My Story......I'm scared.

[WhySoSerious]

Here's my story, in as few words as possible.

I'm a 28 year old PC user, have always been a PC user. Never understood the idea of a "Mac" and their ideology behind their hardware/software. Didn't much care to either.

Started seeing all these PC vs. Mac commercials on t.v. and began to realize, "dang, that's so true!" each time a new commercial came on and me reflecting upon the issues presented about PC's.

3 months ago, I was brainwashed...."get a Mac". I went to my apple store in Dallas (Willowbend Mall) and looked over the beautiful 24" macs. Decided I wanted one.

Began saving for 3 months and racked up $5000. I'm ready to splurge and go ALLLLLLL out. My current PC crashed.....entirely, 3 weeks ago......so more motivation to get a new computer.

I waited and waited for August 7th to see what new Macs are released. Now the time is here and I have 5k, ready to max out whatever I decide to get (Mac or MBP).

I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm going to spend 5k on a computer I know nothing about and am completely foreign to. I'm scared about learning a new OS that i've NEVER used before. I'm scared that I'm going to have all sorts of conflicts with my Window's office docs here at work and getting them to work at home. I'm scared to drop 5k on a new product that I've never owned before in any form or known anyone to own before.

whew......here we go.....a fork in the road for me and I'm prepping for it. 2 hours to the Aug 7th media event.....

 

[odinsride]

Here's my story, in as few words as possible...

Relax...everything just works on a Mac, and OS X takes only a couple days to get the hang of. You'll be fine

 

[jshbckr]

I don't think you'll be spending anywhere near $5,000. Unless you get every single top option you can get, wireless keyboard/mouse and maybe even an extra monitor!

To put it into perspective, I got an 8-core Mac Pro with 5GB of RAM (4GB after market) for $5000!

I think you'll be more around the $2000-2500 price range.

But anyway, I don't think you should have anything to worry about. Just sit back, relax, and simply enjoy using your computer!

 

[SilentPanda]

It'll be okay. Here... have some more kool-aid!

Seriously though... you learned Windows at some point right? You can learn OS X. If you don't feel comfortable with OS X get one of the "Missing Manual" books. They're great for beginners. You'll definitely be frustrated or at least feel out of place the first few weeks. But as you get used to it you'll probably love it and then be frustrated at work when you have to use Windows.

Your Word docs will probably have few compatibility issues. I usually type up documents at home then bring them to work, open them in Word, and verify the formatting is all.

Good luck on your imminent purchase!

What's that? You want more kool-aid? Here you go.

 

[netdog]

How is an iMac going to cost $5K? With an ACD 30" and a bunch of extra stuff, there is no way.

 

[l33r0y]

Here's my story, in as few words as possible.

I'm a 28 year old PC user, have always been a PC user. Never understood the idea of a "Mac" and their ideology behind their hardware/software. Didn't much care to either.

Started seeing all these PC vs. Mac commercials on t.v. and began to realize, "dang, that's so true!" each time a new commercial came on and me reflecting upon the issues presented about PC's.

3 months ago, I was brainwashed...."get a Mac". I went to my apple store in Dallas (Willowbend Mall) and looked over the beautiful 24" macs. Decided I wanted one.

Began saving for 3 months and racked up $5000. I'm ready to splurge and go ALLLLLLL out. My current PC crashed.....entirely, 3 weeks ago......so more motivation to get a new computer.

I waited and waited for August 7th to see what new Macs are released. Now the time is here and I have 5k, ready to max out whatever I decide to get (Mac or MBP).

I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm going to spend 5k on a computer I know nothing about and am completely foreign to. I'm scared about learning a new OS that i've NEVER used before. I'm scared that I'm going to have all sorts of conflicts with my Window's office docs here at work and getting them to work at home. I'm scared to drop 5k on a new product that I've never owned before in any form or known anyone to own before.

whew......here we go.....a fork in the road for me and I'm prepping for it. 2 hours to the Aug 7th media event.....

Right there with ya bud!

5K will certainly buy you a decent machine - hopefully the annoucement will included revised Mac Pros if you are a reasonable power PC user.

There are a few things to get used to, but after a while you'll get used to it (such as dragging and dropping a single icon to install an application vs the PC dredded methods. No DLLs to worry about and no registry issues.... It'll be like heaven!)

 

[WhySoSerious]

How is an iMac going to cost $5K? With an ACD 30" and a bunch of extra stuff, there is no way.

It'll be 5k after i max out the system completely, get a wireless keyboard/mouse, Office, Airport express, Applecare and a grape lollypop.

 

[Eidorian]

It'll be 5k after i max out the system completely, get a wireless keyboard/mouse, Office, Airport express, Applecare and a grape lollypop.

I wouldn't be caught dead getting additional Apple RAM or drives.

 

[Raska]

Don't worry, my friend, everything is going to be fine. Moving into something you have never used and are unfamiliar with can be daunting at first, however it's all worth it. After a short time you will realize how vastly superior OS X is to Windows. I assure you, the transition will be a smooth one, and once you get the hang of OS X, you will love it forever

 

[KristieMac]

Hang in there!

I was apprehensive at first, too. I went with a Macbook Pro, rather than an iMac, but it doesn't matter here. OS X is a dream to use after any Windows OS. It took me 2-3 days to get used to it, and I had never used a Mac OS previously. Once you reprogram your brain to the Mac keyboard commands and getting used to where things are, you'll be fine.

I hope you love your new computer as much as I love mine. Throw caution to the wind and enjoy your new computer bliss.

 

[arkitect]

Don't be scared…

Be Liberated.

It will all be good. I have "converted" quite a few people over the years and not one of them has ever come back with complaints.

Just wait 'till you open the box and get that… "New Mac smell"™.

Lucky you!

 

[superleccy]

Do you need to spend so much money? Could you get a much cheaper Mac for a while to see if you like it? At least try not to spend it all at once... put some money aside for accessories & software you don't realise you need yet.

Whatever you buy, don't be scared, but be prepared to persevere. I've observed several people make the switch from PC to Mac, and the ones that have been painful (or just plain unsuccessful) have been those who've give up after two hours because it's just too different.

Unlearn what you have learned, remember that every problem in Apple-land has a solution (particularly if you've got $5000 to spend), and check these forums for support. You'll be fine, and very glad you made the jump.

Good luck
SL

 

[nsbio]

Hang in there!

I was apprehensive at first

Should I say, "APPLEhensive". I think I might have just coined a new word.

Applehensiveness - N. an irrational fear of making a switch.

 

[capran]

Plus, in any case, you can always use Parallels or VMware to run Windows in a virtual machine, or use Bootcamp to dual boot. (You'd have to buy Parallels or VMware and a copy of Windows of course, but as you have a $5000 budget, that's no problem at all.)

I'm looking forward to this afternoon's announcement with anticipation too. I've been waiting and waiting for new iMacs...335 days....jeez. I'm holding out hope that the new iMac will be a good gaming computer.

 

[WhySoSerious]

Any advice on what I should be ordering aside from the system itself?

I was assuming I would need the wireless router, applecare and office apps. Did i miss something you would suggest?

 

[solvs]

There probably won't be a new Mac Pro, but it would be nice if it happened. If that's what you're buying, get the RAM and drives 3rd party. It's cheaper and easy to do. Get AppleCare too. Free phone support for 3 years. Otherwise, the new 24" iMac should be nice. Increase the hard drive to whatever the max is, get 4GB of RAM (again, probably 3rd party, but the hard drive is difficult to change in the current machine, which is why I'd recommend just getting the Apple upgrade). It'll come with BT and Airport. Maybe get a secondary wired mouse and kb just in case you don't like the BT ones. Some books on the subject might help too if you're a newbie. Maybe some video out cables if you want to run dual screens to a TV or 2nd monitor. And an external drive for backups.

Plus, if nothing else, along with the other software you get, buy VMWare and run Windows from it after installing it under Boot Camp just in case you have an issue with files you can't open in the Mac or software you don't have or can't run.

And feel free to pop in with any questions you have, we're always here to help.

Edit: ah, beaten by capran. Any wireless router should work. If you already have one that's 802.11g, you're set. The N ones are nice though if you want to stay fairly current. Check http://www.xlr8yourmac.com for compatibility, among other things.

 

[SilentPanda]

Most people order user installable parts such as RAM from a 3rd party as it tends to be cheaper and work just as well. There are several vendors of RAM out there. Crucial.com and MacSales.com are two I've used in the past with great success although everybody has "their vendor" and will tell you 8 other ones. I'd just go with whomever is reasonably cheapest. I order from some places simply because their warehouse is physically closer to me so cheap shipping means next day.

You don't *have* to get the Apple wireless router. Other wireless routers work just as well with Apple products for the most part.

If you don't need Office right away I believe a new version is coming out next year. I believe the default text editor will let you edit basic Word docs as it is.

 

[superleccy]

Any advice on what I should be ordering aside from the system itself?

I was assuming I would need the wireless router, applecare and office apps. Did i miss something you would suggest?

It's impossible to suggest what else you should order because we don't know what your needs are.

Anyway, remember you can always order the extra stuff later as and when you realise/decide you need it (and that includes AppleCare). You're more likely to make the best buying decisions that way.

SL

 

[WhySoSerious]

You don't *have* to get the Apple wireless router. Other wireless routers work just as well with Apple products for the most part.
QUOTE]

concerning this...I have Time Warner as my internet provider...do i just connect the apple router to the Time Warner cable box and my Mac does the rest (as far as picking up the wireless signal and getting me on the internet), or do i have to install something (aside from basic software) into the computer itself?

 

[SilentPanda]

Cable modem connects to the wireless router, then the wireless router connects to your computer (through the air of course). You shouldn't need to install any software to get this to work although you may want to look through the instruction manual to add some security settings to your wireless connection. I use WPA2, MAC address filtering, and I don't broadcast my access point name. Probably overkill but whatever...

 

[macjay]

Do you need to spend so much money? Could you get a much cheaper Mac for a while to see if you like it?

Agreed. I would get a Mac Mini and use it for a month or two to see if you like Macs. If you do, sell it and get your expensive set-up.

 

[capran]

You don't *have* to get the Apple wireless router. Other wireless routers work just as well with Apple products for the most part.
QUOTE]

concerning this...I have Time Warner as my internet provider...do i just connect the apple router to the Time Warner cable box and my Mac does the rest (as far as picking up the wireless signal and getting me on the internet), or do i have to install something (aside from basic software) into the computer itself?

The Airport Extreme router is decent, but costs quite a bit more than 3rd party products, and the only real advantage(?) is you can use the Apple supplied Airport Admin utility to administer. But, honestly, I prefer a generic router to the Apple one. Cheaper, usually more configuration options, and you can configure them from any web browser, not just the Airport Admin on a Mac.

Also...another personal preference I suppose...for a desktop computer, just use ethernet. Much much simpler. I only use my wireless router's wireless-ability for my Wii and a laptop (which I rarely use at home.)

 

[roland.g]

The great thing about OS X is that it is really intuitive. It works how you would expect it to and does things for you, i.e. card readers, cameras, printers, that windows is such a pain with. #2, you can get all the free training and workshops you need to get up to speed at an Apple Store, as well as finding great resource books on OS X. For the most part, MS Office docs work just fine with Office 2004 for OS X. Now the new version is coming out in January, hopefully advancing it and getting rid of any last incongruencies. Honestly the OS X MS Office interface is not as good as for Windows especially in Excel when it comes to formatting cells and toolbars and such. But on the whole, and for the most part Word and Powerpoint, as well as Excel files will open and work just fine. Excel may have some trouble with real complex macros and linking data from one spreadsheet to another or from Excel to Word, but only in cases of highly complex mergable docs. Unless you use something too sophisticated don't worry about it. It will cost you more, but you can always load Parallels, XP and Office into XP on the Mac and use the Windows Office apps without even rebooting into bootcamp.

 

[erandall38]

Any advice on what I should be ordering aside from the system itself?

I was assuming I would need the wireless router, applecare and office apps. Did i miss something you would suggest?

Box,
Keep in mind there are lots of helpful people on this board that will help you with any problems,concerns, or questions you have about your new computer and any of its new components. It might be scary at first but I promise you, give it a few days and you will realize you have made a great decision. In a few years you will have already noticed you made one of the best decesions of your life!
As for other things besides what you have mentioned, I saw you speaking of windows earlier. I do not recommend it but if you still want to use the windows operating system then you will need to get Parallels or something like VMware fusion. (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/337858/) The reason I do not recommend it is because I love the mac OSX, but if you must use it for certain programs then there you go.
Good luck, and let us know if you have any more questions!

 

[Killyp]

Considering I earn £30 ($60) a week, and I was in the same position as you (except it was ~$3000 to spend on a comp), and I switched from PC to Mac with absolutely NO issues at all (bar getting a lemon machine, but that won't happen to you).

Believe me, you'll never be happier you made the switch