First time ever Mac user, refurbished 16 inch MacBook pro.

[tonyr6]

Long time windows user. Never used Mac os ever in my life. Is it difficult compared to Windows 10 which I always used back since Windows 95?

Also are refurbished macs any good or should I have bought new from the Apple store?

Also should I get apple care 3 year warranty is it worth it or not? I always found warranty a waste of money.

Almost forgot I have a bunch of wma files. Can VLC for the Mac play them? I know VLC on my iPad has no issues.

 

[Boyd01]

Where did you get your "refurbished" Mac? Apple sells refurbished Macs directly from their online store. They are great, just bought a new Mini there myself. Price is typically 15% less and they are just like new with the full one-year Apple Warranty. If you didn't buy directly from Apple, I suspect that "refurbished" could mean almost anything however.

AppleCare is completely up to you. I rarely buy it myself. Have used Macs since 1985 and there was only one time I needed it. Apple did two motherboard swaps on my PowerBook G4 (sometime around 2004) because it wasn't recognizing all the RAM. Didn't fix the problem, but it was easy enough to get service at a local Apple Store. At that time, I already had a newer, faster Mac so I didn't pursue it farther.

Info on VLC file formats may be found here: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html

 

[tonyr6]

I am getting the laptop completely through Apple.

Also how does it differ from windows. Install and uninstall programs? Right clicking? Is it better to get programs from the app store? As I said I never touched macos. Always used windows machines. Even my friends macbook I never touched.

 

[hallux]

It's definitely not the same as Windows in the install/uninstall apps realm. There's no system applet for uninstalling apps. For the most part, removing an app involves just dragging it to the trash can on the dock. Some will leave remnants in the Library. Here's a support article on this - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/install-and-uninstall-other-apps-mh35835/mac

Right-clicking is more of a 2-finger click, set up in the touchpad or mouse settings in System Preferences. Support article on this - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac...ontrol-click on a Mac,while you click an item.

VLC will play WMA files.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

There are various print and online books that are written to help one "make the move" from Windows to the Mac environment.

It's probably not worth it "asking in advance" like you're doing here, because you're going to figure out a lot of stuff on your own.
If you do get "hung up" on something, that's when it's time to ask about it.

I suggest that you keep your Windows computer available nearby for at least several weeks as you make the transition. This way, if something gets you hung up on the Mac side, you can revert back to "what you know" if necessary.

I don't believe iTunes or Apple Music will play wma files (I could be wrong).
You will need a "3rd-party player".
Perhaps the best way to handle them might be to convert them into high-bitrate mp3 files.
There's a very easy (and free) utility called "ALL2MP3" that can do this.
You can get it here:

Tucows | Retiring Tucows Downloads.

Tucows offers Domain Name Services, Fiber Internet Services and SaaS through our businesses Tucows Domains, Ting and Wavelo. We're a tech company headquartered in Toronto, Canada, making the internet better since 1993.

www.tucows.com

Warning about downloading ALL2MP3:
DO NOT download from here:
tresrrr.com
...because they "package it" along with crapware that will also install. Why they do this, I don't know.

But the older version from tucows is fine. I suggest that you DO NOT "upgrade" the tucows version, so long as it works for you.

For "uninstalling" programs:
- Some applications (usually the larger ones) come with UNinstallers.
- There is a small free utility called "AppCleaner" (note that there is no space between the two words) that does a bang-up job of clearing away unwanted apps.

The Applecare extended warranty can be very useful for laptops, particularly AppleCare Plus ("regular" AppleCare and AppleCare Plus are two different things).
Having said that, I've owned two MacBook Pros (2010 and 2015), and didn't have AC on either of them, and both did fine.

 

[nothingtoseehere]

Long time windows user. Never used Mac os ever in my life. Is it difficult compared to Windows 10 which I always used back since Windows 95?

In this very forum, there is a bunch of useful information here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/guides-how-tos-and-tips-for-new-mac-owners.2217520/

 

[calliex]

I too have had macs since 1985 and have never bought apple care and never needed it.
But since 2016 there seems to have been a number of issues that have arose, keyboard till 2019 being the biggest one. If I was buying a new one I might consider it.

 

[tonyr6]

In this very forum, there is a bunch of useful information here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/guides-how-tos-and-tips-for-new-mac-owners.2217520/

Thanks once I learn the basics I will get better at using macos.

I too have had macs since 1985 and have never bought apple care and never needed it.
But since 2016 there seems to have been a number of issues that have arose, keyboard till 2019 being the biggest one. If I was buying a new one I might consider it.

Can you buy Apple care anytime or do you have to purchase it when you buy the laptop?

 

[SuperMatt]

Thanks once I learn the basics I will get better at using macos.


Can you buy Apple care anytime or do you have to purchase it when you buy the laptop?

You can buy it up to a year after purchase I believe.

 

[hallux]

Can you buy Apple care anytime or do you have to purchase it when you buy the laptop?

There's a time frame within which you need to buy it. However - I believe that buying it near the end of that window (or really any time after the initial purchase) would require that you submit the Mac for inspection at an Apple Store.

You can buy it up to a year after purchase I believe.

No. This page says it has to be within 60 days - https://www.apple.com/support/products/mac/

 

[SuperMatt]

There's a time frame within which you need to buy it. However - I believe that buying it near the end of that window (or really any time after the initial purchase) would require that you submit the Mac for inspection at an Apple Store.


No. This page says it has to be within 60 days - https://www.apple.com/support/products/mac/

Hmm... I saw this here:

Apple's Extended One-Year AppleCare+ Option Available for All Devices, Works With Subscriptions

Earlier this week, Apple changed its AppleCare+ policies in the United States and Canada to give customers up to a year to purchase AppleCare after...

www.macrumors.com

.

And in the past I bought it for a computer 10 months after purchase. Seems like the rules change fairly often.

 

[panjandrum]

Just one quick work of advice: There was a relatively long period of time during which the likelihood of getting Malware on the Mac was vanishingly small. That time is long gone and you should be just as careful (well, OK, almost as careful) with your Mac online as you are with a Windows computer. Never, ever install anything a website or email suggests you install until you a) research that product fully and b) find the original distribution location for that product and download it from there. For example, if a website or email says a game is available for download on GOG and provides a direct download link or even a site that provides a link (because it could be a complete scam site), do NOT follow that link. Instead research what GOG is, whether it is legitimate, and then download it only from the proper location (in this case https://www.gog.com/galaxy - and if you are following my advice you won't follow that link). So I guess that's not really a "how is Windows and Mac different" and more of a "here's a way you might have heard it is different, but don't believe it anymore" bit of advice.

 

[hallux]

Hmm... I saw this here:

Apple's Extended One-Year AppleCare+ Option Available for All Devices, Works With Subscriptions

Earlier this week, Apple changed its AppleCare+ policies in the United States and Canada to give customers up to a year to purchase AppleCare after...

www.macrumors.com

.

And in the past I bought it for a computer 10 months after purchase. Seems like the rules change fairly often.

It used to be that you had until the end of the 1 year warranty to purchase AppleCare. When they moved it to AC+ they reduced the amount of time you have to purchase it to 60 days. It's interesting that the Apple site does not reflect the change that MR reported on.

 

[glenthompson]

When I switched from Windows to the Mac I found David Pogue’s book, Switching to the Mac to be very helpful but it doesn’t look like it’s been updated recently. He also has a missing manual series that is good.

Important thing is to learn the Mac way of doing things and not try to force Windows thinking onto it.

 

[tonyr6]

With Apple event being tomorrow I wonder if I should have waited to see if they were going to release a new Macbook 16". But rumors say they are only refreshing the 13" line. I want a bigger screen.

 

[calliex]

Hmm... I saw this here:

Apple's Extended One-Year AppleCare+ Option Available for All Devices, Works With Subscriptions

Earlier this week, Apple changed its AppleCare+ policies in the United States and Canada to give customers up to a year to purchase AppleCare after...

www.macrumors.com

.

And in the past I bought it for a computer 10 months after purchase. Seems like the rules change fairly often.

I think it called apple care plus now which includes accidental damage which means it has to be bought right away. You had a year from purchase to buy the old apple care that did not include accidental damage

 

[tonyr6]

Well I got my Macbook pro. I am learning on how to use it and I am getting the hang of it.

 

[satcomer]

Well I got my Macbook pro. I am learning on how to use it and I am getting the hang of it.

The get the book Mac OS - Catalina The Missing Manual because it has great searchable synopsis for quick reference when your stuck on something!