The Windows to Mac Experience (Macbook Air M4)

TL;DR

After years of using Windows, I made the switch to a Macbook Air M4 — and it's been a game changer. It's lightning fast, highly portable, and works seamlessly with the Apple ecosystem. The learning curve is real, especially for multitasking and system navigation but overall, I might never go back to Windows.

👋 A Little Background

For as long as I've had a computer, I've been a Windows user. My dad built my first PC when I was 7, and ever since then, Windows has been my go-to operating system. I've dabbled in Linux here-and-there and I use an iPhone daily, but my main computers have always run Windows.

About six months ago, shortly after starting college, I realised that the iPad I was using just couldn't keep up with my workload. It wasn't a performance issue — iOS just isn't built for serious multitasking and programming. So, I knew it was time to get a proper laptop.

💻 The ThinkPad Era

I picked up a second-hand ThinkPad T480s based on a friend's recommendation. It was a solid machine: fast enough, versatile, and incredibly affordable at around £250. It ran everything I needed — from school work to programming tasks — no problem.

Not long after, I started working as a contractor for a software/data company, handling both internal projects and my own client work on the side. The ThinkPad paid for itself within a matter of weeks.

But a few weeks ago, it began to slow down. One of the charging ports died, performance was lagging, and the overall experience felt clunky. It was time for an upgrade

🛍️ The MacBook Air M4

After some research, the answer became obvious: the Macbook Air with Apple's M-series chip was ideal for my needs. I went with the MacBook Air M4 and it arrived the next day.

📦 Unboxing Experience

Unboxing an Apple product never gets old. The packaging is tight and rigid, making it feel premium from the first touch. I especially liked the included 2m braided MagSafe charging cable — a nice touch that prevents accidental laptop yanks, although slightly gimmicky.

Opening the lid, the Mac springs to life with that signature chime. Setup was smooth and simple: I logged into iCloud, and all my photos, documents, and settings synced automatically from my other Apple devices.

🧠 macOS vs. Windows

macOS is different — really different.

Some things caught me off guard:

• The window controls are on the top left, not the top right.
• Clicking the red "close" button doesn't quite quit the app — it just minimizes it to the dock.
• The menu bar is global, pinned to the top of the screen, rather than inside each app.

At first, this all felt unintuitive, but I learned that quitting apps isn't always necessary. macOS handles background resources much more efficiently than Windows, so you can keep apps "open" without worrying about memory usage.

Another adjustment: right-clicking. The MacBook only has a single trackpad button, so you either use Control + Click or enable some settings for two-finger click. Once I found it this was easy to adapt to, but a big change from my previous two-button trackpad/mouse button configuration.

🔄 Multitasking & Workflow Differences

This has been the trickiest part. On Windows with dual or even triple monitors, I could:

• Run spotify
• Chat in Discord
• Code in VS Code
• Preview in a browser ... all simultaneously.\

On the MacBook's 13.4-inch screen, this feels less natural. It could just be the screen size, not macOS itself — I haven't had the chance to experiment with external monitors yet.

That said, Stage Manager and Mission Control help. I'm still adjusting, but I see the potential.

⚙️ Software Setup Made Easy

Installing apps is incredibly smooth. Between the Mac App Store, regular browser downloads, and Homebrew (a command-line package manager), setting up my environment was a breeze.

Everything installs fast. No waiting for 4GB .exe files to run in dodgy installers. It just works.

🚀 Performance & Portability

This device is absurdly fast. Photoshop, Illustrator, and even Xcode launch instantly. On my old PC, I often used lightweight alternatives just to avoid waiting for Adobe apps to open — now I don't have to.

And the form factor? Unreal. The MacBook feels half the size of my old ThinkPad. With a razor-thin profile, almost no bezel, and minimal weight, it's the ultimate portable machine. Perfect for lectures, coffee shops, or client meetings.

✅ Pros and Cons

Pros

• Blazing-fast performance with M3 chip
• Elegant, portable design
• Seamless Apple ecosystem
• App installation is a dream
• Great battery life

Cons

• At first, macOS multitasking can feel clunky on one screen
• Trackpack right-click needs configuring
• Price premiumn over similarly spec'd Windows laptops

🧠 So, Will I Ever Go Back?

Honestly, Probably not. I could see myself trying out Linux but this would be hard to beat.

After a month of programming, designing, researching, and writing on this device, switching back to my old ThinkPad for 10 minutes to wipe its memory was painful. Everything felt slower, harder, more manual.

This MacBook just works — quickly, efficiently, and beautifully. I'm excited to continue exploring what macOS has to offer, especially with external displays and deeper workflow customisation.

💬 What About You? Have you made the switch from Windows to macOS? What was your experience like? Got questions about the transition?

👉 Reach out to me here — I'd love to hear your story.