09-22-2005, 09:19 PM

Wow. I don't know how else to describe my experience with my iBook so far. It is my first mac and I, like so many Windows users, was against Macs. I relied on the typical excuses - compatibility, lack of games, poor upgradeability, etc. I got my iBook on Saturday with the Applecare protection and I haven't considered looking back. Although it's not the fastest out there, it boots as quickly as my Windows PC does, and once up and running it runs great. I could see the difference when I first booted it up. The interface was warm and welcoming and seemed easy enough to use.
I quickly doubled my RAM to 1gb (I had purchased the RAM in advance anticipating my ibook) and now it seems to fly. Although I took a few hours to adjust to the way the system functions, it wasn't half bad. I did find it a bit more difficult than Apple makes it out to be, but it wasn't bad at all. Having been an avid Windows user since I was born, the handling of software and files is a little odd but (for the most part) is well thought out. The way a single program can rely on nothing more than a 'single' file is brilliant - no more having to use uninstallers (not the case with all mac software, but plenty of it). That leads to one of my personal favorite things with OSX. I've never really used older versions of Mac OS so I can't compare, but next to windows OSX is miles ahead, if not lightyears. The subtle features such as Spotlight and Dashboard are ingenious additions to the operating system. Yes, you can get Konfabulator for Windows but it isn't implemented nearly as well a dashboard. Spotlight has it's windows counterpart of the standard search feature, but you sit and wait while search seeks the information. So many programs are included with OSX you really don't need to buy any software. You get DVD playing software, itunes, safari, mail (which is so much simpler than outlook it's fantastic), and others i can't think of. Yes, their is good software to be had (Toast, Office) but none of it is necessary.

I could talk about visual appeal of OSX for a while, but it just makes Windows show it's age. Vista is a joke in comparison when you consider the currently released tech specs (256mb video card to pull off the visual features???? who are they kidding?). The functioning of the OS is a little odd to start, but it seems thought out. The design of the ibook itself is overal fairly good. I'm not much for the slot loading optical drive as I can sense the scratching of my cds going in and out. The apple on the back that lights up is one of those aesthetic apple touches, although nice, but attention getting.

So I've praised enough...I must throw my minimal criticism in. Starting off, I don't care for the dock being the main bar that is used like the start bar in windows. Between housing program shortcuts and running programs, it can get cluttered. I'm also not a huge fan of the lack of a comparable start bar. Theirs no way I know of to build one of those bars so you can have a nice list of your programs that is easy to access. Safari hasn't been that impressive to me - I find some websites are fairly slow to load while Firefox pulls them up without a problem. I also have a few OS complaints such as the dock occasionally not coming back when mousing over it (when it is hiding). The other big thing I disliked was how when I first turned on my ibook and found 17gb of space used from the start. I've gone through and deleted the unnecessary files such as nearly a gig of printer drivers i don't need and iwork demos and such. GarageBand is enormously disappointing with all it's loops and samples. It's not something you want to uninstall but it takes up more space than it's worth.

Overall, I love my Mac. I haven't yet had the chance to deal with Apple's support as I've been able to fix my own problems, mainly difficult printing to a Windows computer. I found that the name of the printer having spaces created some conflicts. Otherwise it works great with my Netgear router, granted that I have only used it within 5 feet of the router. Would I recommend a Mac to someone? Definetly. I wouldn't ditch your Windows machine for one as their are times you'll need it, but for the past two days my Windows box has remained off. Apple definetly has a good product if they could swing me as much as they did.

09-22-2005, 11:02 PM

congrats and welcome to the mac world. i was just like you along time ago but i went from Mac to Pc then back to Mac. i kept the old PC around for a while and after you get used to OSX the pc would just sit and do nothing. good luck to you and your mac experience. seems like you are tackling the hardest thing printing over a windows machine...

09-22-2005, 11:04 PM

I haven't read your entire post, but I want to say that I like my new iBook as well. But I only use it as my second machine, as I use Visual Studio on Windows for my day job.

09-22-2005, 11:27 PM

Congratulations on the purchase of your IBook. I purchased my PowerBook G4 about 3 weels ago and I really like it. I, too, was a die hard Windows user (since the days of 3.1) and while I must use a pc for my daily work (I am going to school for computer science) any other time, I find that my Windows pc remains off.

I am seriously considering selling off my two pc's, as I haven't used them since I have purchased my Mac.

Would I recommend a Mac? Yes. Unless you are a die hard gamer, a Mac will do anything that a Windows based machine will do.

09-23-2005, 03:31 AM

Hi, congrats on your purchase, one tip I read that you might want to try is to drag your applications folder to the right side of the dock. This creates a "menu" with all your programs in if Im correct and might be what youre looking for.
Theres also a small program that you can get from one of the various mac update sites called safari speedup or something like it, so if you install that it should sort out your safari issues.
Sorry Im a bit vague with the names etc but Im new to this too and I still dont have my mac yet, at least not until next week.
Enjoy your new computer

09-26-2005, 07:57 AM

Congrats! It is a geat feeling when you switch from windows to a Mac- it just works!

09-26-2005, 08:56 AM

I never have done windows, and I have no desire to try. So many stories out there about problems with windows or pc's,I'll pass, good luck with you new Mac

09-26-2005, 12:15 PM

congrats on your new mac and welcome to the boards.

09-28-2005, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by johantheolive

So I've praised enough...I must throw my minimal criticism in. Starting off, I don't care for the dock being the main bar that is used like the start bar in windows. Between housing program shortcuts and running programs, it can get cluttered. I'm also not a huge fan of the lack of a comparable start bar. Theirs no way I know of to build one of those bars so you can have a nice list of your programs that is easy to access.

Overall, I love my Mac. I haven't yet had the chance to deal with Apple's support as I've been able to fix my own problems.

One trick you could use is to drag your applications folder to the right side of the dock. Then by just holding the trackpad button down or control-clicking or right clicking if you have that option you will be granted with very start like view of all its contents.

Apple support is top notch in my book. The support site is awesome. The greatest benefit Apple has is the Software/OS hardware marriage.

09-29-2005, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by IronMac

One trick you could use is to drag your applications folder to the right side of the dock.

Being careful not to drop it in the waste basket of course. :p

Amen-Moses

09-30-2005, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by IronMac

One trick you could use is to drag your applications folder to the right side of the dock. Then by just holding the trackpad button down or control-clicking or right clicking if you have that option you will be granted with very start like view of all its contents.

Apple support is top notch in my book. The support site is awesome. The greatest benefit Apple has is the Software/OS hardware marriage.

Or better yet, grab Quicksilver and if you know the name of the program you want to start, just hit the shortcut key to launch quicksilver (Command+Space for me) and type the first few letters of the program and hit enter to launch it. This is much better than the start menu. In fact, I wish there was a similar program available for windows.

09-30-2005, 01:18 PM

If you are looking to get something like the Windows "Start Menu", which was a rip off of the old Apple Menu, I'd reccomend getting Fruit menu by Unsanity (www.unsanity.com). It costs, but it's worth it. Not only does put the Apple Menu back, but it also adds to the Contextual Menu as well.

You do know you simply put folders in the Dock and then put aliases of Apps in those folders and so on. I have done this and it keeps the clutter down in the dock and allows for better customization.

02-02-2006, 09:35 AM

Great to hear about this, trust me in 12 months you will still be happy with your chooice to switch, I've never looked back ecept when I have to!

BTW you should get VLC player just to insure that you don't loose any video playback compatibility other then that, you really don't have to pay for any software, I never have and I currently have 78 programs, and yes hey are all in the dock!!!

02-02-2006, 02:09 PM

You can also create smart folders for various things, such as your most recently used files (also acessable from the Apple menu), Most recent Word files or whatever, or maybe most recently played music or movies. Check out smart folders as they truely are cool.