Top 5 Windows User Gripes about my new iMac

I thought I would kick things off by explaining my setup.  Here are the specs on my iMac...

  Model Name: iMac (late 2013 model)

  Processor Name: Intel Core i7

  Processor Speed: 3.5 GHz

  Number of Processors: 1

  Total No. of Cores: 4

  L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

  L3 Cache:         8 MB

  Memory:         8 GB

  Storage:              3 TB fusion drive

How did I get that information without looking at my bill? 

1. Click on the Apple Logo on the top left of your desktop
2. Click on the "About this Mac"
3. Click on "System Report"

For me, the more screens the better, so I attached my older LG monitor which required a Thunderbolt to HDMI converter.

Before I go into my initial grudges let me say this: The Apple ethos shines through from the moment you open the box.  I have owned some premium computer in my day but Apple has really nailed it in terms of how they package and present their products.  Maybe there is something to this minimalist design thing? This beast is absolutely stunning.

That being said, what fun is it to spew compliments at the cool kid on the block? So here is my top 5 list of Window User Grudges in no particular order:

1. All of the ports are located on the back of this gorgeous machine.  So a simple thing like plugging in my headphones to drown out the sound of my kids, or plugging in my Camera to download photos, requires spinning the entire computer around. 

2. The Magic Mouse.  This thing has some major flaws.  First, the right click is very buggy and does not always register.  Is the context menu a Windows thing?  Perhaps that explains it.  The other problem on the 27 inch iMac is that the mouse moves so slow in relation to the size of the screen.  The only solution I have found so far is to install third party software called BetterTouchTool. It's a great app (that's what programs are called on Macs - Apps) that allows you to control every aspect of your mouse and track pad.

3.The Dock.  I have to say that the Windows start bar is just cleaner and less distracting then the little shelf of bobble heads floating at the bottom of my desktop. A couple of hints for minimizing this skeuomorphistic anachronism:

 a) Under Settings--> Dock - you can shrink the size to something a little more palatable. 

 b)Settings--> Dock - you can set the dock to hide and peek out when you mouse over the bottom of the desktop. Problem here is that the hide and peek behaviour is buggy and does not always work. (You can try slowly moving the cursor at the bottom of the screen or double bouncing off the bottom - all suggestions I have read in support forums -  but remember the Dock won't appear if you are in full screen mode)

4. Windows behaviour. Unlike Windows, the windows in OSX do not truly maximize when you hit the little + button.  It will make the window bigger but it does not always fill up the entire screen.  To be honest I'm not sure what the intended behaviour is but I am sure it has some logic behind it.  Also, there is no Windows Snapping.  This is a very useful feature of Windows7 to automatically size windows when you drag them into the corners and edges of the screen.  If you have used it you will know what I mean.  But once again BetterTouchTool comes to the rescue and does a good job emulating this great Windows7 feature. Another shortcut to keep top of mind is the keyboard shortcut for full screen mode (Control, Command, "F"). This will take any active window into full screen mode and back out to reveal the desktop.  It actually creates a second desktop that you can see when using the Mission Control feature - I love this concept and I will cover it in another post.  

5. (I am reaching here) but I'll have to say the Camera.  I just expected a little more from such an expensive  machine - I find it kind of grainy when using FaceTime.  But this is a minor point and a real stretch just to fill out my list...

So there you have it.  My first top 5 list on the Deviationist blog. 

Don't get me wrong. I am looking for any excuse to make this work... so I will be looking at all the annoyances as an opportunity to learn a new way of doing things. After all, I now use full screen mode way more because of the great implementation of full screen and swiping between desktops on OSX Mavericks.