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Freeman3030

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 10, 2011
23
0
Hi, 2 weeks ago i purchased the base model 2011 iMac (2.5Ghz QC). I thought i'd write my opinion and personal experiences for those thinking and wanting to buy.
I've been a Windows user all of my life (albeit 21 years), so for a good 12-15 years I've used a Windows machine.
I'd been researching about Mac's for months, being very hesitant to buy as I personally thought £999 was a lot to pay for the basic iMac. But still, after all the research, I knew it would suit my requirements and also most owners posting on this and other forums seem very happy with their Macs and defend them to the hills... I am a convert. Don't get me wrong, there are a few niggles but on the whole, I think they are worth the money.
About 24-48 hours into having and playing with my mac, I had buyers remorse. I recall saying to myself "******, what have I bought this for?" but spent a few more hours becoming familiar with the Mac way of doing things and am now very happy with it.
I do however have a couple of quibbles that someone may be able to help me with:

*Windows machines have a 'backspace' key to delete to the left of the cursor and a 'Del' key to delete to the right of the cursor. Macs just have a 'backspace' key which I find quite frustrating as to delete to the right of the cursor, you have to reposition the cursor using either the mouse of cursor keys. I know it only takes a couple of seconds extra, but why doesn't Mac have the 'Del' key? Its so simple!

*I've found the 'Caps lock' button quite unresponsive. It works when I click it firmly, but if I'm speed typing (I don't use shift to go uppercase, i prefer caps on/off) when I click it on, 9/10 it comes on, but clicking it to turn off normally results in a 5/10 success rate. Which I find very odd! Is this just me, or is this quite common?

*On maximum sensitivity I don't think the mouse is sensitive enough. In my opinion, you have to travel with the mouse much further than I was expecting. It's a good 20-30cm from far left of the screen to far right - wouldn't dare to think how much travel the mouse does when on minimum sensitivity!

Thats about it! They are only very minor points and having know them prior to buying, it wouldn't have been enough to put me off. But perhaps to others, it may frustrate them. I love my mac, and I will be buying others in the future - Good Work Apple! You have another satisfied customer!
 

WilliamG

macrumors G3
Mar 29, 2008
9,920
3,800
Seattle
1.) To delete to the right, hold function (fn) and press the delete key.

2.) The caps lock isn't unresponsive. It's designed that way to prevent accidental hits of it. To turn the caps lock on, you need to hold the key for about a quarter of a second for the light to come on. Turning it off is instant.

3.) Which mouse are you using? If it's the Magic mouse, you may want to try this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZyH2Hv_rgU

Hope this helps. :)
 

jamisonbaines

macrumors 6502
Dec 14, 2007
309
148
CA
or you could just use whatever mouse and keyboard you are comfortable with.

btw using caps lock instead of shift for "speed typing" makes no sense.
 

obsidian1200

macrumors 6502
Jun 19, 2010
359
0
Albuquerque, NM
Hi, 2 weeks ago i purchased the base model 2011 iMac (2.5Ghz QC). I thought i'd write my opinion and personal experiences for those thinking and wanting to buy.
I've been a Windows user all of my life (albeit 21 years), so for a good 12-15 years I've used a Windows machine.
I'd been researching about Mac's for months, being very hesitant to buy as I personally thought £999 was a lot to pay for the basic iMac. But still, after all the research, I knew it would suit my requirements and also most owners posting on this and other forums seem very happy with their Macs and defend them to the hills... I am a convert. Don't get me wrong, there are a few niggles but on the whole, I think they are worth the money.
About 24-48 hours into having and playing with my mac, I had buyers remorse. I recall saying to myself "******, what have I bought this for?" but spent a few more hours becoming familiar with the Mac way of doing things and am now very happy with it.
I do however have a couple of quibbles that someone may be able to help me with:

*Windows machines have a 'backspace' key to delete to the left of the cursor and a 'Del' key to delete to the right of the cursor. Macs just have a 'backspace' key which I find quite frustrating as to delete to the right of the cursor, you have to reposition the cursor using either the mouse of cursor keys. I know it only takes a couple of seconds extra, but why doesn't Mac have the 'Del' key? Its so simple!

*I've found the 'Caps lock' button quite unresponsive. It works when I click it firmly, but if I'm speed typing (I don't use shift to go uppercase, i prefer caps on/off) when I click it on, 9/10 it comes on, but clicking it to turn off normally results in a 5/10 success rate. Which I find very odd! Is this just me, or is this quite common?

*On maximum sensitivity I don't think the mouse is sensitive enough. In my opinion, you have to travel with the mouse much further than I was expecting. It's a good 20-30cm from far left of the screen to far right - wouldn't dare to think how much travel the mouse does when on minimum sensitivity!

Thats about it! They are only very minor points and having know them prior to buying, it wouldn't have been enough to put me off. But perhaps to others, it may frustrate them. I love my mac, and I will be buying others in the future - Good Work Apple! You have another satisfied customer!

*I think Apple removed a large chunk of keys from their wireless keyboards for the sake of size. If you had bought a wired keyboard (which I'm not sure if Apple still offers them with their computers), then you would've received a full-feated keyboard, complete with dedicated "del", page up/down, and "end" keys, as well as a numerical pad. I personally wish Apple released a full keyboard with bluetooth, but they probably won't; in the mean time, you can always look to other options if the extra keys are that important to you.

*I haven't had any problem with my caps lock key, but other members might want to weigh in. I might be a lucky one, after all.

*As far a mouse sensitivity is concerned, I'm not sure what to tell you. I never used Apple mic, as I've been using a logictech ball mouse for about 6 years now, and the trackpad on my computer has never given me problems with moving the cursor to any point on the screen with little effort on my part. You might have better luck with the magic trackpad, although I doubt you'd want to spend the extra money for it.
 

Freeman3030

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 10, 2011
23
0
Ah ha! Thanks for the responses, the main one was the deleting to the right of the cursor, so thank you for the 'Fn' tip. As for the Caps lock, it's what I'm used to doing, I never really had many problems with getting it to click on/off on a windows machine, so found it odd that it seems to take that little longer when turing the key off, it really is split seconds, but perhaps it's just because I'm not used to the keyboard yet.
Its a shame that they don't make a full size bluetooth keyboard, it was part of the attraction of having a mac, all-in-one wire free, just looks clean and tidy. I don't really fancy a wire from keyboard to mac, so perhaps I'll poke up with the small keyboard for now.
As for mouse sensitivity, will look into it further tomorrow. But thank you for the youtube video. All your comments and suggestions are much appreciated! Thank you!
 

BasilFawlty

macrumors 65816
Jun 20, 2009
1,078
3,023
New Mexico
I'm a recent iMac convert also. I just bought an entry level 27" iMac i5, 1TB, 4GB, etc. Having been a life-long Windows user with a bunch of Windows software, I solved my delema by using bootcamp to partition the drive and installed Win 7 in addition to the native MAC OS. Now I can boot into Win 7 or Mac OS as needed. The best of both worlds!
 

SharpTenor

macrumors newbie
Jun 1, 2011
17
0
I just wish I had spent the extra for an SSD/HDD combo. I didn't realize how much my SSD on my Toshiba Laptop spoiled me. Something to think about before buying a new iMac! So glad to learn about the fn+[del]!
 

iSayuSay

macrumors 68040
Feb 6, 2011
3,789
906
Maybe it's time to change anyway? Here is a short story of mine. I didn't get used to zoom button on OSX windows. I hated it, it felt awkward to me. I complained when I press that green button, I didn't get the same effect as "maximize" button on Windows' window :D

But today I'm thankful for that green button. Having 27" screen, it would be a waste of space to have your windows maximized, especially for browser, typing and anything small, a tiny content accompanied with gray blank screen :D. Photoshop is different story though, but the zoom function would follow your content size anyway, you have a big photo, it would zoom to fit the size. So, now I love zoom function on OSX button rather than maximize in Windows.

About your story, maybe it's time to change your typing habit, it takes time but surely not hard to do. Just press shift whenever you want to type capital. And shift also works for punctuations, not with caps lock, right? Caps Lock is used when you type with capital continuously, ain't it? And yeah, you have to press caps lock button a bit longer to activate it on Wireless Apple Keyboard. I think Apple was right about us accidentally trigger caps lock button by a slight press, and so they designed it that way.

Wireless keyboard is not for everyone. For example an accountant wouldn't live without those numpads and extra dedicated buttons, so just buy any wired keyboard if you feel inclined or in dire need for its. Some brand like Logitech even has one which has been designed for Mac. Surely more ergonomic than any Apple's input peripherals, not look as good though :p

And I agree about the Magic Mouse, it ain't so magical. So I opted to get TrackPad, and buy another Logitech wired mouse myself. Happy camper :D
 

Freeman3030

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 10, 2011
23
0
About your story, maybe it's time to change your typing habit, it takes time but surely not hard to do. Just press shift whenever you want to type capital. And shift also works for punctuations, not with caps lock, right? Caps Lock is used when you type with capital continuously, ain't it? And yeah, you have to press caps lock button a bit longer to activate it on Wireless Apple Keyboard. I think Apple was right about us accidentally trigger caps lock button by a slight press, and so they designed it that way.

It's very true, it's not going to be that difficult to switch, but it's hard to knock a habit I've always done, it makes no sense at all to toggle caps on/off!


I also completely agree with you about maximising windows, at 1st i thought it was stupid that it wouldn't maximise to full screen, especially when browsing the net. But i soon got used to it. How do you zoom? hats a new one to me!

Note: In this post I have used 'Shift' for all my capital letters! lol!
 

iSayuSay

macrumors 68040
Feb 6, 2011
3,789
906
It's very true, it's not going to be that difficult to switch, but it's hard to knock a habit I've always done, it makes no sense at all to toggle caps on/off!


I also completely agree with you about maximising windows, at 1st i thought it was stupid that it wouldn't maximise to full screen, especially when browsing the net. But i soon got used to it. How do you zoom? hats a new one to me!

Note: In this post I have used 'Shift' for all my capital letters! lol!

Uhmm :) ... your quote was posted by me :D but whatever, anyway just give it time for your changing habit. Yes OSX has its own drawback too. But some of it feels more natural to me compared to Windows.

And make use of "Shift" button doesn't hurt, does it :D
:apple:
 

88 King

macrumors 6502
Jun 18, 2011
377
0
London, UK
I also completely agree with you about maximising windows, at 1st i thought it was stupid that it wouldn't maximise to full screen, especially when browsing the net. But i soon got used to it. How do you zoom? hats a new one to me!

To zoom into the screen hold ctrl and use the middle mouse button, to zoom in browser hold cmd and - & =. You can also use the pinch on the magic mouse.

I have BetterSnapTool from the app store, it enables Windows 7 snap ability which I found very useful.
 

police340

macrumors regular
Jul 11, 2011
128
3
Hi, 2 weeks ago i purchased the base model 2011 iMac (2.5Ghz QC). I thought i'd write my opinion and personal experiences for those thinking and wanting to buy.
I've been a Windows user all of my life (albeit 21 years), so for a good 12-15 years I've used a Windows machine.
I'd been researching about Mac's for months, being very hesitant to buy as I personally thought £999 was a lot to pay for the basic iMac. But still, after all the research, I knew it would suit my requirements and also most owners posting on this and other forums seem very happy with their Macs and defend them to the hills... I am a convert. Don't get me wrong, there are a few niggles but on the whole, I think they are worth the money.
About 24-48 hours into having and playing with my mac, I had buyers remorse. I recall saying to myself "******, what have I bought this for?" but spent a few more hours becoming familiar with the Mac way of doing things and am now very happy with it.
I do however have a couple of quibbles that someone may be able to help me with:

*Windows machines have a 'backspace' key to delete to the left of the cursor and a 'Del' key to delete to the right of the cursor. Macs just have a 'backspace' key which I find quite frustrating as to delete to the right of the cursor, you have to reposition the cursor using either the mouse of cursor keys. I know it only takes a couple of seconds extra, but why doesn't Mac have the 'Del' key? Its so simple!

*I've found the 'Caps lock' button quite unresponsive. It works when I click it firmly, but if I'm speed typing (I don't use shift to go uppercase, i prefer caps on/off) when I click it on, 9/10 it comes on, but clicking it to turn off normally results in a 5/10 success rate. Which I find very odd! Is this just me, or is this quite common?

*On maximum sensitivity I don't think the mouse is sensitive enough. In my opinion, you have to travel with the mouse much further than I was expecting. It's a good 20-30cm from far left of the screen to far right - wouldn't dare to think how much travel the mouse does when on minimum sensitivity!

Thats about it! They are only very minor points and having know them prior to buying, it wouldn't have been enough to put me off. But perhaps to others, it may frustrate them. I love my mac, and I will be buying others in the future - Good Work Apple! You have another satisfied customer!

Just bought a 27" iMac Core i7 3.4GHz Saturday after using a 17 Macbook Pro 17" for about a year. Prior to that I was a Windows guy for, dating myself here but since they first came out. Although my first computer was an Apple II+ so Im back to my roots!

The iMac is nice, although the Macbook Pro was a piece of engineering wonder. I sold it and will miss it.

With regards to the Caps lock keys, i think you can unlearn that bad habit! Having taugh middle school computers for 15 years, I think using the caps locks key was something elementary school teachers teach their students as they can't seem to master holding the shift and pressing another key at the same time for a capital letter. So they found it easier to teach them to press the caps lock key and then press it one more time after they type their capital letter. We had this problem all too often when the children came to us after spending five years in elementary school. Use the shift key! :D

Good luck with the iMac, I just ordered 16Gb RAM and will put that in tomorrow night. I want the SSD but didn't feel like waiting for an online order nor did i feel like spending the etxra money although I wonder if i should have.

Bill
 

sth

macrumors 6502a
Aug 9, 2006
571
11
The old world
[edit]: Ooops, already answered. I shouldn't keep my browser windows open in the background for such a long time. ;)

*Windows machines have a 'backspace' key to delete to the left of the cursor and a 'Del' key to delete to the right of the cursor. Macs just have a 'backspace' key which I find quite frustrating as to delete to the right of the cursor, you have to reposition the cursor using either the mouse of cursor keys. I know it only takes a couple of seconds extra, but why doesn't Mac have the 'Del' key? Its so simple!
You have two options:
- Use fn+backspace instead
- Get the full-sized (non-wireless) keyboard

*I've found the 'Caps lock' button quite unresponsive. It works when I click it firmly, but if I'm speed typing (I don't use shift to go uppercase, i prefer caps on/off) when I click it on, 9/10 it comes on, but clicking it to turn off normally results in a 5/10 success rate. Which I find very odd! Is this just me, or is this quite common?
This is intentional, to keep people from accidentally enabling caps lock. It needs to be pressed for a certain amount of time, otherwise it won't react. The CD eject button works the same way.

Is there any particular reason why you don't use the shift key or is it just personal preference?

*On maximum sensitivity I don't think the mouse is sensitive enough. In my opinion, you have to travel with the mouse much further than I was expecting. It's a good 20-30cm from far left of the screen to far right - wouldn't dare to think how much travel the mouse does when on minimum sensitivity!
You can use tools like BetterTouchTool to set the mouse speed to higher values (or just use the command line, as suggested above).
 
Last edited:

talmy

macrumors 601
Oct 26, 2009
4,725
332
Oregon
Apple did make a full-size bluetooth keyboard. I had one on an iMac I bought 4+ years ago.

I personally never use the Caps Lock key, and configure the key as an additional Command key. But when I have a lot of heavy typing to do I ditch my Apple keyboard for a 22 year old Northgate Omnikey 102. The most similar new keyboard that also is Mac-centric (mine isn't) is the Matias Tactile Pro http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Matias/FK302/

When I got that iMac I went "cold turkey" from Windows (and Linux) to Mac, home and work. Now I'm back dividing my time among all three OSes. But my lengthy switching story is here: http://almy.us/3years.html You may find my thoughts on keyboards interesting.
 
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