The three Mac features I want on my next PC

This is a counterpoint to the three PC features I want on my next Mac

Macs suck. They're overpriced, underpowered, and just nasty status symbols. But I still want one. Well, something like that so guess what i really want is some basic mac functionality in my next pc notebook.

Multi-platform power supplies (and a clever power brick)

I currently have a couple of HP, Gateway and Asus notebooks in my house. This means I have 6 different Power Bricks lying around which has forced me to label each one for easy identification. However, my wife and I play the match at the end of the notebook game to frantically search for the right power source. Our Macs? They use the same MagSafe charger despite being a generation apart. Better yet, it's easier to tell which notebook they're going to, since the big ones charge the MacBook Pros and the small ones charge the MacBooks. It's that simple.

I don't expect different PC manufacturers to band together and settle on one universal adapter - although that would be great - but PC manufacturers really need to condense their vast lineup of notebook power adapters into just one or two power bricks. Imagine one Imagine a world where you could use your HP AC adapter on *gasp* other HPs of even different generations and product lines, rather than the 14 different AC adapters currently used across their entire product line.

Speaking of which, why only Apple has a handy power brick that has great cable management and is compatible with multiple international power tips? It's that kind of attention to detail that makes Apple so great. We PC -Users are forced to randomly feed large black power bricks that have at most a small velcro to manage cables. If we're going to generalize the power anyway, why not put a few designers in a room and let them design a little more stylishly. A Working TrackpadA working trackpad might be a little wrong. From what Devin gleaned from speaking to Synaptics — the maker of Apple's and most PC trackpads — all the trackpads they've produced over the past few years are pretty much the same .It's the combination of poor multi-touch support in Windows and bad trackpad drivers that come with most PCs v That matters. That's it. So in reality, we just need better drivers, not trackpads.

I've been using an HP Envy 15-inch (2nd gen) for a while and hated the multi-touch buttonless trackpad. I cursed his name (I called him Stan - fuck you Stan!) every time I used it. It didn't work and convinced me that buttonless trackpads are the devil. Then I used Devin's new MacBook Pro. The damn thing worked as it should. I had to rewire my brain to use the trackpad the way I was supposed to , as the mutlitouch actually worked 100%. I could actually click with one finger while another was resting elsewhere on the pad. It blew me away.

But it's just not the HP. I've never used a PC trackpad as good as the one on my Macs. Even my 5 year old iBook's trackpad, which only supports two finger scrolling, works better than anyone other PC I currently have. It's really pathetic.

I'm not sure who's to blame here. It could be Synaptics for not providing enough driver support, Microsoft for not supporting Mutlitouch soon enough, or even the PC manufacturers constantly choosing the cheapest solution. Mine is it really doesn't matter either. Just someone please get me a working trackpad on a PC. A tidy keyboard Oh how I envy the keyboards on Macs and it's not really the tactile feel either. It's like the keyboard doesn't add anything extra hat. Out of the ten PC notebooks I currently own, no two are alike. Each has random media controls along with slightly different layout schemes. It's not asking too much that the bottom left key is the ctrl key and the delete button is always at the top right.

I understand that notebook manufacturers want their models to stand out from the rest, and this is an easy way to do that with randomly colored media play buttons. But nobody uses them. (at least nobody should use them) When bright media buttons aren't enough, sometimes a notebook will make things better Spice it up with a slightly different keyboard layout, I don't know, shortcuts for email, web browsing, calendaring, and what not. Stupid again.

The keyboard and trackpad are among the most important pieces of hardware in a notebook. It's how users interact with the device, so it should be a top priority, but it seems that only Apple invests significant resources in their development.

I won't be switching back to OS X from Windows 7 any time soon. It's now my operating system of choice, partly because it runs great on the huge range of cheap yet very powerful PC notebooks available from every manufacturer. None Of the points I've listed here is so great that I'd switch back, but I'm hoping some PC makers realize that Apple's attention to the small things is what defines its identity. Eventually, selling products works that are just good enough, no more. GM and Chrysler know a little bit about this.

Be sure to read the other page in John's article The Three PC Features I Want on My Next Mac.