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switching to a macbook air m2 or m3 when it realeases
- Thread starter s1oplus
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The trackpad on a Mac is actually good and increases productivity. I absolutely have to use a mouse with windows, but only use a trackpad with a Mac.
It all depends how you will be using the system. You do not say whether you are contemplating a desktop (iMac, Mac Mini or Mac Studio) or a laptop (MacBook Air, MacBook Pro).
Some things to consider:
Slightly different keyboard layout (new Option and Command keys, no Windows key).
Windows options are top left, not top right.
File system on backup devices. You will not be to write to devices formatted with NTFS, but can read them.
General move to app options being in the top menu bar on the screen and not in the app window.
Login and different security options.
Shortcuts are similar but not the same (often use the Option key).
Apps generally can be removed by dragging to the trash rather than using a dedicated uninstall option. Some apps may require customized uninstall apps but not many.
App installation is different often using a disk image file (.dmg) which you open and click on an installer or simply drag the app to the Applications folder.
You need to make sure you enable right click on the mouse or two fingers on trackpad for right click otherwise it is not present.
Track pad actually works in MacOS and do not have the specific areas of the trackpad for specific options (like right side of trackpad for right click option, just two finger click anywhere on the trackpad).
Utilities are different under MacOS. E.g. No NotePad, use TextEdit. Screenshot options. Terminal instead of Windows Power etc.
Free MacOS office apps not the same as MS Office. Buy Office 365 if you want true Office compatibility. If you have Office you can get the Mac apps to replace your Windows versions without buying a new license.
You can use Edge and Chrome on your Mac. Safari is better but importing your favorites is a pain.
If you use an Android phone it is a lot more difficult to get you photos onto your new system. Can be done via MS OneDrive.
This is not a complete list and maybe not what you were looking for, but it might help.
Some things to consider:
Slightly different keyboard layout (new Option and Command keys, no Windows key).
Windows options are top left, not top right.
File system on backup devices. You will not be to write to devices formatted with NTFS, but can read them.
General move to app options being in the top menu bar on the screen and not in the app window.
Login and different security options.
Shortcuts are similar but not the same (often use the Option key).
Apps generally can be removed by dragging to the trash rather than using a dedicated uninstall option. Some apps may require customized uninstall apps but not many.
App installation is different often using a disk image file (.dmg) which you open and click on an installer or simply drag the app to the Applications folder.
You need to make sure you enable right click on the mouse or two fingers on trackpad for right click otherwise it is not present.
Track pad actually works in MacOS and do not have the specific areas of the trackpad for specific options (like right side of trackpad for right click option, just two finger click anywhere on the trackpad).
Utilities are different under MacOS. E.g. No NotePad, use TextEdit. Screenshot options. Terminal instead of Windows Power etc.
Free MacOS office apps not the same as MS Office. Buy Office 365 if you want true Office compatibility. If you have Office you can get the Mac apps to replace your Windows versions without buying a new license.
You can use Edge and Chrome on your Mac. Safari is better but importing your favorites is a pain.
If you use an Android phone it is a lot more difficult to get you photos onto your new system. Can be done via MS OneDrive.
This is not a complete list and maybe not what you were looking for, but it might help.
do you have any specific apps that you need, if so find out if it works on mac, besides that there really isn't anything else to it.
Ehhh, technically you can remove an application this way, but best practice is to either use an uninstaller that came with the app, or use a third-party utility (like the excellent and free App Cleaner) -- to pick up all the assorted items installed in other places in the system besides the Applications folder. If you don't, you just end up with lots of random crap in your system that doesn't need to be there.
Agreed, but a lot of apps do not provide an uninstaller and the only way to remove them is by dragging to the trash. I do run a clean up utility I have on a regular basis to remove the odd orphaned plist entries etc. for precisely the reasons you state. My main point here is that Windows always (well 99% of the time anyway) requires an uninstaller since dragging to the trash may only remove part of the app and registry cleanup etc. is a really messy affair after the fact. But your point is well made.
The Mac is not that different. I don't know enough about Windows to weigh in on the registry or whatever, but -- just as an example I just fired up App Cleaner to get rid of some writing app I'd tried out and didn't like.
If I deleted only the main app from the Applications folder, I'd still have everything circled below installed. In this case probably nothing too bad, but many apps will install Launch Agents and things that actively try to run when you start up. Really the best practice is to use something like this.
I saw that every app i wanted worked on mac. Just wanted to know if there is something extremely different from windows 11
yeah, better security 😂
no there is not much of a learning curve coming from windows, in fact i wager its a better experience overall working on mac vs window. on my pc i would periodically get crashes due to software instability and other nuance issues, however on my mac, i got my one crash once every year or something, and thats from me pushing it in certain applications.
Mac tend to work better than Windows machines because the hardware and software is under the control of a single entity, Apple. Windows was developed as a platform for a generalized architecture that can be built by anyone. The net result is that Windows is less reliable, although it has become much better since the time when Windows 7 was released.
MacOS is not intrinsically more secure but is less of a target for the malcontents and thieves in this world due to the lower number of MacOS systems out there. I have used Windows since the days of MS DOS and I started in small single user computing using CP/M an OS that predates MS DOS, Gem etc. by a few years. I moved my main home computing platform to Macs when they moved to OS X about 20 or so years ago which is a UNIX platform rather than the single tasking OS 9 prior to that. So I have been using small computers since the advent of the microprocessor (1972) (having been brought up on UNIX, RSTS and George and other mini computers e.g. DEC PDP/8 etc. and main frame OSs) and have been using Windows since Windows 1.0 was first released and MacOS since it was OS X around 20 years ago.
You will find the general reliability of MacOS to be its best feature although Apple, having moved to a once yearly cadence, are less reliable than they used to be. I needed a reliable machine at home where every time I use it I did not need to do an update or one driver or another crashed the system (remember in Windows the graphics, I/O subsystems etc. are generally written by someone other than the OS author) (Microsoft). Overall Microsoft has done a commendable job with the task they had in hand, but the tight coupling between hardware and software enjoyed by Apple systems makes for a more reliable system. It does not necessarily make for a more functional system and I still keep several Windows systems (and Linux systems) running in order to perform certain somewhat esoteric tasks. One big hole in the Apple eco-system is a decent database like SQL Server but remote cloud computing is making this moot these days.
Anyway, I think you find MacOS a great choice and the move from Windows should not be troublesome and indeed I work in the UNIX, LINUX, Windows and MacOS world without problem since the basic principals are the same. Enjoy your move and perhaps let us know how it all works out for you as I am sure there are some Windows users out there who have thought it might be difficult and you can prove them wrong (or maybe you have a miserable time and that is also a good learning experience).
MacOS is not intrinsically more secure but is less of a target for the malcontents and thieves in this world due to the lower number of MacOS systems out there. I have used Windows since the days of MS DOS and I started in small single user computing using CP/M an OS that predates MS DOS, Gem etc. by a few years. I moved my main home computing platform to Macs when they moved to OS X about 20 or so years ago which is a UNIX platform rather than the single tasking OS 9 prior to that. So I have been using small computers since the advent of the microprocessor (1972) (having been brought up on UNIX, RSTS and George and other mini computers e.g. DEC PDP/8 etc. and main frame OSs) and have been using Windows since Windows 1.0 was first released and MacOS since it was OS X around 20 years ago.
You will find the general reliability of MacOS to be its best feature although Apple, having moved to a once yearly cadence, are less reliable than they used to be. I needed a reliable machine at home where every time I use it I did not need to do an update or one driver or another crashed the system (remember in Windows the graphics, I/O subsystems etc. are generally written by someone other than the OS author) (Microsoft). Overall Microsoft has done a commendable job with the task they had in hand, but the tight coupling between hardware and software enjoyed by Apple systems makes for a more reliable system. It does not necessarily make for a more functional system and I still keep several Windows systems (and Linux systems) running in order to perform certain somewhat esoteric tasks. One big hole in the Apple eco-system is a decent database like SQL Server but remote cloud computing is making this moot these days.
Anyway, I think you find MacOS a great choice and the move from Windows should not be troublesome and indeed I work in the UNIX, LINUX, Windows and MacOS world without problem since the basic principals are the same. Enjoy your move and perhaps let us know how it all works out for you as I am sure there are some Windows users out there who have thought it might be difficult and you can prove them wrong (or maybe you have a miserable time and that is also a good learning experience).
Also, if you do want to write files to Windows-formatted NTFS drives, you can purchase software that will enable you to do so. I use a program named NFTS for Mac. I primarily bought it so that I could format and write to hard drives I attach to my Roku (for tv series and/or movies I ripped from disc to mp4 format). It's very handy to be able to do, and you'd be able to keep using your current external drives with no changes needed on your part.
CTL-X, V, C does not work on a Mac. You need to use command-X, V, C, etc. Copying files and folders operates differently. MacOS will sometimes copy, sometimes move. Move will happen if the folders are on the MacBook. Copying will occur if the files are on external media.
MacOS will create a "dot" file for every file that is accessed, even on external media. This behavior is so pervasive that at one time when a full thumb drive was inserted, the dot file gets created and the file directory gets destroyed losing access to all the files. I don't know if that is still true as the day of small thumb drives is long gone.
Window sizing is on the left rather than the right. Clicking on the red dot to "close" and application really does not close the app, it just removes it from the screen. It is necessary to use "Quit" from the application menu.
When focus is changed to an application, the menu at the top will change as all app menus are on the top row. There are no window menus on Mac.
Be sure and set the Apple mouse configuration in Settings for right click. Or use a true two button mouse. There are a lot of right click options available that will make life easier.
There is no Backspace key on the Mac. The delete key functions as what is the Windows Backspace key so there is no true delete key (one the deletes the character to the left of the cursor) on the Mac.
Take your time. In spite of what others have said there is a learning curve. Some things are just difference enough that you may have to think for a second or two. My comments are not a Mac is better, Windows is better, they are just a different. Some adjustment is required.
This part I bolded above applies only to dragging files and folders, btw.
When copying things in the Finder using command-C and V, it always makes a second copy (you unfortunately cannot command-X "cut" a file or folder the way you can on Windows).
As others stated, window management software. Apple has it built in but it's so obtuse people don't know it exists or how to use it. (I personally use one called Magnet and I love it).
Also with the air, they are limited to output to one external monitor. Other than that they're fantastic machines and far more powerful than people realize. I've used a lot of serious software on mine (Houdini, Final Cut, Blender, Logic, Xcode, etc etc) and it ran without a hitch.
Also with the air, they are limited to output to one external monitor. Other than that they're fantastic machines and far more powerful than people realize. I've used a lot of serious software on mine (Houdini, Final Cut, Blender, Logic, Xcode, etc etc) and it ran without a hitch.
It is just different from the way Windows operates. Nothing major. A personal preference. Having cut my teeth using Windows I sometimes I have to think with the MacBook, and even then I sometimes get it wrong. That is probably my biggest frustration in dealing with two different operating system environments, file handling.