Going from Windows (Lenovo 14") to MacBook Pro 13"

Publish Date: Oct 27 '20

3 18

As the title says I just got this new Macbook Pro 13 2020. It's the first time I've ever owned a Macbook personally. It definitely is going to take some getting used to because it is significantly smaller than my old laptop.

I'm starting to second guess this purchase because it feels weird to use right now and the screen is a lot smaller. But I think with time I'll probably get used to it. Only thing is that I paid quite some money for this (about $2,100) so I guess my expectations were really high. But I do like like a lot of the features tho, especially that now I'm completely in the Apple ecosystem and all my devices just sync seamlessly. And also Mac OS has the terminal.

But what are you guys thoughts? Has anyone experienced something similar? Do you own a MBP 13"? Please share your experiences. Thanks!

Comments 18 total

Charanjit ChanaOct 27, 2020
It all depends on what you are using it for, I guess? When I first moved from Windows to Mac some 15 years ago I hated it for a day, fell in love the next and never looked back!

The only specific thing I remember when I first switched was that I found using the ⌘ key for shortcuts far more comfortable in the keyboard than the CTRL key on Windows. Sounds trivial but it’s a combination that gets used many times a fast and it adds up.

The other thing I liked all those years ago was that you turned it on, connected to your network and you were done. That isn’t the case anymore thanks to apps and the ever increasing number of settings.

Being in a cohesive ecosystem is very convenient and under appreciated.
- Emmanuel ObogbaimheOct 27, 2020
  Awesome. This is encouraging. You're right im beginning to see myself getting more accustomed to it and actually enjoying the experience more. Especially now that it seems like I have gotten the hang of the smaller keyboard. Thanks for sharing!
  - Charanjit ChanaOct 27, 2020
    For work I just went from the 16" to the 13" which was jarring! The current keyboards are excellent IMO. I’m glad I didn’t have to use one from the past few years which would get certain keys stuck!
    - Emmanuel ObogbaimheOct 28, 2020
      Yea I compared the two macbooks side by side and the difference was quite astonishing. I'm getting the hang of the 13" keyboard. How was the adjustment for you and did it feel uncomfortable for you at first? Because my old laptop had so much real estate I could just rest my hands pretty far apart like a mini table. Then going to this macbook its a whole different story.
      - Charanjit ChanaOct 28, 2020
        For a couple of days it felt tiny in comparison but I'm used to it already and it isn't holding me back. Admittedly I'm not really doing anything taxing with it at the moment so it's a little bit of an odd comparison. The 16" I had I was doing design work in Sketch and writing code in various IDEs so the extra real estate was really welcome.
Emmanuel ObogbaimheOct 27, 2020
Hey so yea I will be using it as my main work station. But I do have a monitor that I can hook it up to whenever I need to. Yea the screen is smaller which I will need to adjust to but I think that the tradeoff is worth it. We'll see.
Andrew BaisdenOct 28, 2020
I used to have an old 17inch Dell XPS. Then I switched to a different laptop which had a 15inch screen. I was a bit apprehensive when changing to a smaller screen but I adapted. Then I made the choice to buy a MacBook. I spent weeks comparing the 15inch to the 13inch because I thought 13inch would be too small. Sure it’s portable but back then it was not super powerful. Long story short I have had a 2014 MacBook Pro for 6 years! And I do not regret it. You can easily scale the resolution up and down so you get more than enough screen real estate.
- Emmanuel ObogbaimheOct 28, 2020
  Thats great, really encouraging. Thanks. You know I just took that advice and changed the resolution, its so much better now.
Afsal RahimOct 28, 2020
I'm was having the same feeling but slowly got used to it and feeling way better now.
The trackpad gestures are very handy, have a play with it's different settings. There are also some apps like iTerm, Alfred which are super useful for my needs.
- Emmanuel ObogbaimheOct 28, 2020
  Yea you will get used to it and eventually start to love it (hopefully). I'm already becoming more comfortable and happy about this macbook.
NEKIO 💙Oct 28, 2020
depends what you use it for, if your developing mobile apps or UI/UX design, mac is way to go

anything else you can just boot general linux distro on any laptop or windows for half of the price of a mac, and 5 times more powerful components.
- Emmanuel ObogbaimheOct 28, 2020
  True. But I also will use it for other stuff like video editing, syncing with my phone, etc. So the other features are beneficial to me as well.
Johnny MezaOct 28, 2020
I have an LG Gram as my own laptop and a Macbook Pro that was given to me for work. I love working on a Macbook because of the terminal, long battery life, kickass trackpad, and just how sleek the product is.

You'll get used to it. The hardest transition for me was getting used to the command key instead of using CTRL. Especially since I'm sharing the same keyboard between both computers.

I still have an Android phone, and a Windows Desktop for gaming. I'm not all-in on Apple products, but I'm considering replacing my LG Gram for a Macbook Air as my personal laptop.

I think once you spend enough time to learn some hotkeys and trackpad gestures you'll feel right at home.
- Emmanuel ObogbaimheOct 30, 2020
  Yea I agree I feel Im already getting more comfortable with the setup. Thanks.
Sylvie FiquetOct 28, 2020
The thing is, laptops, and especially the 13", are designed to be portable, but it's impossible for them to be ergonomic.

If you feel constrained on the smaller keyboard, maybe consider getting a separate keyboard and mouse? It will allow you to spread your arms and be more comfortable. I did that with my 17" MacBook, it was worth it for me. But then I was mainly using it at home, it's different if you travel a lot.
- Emmanuel ObogbaimheOct 30, 2020
  Yea I think Im getting used to the keyboard now. I have an external monitor so when I want to do some serious work/coding I can just plug into that.
Joe SteinbringOct 29, 2020
I bought a MacBook Air a few years ago as my personal machine and I remember it being painful going to it. My argument at the time was that if it gets too bad, I’ll just throw Ubuntu on it (I never did). MacOS is nice when you are a dev. It just make everything easier (unless you are a .net dev, I guess?). Brew is great for software management. Valet is an option with the Mac (but I would really recommend Docker). It’s nice to not need to have to figure out what should be done in WSL vs Powershell. With the Mac, you just have the terminal.

If you are anything like me, you’ll be fine.

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Emmanuel Obogbaimhe @emmanuelobo

Going from Windows (Lenovo 14") to MacBook Pro 13"

Comments 18 total