing this is! Let me be clear, the MBP connected all network machines without a single keystroke from me! Oh this is going to be a good.

To be cont…