8 New Messages
Digest #9742
Messages
Sat Sep 7, 2013 3:48 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Jim Saklad" jimdoc01
> So far, it is a pretty overwhelming vote to select a Mac instead of a PC. As I said in my original posting, I plan on upgrading where I possibly can, such as Hard Drive & Processor.
As one of the regular commentators for PC magazine stated some years back, "The best machine you can get to runn Windows on is a Mac."
Warranty, service, engineering design, build quality, components -- can't be matched. It's an Intel machine, and you can run Windows on it if you need to. But when you don"t *need* to, you can run MacOS.
> Also, is there any accessory or external drive you would recommend, possibly a DVD Drive, etc.
If you are getting a recent/current laptop, it won't have an optical drive. You can buy one from Apple, but many of us go to third parties for our peripherals, like OWC (<http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/optical-drives/>).
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jim Saklad mailto:jimdoc@icloud.com
As one of the regular commentators for PC magazine stated some years back, "The best machine you can get to runn Windows on is a Mac."
Warranty, service, engineering design, build quality, components -- can't be matched. It's an Intel machine, and you can run Windows on it if you need to. But when you don"t *need* to, you can run MacOS.
> Also, is there any accessory or external drive you would recommend, possibly a DVD Drive, etc.
If you are getting a recent/current laptop, it won't have an optical drive. You can buy one from Apple, but many of us go to third parties for our peripherals, like OWC (<http://eshop.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jim Saklad mailto:jimdoc@icloud.
Sat Sep 7, 2013 3:52 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Jim Saklad" jimdoc01
>> So far, it is a pretty overwhelming vote to select a Mac instead of a PC. As I said in my original posting, I plan on upgrading where I possibly can, such as Hard Drive & Processor.
>
> As one of the regular commentators for PC magazine stated some years back, "The best machine you can get to runn Windows on is a Mac."
>
> Warranty, service, engineering design, build quality, components -- can't be matched. It's an Intel machine, and you can run Windows on it if you need to. But when you don"t *need* to, you can run MacOS.
I should mention that the next iteration of Macbook Pro/Retina models may be announced as soon as Sept. 10; if not, then not long after.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jim Saklad mailto:jimdoc@icloud.com
>
> As one of the regular commentators for PC magazine stated some years back, "The best machine you can get to runn Windows on is a Mac."
>
> Warranty, service, engineering design, build quality, components -- can't be matched. It's an Intel machine, and you can run Windows on it if you need to. But when you don"t *need* to, you can run MacOS.
I should mention that the next iteration of Macbook Pro/Retina models may be announced as soon as Sept. 10; if not, then not long after.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jim Saklad mailto:jimdoc@icloud.
Sat Sep 7, 2013 4:46 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Carol Corley" floridabouvs
Tony, I am new to Mac, having been a PC user since they came out. But my desktop PC died and I needed a replacement. I also have a laptop with Windows 7.
So loving my iPhone and 2 iPads, I made the leap and bought a 27" iMac in January. I absolutely love everything about it. I switched to Pages from Word (which I hated.) Pages is so user friendly. Photos are more logical on the Mac. And it is wonderful to have everything from my iPad show up on the iMac, and vice versa. I kept the laptop PC for Quicken only.
My husband didn't want to blow the big bucks that I did so he went for a nice Lenovo with Windows 8. What a royal pain! Lenovo great, Windows 8 awful.
Good luck with your decision. I sometimes wish I had gone with a laptop, but its so easy to take my iPad when I go out and they all talk to each other, so I can continue working on the Mac when I get home.
One other thing, I bought the 27" because that's the only desktop size they had in the store. I am so glad I did. It is fun to have 5 things up at a time that I can look at simultaneously, doing research, instead of having to minimize one to look at another, or be able to have only 2 open, as I do on the PC.
Also, I opted for the one-on-one training, which has been fun.
Good luck, and enjoy the ride.
Carol
I apologize to the Group for failing to place a topic in the Subject line of my original posting.
So far, it is a pretty overwhelming vote to select a Mac instead of a PC. As I said in my original posting, I plan on upgrading where I possibly can, such as Hard Drive & Processor. Is there anything else that you would suggest?
Also, is there any accessory or external drive you would recommend, possibly a DVD Drive, etc.
Again, I appreciate the comments.
Tony
Sent from my iPad 3
Sat Sep 7, 2013 6:24 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Julian Thomas"
On 7Sep 2013, at 5:31 PM, Tony <nyrngrz@yahoo.
> Also, is there any accessory or external drive you would recommend, possibly a DVD Drive, etc.
You may want an external USB dvd rw drive for occasional use, since the current models no longer include a drive. I have a serviceable Samsung which is a bit cheaper than the Apple external drive.
The other thing that is near to 'must have' is an external hard drive, using the fastest interface on your machine [probably usb3] for Time Machine backups.
And - Highly recommended - OS X Mountain Lion: The Missing Manual
http://www.amazon.
--
jt@jt-mj.net http://jt-mj.
Friends don't let friends use Windows.
Sat Sep 7, 2013 9:10 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Randy B. Singer" randybrucesinger
On Sep 7, 2013, at 2:31 PM, Tony wrote:
> So far, it is a pretty overwhelming vote to select a Mac instead of a PC.
You might find these free resources helpful:
Mac OS X: PC to Mac - The Basics
http://support.
Mac Basics - comprehensive beginner tutorials
http://www.apple.
Mac 101: Mac Essentials
http://support.
Guided Tours of the Mac -extensive collection of video and text tutorials
http://www.apple.
Quick Assist
Get Help With a Mac Activity (e.g. e-mail, printing, software installation)
http://www.apple.
____________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)
Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattor
____________
Sun Sep 8, 2013 3:56 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Otto Nikolaus" nikyzf
The MacBook Pro non-Retina models still include a SuperDrive (DVD RW). That
is why I recently bought one in preference to a MBP Retina. I had to wait a
while before the right model appeared on the Refurb Store, though.
Otto
On 8 September 2013 02:24, Julian Thomas <jt@jt-mj.net> wrote:
>
> You may want an external USB dvd rw drive for occasional use, since the
> current models no longer include a drive. I have a serviceable Samsung
> which is a bit cheaper than the Apple external drive.
>
is why I recently bought one in preference to a MBP Retina. I had to wait a
while before the right model appeared on the Refurb Store, though.
Otto
On 8 September 2013 02:24, Julian Thomas <jt@jt-mj.net> wrote:
>
> You may want an external USB dvd rw drive for occasional use, since the
> current models no longer include a drive. I have a serviceable Samsung
> which is a bit cheaper than the Apple external drive.
>
Sat Sep 7, 2013 8:42 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Randy B. Singer" randybrucesinger
On Sep 7, 2013, at 9:06 AM, Jay Abraham wrote:
> If you use Quicken the Mac version isn't as good. You will likely want to have the Macbook run Windows so you can use the PC version of Quicken.
If you don't like the Mac version of Quicken, there are about 40 Macintosh alternatives to Quicken. (I'd be happy to send you the entire list, if you'd like.) I'm sure that you can find one that you like. Most have companion programs for the iPad and the iPhone, which I'm sure that you will find very convenient. Here are a few examples:
SEE Finance $30
http://scimonocesof
MoneyDance $50
http://www.moneydan
MoneyDance Mobile (free)
http://itunes.
Review:
http://typicalmacus
Money $39
http://www.jumsoft.
Money for iPhone $2
http://www.jumsoft.
Money for iPad $5
https://itunes.
iCompta (about $20)
http://www.lyricapp
http://www.lyricapp
There is a mobile companion version of iCompta for the iPhone/iPad, which syncs with the desktop version. ($5)
http://angeman7.
http://itunes.
iBank $60
http://www.iggsoftw
iBank Mobile $5
http://www.iggsoftw
iFinance $29
http://www.syniumso
iFinance Mobile for iPhone $2
http://www.syniumso
MoneyWell $50
http://nothirst.
MoneyWell for iPhone $10
http://nothirst.
Review:
http://mac.appstorm
YNAB $60 (an Adobe Air app)
http://www.youneeda
YNAB for iPhone $5
https://itunes.
Fortora Fresh Finance $50
http://www.fortora.
MoneyWiz $25
http://www.silverwi
Billings $40 (integrates with the PIM DayLite)
http://www.marketci
____________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)
Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattor
____________
Sat Sep 7, 2013 9:06 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Randy B. Singer" randybrucesinger
On Sep 7, 2013, at 8:50 AM, Tony wrote:
> Here are my thoughts. I am contemplating purchasing the MacBook Pro with Retina Display to use as my Desktop and Laptop, therefore only purchasing one computer. I plan on upgrading each component to the max. Thoughts?
I'm the head of a huge Macintosh user group for attorneys (we have well over 9,000 members). The current favorite is the MacBook Air 13-inch (because of it's really light weight and speed). Most folks, when they get home or to the office, simply plug in a large monitor (I can tell you where to get a really excellent one cheaply, if you like), a mouse, and a full-size keyboard if you prefer it.
The SSD in the MBA has a minimal capacity (though it may be plenty for a home user), but it's light weight and amazing speed makes it the preferred choice. If you need more storage capacity at some point, external hard drives are very reasonably priced now. You can get one and offload stuff to it if need be.
>
> Is there anything that I can do with my Windows PC that I will not be able to do with the Mac?
Nothing, unless you are into something that only a tiny number of users do. There are over 66 million Mac users at this point.
http://is.gd/
If there is a niche, developers will exploit it.
You *will* find that the same exact software titles and developers don't necessarily exist for the Mac. The Mac has its own developers and titles. So, let's say that you love Corel WordPerfect.
Feel free to ask here for recommendations for software. What you will find, more than likely, is that lots of folks will tell you that there aren't a lot of choices for particular types of software for the Macintosh. You may even hear this from some less knowledgeable Mac users. The thing is...that usually isn't even close to being true.
I've been keeping lists of some types of software for the Mac because of this. Windows users often went around saying that there was no accounting software for the Mac. I have a list of about 30 different accounting programs for the Mac. They used to say that there was no law office software for the Mac. I created a Web site that lists over 100 law office programs for the Mac. They used to say that there was no database software for the Mac. I have a list that shows that there are more database programs for the Mac than for Windows. Etc.
The concept of there not being enough software for the a Mac is an anachronism. It just isn't at all true. (If it ever was.)
Sources for Macintosh software:
http://www.apple.
The Mac App Store
http://www.macupdat
MacUpdate
http://www.pure-
Pure Mac
http://download.
CNet(formerly Versiontracker.
http://www.freemacw
FreeMacWare
http://www.macshare
MacShareware.
http://www.appdonke
App Donkey
http://mac.softpedi
Mac Softpedia
____________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)
Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattor
____________
GROUP FOOTER MESSAGE
