Apple/Mac Tips & helps
 

This can be a thread for Apple/Mac users - tips, links, suggestions...

So if you Mac 'ers :) have some helpful sites and posts add then here.
thanks

Maybe I can help
 

Ok I'm a new MAC owner - but a former PC Windows software trainer and also used to train people on how to use the NeXT (a souped-up MAC for Schools/businesses in the 90s - didn't make it unfortunately...)

#1 best advice tp a new MAC owner is to pay $99 to get all the training you want at the Apple store!

Jean

I have a MACBook and I absolutely LOVE it.

I run Parallells - a dual platform with 4 Windows software programs on my MAC. Why? Because when my PC laptop crashed, I had just purchased two of these very expensive software programs for my landscape design business and neither one of them are MAC OS compatible. I also own WordPerfect 9 for Windows. I have never converted to Word.

It's a simple process to switch back and forth between Windows based software and Mac. They do run a little slower so when I am running one of my landscape programs, I tend not to be running anything else. In the beginning I was having problems with the landscape program crashing. Once I discovered it was due to having too many programs open at the same time, I just closed everything else and just run the landscape program. All is well now.

In addition, it took me a while to figure out where all my photos were hiding from me! For someone who has been dubbed "iPod stupid" that was quite a task. Now I can find things a bit easier. I just have to keep in mind that when running Parallels, it's a partitioned hard drive and I have to "open" the door and go look on the MAC hard drive for my photos and bring them back through the door onto the Windows hard drive in order to use them in the windows based program.

The biggest program is that the landscape program has no support for MAC users. Fortunately, there are a few of us who use the program on MACs and we've been able to answer each other's questions on their forum. Hopefully, with enough prodding, the company will eventually provide a MAC based program.

I chose parallels rather than bootcamp on advise of my computer guru. He has a MACBook exactly like mine and this is what he uses. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me. That way, if I have questions, he can answer them and he can show me what needs to be done.

Unfortunately, there is NO Apple Store in Boise so I don't have the luxury of walking into an Apple Store for assistance. Every chance I get, when I travel, I go to one for help. Those Apple Genius' are just that, Geniuses....talk advantage of all the free stuff they offer!!!

A Mac truly is a Wonderful thing!

I have so many friends who've switched, (and I've owned "both"), I will NEVER go back to the "other side".

Love my Macs!
Entire family runs on 'em!
(And, if you might be misinformed and think that they're expensive, think TCO (total cost of ownership) and, you get what you pay for, sometimes, sometimes less, and rarely more!)

Pete
ASB

our school runs off of iBook G4's, and i love the fact that there are not many virus that can affect them because most of them are designed to infect system23 on DOS (windows operating system) or in command propt. i do also love how user friendly they are to people who have minnimum experience on a computer unlike windows. but there batteries seem to die extremely fast in the G4's we use... idk if mac has fixed that in the newer models, but im assuming they did.

However, i am alot better at programming and writing commands on DOS than OS X. and i do like vista after they got all the bugs worked out. i guess since there are so many more PC's than Mac's in the world i guess its kinda an unfair advantage.

Any thoughts on iPhones? The only smart phones I have owned have all been Blackberries. Some of my friends have them and have let me play around with theirs. All I can say is, iPhones are sweet. Those Apple boys make fine products.

Now that I think of it, I do have one critique of Apple's iPhone. You are basically carrying around a hard drive, and hard drives are delicate pieces of precision machinery. The iPhone would be more shock-resistant if it used solid-state flash memory. Other than that, it remains a sleek gadget with a cool UI.

The iPhone my son has does not have a great battery life.

Perhaps that has changed with the newer models?

The touch screen is very "touchy" ...it does not respond to all touches. You have to touch it a "certain" way. Frustrated the beejeebees out of me last summer when I tried it.

I do like the meow meow keyboard app, and the koi app.
I would use that in the doctors' office waiting for my doom, and blood pressure readings.:p

Apple,
wether a Mac,
iPod touch,
iPhone,
they're all great.
I have so many friends "switching".
Especially their youngsters.

Even guys who have "worked" on the "guts" of winduhs" for years, are enjoying watching their teenager's buy MacBook Pro's , etc.

And, if Absolutely necessary, you can run winduhs. (My new iMac is "Clean" of anything MS! and, i'm kind of proud of that, or, let's just say happy.)
I can run anything on Apple stuff, or, I don't need it!

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

An Apple a Day....
Keep the doctor away!

Pete
asb

Did that when we bought our iMac last year; we were also coming from Windows computers. For us, it was a waste of money. Buy the Missing Manual for Leopard for around $40; it'll give you all the info you'll ever need.

LJ

Same here.... Though, depending on what I do I cross over from MAC to PC. I have the mac, my mom and dad have the pc, my sister who lives in the same house has a windows based laptop. I bought my mac book last year.

I love it. It's the best thing I have ever bought! Even better than my hot tub. :)

PS. My niece loves the photo booth feature. :)

Macs, Ipods and Iphones
 

I have had my MacBook Pro for over 3 years. I had the extended service plan and it was wonderful, it paid for itself. After the warranty was over, the hard drive started making noises. As a preemptive strike, we put in a 500 gig hard drive and that is great. I have to say to people who are trying to decide whether to buy a Mac or not, that you will save so much time just in not updating and running all the security programs all the time, or dealing with the malfunctions. Sure, you can get Mac security programs (which isn't officially encouraged by Apple) but they are so fast. I absolutely hate PCs now.

I have had 3 IPods, one I gave to my husband, I still have a newer Shuffle, and my most expensive newer one with all the features I gave to my son. I am ambidextrous but use my left hand for most everything except for writing -- I used my left hand for writing when I was younger but my mom had a fit and made me use my right hand. All of this to say that holding the Ipod in my left hand did not work for me -- this was 3 years ago so not related to the new IPhone 4 problem. I could not get it to do anything. My son has no problem with it. I really like my newer Shuffle a lot.

I have the IPhone 3GS 32 gig, with the newest upgrade software. I don't understand why people are getting the IPhone 4 when you can get this one for $200.00 less. Very little difference in features, and it works. Best Buy is one of the few places that is still selling it new. I have also used a Droid. I have to say that the Droid is an IPhone-want-to-be. They still have a lot of bugs in them, at least the one I had. The Droid apps are flakey, expensive, and you don't know who you are giving your credit card number to; at least with the IPhone, the app charges are going through the ITunes store.

iPhone therefore iAM :)
 

I am a Mac lover, iPhone, iPod, MacBookPro, G5, I edit film, write essays, edit my photography on Macs, have done so since 1994. I am not a technician and must say that the new OS are fool proof. I Blog, **, which I have done since 2004 and I love the internet concept. I have early symptoms of Lou Gehrig aka ALS aka MND and my extremities are what give me my biggest challenges. This is why I love the fact I can still type with my two fingers and are writing more every day.

Just thought I would pop on and say I absolutely love my iMac! My daughter had a Macbook Pro and I loved it. So, last Christmas I was surprised when my husband gave me a new iMac. I was a bit hesitant to switch from Windows but now I wonder...what was I thinking?! :) Lyndarva is correct...it was so much easier that I remember thinking something was wrong. Anyway, I did purchase Norton for Mac and also Office for Mac; haven't had a single problem in over a year. As for iPhones, Shuffles, Nanos and the rest, I don't use them as I am retired. And, well, after years and years of working in IT, I just wanted something simple so I went with a Jitterbug LOL! Anyway, yes, from now on anything I decide to purchase will be an Apple product.

Agreed. When I worked in an office, we had IT support, and could always call the help desk. When working at home, however, there's no help desk - just me! That's when I'm glad I don't have a PC any more...Macs cause so many fewer problems!

Mac transparency
 

Macs os's are so well designed they are transparent. So in a nut shell they just work. I have an iPad, iMac and when my plan runs out I am getting an iPhone.
They are the bomb.

mac book pro
 

I have a Mac book Pro and I have for about 18 months.Still very good.I take it with me all over the place.Are there any sales on them.

Mac Support
 

Just in case ... my day job is as a mostly Mac supporter/SysAdmin here at the University of Zürich. So if any Mac propeller-heads need some help or want to hang out, have at it.

Hi. Just some quick questions about a Mac if anyone cares to answer. I am a PC person, windows this and windows that. Never owned a MAC. Two days ago my friend went to the Apple Store and bought a MACKBOOK AIR 13. I had to look up the tutorials on youtube to explain TextEdit and the other programs to her. When I found out what she paid I said "OH BOY". Her reason was "I don't ever want to get another virus and MAC's don't get viruses".

I believe her. So here are my questions.

What is the big difference between a MACBOOK and a LAPTOP. I know they have different operating systems but they both have their browsers and you type in the URL at the top right? I assume they have favorite places (like IE)? If I ever get rich I think I might invest in one but I'd like to know why the big price?

And here's MY question. We have a PC in the living room which my husband uses. And I have the laptop which I use. We have a wireless router/modem from Verizon. If I ever get a MAC, I assume I just turn it on, click on the wifi button and it will search for my wifi network? And once it's connected, that will be it, right? Like what my laptop does now.

I mean, I can always learn new things but I'd like to know if the price of these 13 inch macbook air is worth it?

And how on earth can a 13 inch anything be worth almost a thousand bucks?

Thanks much

Melody

They do all the same stuff with different programs/names etc.

The virus issue is much less a concern, but they could still get one.
They do sell antivirus programs for Macs , so ..:confused:

Personally I would rather pay 69.00(for 3 pc's) per yr for a quality AV internet suite than pay the higher cost of a Mac.

Another option would be to install a Linux OS on your windows machine - that would be free and they very rarely get viruses also.

I could install a different operation system on my laptop? Really? I assume I could download and install this Linus thing you are referencing?

Hey, I'm learning something completely different.

lol

Thanks much

Melody

Some past Linux posts
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post946017-3.html
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ighlight=LINUX

I went online and watched a video about WUBU or WUBI, or something with a W in it., Don't think I'll be doing this but it's nice to learn new stuff.

Thanks much

Melody

Hi there.

Well today was absolutely fascinating. My friend (the one with the new MacBook Air), also has an IPAD and an Itouch, as well as a cell phone.

She is computer literate but not youtube literate or any kind of word processing literate. I am most literate in those two subjects.

She wanted to view some youtube videos but for whatever reason, youtube would not let her.

So I told her I would set up a youtube account for her (from my house). She said 'you can do that??" I said "It's easier for me to do this from my house than to spend the rest of the day showing you how to register, create accounts, passwords, etc. when all you really want to do is go on youtube.

So I went home, created a google email for her which was the first step in creating a youtube account. Since it's been synched up they really walk you through your paces, creating passwords, (then they either accept the pw, or they tell you it's not strong enough). I was picturing her sitting at her laptop, tearing her hair out.

So I went to her house, handed her a piece of paper with all account user id's, passwords, email addresses and she was THRILLED.

I said "let's try to access youtube on the MAC", and once you sign in, you will probably never have to sign in again because you will check "keep me signed in".

She signed in and GOT ON YOUTUBE. Well!!! it was so cool to watch her do this. She is deaf and has other health issues but is so adorable and her brain is like a sponge. She is an expert lip reader and one would never know she can't hear.

Then we went to the IPAD. Same thing, she signed in, and everything worked. We did the same with her other mobile devices. THEN we went to TextEdit (remember, I've never even seen an Mac in my life up close), but I"ve been learning how to use it by watching youtube video tutorials. Well, I had her creating documents, and saving them and copying and pasting.

Never had so much fun in my life. So she's now using all her devices, going on youtube, Facebook, doing her emails and she's happy as a clam.

And I had fun.

I wonder what I'll learn next!!! lol lol. Thanks so much for all your information.

Melody

Oh, forgot to mention what else happened today when I was showing my friend how to do stuff on her mac and IPAD.

The doorbell rang and it was LOUD. Now she's deaf. I said to her 'Your doorbell just rang". She burst out laughing and said "That's not my doorbell"

I looked at her and said "What do you mean, that's not your doorbell, that's YOUR DOORBELL".

She said "That's my IPAD, that's the sound it makes when I get an email, I set it up that way".

Well!!! I never laughed so hard.

She said 'Whenever anyone comes over they always think my doorbell is ringing"

rofl.

Melody

iPad
 

I use my iPad for everything. Including as a remote for my apple tv.

FYI

Just adding this on here in the Apple/Mac thread in case it is of help to someone with the same problem...

MacBook Bottom Case Replacement Program
http://www.apple.com/au/support/macbook-bottomcase/