Just to get the hang of it?

One big concern I have, before purchasing a MBP is the OS. I will be going to college as a freshman in the fall of 09. Mechanical Engineering is my major, and I'll be going to Iowa State University. (WOOHOO! Any fellow ISU student hangin' around here??) A very prestigious college for engineering.

My problem is that I would like to "know" Mr. MacBook Pro a little more personally before I go to school. How InSaNe would I be to buy the laptop a week and a half before I start classes? I wouldn't know how to use it hardly at all, I would be slow and on the uphill climb of the learning curve. I would be inefficient in getting necessary work done for lack of skill.

My question is how long should I bargain for to become a mac using whiz? Buy the notebook a month before school? 2 months? Buy it NOW? I consider myself a excellent user with windows, I know how to do anything I want or need to do, an significant amount of shortcuts and keyboard commands to work at hyperspeed. I would, also, like to be at least efficient enough with Apples Leopard 10.5 OS X to do my schoolwork and use the internet wirelessly with skill/knowledge.

Snow Leopard may or may not come out between now and this coming summer. There may or may not be a new processor upgrade involving Intel's new Nehalem technology. Example being the i7, found only in desktops. Even if there is a processor speed up to 3.06GHz the current MBP's and specifically the one I will purchase will not be that outdated. It would still make for a fast machine.

So all things considered what do you guys, and gals, think? When to buy, to allow for "learning time" ?

Thanks in advance, very much.

Logan


***specs***for my future laptop***

Current Aluminum-Body MacBook Pro
2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
1066MHz frontward bus
6MB shared L2 cache
4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
320GB hard drive at 7200 rpm

As many of you may know, this is THE most powerful Apple laptop you can configure. And it tips the scales at $2,860.00 to my front doorstep, from the online Apple store. (Education discount)

I was in the same position you were in back before I got my Mac. I got my Macbook about 2-3 weeks before the semester started. Turns out it took me about 24 hours to figure out everything. Sounds absurd, I know, but it really was that quick. Getting it a week or two advance is plenty of time to learn OS X.

Within 2 days of sitting down in front of OSX, I had the hang of it and found my way around without too much trouble. If you're computer literate, a week in advance should be more than enough.

Best advice I can give you is to keep an open mind, and don't try to do tasks in a "Windows" manner.

Oh my! That sounds pretty incredible..

And for some reason I don't doubt it a bit

My extent of using Macs has been about 30 minutes worth at the Apple store in the Mall of America in Minneapolis, MN. Just goofing around though and didn't really learn anything. More like drooled over the **** things wishing I could buy on the spot, hah.

What was the extent to which you knew the software though? Could you use homework-oriented programs? Were you familiar with the operations?

I suppose it would be smartest to wait for Apple to once again combine the student-discount with the *free iPod* deal they run. Or $150 credit/rebate towards any iPod. This would not only be a new iPod, I'd get the computer new, at the time of schooling. Without worrying about it being many months old before I even set foot on campus.

Khris: This was actually my reason for getting confused at the store, not knowing how it works, I wanted to maximize the Safari browser to fill the entire screen for greater surfing/viewing pleasure, so I hover the mouse over the green bubble. It says "Maximize". Cool, that's easy enough. Click it. Safari somewhat extends itself to fill the height, from top to bottom. ***? Click again and it reassumes the "little" size it started as.

This is what I mean, I've got so much to learn.

OS X is so intuitive that you already know how to use it....

by the way...you don't need to "maximize" alot of web pages. the maximize button will fill just enough of the screen that's necessary for optimal viewing. If you do need to fill the entire screen, you must drag the bottom right hand triangle to your specifications....

Good luck, you'll love it...just the expose, spaces, and time machine are enought to buy an apple alone...

I keep hearing how..........simple... Macs are.

I must be over-thinking this eh?

No I dont think your over-thinking it, your windows-thinking it. I was facing the same problem this past fall and decided to get my macbook a month before schools started. I was completely versed in 2-3 days.

I just got my first Mac lastnight and after playing with it for about 3 hours I have a pretty good grasp on the basic stuff. This weekend I will be diving into some of the extra features like the photo and video editing. I can't wait!

Logan said:

What was the extent to which you knew the software though? Could you use homework-oriented programs? Were you familiar with the operations?

Click to expand...

Microsoft makes Office for Macs, so if you know how to use Office on Windows, you essentially know how to use it on a Mac. Is there anything else in particular that you were wondering as to whether there was a Mac version/equivalent?

I suppose it would be smartest to wait for Apple to once again combine the student-discount with the *free iPod* deal they run. Or $150 credit/rebate towards any iPod. This would not only be a new iPod, I'd get the computer new, at the time of schooling. Without worrying about it being many months old before I even set foot on campus.

Click to expand...

Apple runs those every summer for quite a while, so you'll have plenty of time to take advantage of it and still have plenty of time to get a feel for OS X.

This is what I mean, I've got so much to learn.

Click to expand...

Macs are really simple to use, so I would say you have more to un-learn than to actually learn ;P

Good. Unlearning Windoze is fine with me

Is there anything else in particular that you were wondering as to whether there was a Mac version/equivalent?

Click to expand...

Just the fine details about Microsoft Excel. I don't consistently use it for anything special but I do use it occasionally since its always been provided on every PC I've used. I keep hearing that Mac doesn't have an equivalent to Excel, and it doesn't support it as a Microsoft program. (this thread is becoming off-topic, but hey your answering more of my questions) Do you know about this?

My MacBook Pro WILL or WON'T be able to use Excel/equivalent data spreadsheet programs?

Thanks again for all you've contributed. Your driving the Mac theory home like a ten ton hammer on a 1 lb nail.

If my mom can learn Leopard in a few hours, I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem getting it down.

She is in her 50s and hasn't touched a computer since 1990.

Mac has Numbers which is an equivilent to excel. it has a few differences, and i ended up preferring excel, so i grabbed a copy of office2008 for mac. so i use excel on my iMac.

like others said, you almost have to forget or unlearn the windows way, and just follow mac's lead. it truly is intuitive, and so painfully easy, you kick yourself for thinking it has to be harder than it is.

i switched about 4 months ago, and never having used a mac, i was a bit worried that it would be a total disaster. it's been amazing to work with, and i picked it up quickly.

Logan said:

Good. Unlearning Windoze is fine with me



Just the fine details about Microsoft Excel. I don't consistently use it for anything special but I do use it occasionally since its always been provided on every PC I've used. I keep hearing that Mac doesn't have an equivalent to Excel, and it doesn't support it as a Microsoft program. (this thread is becoming off-topic, but hey your answering more of my questions) Do you know about this?

My MacBook Pro WILL or WON'T be able to use Excel/equivalent data spreadsheet programs?

Thanks again for all you've contributed. Your driving the Mac theory home like a ten ton hammer on a 1 lb nail.

Click to expand...

There are several options available for you. For starters, you can just pick up a copy of Microsoft Office 2008 and use Excel. Then there's Numbers, though it's really not a true equivalent of Excel. Then there are the free open source options, Open Office and NeoOffice, both of which contain full fledged spreadsheet applications.

Not sure if this applies to you, but Office 2008 doesn't support macros. If you need that, then you'll need to either use a copy of Office 2004 or install Windows via a virtualization program and use a Windows copy of Office.

an alternate view. Take some time.

So I am completely new to Macs and was a power user with Windows. I have to differ with some of the posters here. I think it takes more than a few hours or a weekend to become really comfortable with a mac if you've been working with PCs and become very proficient with them because it is a different way to think.

Don't get me wrong, I love the new computer (the newest MB) and am sure I will get the hang of it, but after about a week, I am still not as fast as I was on my PC and I use my computer all day, everyday at work. And yes, it has been frustrating. For example, I can't just fix something that doesn't work (and sometimes, things don't work on a Mac. Installing GreenPrint broke something). But besides not yet understanding and being able to "dig my hands into the machine's workings" (figuratively), the main issues I have been having are learning and using shortcuts and such.

My output has dwindled.

Common key strokes on PCs are just slightly different on the Mac and because so much about knowing shortcuts is muscle memory, changing what my fingers are doing is hard and different. For example, on my PC, switching from one window to another in the same program (Word for example) was the same keystroke as going from program to program. You just cycled through all the windows using Alt-Tab. It doesn't work that way with the Mac. So switching from program to program is simple (love the four-finger swipe), but window to window in the same program... I'm still having to learn.

The issues I am having are, admittedly, small ones and ones that I will overcome, but it is taking time and effort. I would imagine that just before starting college, you will have a million things going on (I did) and when you get there, you will want to spend a fair amount of time hanging out, getting to know people and enjoying life in college. You will also have abunch of work and when you sit at your computer having to remember that there is no delete key as you know it will drive you nuts.

Take more than a couple of weeks with it before you start school since doing the basics is how you will spend most of your time and what you will want to have mastered before you get into the bulk of your work.

Simply put, former PC users have a set way of thinking about their computers. So do Mac users. I am not taking sides on which is a better way to think as so far, they seem to be just different, but it does take some getting used to when you make the switch. I agree that it is easy for a PC user to over think or "windows-think" on a Mac, but it is exactly that tendency that will require some time to learn your way around the system, understand how to search in spotlight etc.

In short, the mac is a different universe and it will take some getting used to. You'll need to remove a printer driver and not know how to (this almost made me cry I was so frustrated the other day because on my PC, I could have fixed it. I felt like my mom trying to install Firefox). Time and again you will try to select multiple lines of text in Word (or whatever) and hit the wrong keys so nothing will happen. Even figuring out what keys the symbols describing shortcuts in the menus refer to is a challenge (I got the command one because it is also printed on the key, but why are symbols used to describe the shift, control, and option keys in the meus when there are no symbols printed on the keys. This is NOT intuitive. For example).

Like I said, I am happy with my MB but I am learning and it is taking some effort (esp. at work). Moving away and starting college will include many new experiences and have much that you need to get used to. give yourself a break and get your MB a few months in advance just so you can play, learn and get used to leisurely. That way you can come home drunk from the keggers or tailgate parties and still figure out how to Facebook that hot person you met!

Have fun.
c

I would tend to agree a bit...
Even as a proficient Mac user, it took me some time to develop my workflows at college, and that would be a bit trickier if I hadn't known about certain apps and os details.

But let's put it another way: You're looking to get the most current system you can, right?
Well the MacBooks are usually refreshed around April/May and October/November.

Once the refresh closest to beginning college happens, pick one up!

Sounds like a plan. Any time withing the month or two months before I will spring for one. And hopefully it'll have a refresh to the OS maybe even Snow Leopard, but I wont let that be a deal-breaker if its not out by then.

Thanks everyone!

Just got a mac a week back and I already think I am getting the hang of things. The noob section helps sometimes.

Only took me a few hours (and some mac forums ) to get used to it!
You will be suprised how easy it is!