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I just bought my first mac!

S

Slimmyhendrix

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 14, 2014
246
27
MN
I have been eyeballing them the past month a MacBook Air. Our reseller in town got a mid 2013 128g with 4gb ram refurbished.
I couldn't resist for $799
Comes with 1yr AppleCare.
Now time to learn OS X coming from 20yrs of windows.
 
I just checked and apple says 2 years of AppleCare and 2 years of support. ?!? Maybe I lucked out.
Anywho , after messing around for about an hour and half I have figured out most of OS X and how it works. Quite different than windows for sure.
It's going to take some getting used to the backlit keys. My eyes are all funky right now.
Is there a way to dim the keys?
Also is there a way to increase font size on screen , as in safari or mail? It's so tiny on the 13" screen.
Also just updated a bunch of software and hardware on it. Thank you 20g internet
 
Welcome!

What a great Mac!

To adjust the backlit keyboard try F5 to dim, F6 to brighten. A quick way to adjust the font size in Safari and Mail is command + and command - .
 
Slimmyhendrix said:
I just checked and apple says 2 years of AppleCare and 2 years of support. ?!? Maybe I lucked out.
Anywho , after messing around for about an hour and half I have figured out most of OS X and how it works. Quite different than windows for sure.
It's going to take some getting used to the backlit keys. My eyes are all funky right now.
Is there a way to dim the keys?
Also is there a way to increase font size on screen , as in safari or mail? It's so tiny on the 13" screen.
Also just updated a bunch of software and hardware on it. Thank you 20g internet
Click to expand...
The Mac Air you purchased is probably one year old and the original owner purchased Applecare for it. Applecare is attached to the machine, regardless of the owner.
 
I just bought my first mac!

MacInTO said:
The Mac Air you purchased is probably one year old and the original owner purchased Applecare for it. Applecare is attached to the machine, regardless of the owner.
Click to expand...


I read on apples website AppleCare isn't transferable unless you jump through 17 hoops and pull 4 ropes.
Either way, happy I am covered for2 years (may upgrade to new air next year for retina screen who knows)
Learning pretty quickly though on functions. It's just so straightforward when it comes to access. I keep saying, "why didn't Microsoft think of that?" Every time I find something new like zooming into a webpage with the track pad. It's like the roller ball on a desktop mouse between the buttons but pc laptops don't have it.
 
Slimmyhendrix said:
I read on apples website AppleCare isn't transferable unless you jump through 17 hoops and pull 4 ropes.
Either way, happy I am covered for2 years (may upgrade to new air next year for retina screen who knows)
Learning pretty quickly though on functions. It's just so straightforward when it comes to access. I keep saying, "why didn't Microsoft think of that?" Every time I find something new like zooming into a webpage with the track pad. It's like the roller ball on a desktop mouse between the buttons but pc laptops don't have it.
Click to expand...
That's the way it used to work. Before, you needed a letter from the previous owner stating they were transferring ownership to you, blah, blah, blah. And then you needed to fax in forms to Apple, blah, blah, blah. It sucked but I did it once as long as the paperwork was all in order.

Now the warranty is tied to the serial number. Easy. Apple probably did this to save themselves a bundle of useless work on their end as well.


The trackpad on the Mac is awesome! There are more that might not be activated. One of my favs is the three-finger drag. You can move, resize windows or whatever that required click-drag before.

If not activated, go to :apple: > System Pref > Trackpad
 
Having done this last year, here are some things to remember:

1.Delete works like Backspace. To do a forward delete us fn+Delete

2. Screen capture specific area: Command+Shift+4

3. Screen Capture whole screen: Command+Shift+3
 
Also, download XtraFinder. This solves most of the irritating deficiencies of the Finder, which is the most annoying thing about moving from Windows to Mac. You can set keystrokes to launch and rename files, have double tabs open for moving files around, and have the columns automatically be big enough to show you the filename. Basic stuff, but makes all the difference.
 
I just bought my first mac!

The best advice I can give you? Spend time checking out the mainstream Mac websites. They have AMAZING tips and tutorials about using your Mac effectively. Yes, Windows obviously has its own - but there are so many of them, that the good ones get lost in the noise. Far easier to get good/solid/useful advice on OSX on the web, imo.

You will quickly start getting used to the term "workflow", and how it can be done - and then never look back.

If you can, have a google, and consider purchasing some of the excellent ebooks about setting OSX up to suit your needs. Not strictly necessary, but glad I did.

Last tip - push through. OSX only feels inefficient for as long as your Windows habits are still manifesting themselves. Yes, it has some quirks, and yes - somethings(?) are done better on Windows - but generally speaking, as soon as you let go of the past, and jump in to OSX properly, everything changes!

Enjoy that trackpad. It is amazing. And good luck!
 
Cassady said:
The best advice I can give you? Spend time checking out the mainstream Mac websites. They have AMAZING tips and tutorials about using your Mac effectively. Yes, Windows obviously has its own - but there are so many of them, that the good ones get lost in the noise. Far easier to get good/solid/useful advice on OSX on the web, imo.

You will quickly start getting used to the term "workflow", and how it can be done - and then never look back.

If you can, have a google, and consider purchasing some of the excellent ebooks about setting OSX up to suit your needs. Not strictly necessary, but glad I did.

Last tip - push through. OSX only feels inefficient for as long as your Windows habits are still manifesting themselves. Yes, it has some quirks, and yes - somethings(?) are done better on Windows - but generally speaking, as soon as you let go of the past, and jump in to OSX properly, everything changes!

Enjoy that trackpad. It is amazing. And good luck!
Click to expand...


Which sites would you recommend? This is the only Mac/Apple site I go to.
 
Anitramane said:
Why did you buy a mac?
Click to expand...


1- I have always wanted one
2- I have been changing my household to apple products from pc
3- the apple products I have purchased "just work" lol and are very easy to learn on
4- Mac stuff just feels and looks higher quality than pc stuff. Even my $1900 top of the line hp laptop doesn't look as good or feel as good as a comparable MacBook Pro from the same time.
5- resale value ( apple also has brand loyalty ) unlike pc stuff that after 2-3 years you throw it away and get a new one with all new operating systems and everything is different.
 
Slimmyhendrix said:
1- I have always wanted one
2- I have been changing my household to apple products from pc
3- the apple products I have purchased "just work" lol and are very easy to learn on
4- Mac stuff just feels and looks higher quality than pc stuff. Even my $1900 top of the line hp laptop doesn't look as good or feel as good as a comparable MacBook Pro from the same time.
5- resale value ( apple also has brand loyalty ) unlike pc stuff that after 2-3 years you throw it away and get a new one with all new operating systems and everything is different.
Click to expand...

I was more asking what you want to use it for so I can recommend software.
 
Anitramane said:
I was more asking what you want to use it for so I can recommend software.
Click to expand...


Oh sorry

I use my laptop for Internet, YouTube videos and such, and photo editing with my canon dslr. I don't do gaming much anymore. I bought the air because it's small and light and its used for basic computer stuff.
I was going to get a mbp but I didn't see the need.
So far the 4gb ram with the 1.3ghz processor has not given me any issues.


Side note, is it really worth it to use a laptop fan pad (the usb one that goes under the laptop and is also a pad) or is it not really needed for SSD hd's? It doesn't get really warm unless it's being heavily used for downloading updates for 20min
 
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