Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
My Issues With Apple Since Switching
- Thread starter Nawlins
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
they offered a browse feature other than searching dude click browse and you get to select it kind of like drop down but instead it open it on the side if you really want drop down menus open the itunes folder and make it list view then click each file and have it take longer than a search for the browse within program
Re: Re: My Issues With Apple Since Switching
Report it if you see it.
It's a grey area, since P2P discussion is OK, but people asking for or giving out info on any sort of piracy is not allowed - as far as I know.
Debates about ethics and morality of piracy are a whole other matter...
Report it if you see it.
It's a grey area, since P2P discussion is OK, but people asking for or giving out info on any sort of piracy is not allowed - as far as I know.
Debates about ethics and morality of piracy are a whole other matter...
I'm not saying anything is better or worse.
You started this thread by posting a list of 'issues' that seem to indicate you're somewhat of a Mac novice. Then, when people started offering suggestions, you turned it into a rant about how Apple is 'screwing up' by not providing a free word processor... computers are only for the rich... 3% market share... etc.
I'm just saying that given your behavior in this thread, I'm not eagerly awaiting your opinion of OpenOffice. That's all.
Chill out.
All this proves how productive you can be on a Mac. Could Nawlins complain this much if he had bought a Dell?
All things....
...have their weaknesses. But, I believe iTunes system is much better than the drop down system Kazaa uses. The mac uses its mouse much more and while you may find yourself switching hands, the mouse is a much more effective tool in doing things.
As for the iPod, I think you'll find you will put more music on it and on your machine. I have 36 hrs of music on my machine and it kicks ass, I can select techno, rock, classical, jazz all by a simple touch. I hook my iPod to my stereo and just let it run, I'd hate to change a CD now, and I'd really hate to listen to the 40 songs that go on the usual MP3 player.
For 399 my iPod has been totally worth it.
As for Appleworks, I do wish Apple would either make a better version or just get rid of it entirely. If you need to pound on the keys, textedit works rather well, but otherwise there's Word or OpenOffice. I think 159 isn't that bad for the entire office suite, and I don't think you can beat free for OpenOffice. As for the mouse, I really like Apple's Pro Mouse, but I have a Kensington to do heavier work on my machine that relies upon multiple buttons.
And while Dell does come with Word, most Windows machines come with WordStar which is as bad as AppleWorks. So most people don't get Word any how.
I would suggest that you get, at the library poor college student and all, the Missing Manual for OSX.
...have their weaknesses. But, I believe iTunes system is much better than the drop down system Kazaa uses. The mac uses its mouse much more and while you may find yourself switching hands, the mouse is a much more effective tool in doing things.
As for the iPod, I think you'll find you will put more music on it and on your machine. I have 36 hrs of music on my machine and it kicks ass, I can select techno, rock, classical, jazz all by a simple touch. I hook my iPod to my stereo and just let it run, I'd hate to change a CD now, and I'd really hate to listen to the 40 songs that go on the usual MP3 player.
For 399 my iPod has been totally worth it.
As for Appleworks, I do wish Apple would either make a better version or just get rid of it entirely. If you need to pound on the keys, textedit works rather well, but otherwise there's Word or OpenOffice. I think 159 isn't that bad for the entire office suite, and I don't think you can beat free for OpenOffice. As for the mouse, I really like Apple's Pro Mouse, but I have a Kensington to do heavier work on my machine that relies upon multiple buttons.
And while Dell does come with Word, most Windows machines come with WordStar which is as bad as AppleWorks. So most people don't get Word any how.
I would suggest that you get, at the library poor college student and all, the Missing Manual for OSX.
how sad 
im going to end this thread....
Nawlins:: its time to be quiet and stop complaining. complain ALLL you'd like, you messed up with research on whether or not the machine you bought comes with a word processor. BIGGG DEAL! the truth.... most people that have money to buy a powerbook or a "pro" machine, have the money to buy the extras as well. and if you don't like appleworks, which i NEVER use, nobody tells you to use it. and apple doesn't really need people complaining about features unique to a specific user. i don't care if the company is apple, dell, microsoft, or anyone... if i developed software, and a single person liked a 'kazaa interface' better, i wouldn't waste the time programming that in for him/her. get used to what you have, it's better anyways.
enjoy your powerbook, its a great machine... and it's a pro machine. if it didn't come with word, too bad. i own a recording studio... did my powerbook and G4 tower come with Pro Tools , and recording software, and plugins ,and audio cards? NO...but it's still a pro machine
just please don't complain, because from what you've stated, there is no reason....
and, by the way, im a college student too, it's no excuse, shoulda went with the ibook.
---------------
i just cant take so many ppl posting these nonsense threads anymore i HAD to reply!
im going to end this thread....
Nawlins:: its time to be quiet and stop complaining. complain ALLL you'd like, you messed up with research on whether or not the machine you bought comes with a word processor. BIGGG DEAL! the truth.... most people that have money to buy a powerbook or a "pro" machine, have the money to buy the extras as well. and if you don't like appleworks, which i NEVER use, nobody tells you to use it. and apple doesn't really need people complaining about features unique to a specific user. i don't care if the company is apple, dell, microsoft, or anyone... if i developed software, and a single person liked a 'kazaa interface' better, i wouldn't waste the time programming that in for him/her. get used to what you have, it's better anyways.
enjoy your powerbook, its a great machine... and it's a pro machine. if it didn't come with word, too bad. i own a recording studio... did my powerbook and G4 tower come with Pro Tools , and recording software, and plugins ,and audio cards? NO...but it's still a pro machine
just please don't complain, because from what you've stated, there is no reason....
and, by the way, im a college student too, it's no excuse, shoulda went with the ibook.
---------------
i just cant take so many ppl posting these nonsense threads anymore i HAD to reply!
I disagree. Microsoft has hinted that they will not update Office on the Mac anytime soon. Apple should respond by developing an alternative, and perhaps even port it to Windows just as Sun did. In fact, they could even use OpenOffice as a starting point.
Microsoft is already in trouble for continuing to bully everyone else, so any punitive action they might take could open them up to further trouble. Even after their recent record dividend paid to shareholders, MS is still hording a huge amount cash. They have made it somewhat obvious that the cash is there in case huge fines and judgement awards need to be paid in the future.
funny way of asking for advice
Why didnt you just ask how to make the best use of iTunes, ask about word processor bundles that come with various Macs etc. rather than kick off with a complaint that just shouted out, "This bloke has not been playing too long with his first ever Mac."?
Textedit is plenty good enough for writing to loved ones. If you want to tart up your dissertations so they can be read by Microsofty software, Save your documents in Appleworks as .rtf. Im a numb nutz languages student and a teacher too with a Mac in a Word world and worked out how to be compatible without spending too much. I also believe that office packages are so complex and the zillions of functions are so under used, and cheapo Appleworks, is in my experience plenty good enough for really snazzy work.
There is so much help out there for Macs and so many advantages to the Apple way of doing things, I just think you need to back off and relax a bit.
Why didnt you just ask how to make the best use of iTunes, ask about word processor bundles that come with various Macs etc. rather than kick off with a complaint that just shouted out, "This bloke has not been playing too long with his first ever Mac."?
Textedit is plenty good enough for writing to loved ones. If you want to tart up your dissertations so they can be read by Microsofty software, Save your documents in Appleworks as .rtf. Im a numb nutz languages student and a teacher too with a Mac in a Word world and worked out how to be compatible without spending too much. I also believe that office packages are so complex and the zillions of functions are so under used, and cheapo Appleworks, is in my experience plenty good enough for really snazzy work.
There is so much help out there for Macs and so many advantages to the Apple way of doing things, I just think you need to back off and relax a bit.
Re: My Issues With Apple Since Switching
You can save in the .doc file format in AppleWorks. I just fired up the version I have on my Mac, version 6.2.7 for Mac OS X, and when you do a Save As, at the bottom of the Save As window there is a File Format pop-up window where you can choose to save it in a variety of different Word versions.
Simple solution, not evident. Take the artist column header (where it says "Artist") and click, hold, and drag the column over (it will appear transparent grey), and let go where you want the column. In this case before your song column. Capiche?
Re: Re: Re: My Issues With Apple Since Switching
... and if you had bought a crappy pee cee, it woulda come with M$ Works, which really freakin blows, and you would have to spend 150 bucks to upgrade to office also... it's just a vicious world out there...
... and if you had bought a crappy pee cee, it woulda come with M$ Works, which really freakin blows, and you would have to spend 150 bucks to upgrade to office also... it's just a vicious world out there...
That's the way to help people, call them names, tell them they are stupid and complaining and then poke at thedm a little more. What, are you all about 13?, becuase you're acting like it.
He has a point, whether you'd like to admist it or not. There SHOULD be a decent word processor on Apple's Power products. There is no rationale for leaving it off except to generate more revenue for either Word or AppleWorks. Why should someone who just spent much more for a "pro" machine get less of a software package than the consumer? I know, I know, you get Graphic Converter and other stuff with the Powerbook. Whoopty-friggin'-do. You are also wrong about how everybody that buys a pro machine is buying it for pro reasons. Many people buy the best they can afford at the time they purchase to avoid having to buy a computer every single year. They may only be using it for surfing and gaming, but they want to be able to keep the machine for a while. THEY are the ones who need the WP. And buying more software (BASIC software at that) after you just dropped a load for the machne is stupid. Yes, there are free alternatives, but not all purchasers of "pro" products are actually pro users. They may not know, unlike all of you out there who seem to know everything about it and get annoyed when anyone has to ask a question from you all-mighty Mac Geeks.
Take it easy on new people, why don't you?
Regards,
Gus
He has a point, whether you'd like to admist it or not. There SHOULD be a decent word processor on Apple's Power products. There is no rationale for leaving it off except to generate more revenue for either Word or AppleWorks. Why should someone who just spent much more for a "pro" machine get less of a software package than the consumer? I know, I know, you get Graphic Converter and other stuff with the Powerbook. Whoopty-friggin'-do. You are also wrong about how everybody that buys a pro machine is buying it for pro reasons. Many people buy the best they can afford at the time they purchase to avoid having to buy a computer every single year. They may only be using it for surfing and gaming, but they want to be able to keep the machine for a while. THEY are the ones who need the WP. And buying more software (BASIC software at that) after you just dropped a load for the machne is stupid. Yes, there are free alternatives, but not all purchasers of "pro" products are actually pro users. They may not know, unlike all of you out there who seem to know everything about it and get annoyed when anyone has to ask a question from you all-mighty Mac Geeks.
Take it easy on new people, why don't you?
Regards,
Gus
Which is really no big loss. We have a version that runs native in OS X and that's all we need. How many new features can there possibly be left to add. I don't know if there have been any significant additions to Office since 1995--maybe earlier. As far as writing a letter goes, TextEdit is adequate and easy to use. AppleWorks is also adequate though I'm not a big fan. I'd welcome an Apple-designed office suite that had all the typical Apple features (ease of use, streamlined, integration with other apps) but without all the Microsoft bloat.
Nawlins, I've read over your original post again and I think you really need to learn to use your computer. That's what 90% of your complaints seem to stem from. The other 10% involve a reality check.
Man, you guys really go off on people instead of offering solutions.
Nawlins,
Itunes:
You like the kazaa feature. And thats what it is, a feature. If you start using itunes more, you'll find features in itunes you wish were in kazaa. It's a give-take thing when switching software. When you start with one brand, you'll get use to the way it works. Then, when you look at other brands, you'll find that your so use to knowing exactly where all the functions are on the first brand you tried that all the other types you try seem backwards. This is how MS got people hooked on word.
Appleworks/MS Office:
Same as the itunes story above. However, I will say this. When you buy a windows PC, having MS Office installed is an option unless they "bundle" it in. Either way your paying for it. So, when you ordered your PB, you had an option to get MS Office as well. It didn't matter which platform you went with, you'll still have to pay for Office. As for your, "Apple should make a better word processor". That's like saying Dell should too. I do agree that Appleworks should be included with PowerMacs/Books. That one is beyond me that they don't include it. However, your post about Apple has much to gain and not much to lose on making their own word processor statement is wrong. MS Office is the standard. Not because its better or easy to use but because everyone has it. Not being able to see a word document that the majority of the word can is a problem. MS has Apple by the gonads on this and they know it. I don't see Apple making their own word processing software to compete against MS anytime soon. Look at Corel's word perfect. They tried to compete and now they're on their last straw.
Mouse:
Thats a user opinion if you like it or not. I know at work we get the Dell mouse standard with the machines. Currently, they sit in a box collecting dust because no one here likes them and we all basically use Logitech mice. Like people said above, a lot of mac users don't like the Apple mouse and buy one elsewhere.
Ipod:
Well as the owner of a new 15 gig, I don't don't understand how I could live without it. I use mine for backup as well (5 gigs worth of data). So I could never use a smaller hard dirve version. However, people like my mom and sister could so I see your point. I don't think Apple wants to get into that market because it will take away sales of the more profitable models. The only way I see it happening is if Apples ipod market share goes really low. Only time will tell on this one.
Delete Key:
I had a problem with it too. Again, this isn't Apple's fault. It's that your use to the windows keyboard. Give it a little time and when you go back to a windows keyboard you'll wonder why they have a backspace key.
So, to sum it up, I don't think your bashing Apple like a lot of people here think you are. It's just that switching isn't as easy as Apple makes it out to be because the OS and software are completely different beasts compared to windows versions. I personally think there are good and bads to both platforms. Its getting use to them thats th tricky part.
Nawlins,
Itunes:
You like the kazaa feature. And thats what it is, a feature. If you start using itunes more, you'll find features in itunes you wish were in kazaa. It's a give-take thing when switching software. When you start with one brand, you'll get use to the way it works. Then, when you look at other brands, you'll find that your so use to knowing exactly where all the functions are on the first brand you tried that all the other types you try seem backwards. This is how MS got people hooked on word.
Appleworks/MS Office:
Same as the itunes story above. However, I will say this. When you buy a windows PC, having MS Office installed is an option unless they "bundle" it in. Either way your paying for it. So, when you ordered your PB, you had an option to get MS Office as well. It didn't matter which platform you went with, you'll still have to pay for Office. As for your, "Apple should make a better word processor". That's like saying Dell should too. I do agree that Appleworks should be included with PowerMacs/Books. That one is beyond me that they don't include it. However, your post about Apple has much to gain and not much to lose on making their own word processor statement is wrong. MS Office is the standard. Not because its better or easy to use but because everyone has it. Not being able to see a word document that the majority of the word can is a problem. MS has Apple by the gonads on this and they know it. I don't see Apple making their own word processing software to compete against MS anytime soon. Look at Corel's word perfect. They tried to compete and now they're on their last straw.
Mouse:
Thats a user opinion if you like it or not. I know at work we get the Dell mouse standard with the machines. Currently, they sit in a box collecting dust because no one here likes them and we all basically use Logitech mice. Like people said above, a lot of mac users don't like the Apple mouse and buy one elsewhere.
Ipod:
Well as the owner of a new 15 gig, I don't don't understand how I could live without it. I use mine for backup as well (5 gigs worth of data). So I could never use a smaller hard dirve version. However, people like my mom and sister could so I see your point. I don't think Apple wants to get into that market because it will take away sales of the more profitable models. The only way I see it happening is if Apples ipod market share goes really low. Only time will tell on this one.
Delete Key:
I had a problem with it too. Again, this isn't Apple's fault. It's that your use to the windows keyboard. Give it a little time and when you go back to a windows keyboard you'll wonder why they have a backspace key.
So, to sum it up, I don't think your bashing Apple like a lot of people here think you are. It's just that switching isn't as easy as Apple makes it out to be because the OS and software are completely different beasts compared to windows versions. I personally think there are good and bads to both platforms. Its getting use to them thats th tricky part.
Firstly, AppleWorks really SHOULD have been included with the PB. I just bought a PB and didn't even realize that it wasn't included. I had always thought that it was. Its no big deal since you can get OfficeX for a huge edu discount, but I just wanted to give some support to Nawlins.
But secondly, if you don't have a digital camera or DV camera (whichever one you don't have), and you can't take advantage of iMovie or iPhoto, then its too bad. This is the software it came with, and if you couldn't take advantage of this software, and complain about it AFTER you bought your system, then why did you buy it to begin with? You knew you didn't have a DV camera before you bought your system, didn't you?
And about OfficeX: Isn't it supposed to get an update this coming Spring?
Gus and bertagert:
I'm not sure either of you read the whole thread but you should see where Nawlins doesn't seem to care that we've been giving solutions--he just wants to complain at this point without searching for solutions.
Apple doesn't need to pre-install a word processing application. TextEdit works fine and there are something like 5 word processors available including MS Word and AppleWorks, which does much more. If Nisus wanted Nisus Writer on PowerBooks and PowerMacs, they should make a deal with Apple to have it pre-installed. Apple also doesn't need to create another word processor or dig up MacWrite.
I'm beginning to think that this person doesn't even have a PowerBook--he just wants to see how far people will jump.
I'm not sure either of you read the whole thread but you should see where Nawlins doesn't seem to care that we've been giving solutions--he just wants to complain at this point without searching for solutions.
Apple doesn't need to pre-install a word processing application. TextEdit works fine and there are something like 5 word processors available including MS Word and AppleWorks, which does much more. If Nisus wanted Nisus Writer on PowerBooks and PowerMacs, they should make a deal with Apple to have it pre-installed. Apple also doesn't need to create another word processor or dig up MacWrite.
I'm beginning to think that this person doesn't even have a PowerBook--he just wants to see how far people will jump.
Nawlins
Take a moment and jot down the things you dislike about windows and compare them to your apple complaint list, be fair and then decide if you would be happier with one or the other. If you decide that the grass was greener on the windows side you can always sell your apple and get back into windows, apples have great resale value.
Apple owes nothing to anyone, they make an excellent product and that is why people buy and support them. In the OS 9 days I would try and convince people to use Macs, Now with OS X I just feel sorry for those who dont know about "the experience" and thats what it has become... an experience.
Take a moment and jot down the things you dislike about windows and compare them to your apple complaint list, be fair and then decide if you would be happier with one or the other. If you decide that the grass was greener on the windows side you can always sell your apple and get back into windows, apples have great resale value.
Apple owes nothing to anyone, they make an excellent product and that is why people buy and support them. In the OS 9 days I would try and convince people to use Macs, Now with OS X I just feel sorry for those who dont know about "the experience" and thats what it has become... an experience.
Actually I did read whole the thread. He didn't complain at all. He was voicing his opinion. They are two different things. It wasn't till someone said he was complaing that this thread went ary.
Anywho, lets put that in the past. As for the word processor thing, I have to disagree. My feeling is, if works is on the i macs/ibooks/emacs, why isn't it on the power line? I personally don't care because I don't use works (I use Office) but I can't figure out why Apple doesn't put it in there. A pro user types letters all the time. Just figured they'd throw it in. I'm sure there is some good reason for not including it but I can't figure it out.
I think that when someone brings up what he thinks are valid issues and everyone jumps up his ass, that guy gets a bad impression of the Mac community.
Yes, this is the point, exactly. If they put it in with the consumer machines, why not with the pros as well? You can't tell me that all people buying a PowerMac/Book already have a WP to put on the machine.
And like I said before, there ARE other alternatived for WP out there that are free, but not everybody buying a Mac will know that right off the bat. Many people who buy PowerBooks are former iBookk owners who just assume that if it is on a consumer machine then it should be on a pro machine as well. And yes, I have read the whole thread. I never post without reading everything through first.
Regards,
Gus