Thinking About Switching

[h0e0h]

I switched in May of '04 before i went to college. The worst thing that I did was buy a 12" PB for "portability". At first, it was cool to have the "ultra portable" machine to take to class, but i found it never leaving my desk hooked up to a 17" LCD. At first I missed windows because i had been using it on my own computer since i was 12. The hardest thing for me to adapt was having the menu bar at the top of the screen instead of in the actual app window and not being able to click the "yellow button" to maxamize the screen to fill up the whole thing. After a few days i got used to all the differences, and found out all the good ones. Christmas of 05 i got a mac mini and it was great. Recently (at the begining of June) i got a 17" MBP. Now I can see that using a full screen window was ridiculous. I can have stickies (really useful in college) AdiumX and Firefox open and still have space. I am an accounting major and use Excel EVERY DAY so the screen size is wonderful. I can have 2 pages side by side open. I have boot camp to run some book-packaged accounting software that's windows-only, but i'm trying to find a replacement. Once you use it, you will definitely get used to it... and even see why you delayed and regret it. If i can offer one piece of advice, switch before you go to school so you can get used to it and not be stuck not knowing how to do something when it really counts. My MBP has NO PROBLEMS (knock on wood) and I will never go back. Now i have "converted" everyone in my family and am trying to get my electronics store to start carrying apple products. Switch and you will love it... do it... all the cool kids are doing it (insert peer pressure here). Things will be OK and if you have any problems you will have MR to help you out! I did it and now I love it, and when I'm home from college there are numerous Macs in my house (my 12" PB, my mini, my lil brother's mini, my mom's 12" iBook, and of course my 17" MBP)

 

[darrengreer]

So what I guess I'm really looking for is any advice/insight/experiences from first-time switchers (and helpful Mac loyalists) on anything and everything; usability, difficulties in switching, etc.

I'm a mid-switcher. I have not fully devoted myself to Apple products, however, I do use iPods excluseively, and just purchased a Macbook Pro. I keep my feet in both worlds, as I have a MS PC Desktop, and a MS Laptop, as well as my work MS Laptop. While at home, I try to use my Macbook Pro most of the time, but have only had it 1 week, so I am still getting it setup (Java developer).

I love the design of the Macbook Pro, and have owned two Powerbooks (one 17 and one 15) in the past. So, it definately keeps you coming back. I would have never touched a mac, and never did, prior to OS X. Additionally, what kept me from using my PB 17 and 15 more, was the lack of any real speed to do what I do (Run an Oracle server, eclipse IDE and JBoss JVM). Even with lots of RAM, it was just too slow. The new Macbook Pro does not have any speed problem, and is blazing fast

The one major thing I cannot stand with Powerbooks, Macbooks, Macbook Pros, is the fact that it has no @!@!@% right mouse button. I mean, come on, who doesn't use a right mouse button these days?? Anyway, just had to vent that last bit.

Other than that last rant, I am much closer to a full-time Mac user that I was a month ago, given the new MBP.

 

[Island Dog]

The hardest thing for me when switching over was having the "File, Edit" etc. menu now be at the top of my screen, independant from the application I was working in.

That was the biggest "problem" I had for a few days after I got my iBook. I don't even think about it now.

I can say I am so pleased with my purchase of an iBook last year. I am now ready to give up my PC desktop. I just can't decide whether to get an iMac or a mini setup.

 

[gloss]

The one major thing I cannot stand with Powerbooks, Macbooks, Macbook Pros, is the fact that it has no @!@!@% right mouse button. I mean, come on, who doesn't use a right mouse button these days?? Anyway, just had to vent that last bit.

Try the two-finger-click dealie. It's much more ergonomic.

 

[mcruz]

Change Already!!!

Yesterday I got a macbook for college.....I'm a new mac os user and I'm really happy with it....sure a few things are different from xp but the change is surely worth it....you get the hang of it really fast and easily....to use mac os you must master only one thing dragging...I was going to install boot camp to dual boot....but after a few hours of using mac os I saw that I really didn't need it at all...also there is microsoft office for mac....that was my main reason. I promise you that once you get an apple....you won't regret that you changed it is really worth it.

 

[darrengreer]

Try the two-finger-click dealie. It's much more ergonomic.

Thanks for the reminder, I read that somewhere, but didn't do any research to see how to do it. I'll do that when I get home tonight.

Thanks