power point on iMac

[sammymac]

Hello all I am new here and cyber-dumb. I bought a Mac because I hated every PC I've owned. So far I am glad I switched. The only issue is my daughter, a HS freshman, has assignments that require PC type programs such as power point. I downloaded a trial of iworks but she says it still doesn't quite work the way MS Office does. I am very hesitant to add any MS programs and mess up my Mac. The guy at Best Buy said if I download (or is it upload?) Office I will have the same virus dangers as if I had a PC and urged me to buy iworks. So that is when I tried the trial version. What is my best route?

 

[Zoolook]

The guy at Best Buy is a moron. Installing Office doesn't suddenly make your Mac as vulnerable as a PC running Windows. It's perfectly safe to use, end of story.

If your daughter needs PowerPoint specifically, you should get Office 2011 Home/Student edition for your Mac. She can probably get a student discount and get the office suite for a bargain price. It's almost identical to PowerPoint 2010 on Windows (I have both) and the compatibility between the two is excellent. In addition you'll get Excel and Word, which she may also need to use. There is nothing wrong with iWork, unless you specifically need to use the MS Office apps.

Keynote is probably a slightly superior application by the way, but it is not 100% compatible with PowerPoint and might not help your daughter through school.

 

[harryb2448]

Go out and purchase Office 2011 as it works great on Macs, including PowerPoint. What a load of nonsense the salesman at Best Buy has fed you. As Zoolook says get the student discounted version but make sure it uses PP as personally use Business Edition. You have to have a license to own a dog, car or boat, and IT salesman should also be licensed as some see it as a way to expand their little knowledge and make big bucks.

 

[chscag]

I'm not going to go quite that far and blame the guy at Best Buy... He may have been referring to running Windows on your Mac (which you can do) and in that case it would be susceptible to a virus.

I do agree with Zoolook that if she needs Powerpoint, then the Home and Student version of Office 2011 would work fine. I have both Office 2011 for the Mac and Office 2010 for Windows and the file interchangeability is transparent.

 

[sammymac]

Wow. Fast and helpful replies! As chscag says, BB guy may have been referring
to Windows and there is a good chance I misunderstood
Sounds like Home and Student version of Office 2011 for Mac (?) is the way to go. How/where do I go about getting the best/student price?
Thanks to everyone for your help.

 

[chscag]

There are stores on line that sell at academic prices. Here's one. LINK There are other on line stores that you can find with a Google search. Look for the Home and Student version. She doesn't need the business version.