Want to switch but have software issues

Sorry if this is the wrong place for my first post but none of the other places seemed right.

I have a friend pushing me to switch from PC to Mac for my first laptop which I am considering buying.

I've done a lot of research and have concluded the hardware, OS, reduced troubles are good reasons to switch.

I am having a problem making the move because of the software.

The main applications that I use heavily are:

Outlook - research shows that no Mac email apps have the advanced features in Outllook that I use

Office - It is expensive to replace with the less feature rich Mac version for the amount I use it

Quicken - The Mac version is much less feature rich than the PC version

I plan to use Parallells in any event but based on the above software situation it seems like I'll spend most of my time in the Virtual Windows environment so why switch?

I really like the track pad on the MacBook but that doesn't seem like reason enough to switch.

Am I missing something in my analysis? Maybe the Mac isn't the right choice for me?

It's kind of hard to say, since the only thing you seem to need out of software is "feature richness." (Do you work in advertising, or are you a salesperson?) If you could explain what functionality you need, someone might be able to make some suggestions.

Certainly, if you intend to use only Windows applications, there is no reason for you to do that on a Mac.

floridaguy said:

...
I have a friend pushing me to switch from PC to Mac for my first laptop which I am considering buying.
...

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There you go .... do not let anyone push you into buying anything unless you really want it yourself ( ie. it is beneficial for you )
If you have the opportunity to play around with OS X then do that first !
( A Mac is a ( very nice ) piece of hardware, but it is OS X that makes the difference )

Don' t get me wrong, I switched 18 months ago and I love it.

Cheers ... McBie

I don't know so much about Outlook and Quicken, but MS Office can be replaced by OpenOffice. It's almost exactly the same and it's FREE!

technologist said:

It's kind of hard to say, since the only thing you seem to need out of software is "feature richness." (Do you work in advertising, or are you a salesperson?) If you could explain what functionality you need, someone might be able to make some suggestions.

Certainly, if you intend to use only Windows applications, there is no reason for you to do that on a Mac.

Click to expand...

The biggest thing for me in Outlook is the rules that sort my emails into folders for me. Everything I've read tells me that no Mac email programs have that functionality as advanced as Outlook.

I don't want to learn a whole new money tracking application and from what I've read the Mac version of Quicken is pre-2007 and even the new version coming out won't match all the features I use in the current PC version.

Even though the reviews say there are less features in the Mac version of Office than the PC version I probably won't miss many of them but since I use it reletively little it seems expensive to replace with the new version.

I know that Mac Software in the design/graphics area is generally better than the PC version but I am not a heavy user of that.

I could probably answer your question more comprehensively if I bought a Mac and the Mac version of the software and discovered what I missed. I'm just going from the research I've done.

McBie said:

There you go .... do not let anyone push you into buying anything unless you really want it yourself ( ie. it is beneficial for you )
If you have the opportunity to play around with OS X then do that first !
( A Mac is a ( very nice ) piece of hardware, but it is OS X that makes the difference )

Don' t get me wrong, I switched 18 months ago and I love it.

Cheers ... McBie

Click to expand...

I have played with the Mac and I really like the OS and hardware. My concern is my critical software applications. A neat OS does me no good if the software doesn't meet my (probably spoiled) needs.

iPod Nano said:

I don't know so much about Outlook and Quicken, but MS Office can be replaced by OpenOffice. It's almost exactly the same and it's FREE!

Click to expand...

Are any conversions necessary when using the OpenOffice files in MS Office?

Not if you save using the MS Office formats. Openoffice was at first designed to allow Linux users to interact with MS Office. It's now available on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and OS/2 WARP. There may be a few mild issues, but it's very compatible.

If those specific features are absolutely necessary for you, don't "settle" for anything else... even if it does come on a "superior" machine. You can still get a decent Windows laptop to run those programs on.

You mentioned research that you've done. Have you gone to an Apple Store and asked the experts there and tried a hands-on "test drive" with Mac's version of those applications?

floridaguy said:

I have played with the Mac and I really like the OS and hardware. My concern is my critical software applications. A neat OS does me no good if the software doesn't meet my (probably spoiled) needs.

Click to expand...

Have a look at the apps. you are using. Most of the times there is a Mac equivalent. Tricky thing is the transition from one app. to another when it comes to conversion of existing documents ( files ) the apps are using.
Don't underestimate the work.... it almost always comes down to re-typing data into the new app.

Also, are you sharing documents with other people ... then you have to look at exactly how compatible file formats are and that you don't loose any functionality inside the documents ( macro's, powerpoint animations, ...... )

When I switched, I finally said " what the heck " and started re-typing critical info instead of converting and I accepted some functionality loss inside the documents.

Cheers ... McBie

MYmacROX said:

You mentioned research that you've done. Have you gone to an Apple Store and asked the experts there and tried a hands-on "test drive" with Mac's version of those applications?

Click to expand...

No. They didn't even have Paralells loaded on any Mac so I didn't think to ask about Office and Quicken. I spent over 2 hours there talking with a former "Genius" and current trainer about other issues though.

McBie said:

When I switched, I finally said " what the heck " and started re-typing critical info instead of converting and I accepted some functionality loss inside the documents.

Cheers ... McBie

Click to expand...

I hope you meant that you cut and pasted the text and didn't really re-type but in any case that is a completely unacceptable solution for me.

Just my opinion here.... But with the advent of Windows 7 and Microsoft "finally" giving in to the wishes of their long time users, staying with Windows is not a bad thing. I have Windows 7 in addition to my MacBook and find that I like it. (Almost as much as I liked DOS 3.3.) But of course I like Snow Leopard much more.

From your description of what applications you primarily use, it may be best for you (at least for now) to stay with the Windows platform.

Regards.

chscag said:

Just my opinion here.... But with the advent of Windows 7 and Microsoft "finally" giving in to the wishes of their long time users, staying with Windows is not a bad thing. I have Windows 7 in addition to my MacBook and find that I like it. (Almost as much as I liked DOS 3.3.) But of course I like Snow Leopard much more.

From your description of what applications you primarily use, it may be best for you (at least for now) to stay with the Windows platform.

Regards.

Click to expand...

With Parallels now supporting gestures it is tempting to get a Mac just for the trackpad. Of course, there is a problem with cost justification there. I have tried some supposedly touch sensitive PC trackpads and they aren't even close to the slickness of the ones on the Macbook.

Apple Mail with the two add-on's "Mail Tags" and "Mail Act-On" may take care of your OutLook needs. MailTags

I agree that Open Office is the way to go there.

I use Quicken for Mac, and it is clunkier than the PC Version. However, Quicken indicates a new Mac version will come out in 2010. I'm hopeful about that, but even the existing version is quite usable.

I don't know about advanced email features like you describe. But there are a number of alternatives to using the Apple Mail app. Have you checked on the others like Thunderbird or Eudora?

floridaguy said:

No. They didn't even have Paralells loaded on any Mac so I didn't think to ask about Office and Quicken. I spent over 2 hours there talking with a former "Genius" and current trainer about other issues though.

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That's because Apple can't demo Microsoft Windows, since it does not own the rights to Windows, nor do they have permission to demo it. They could probably demo other OSes in a VM, but the main selling point is OS X, so why would they?

---EDiT---Never Mind. delete post please. Missed something above.

But who says everyone using Parallels will want Windows? They could at least Demo linux so people can see how Parallels works.

VegasGeorge said:

I agree that Open Office is the way to go there.

I use Quicken for Mac, and it is clunkier than the PC Version. However, Quicken indicates a new Mac version will come out in 2010. I'm hopeful about that, but even the existing version is quite usable.

I don't know about advanced email features like you describe. But there are a number of alternatives to using the Apple Mail app. Have you checked on the others like Thunderbird or Eudora?

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I like Mail better than any other program I've used, and its mailbox sorting functionality is wonderful. I don't know what the OP has been reading, but maybe he should go to an Apple store and ask an apple rep to demo the features of Mail that he needs to use.

VegasGeorge said:

Have you checked on the others like Thunderbird or Eudora?

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No. I have no Mac to try them on. I will have to ask for specific software demos at the Apple Store. My research leads me to believe that none of these programs does what I am capable of and have become spoiled by in Outlook.

You assume that these applications lacking certain features that you have grown used to "spoil" you. Maybe it's just something that you've grown accustomed to. You will be learning a new operating system and new habits. The functionality of the applications available to you on OS X is equal to that of the functionality of applications in Windows. They are simply different and new things to become used to if you desire to make the move.

DarkestRitual said:

You assume that these applications lacking certain features that you have grown used to "spoil" you. Maybe it's just something that you've grown accustomed to. You will be learning a new operating system and new habits. The functionality of the applications available to you on OS X is equal to that of the functionality of applications in Windows. They are simply different and new things to become used to if you desire to make the move.

Click to expand...

Sorry if I haven't made this clear but I'm not assuming anything. Actually I came into this believing the functionality would be the same. However, having done considerable research I have found no other email program that has the advanced processing of incoming emails that Outlook has. That is why I joined this forum; in hopes that someone here would no of one.

I have about 10 different email addresses; several that receive hundreds of messages a day. In Outlook these all get sorted into folders per my specifications so I can view them as my time permits. Without this functionality the volume of emails I receive would become unmanageable.

We've already had a Mac Quicken user in this thread say that things are missing compared to the PC version. On what basis do you make the blanket statement that "The functionality of the applications available to you on OS X is equal to that of the functionality of applications in Windows."? I'm thinking of spending thousands of dollars on a product with a 14 day return policy. I need to know that the information on which I am basing my purchasing decision is reliable and accurate.

I just thought of another application I am used to that I haven't found on Mac. Disk Imaging. I use Acronis True Image. It is fast and complete. From what I have been able to determine Time Machine doe not create an actual image but is file based. It is also much slower.

Again this is based on research, not experience. Please correct any misconceptions I may have.