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Getting a MBA for Christmas, need some help/suggestions.

SRLMJ23

SRLMJ23

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jul 11, 2008
2,337
1,438
Central New York
First off, I have never owned a Mac, however, I own all the iPhones, the iPad, and two iPods, so I am used to that interface however I am not at all familiar with Mac OSX. I could really use some help/tips I should know for when I get my Macbook Air.

Also, I would like to know what other software I should buy (if any). I was thinking about getting Microsoft Office for Mac but then I thought I already have Office 2010 for my Windows 7 laptop, so maybe not.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance.
 
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I have been a PC user since I was 7 and I hate change... So, I was definitely intimidated by switching operating systems. My advice to get Mac OS X Lion For Dummies and Mac OS X Lion All-In-One For Dummies. I finally read both and after searching and reading various articles online I feel fairly confident using the OS. Plus, I know if I just play around with the OS and read various articles online withing 3-4 months I'll be as confident as I was using a PC.

As far as your question about Office for Mac, I was in the exact same situation as you. I was just going to get Pages, Keynote and numbers a they were cheaper or just use my PC when I needed to use any of the Office software... But to be honest, I don't even want to turn in my PC anymore. I decided to just get Office for Mac and I'm extremely happy with the decision.

If money is an issue, I'd suggest you just use Microsoft Office with your PC and put aside some money every month until you save enough to get Office for Mac.
 
First off, thanks for the advice. Second, money isn't an issue so I guess I will get Office for Mac.

I don't know what comes bundled with Mac OSX, does any software come with it or not. I was under the belief that iWork comes with OSX?? I'm probably wrong.
 
The best advice I was given was to just do things in the way which seemed the logical way to do them. If you see what I mean. 95% of the time the way you think things should be done is the way OSX does them.
 
GGJstudios said:
You can also buy it from Apple, along with your Mac purchase.
Click to expand...

That is what I did; actually, as almost all of my work world uses Word, it was a no-brainer for me - I needed Word, and it made sense to get the Office for Mac package when I bought my MBP in 2008, when I switched; Office for Mac is also on my MBA.

The MBA is a terrific machine - you'll love it.

Re the actual switch itself, even though you are used to the iPad, I'd suggest that you take a look at some of the "Tips for Switchers" as, while Macs and PCs do much the same things, how they do them differs.

It took me a while to adjust to Mac, so that the commands became second nature (and when confronted with a Windows machine, it takes an hour or two to switch back). On my 2008 MBP, I had copied a file with a list of the differences in keyboard commands (GGJstudios has previously posted a splendid list of threads with such pointers - hint, hint......) and put it on my desktop as a handy reminder whenever I needed my memory refreshed (such as the the Mac equivalent of the 'right click') and so on. Basically, Macs do all the things that PCs do, they just do them differently.

Cheers and good luck
 
SRLMJ23 said:
First off, I have never owned a Mac, however, I own all the iPhones, the iPad, and two iPods, so I am used to that interface however I am not at all familiar with Mac OSX. I could really use some help/tips I should know for when I get my Macbook Air.

Also, I would like to know what other software I should buy (if any). I was thinking about getting Microsoft Office for Mac but then I thought I already have Office 2010 for my Windows 7 laptop, so maybe not.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I would seriously recommend considering buying a book or two.

My first recommendation is Mac OS X Lion the missing manual and second recommendation is Mac OS X Lion for dummies.

Either one would go a long way to transitioning over to a macbook.
 
+1 for the missing manual series - Pogue is a very good technical writer.

A lawyer named David Sparks recently wrote a book called Mac at Work in which he offers pragmatic advice on various categories of productivity software. He's got a decent podcast too (I think it's called Mac Power Users).
 
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