Macpreneur

PC vs Mac: The Real Reason Mac Users Have More Fun with Mark Graban

• Damien Schreurs • Season 6 • Episode 137

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In this episode, you'll learn from Mark Graban, an internationally recognized author and consultant, as he discusses his transition from Windows to Mac, and how the Apple ecosystem enhances his solopreneur business. 

Show notes and video at: https://macpreneur.com/episode137

Connect with Mark:

Highlights:

  • [00:00] Hook  
  • [00:29] Introducing Mark Graban  
  • [01:26] Mark Graban's Mac Setup  
  • [03:18] Transition from Windows to Mac  
  • [06:02] Evolution of macOS and Hardware  
  • [13:41] Favorite Mac Applications  
  • [16:16] Transcription Tools and Tips  
  • [21:36] Recent Discoveries and Tips  
  • [25:11] Future Mac Features Wishlist  
  • [28:07] Connecting with Mark  
  • [28:45] Applying to be a guest too  
  • [29:14] Outro  

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MP137: PC vs Mac: The Real Reason Mac Users Have More Fun with Mark Graban


Hook

Mark Graban: I'm not just a user. I'm a big fan, and you're right—we can actually use the word "pleasure" to describe how it can be a pleasure to use. I think back in the days of using different-brand Windows PCs, people didn't share that same level of passion, it seems.

Nova AI: Welcome to Macpreneur, the show for seasoned solopreneurs looking to streamline their business on a Mac. Unlock the secrets to saving time and money with your host and technology mentor, Damien Schreurs.


Introducing Mark Graban

Damien Schreurs: Hello, hello! Today, I have the pleasure of introducing Mark Graban.
Mark is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and consultant. His latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us, Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, is a recipient of the prestigious Shingo Publication Award.
Mark is also the author of Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, both also Shingo recipients, as well as Measures of Success, React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. He serves as a consultant through his company Constancy Inc. Additionally, Mark hosts podcasts including Lean Block Interviews and My Favorite Mistake.
Mark is also a senior advisor to the software company KaiNexus.
Mark, welcome to the show.

Mark Graban: Damien, thanks for having me here.

Damien Schreurs: Yeah, it's a pleasure to have you on the show.


Mark Graban's Mac Setup

Damien Schreurs: What's your current Mac setup?

Mark Graban: So I am on a MacBook Pro 14-inch M3. I had been a MacBook Air user for probably five or six years—probably two MacBook Airs—and then I switched over to the MacBook Pro. I don't find the MacBook Pro to be very heavy at all, and I'm on the go a lot. So I like the additional power and the ports of the MacBook Pro. I'm in my office right now, so I've got a docking station with an external monitor, an external microphone, and the things I need plugged in.

When I'm on the go, I make a lot of use of my iPhone. I appreciate a lot of the integrations between the iPhone and Mac. I have an iPad that I use mostly as a news and eBook reader. I don't use the iPad a lot for business, other than for one use that I'll bring up later for one of your questions. But yeah, I've been all in on the Apple ecosystem the whole time I've been a solopreneur, which is going on about 15 years.

Damien Schreurs: Yeah, if we go back to the light weightness of the MacBook Pro—of the latest MacBook Pro—it's incredible. I have the 14-inch with the M2 Pro, and being able to just hold it with one hand while going around the house is really a pleasure.

Mark Graban: Yeah, I'm not just a user. I'm a big fan, and you're right—we can actually use the word "pleasure" to say that it can be a pleasure to use. I think back in the days of using different-brand Windows PCs, people didn't share that same level of passion, it seems.


Transition from Windows to Mac

Damien Schreurs: And so, what made you transition from a Windows PC to the Mac? And what was your first Mac?

Mark Graban: Yeah, so my first Mac—this is going back to before I became a solopreneur—I was using that computer. It was, I think, a black plastic machine. I believe it was just called a MacBook at the time. I mean, it had a spinning hard drive; it was probably a 13-inch screen. I was using that for doing things outside of regular work. As an engineer through college, the Windows PC was the standard in workplaces. 

Now, I grew up as an Apple kid. I mean, I was in elementary school when we had the Apple II Plus, Apple IIe. I always enjoyed using a Mac. In high school, I had an Apple IIGS, which was almost a Mac but with a color screen and really good graphics and sound. When I started realizing that I was blogging and starting to podcast, I thought, "I should do it on my own machine."

I think I partly bought into the Steve Jobs notion that "it just works." I don't have an IT department. I think I've only had one hardware issue in 15 years that was serious enough to require service, where I didn't have my computer. I mean, there are things that can be improved, and things do get improved, but it's solid—it just works. They're reliable. Even though I tend to upgrade every couple of years, they last a really long time. And even that time when I needed Apple Store Genius Bar service, I was out of commission for a couple of days, but I got a loaner laptop.

So I feel that even as a small business buyer, it just works. And if there's any problem, it gets taken care of. That was a big part of it. I just enjoy the Mac system—just how it works. For a while when I was using both Windows and Mac, those differences were more immediate and apparent every day. I get strangely disoriented if I have to use a Windows computer for a couple of minutes, even though I think I'm very tech savvy having grown up with computers. But nowadays, if I have to use a Windows computer for a couple of minutes, I feel all kinds of disoriented. It seems like it shouldn't be, but it is. I'm a loyal Mac user, and it's served me and my business really well. Yeah, it just works. It's not perfect, but it just works.


Evolution of macOS and Hardware

Damien Schreurs: So, since you've been using it for quite a long time, what's your take on the evolution of macOS over the years?

Mark Graban: I'm happy with the evolution of macOS. I know some people get concerned that it's going to be made too much like iOS, and maybe I'm an old-school user—I couldn't imagine using an iPad as a replacement for a Mac. Even though I've started shifting from using Dropbox to using iCloud files, and I've gotten better at it, if I need to pull up a file quickly on my phone or on an iPad, I can do that. I think I'm happier with how the hardware has evolved. I would say it devolved for a generation or two and then came back to some of the best features while continuing to evolve a little bit.

I had a Touch Bar on my MacBook Pro that did not really live up to the hype. It was more of a gimmick than anything really helpful. I use my function keys a lot—even if it's just for adjusting volume—and I appreciate that I can do that without even looking. I'm not a big fan of touch-screen interfaces (even in cars). So I'm glad they got rid of the Touch Bar and brought back a built-in HDMI port. When I'm on-site as a speaker or consultant, being able to pop in the HDMI directly is far better than dealing with an adapter.

The other thing I was most happy about was when they brought back the MagSafe charger. Because I'm clumsy and often using my computer—even if I'm at home—there are times I have to plug it in, and the MagSafe adapter has saved me from many repair trips to the Apple Store and being without my laptop. I was always nervous in that generation when it was only the USB-C charger. I never had a MacBook hit the floor, but there were some close calls that made me really stressed out.

So I'm happy that Apple went back to some of the best features. And I think a lot of it doesn't need to evolve. I mean, the basic form factor of these MacBook Pros doesn't at all look out of date. I think the designs are pretty classic, they hold up, and they still look really modern. Functionality-wise, I like macOS; I don't have any major beefs with it. Maybe I have a few improvement ideas, maybe I'll talk about them later.

Damien Schreurs: Yeah, so for the listeners who still have the older generation MacBook Pros—and also the 12-inch MacBook when the M1 was released with USB-C charging—I have two teenagers, and one of them, although not clumsy, doesn't really take care of her stuff. What I found is that it's a cable—a normal USB cable—but on one side, there is a magnetic attachment so that the USB-C plug stays in the MacBook, and then the other part of the cable just magnetically attaches.

Mark Graban: Yeah, these different products get created to make up for some of the hardware shortcomings. I remember the first time I had to deal with a very USB-C oriented MacBook was when I got that loaner. My MacBook at the time still had USB-A ports, and I thought having to use an adapter or dongle for everything was ridiculous. I felt it was not a step forward. But then, when you really have your own machine, you end up buying USB-C cables, and I rarely need an adapter with all the ports on the MacBook Pro. That's another reason I think it's a better fit for me than the MacBook Air, but being able to plug in the HDMI directly is really beneficial.

Damien Schreurs: To circle back a little on what you touched upon—the "iOS-ification" of the Mac—it’s partly due to the processor architecture. The fact that Apple now has its own Apple Silicon chips allows them to improve security and mimic the boot process. Some of the security measures implemented for the iPhone are now being added to the Mac. Something I discovered recently—which I'm not a big fan of—is that with any Mac, you can clone your internal drive. That's pretty useful if the internal drive fails; you can quickly swap in the drive, boot up, and you're good to go. Except, as I discovered recently, that it doesn't work for Apple Silicon MacBooks or Macs because of security.

So there were two things I implemented. One was the fact that whenever a MacBook or a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip is released, you cannot install a previous version of macOS—any version before the one the Mac was released with. Whereas with an Intel machine, which I had done for some of my clients, they bought a very new Intel Mac with the latest version of macOS full of bugs, I would just wipe the drive, install the previous version of macOS, and here we go. We cannot do that with Apple Silicon Macs, and we cannot boot an Apple Silicon Mac from an external drive if the internal drive fails.

Mark Graban: Yeah.

Damien Schreurs: So, from a security perspective, it's good—but from a productivity perspective, not that good.

Mark Graban: I mean, since we shifted from spinning hard drives to solid-state drives, I have far less concern about that, but I still use three different backup methods concurrently. This might be an old habit from the days when it wasn't a matter of if a hard drive would crash, but when. I don't worry about it as much, but I have these backup habits because it's more likely I might get my laptop stolen than have it fail. So I'm happy to have all sorts of cloud backup and Time Machine backup options running, so I can get back in business sooner rather than later.

Damien Schreurs: Let's go to the next section of the show.


Favorite Mac Applications

Damien Schreurs: Let's talk about the applications you use on your Mac, whether they are from Apple or third-party developers.

Mark Graban: Yeah, so with podcasting—and as I've started doing more with video over the last five years—I found the built-in standard iMovie is sufficient for everything I need to do. I don't need anything fancier or more expensive. I don't need Final Cut Pro because I'm not doing anything that sophisticated; for basic editing on a podcast video or another video, just basic sound tweaking and adjustments, iMovie works well for me. So I spent a lot of time working in that.

I've never really used GarageBand. I used to use some free, open-source software—in my Windows days I was using Audacity. I thought it was a very good sound wave editor, and again, it was free. But maybe six or seven years ago, I started using a paid software called Hindenburg, which is designed not only for podcasters but also for radio journalists and programs that do longer-form documentary radio shows. It has a lot of great podcasting features.

So I've been using that. I tried GarageBand and found that Hindenburg was worth the money. However, if somebody wanted a free alternative, Audacity still works really well for doing all the things. I think Hindenburg is just a bit better with features like auto volume adjustments, noise removal, and multi-track editing. I generally have myself and my guest on different tracks, plus intro music and bumper music. So I spend a lot of time in Hindenburg.

Then I'm also in the built-in Mac Mail and Calendar applications quite a bit throughout the day. In fact, my second screen usually just displays my calendar full time. By second screen, I mean that when I'm at my desk, I've gotten into the habit of positioning things so that my built-in screen on the MacBook Pro is on, and then I have a 27-inch monitor directly above it.

Damien Schreurs: Yeah, I didn't know about Hindenburg. I will take a look at that and, anyway, put links to all the apps you mentioned in the show notes.


Transcription Tools and Tips

Damien Schreurs: Does it have any transcription built-in?

Mark Graban: There is a higher-priced version—Hindenburg Pro—that has some built-in transcription. But I've kind of stuck to using web-based tools for doing podcast transcriptions. That feature is available in the higher tier of Hindenburg.

Damien Schreurs: Okay. When the Macpreneur podcast was audio-only, I was using Audacity and found it really easier to use, especially with keyboard shortcuts, compared to GarageBand. GarageBand is more for music production than for podcast editing. When I switched to a video format, I went with Descript, which transcribes on the fly. It then allows me to edit the podcast essentially from the text. It's not super precise—the transcription is not perfect and sometimes hallucinates, making up sentences that neither I nor the guest have spoken. I really have to go through it, but the nice thing is I can go 1.75x or 2x through the podcast and quickly catch the hallucinations.

Mark Graban: Yeah. I haven't had that happen. I mean, most recently, they renamed themselves—it used to be called ToastyToast.ai. I'm still trying to get used to their new name. Let me look that up—they are now, forgive the pause, called Outcast.ai. But it's funny; I don't think it's hallucinating sentences, although—even though it's supposedly AI—it always spells my name incorrectly. It is not able to learn for some reason. That's easier to fix than doing a transcription yourself. I couldn't imagine doing my own transcription.

Damien Schreurs: Yeah. So if you, or the listeners, are looking for a private transcription system—an AI-based transcription system that is done on the device (on the MacBook) and never goes to any server—there is a nice application called MacWhisper. There is a free version, but with limitations. I have paid for the license because it's so good. I think the limitations are on the model. You actually download the models locally on your Mac, and there are very small models—around 500 megabytes—but then you have up to three gigabyte models, and you only get those more precise models if you pay for them. They are pretty good.

And actually, they are much better than Descript. The thing is, you cannot do any editing with MacWhisper—it's pure transcription. But you can copy and paste a URL—a YouTube URL or Vimeo URL—and it will transcribe the content. What I like about MacWhisper is that they have introduced AI post-transcription prompts. For instance, there was a webinar on YouTube; I just pasted the link, made the transcription, and then used the prompt "Create an FAQ." It then went through the transcript, extracted all the questions and answers, and gave them as a summary in a bulleted format. Really neat. Or you can ask for the key points or a quick summary of the video. For that part, you can either use a local large language model or put in your OpenAI API key. I don't know if they are linked with Claude as well, but I use an OpenAI API key. So that part obviously goes through the OpenAI servers, but the transcription is totally private and local.

Mark Graban: It would be nice if that was part of Apple's intelligence in the future—to be able to do that locally. That would be nice.

Damien Schreurs: Very good. So let's go to the next section of the show. What tip or trick did you discover on your Mac recently that you wish you had known before?


Recent Discoveries and Tips

Mark Graban: It wasn't very recent, but within the past year I realized how easy it was to use an iPad as a second screen when I'm on the go. I've been doing that much more—whether I'm in a hotel room or on-site with a client—just to have the additional screen real estate. The fact that it seems to be, I think there could be an easier way: I figured out a better way to launch it through the Mac display settings by clicking the plus and bringing in the iPad as a second screen. Once you start doing it, you think, "Gosh, why didn't I do this sooner?" I remember there was a time when you needed to download a separate app to use your iPad as a second screen. But once Apple built that into macOS and iPadOS—I'll go back to the Steve Jobs phrase again: it just works. And I know it's smart enough; I think it's even smart enough to know which side the iPad is on so that the cursor just magically goes across to where the iPad is sitting.

That's a feature I use a lot.

Then, I don't know if this is so much a tip or a trick, but I had an external Bluetooth Apple keyboard for probably at least 12 years. Now that we're in the Touch ID era, I finally splurged and upgraded the keyboard to one with Touch ID, and that's a big time saver and frustration saver—even though the Touch ID button is also on the MacBook Pro, having it handy on the keyboard is a big benefit. I don't know if that's a tip, but that's a piece of hardware that I've been happy to build into my office setup.

Damien Schreurs: Yeah, it's a capability that only works with Apple Silicon Macs, right? So that's one of the perks of this new era. Even if I were to buy—because I still have in front of me the last Intel iMac, the 27-inch iMac—even if I bought that latest keyboard from Apple with Touch ID, I wouldn't be able to use it. But maybe for some people who are in the same situation as me, the trick is the Apple Watch because it can be used to unlock the Mac. And that's how I work around it, because there are also applications like 1Password and also in Safari when you want to enter credit card or autofill passwords. Touch ID is super useful. In my case, I have my Watch, which taps a little bit, and I have to double-click the side button to allow the transaction via the Apple Watch.

Very good.


Future Mac Features Wishlist

Damien Schreurs: Um, we're almost at the end of the show, so if you were in charge of the Mac division at Apple, what would be your first priority?

Mark Graban: The first thing I think would be something not to do. I don't think I want a touch-screen MacBook. Maybe for a number of reasons—for instance, my wife has a touch-screen Windows PC that she uses for work. When she's looking at something on my MacBook, she's so used to the touch screen that she tries doing that on my Mac, smudging up my screen. In reverse, I sometimes get too close to her touch-screen Windows PC and end up tapping or moving or activating things, because I'm so used to not touching the screen. You see all these different innovative designs in the Windows PC world, such as a MacBook Pro where the screen swivels and folds back into itself like a tablet. I could see some people wanting that, but that wouldn't be a huge priority for me.

I do think that for those of us who are on the go—even with the ubiquity of WiFi—I can see, from a security standpoint, the appeal of having built-in cellular. I do use my iPhone as a wireless hotspot, and that works pretty seamlessly, but I know there are Windows PCs out there and even iPads with built-in cellular. I think that would have some interesting use cases so that you don't have to rely on WiFi, especially in areas with 5G or 5G Plus, which I think is actually faster than a lot of public WiFi. That would be another feature I'd take advantage of—built-in cellular data.

Damien Schreurs: Yeah, that's something that the blog I follow—the MacPundits who follow the news a little more closely—basically hope for. Apple purchased the cellular division of—I don't remember which company—but essentially they have the engineers and know-how to build their own 5G or 4G modem. That would be great because some Windows laptops already have that capability. Even though it's possible to use the iPhone, it's not the same, especially if you have limits on your cellular plan on the iPhone, which is the case for me. Yeah, that's a good point.


Connecting with Mark

Damien Schreurs: Well, thank you very much for sharing how you are using your Mac to run your business. Where can people find you online, Mark?

Mark Graban: Thank you, Damien. My website is markgraban.com. My last name is spelled G-R-A-BAN—like "bravo" without the O, and then LinkedIn is the platform. I'm also pretty active on LinkedIn, which has become, I guess, a social media platform. So those would be the two places I suggest.

Damien Schreurs: Perfect. I will put a link in the show notes for everyone.


Applying to Be a Guest Too

Damien Schreurs: And so, if you, like Mark, would like to share how you are using your Mac to run your solopreneur business, it's simple. Just visit Macpreneur.com/apply. If you are already on PodMatch, just click on the button and you will land on the show profile. Otherwise, fill out the application form, and I will get back to you within a few days. Once again, it's Macpreneur.com/apply.


Outro

Damien Schreurs: If you found this episode helpful, please share it with fellow solopreneurs and tag both Mark and myself on LinkedIn. And until next time, I'm Damien Schreurs, wishing you a great day!

Nova AI: Thank you for listening to the Macpreneur Podcast. If you've enjoyed the show, please leave a review and share it with a friend right now.