A newbie goodbye windows, hello Mac!

Yes boys, I am ditching my Vista notebook and I am going Mac on Friday. Getting a stock Mac Book. I am not tooooo keen on the white but I think it will grow on me. Ive used Mac OSX Panther before, so I have some very little experience. Will be a big learning curve! Any advice for a newbie? Any good tutorials or sites you can direct me to? Any thing will be great!

 

Congrats on your purchase ! You will love it, i assure you. I just switched last month and I'm loving it

Check out the sticky in this forum, that'll help. Post any questions here, we'll try help out.

Cheers.

 

Congratulation ......

Start from here & read forum sticky posts.

 

congrats Paul :d enjoy your new lappy.

Lynn

 

Congrats! Hope you will enjoy it!

Read stickies and feel free to post any questions you have

 

Congrats!!! You sound really excited. You'll love OS X and it won't be the big learning curve you think it will be. You'll soon notice that everything on a Mac makes sense and is what Windows should be doing. Just don't be shy, ask questions here, just keep an open mind. There are tons of great Mac programs that would expect. You can Google them or come here and tell us what you need and we can point you to the best software.

 

I switched back in April, your mac comes with this as the default start page on Safari

http://www.apple.com/startpage/

There are some pretty cool videos on there about getting used to a mac, they are a cool watch. Also as said before the stickies on here are very nice. One word of advice, the keyboard short cuts are pretty much the same as windows except it is Command insted of control That was my big ah-hah! moment.

 

Congratulations! Welcome to the family

 

I was all planning on getting the Alienware m17x, until today. Stopped at Frys to get a new video card and saw the macbook pro...I am in love...choice is now made.. PC can be my gaming rig, macbook pro will be my college take around town machine...

 

is it your first mac?

 

It will be my first Mac! I had a Grape colour G3 imac back when I was kid.... does that count? LOL

 

Do you have an ipod?

 

Congratulations on moving over, I switched last month and haven't regretted it at all It's been a great experience!

 

I have had to do alot of papers this summer for my tech writing class and just the easy of using OS X while I was doing that. It is a good choice for college!

PS: And it is built like a tank

 

If you don't want the white macbook, there are great deals on the Aluminum MacBook and Macbook Pro at the Apple outlet/refurbished store.

 

Speaking of refurbished, buying those can you still get the applecare warrenty. because that 1999$ antiglare 17in macbook pro is what i want and thats a great price

 

Yes you can. The warranties are exacly the same on the refurbished models. You get the standard one year warranty and can upgrade to AppleCare if you wish (within the first year).

 

Thanks that great to know.. When I saw the 17in at FRYS I thought it was a 15in, it didnt seem like a big 17in notebook that I am used to seeing..

 

and you will basically get "new" unit...except no fancy box

 

Well I got it, and I am using it right now. Have to say I am really impressed. Getting used to all the features and keyboard shortcuts. Office will also take a bit of getting used to! I think I love the white too! My gf is jealous!

 

I keep tapping the track point pad for a click... (a windows habit) gotta get used to the button!

 

You can tap your trackpad just like in windows ! At first, even i thought you can't ! But you can. Change your settings in system preferences -> Trackpad.

Cheers

 

Welcome to the enlightened side!

I made the switch some time ago. I'm very happy. I gave some thought to windows 7 but the more I learn about it the happier I am that I left windows after XP. I'm elated that I've missed out on all that Vista pain. While it's a better OS than Vista, I suspect windows 7 will bring even more users to Mac. The reason? You must wipe XP and reinstall to get windows 7.

On my lowly Mac Mini G4, I wanted to upgrade from Tiger to Leopard. I inserted the DVD, answered 1 or 2 questions, including choosing "archive and install", and I came back in an hour thinking something had gone wrong because all my windows were right where I left them. I then checked "about this mac" and found I was at 10.5.5. Nice. MS will continue to lose user base as long as they expect us to wipe and reinstall, deal with OS DRM and cd keys every time we want to install something, and offer a bewildering array of OS options.

Just look at this windows 7 upgrade matrix. It's a sea of blue with a few green spots. The green spots are the only upgrade paths that don't involve a "wipe and install". Ouch.

One thing I have found is the more I use a Mac at home, the more painful it is to use the windows boxes at work with their perpetual hourglasses and teeny weeny trackpads.

 

C'on guys, don't be so hard on W7-they have done good job this time. I am looking to build a PC with it very soon It is actually a good thing for Apple users too since it wont let "Jobs and co" to relax=more exciting staff!

 

Just another fanboy talk.

 

Haha, mine is too! Now she is wanting her own lol. Just watch it, mine stole my Mac for a good two weeks right when I got it, so keep an eye out

As far as Office, it takes some slight getting used too but for me it so now so so much easier to use then Office 2007 for Windows. The menus are just laid out so much better! Enjoy!

 

How so? He speaks from his experience and gives an example- for lots of doing reformat is a major PITA...

 

Processing this sentence...

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I like the Apple trackpads, but I think on a usability scale a standalone dedicated mouse is better. One of the reasons PC laptop trackpads tend to be lame is because they assume a mouse. Why invest a lot of time or money into a trackpad? On my PC laptop I've never used the trackpad. On my MBP I use the trackpad, but only because I don't tend to do much that can't use it. I will say in Windows 7 the Apple trackpad is pretty terrible, I have a mouse ready to use if it drives me totally crazy. Good job with those drivers Apple.

 

Why should they assume that a portable computer is going to have a mouse attached to it? That is just companies being lazy. I never use a mouse on my MBP because I can do more with the track pad.

 

Its not a Windows or Mac thing. Computers are fast because of hardware. A decrepit PC built in 2000 will be trash compared to any modern computer. No matter how good the OS is, the hardware is the limiting factor.

On my friend's iMac, I get lots of beach balls which drive me nuts. Thankfully, I rarely get those beach balls on my Mac. Also, Windows do not have hourglasses anymore. You get a pretty cyan ring.

 

Not sure if its been posted else where but got a list of free programs/apps I can download for my Mac?

 

Everyone's been asking for that !

Where's sam who promised to get it done a month back?

Oh and, If your looking for a specific type of app like torrent, im or the sorts . Just post it. We'll get you one.

 

google for mac freeware and youl'll get a nice list.

 

I like versiontracker.com, lots of nice apps there

 

It's not about being lazy. There's a natural leaning for Windows users to use mice. It's part of the design of the interface. Lots of apps, especially games which use a mouse interface, aren't as "natural" with a trackpad (or trackpoint stick). To flip the coin, OS X is practically built around the assumption of a trackpad, which leaves iMac and Mac Pro users sort of unenlightened since Apple doesn't make a standalone USB trackpad.

The input device really is part of the OS. As an example, I have a Macbook Pro 17" unibody. I have OS X and Windows 7 set up on it. In OS X I have to use the trackpad, it's the only way I can use it comfortably. If I dual boot to Windows 7, the trackpad goes from being comfortable to being strange. I think it's part due to Apple's flimsy trackpad drivers for Windows, but it's also just not as good a device for Windows. If I plan to use Win7 for a while I just plug in a mouse.

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To keep this on topic I'll add that the title of the thread is strange since Macs can run Windows. "Hello OS X" might have been a better description.

 

I didn't say I was installing windows on my mac nor did I even mention using windows on my Mac. My intention was that I am no longer a windows user. Don't take things too seriously.

 

It wont be a steep learning curve. I switched for the first time a week ago and i feel like a pro already.

All that's left is fine-tuning shortcuts like spaces. Will i ever use a Windows PC? No but i will eventually upgrade my macbook to a 17" mb pro when snow leopard comes out.

 

never say never :O you may need Win in the future or, plainly, get bored

 

i've just bought my first mac yesterday. 13" mbp. the biggest reason why i switched was the expectation that osx doesn't become slow-running as xp does. i based this expectation off my computer-illiterate friend who has had his $2500 mbp for the past 4 years and it hasn't given him a problem. do other mac users experience the same success?

i've become too tired of the deteriorating performance that requires the user to do an annual reformatting. it becomes a 4 hour ordeal that i dont like getting into.

anyway, it's taken about six hours for me to become mostly accustomed to osx. probably the most challenging is just learning where files go when they're downloaded/installed/imported/etc. i like the interface and i think it's pretty easy to use. the trackpad really makes a difference in the ease of use.

but some things i've initially encountered about apple that i don't like:

- mac costs more
- there are so many fanboys; they like to hang out at the apple store
- a number of mac users are the most computer illiterate people i've ever met. they make it difficult to get real help at the apple store because they take time away from associates to ask questions like, how do i open my email? (no joke, that was the lady before me in line)

also, do many mac users buy the base model and upgrade components on their own? the reason why i got the $1500 model instead of the $1200 is because i read that upgrading at home voids the warranty (a good way to keep customers paying more). could you guys give some insight on upgrading the hd, ram, etc?

 

Do you have any proof that OSX was built around the assumption of a trackpad or are you just making assumptions yourself?

To keep this on topic I'll add that the title is fine.

 

How you say that this is something you don't like about Apple is beneath me? It's not Apple's fault what type of customers visit their store. Also dude, TBH, your whole statement is so arrogant it's started to make me ill. Do Apple's customers have to be geeks to ask questions in their store now? You weren't always computer literate, everyone starts somewhere. Isn't that what questions are asked for, because people don't know? You say Fanboy's like to hang out at the Apple store, well YOU are hanging out here on NBR, what does that make you? You have no idea what all the customer's are doing at the Apple store, it's just your perception, for all you know they may have laid down $5000 on a new system prior to you walking in. Please don't generalize people and decide what type of questions people SHOULD be asking at retail stores.

 

At work I'm surrounded by Windows users that don't know how to do simple things too. Perhaps when MS opens up some stores people will congregate there and ask stupid questions. Its not that Windows users or Mac users are stupid its just an experience level thing like HLdan said.

 

They have a whole video about it. http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/features.html#trackpad

They designed specific support into several of their apps.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3211

Steve seems to like talking about it.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/15/multi-finger-macbook-trackpad-gestures-demonstrated-on-video/

My Mac has Windows on it. Correlate the topic with that.

 

apple is heavily promoting multitouch since they have lots of patents in that area-but that does not proof that mac os was built "around" touchpad!

 

How about this:
The mouse remained relatively obscure until the appearance of the Apple Macintosh; in 1984 a prominent PC columnist commented the release of this new computer with a mouse: “There is no evidence that people want to use these things.” John C. Dvorak SF Examiner Feb 19, 1984.

Or simply put your Mouse whether PC or Mac belongs to Apple.

Want to see more illiterates go to Best Buy and you get the same looking at PCs.

 

I gained a lot of experience using desktop macs (ie. iMacs, and Mac pros) this summer, and I found that the mouse interface was pretty bad in comparison to PCs. This was actually such a big problem that I consciously avoid using the Macs in favor of windows machines. In contrast, I found OSX on Macbooks terrific! I guess if apple wants a larger share in the desktop market, they should be tweaking OSX for use with a mouse.

 

"- a number of mac users are the most computer illiterate people i've ever met. they make it difficult to get real help at the apple store because they take time away from associates to ask questions like, how do i open my email? (no joke, that was the lady before me in line)"

You might want to tap the breaks on that opinion. Like someone else said, go to Best Buy and listen to the questions (and the answers from store personnel). I've trained people at my job on various Windows based accounting software, and I've frequently heard the question (from people who had been using Windows for quite a while), "what's a Start Menu?".

Anyway, I hope that you enjoy your new Mac, and get ready for abuse from some PC users.

 

what exactly was wrong?

 

Here are some nifty links

News:

MacNN
Apple Insider

Gen. Reference:

Apple-History.com

 

Well said Xirurg. S.SubZero: If you want a topic about having Windows on a Mac, create one. Since this topic was created by someone else you shouldn't try to dictate the title, its just rude.