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Windows person moving to a Macbook Air (advice)

O

obom

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 17, 2010
41
0
Hello guys,

I have been an iPhone owner for 2 years and I have finally decided that I am going to buy myself a mac
I am going to buy a Macbook Air so I can take it to university do mainly browse the net and do some work on it (obviously)
I don't really play games, so I think a Macbook Air 13 will be ideal
But I have a few questions I was hoping someone could enlighten me

1) Coming from a PC will I find it very difficult to get used to whole new OS?
2) Is it hard to install Windows on a mac should I require to?
3) Are there any accessories for the 13" model that are a must?
4) What is the best office software? (to create spreadsheets, letters, graphs etc..)
5) Is an anti virus needed?
6) Any other tips or things I should know?

Thank you :D
 
1) Coming from a PC will I find it very difficult to get used to whole new OS?

Nope. This from a 20+ year Windows veteran. You will find it very intuitive and familiar, and in many cases a lot more enjoyable.

2) Is it hard to install Windows on a mac should I require to?

Nope. The MBA has Lion and Bootcamp 4.0, which makes Windows 7 installation a breeze.

3) Are there any accessories for the 13" model that are a must?

A nice case, a Magic Mouse (old Windows habit), a Superdrive (if you have any CDs or DVDs you want to use), a Time Capsule (so you can keep your MBA backed up).

4) What is the best office software? (to create spreadsheets, letters, graphs etc..)

Microsoft Office.

5) Is an anti virus needed?

No.

6) Any other tips or things I should know?

It is a lot more fun on this side. :D Welcome!
 
Thank you for such a quick reply I shall have a look at those accessories :)
Microsoft Office, can I purchase that in the Mac App store? If so how much is it?
 
obom said:
Thank you for such a quick reply I shall have a look at those accessories :)
Microsoft Office, can I purchase that in the Mac App store? If so how much is it?
Click to expand...

$150 at Amazon.

Did not see it in the Mac Appstore.
 
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As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I just "made the switch" and I found no problems adjusting to the OS. I feel like someone switching to Apple usually usually welcomes the changes that come with the transition.

The best thing i did was make an effort to make of the new gestures and shortcuts second nature to me. Once you get things memorized it really makes for a very smooth experience.
 
obom said:
So am I right in understanding that if I wanted to have office in my Macbook Air I would need to buy a Superdrive?
Click to expand...

Microsoft offers to download it, just not on the Mac App Store. It's on their official website.

You can try to download the free trial first, then when it expires, if you like it, simply purchase your licence for 150$ and enter the serial Microsoft provides to you in your trial version and it becomes the full version.
 
obom said:
Thank you for such a quick reply I shall have a look at those accessories :)
Microsoft Office, can I purchase that in the Mac App store? If so how much is it?
Click to expand...

Forget the $150. If you're a student you can get it for $70. Just google Microsoft Office Mac Student Discount
 
ZBoater said:
LOL!

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. We are Apple. :apple:
Click to expand...

Yeah, yeah. ;)

All kidding aside, I'm still having a REALLY hard time with some of the keyboard shortcut differences (when playing in the Apple store). I'm seriously not sure I'll be able to get over that hump. Can't say I didn't try though! :)
 
Going along with this topic, with regards to Windows 7 installation via bootcamp, is it better to install the 32 bit version or the 64 bit? I know that majority of the applications out there are 32 bit, yet even with traditional laptops that are not coming with over 4 gigs of ram, they do have 64 bit win 7 installed.

So in the case of the mba (in my case 2010 mba), which is better for the use, 32 or 64 bit? Thank you in advance for your help :).
 
sl33py said:
Going along with this topic, with regards to Windows 7 installation via bootcamp, is it better to install the 32 bit version or the 64 bit? I know that majority of the applications out there are 32 bit, yet even with traditional laptops that are not coming with over 4 gigs of ram, they do have 64 bit win 7 installed.

So in the case of the mba (in my case 2010 mba), which is better for the use, 32 or 64 bit? Thank you in advance for your help :).
Click to expand...

32 bit.
 
gloss said:
Why? It's a 64 bit processor. No reason not to install that version.
Click to expand...

Ummmm, no reason to install it either? :D

64 bit Windows claim to fame is being able to address more that 4GB. Being that providing it more than 4GB inside a VM in a MBA is physical impossibility, it is a wasted effort.

On the other hand, a LOT of software (even in 2011, and even Microsoft branded software like Office and IE) acts wonky in 64 bit. So unless you are planning to run some software that is SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to take advantage of 64 bit Windows, it is a wasted effort.

And even if you find such a beast, you can only give it 4GB of RAM, which means you really won't be gaining much.

Trust me. Unless there is a specific software you have to run in 64 bit mode, you will be a LOT happier with 32 bit, especially when running MS Office. There are things that work weird and others don't work outright in Office 64 bit and IE 64 bit.
 
New to Mac? Check out the links in my sig.

Edit: As alternatives to MS Office, try LibreOffice or iWork (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote in Mac App Store).
 
will be no problem

I am exactly in the same situation with you. The only difference would be that I already purchased MBA 13 inch basic model last month.

My opinion is as follow:

1) Coming from a PC will I find it very difficult to get used to whole new OS?

No, you actually have mature experiences with iOS, a sibling of OS X, so you will quickly get used to Mac OX as well. There will be some difficulties with different keys such as ctrl vs option/commend, etc. However, you will soon learn how to use it.

2) Is it hard to install Windows on a mac should I require to?

I did not install it yet but I kept hearing that the installation of Windows 7 is just smooth.

3) Are there any accessories for the 13" model that are a must?

You may want to have sleeve or bag. I do not see the need of mouse yet.

4) What is the best office software? (to create spreadsheets, letters, graphs etc..)

If you have been using MS-Office as your primary s/w in Windows, you don't have to force yourself to use iWork. Just install MS-Office for Mac. There are several ways to get it at lower cost. For example, the company I work for offer Office Home Use Program (HUP) and it let me purchase MS-Office at $9.99. So, look around.

For me, one of the reasons I purchased Mac was to use iWork, particularly Keynotes and Pages. So I have both iWork and MS-Office installed. Please note that iWork itself does not have equation editor so it can be an issue for you if you need to work on scientific document. You will need to buy a software such as MathType. Or, LaTexit is a great tool to edit equation but it requires you know about LaTex.

5) Is an anti virus needed?

I don't think so as of now. In the future, nobody knows.


6) Any other tips or things I should know?

I have seen many potential buyers of MBA have a lot of dreams on its performance. If you have a lot high bar, it may not satisfy you. However, if you just need reasonable performance on casual work, except games, with portability benefit, it will be a great machine.

In addition, if you plan on getting a external monitor in the future, you may want to seriously consider 11 inch model as well.
 
As a recent convert myself I'm more than happy with my mba.

Yes the o.s is different but also refreshing and I'm enjoying learning all over again.

As for an office suite for now I use a free one called 'open office.org'
It satisfies my simple letter writing and spreadsheet uses.

Enjoy the dark side.
 
obom said:
5) Is an anti virus needed?
Click to expand...
You don't need any antivirus software to protect Mac OS X from malware. No viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any, since it was released 10 years ago. The handful of trojans that exist can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install:
obom said:
6) Any other tips or things I should know?
Click to expand...
Helpful Information for Any Mac User
 
obom said:
1) Coming from a PC will I find it very difficult to get used to whole new OS?
2) Is it hard to install Windows on a mac should I require to?
3) Are there any accessories for the 13" model that are a must?
4) What is the best office software? (to create spreadsheets, letters, graphs etc..)
5) Is an anti virus needed?
6) Any other tips or things I should know? :D
Click to expand...

1. Maybe, but probably not. A lot will depend on if you get a little training at the start, Someone to show you the different Finder window options, for example. Another is if you determine to keep your "Windows" mind set or not (like storing everything on the Desktop, instead of in your Home folder).

2. Piece of cake

3. Get a Thunderbolt to HDMI (or whatever your TV has) converter to hook to your home entertainment center. Get a backup for Time Machine.

4. MS Office is available. iWork (Pages, Keynote, and Numbers) are offered by Apple and are excellent, and convert to and read Office data pretty well.

5. No AV needed. I mean this. Do not waste time on this.

6. If you learn about anything, learn about these two things (google them). Using "Target Mode" (one reason is to read disks on another's machine). Booting into another volume with "Startup Manager". All built in capabilities, but they are what makes the Mac OS most special. Also, learn how to make a bootable clone.
 
I advise people who get a mac to get Microsoft office as a must. I have both office and iWork, I actually prefer iWork for making excel sheets (you can do some cool things with it!). It makes lab reports for physics and biology so much easier (with the integrated graphs etc.)

Microsoft excel however does have more features (only once did i not have a feature that I needed on iWork). iWork works faster and can do more. However Powerpoint (for me) was better on Microsoft office, then again I never had to make a powerpoint, but the iwork version was confusing.

The only thing I enjoyed using from MS office, is the fact that they have a notebook layout when taking notes, that's the one big thing that iWork is missing, for me at least.

This is just a heads up, i know a lot of people here have complained about iWork, but in case you were wondering, since nobody really mentioned what iWork is.
 
1) Coming from a PC will I find it very difficult to get used to whole new OS?
I'm exacly the same boat (although its 2½ weeks ago now) and i found it very easy. they are quite similar in the most important ways!

2) Is it hard to install Windows on a mac should I require to?

Nope. Open up "boot camp assistant" and just follow the guide!
Then when you finally get into windows, you need to install the drivers (they are in the support folder) and then when you wanna switch OS theres an icon in the tray (boot camp assistant thingie or something) and its sorta the same in OSX after you got win on another partition.

I never bothered using the windows though since i had no need for it, why waste the space?

3) Are there any accessories for the 13" model that are a must?
Apart from a bag / sleeve or similar you should be fine.

4) What is the best office software? (to create spreadsheets, letters, graphs etc..)

I cant comment on that, i just use microsoft office, because i want 100% combitability with my windows desktop PC, and my schools pc's

5) Is an anti virus needed?
Some say yes, some say no. I say, dont bother. I have it on windows and i never get viruses. Ofcourse if you google warez and pr0n etc all the time you will get infected, but on macs? i doubt it.. (its not impossipble though, but i wouldnt bother with antivirus)

6) Any other tips or things I should know?

Dont be afraid to ask silly questions on this forum! many friendly people here. However i found out most of my basic questions by just simply googleing my problem, like "how to copy / paste" and such :p adding "mac" to any question on google really solves anything <3

and welcome to the club!
 
Either version of Windows 7 would be fine (32-bit or 64-bit). I went with 64-bit since I figured it just makes sense in case more 64-bit software comes out. That said, 32-bit takes up about 4GB less space, so if you have a 128GB SSD it could allow you to minimize the size of your Boot Camp partition.
 
KPOM said:
Either version of Windows 7 would be fine (32-bit or 64-bit). I went with 64-bit since I figured it just makes sense in case more 64-bit software comes out. That said, 32-bit takes up about 4GB less space, so if you have a 128GB SSD it could allow you to minimize the size of your Boot Camp partition.
Click to expand...

The Air only has 4gb of RAM, so 64-bit Win 7 would be a waste of storage space. 64-bit is most valuable when you use more than 4gb of RAM. Not to mention that there is still a fair amount of software that doesn't play well with 64-bit and some hardware drivers are still missing.
 
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