Literally counting down the hours!

Hi guys,

I ordered my first ever mac yesterday and it should be here by Friday this week. To say i'm excited is an understatement!

Ive been doing crazy amounts of research on the operating system and Mac's themselves and coming from the windows world I have high expectations on this being one of the best choices with regard to a computer upgrade.

I decided to go with the new unibody macbook, it was a toss up between this and the base 13 inch pro, however the white one pipped it for me and im sure its more than enough for my needs, both cosmetically and functionally.

Ive done a search on this subject in both the forum and on google, but cant seem to find answers that are up to date, as of say 6 months ago. Would any of you be kind enough to share some of the first things I should do with the mac upon getting it going? Do the new polymer batteries have to be calibrated like the Ion ones?

What else would you recommend?

Also are there any essential software downloads from your user experience that you would recommend?

Any input offered would be greatly appreciated

Thanks guys, 4 days and counting!.......

Andy

Welcome to the world of Mac, enjoy your new existence. I took the same plunge you did about six weeks ago & could not be happier that I did. The white unibody MacBook is a fantastic machine, and I can vouch for it firsthand as the best computer upgrade you can make...

I did some reading on the battery, and most seem to recommend that you calibrate the battery once a month or so. You can find Apple's input on the topic here: Apple Portables: Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance

I hadn't done as much pre-reading about the Mac & OS X as it sounds like you have, so the first thing I did was read a bunch of "how to" articles & watch tutorial videos from Apple's website.

Some software I've installed over the past month + :

• NTFS 3G so my MacBook could read from my external HDD
• Flip for Mac to watch .wmv's on QuickTime
• VLC for an alternative to QT
• Open Office for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations (all compatible w/MS Office)
• Adium for multi-protocol IM
• Growl notifications for email & Adium
• Google Earth

I would recommend that you consider iCal & iMail for your scheduling & email. I was initially hesitant to use both (used Google Calendar & Gmail web interfaces before), but have grown to love the Mac apps.

Last but not least, check out the litany of cool Dashboard widgets you can install. Apple - Downloads - Dashboard - Categories

Most of all, have a blast, and don't think it odd if you praise the world of Mac & the transition you made each & every day. I do.

Great, Andy!! >hugs!< Welcome to the Light Side. There's a couple of other apps I'd suggest, too!

Bean I think is a MUCH better word processor than OpenOffice. It's streamlined, simple, and Mac-like unlike OO. It'll save to .doc and .docx, so you can share files with those people who are still unfortunate enough to use Word.

http://bean-osx.com/

Also, grab The Unarchiver. It'll open a ton of archive formats, including the really crappy, annoying ones like RAR and ACE!

The Unarchiver

Enjoy your new MacBook!!

I give this advice all the time, but I'd say that apart from the great list provided by the two posters above me, you really should not be concerning yourself too much with "acquiring more stuff" just yet.

First, take some time to learn the Mac system (or more accurately UNlearn the Windows way of doing things). There are plenty of apps already included on your machine I'm sure you will enjoy using.

Also I think I'll recommend iWork ($79) featuring Pages, Keynote and Numbers over OpenOffice. Yes, OO is free -- but its also very un-Mac-like, and that's not the reason we bought a Mac now is it?

chas_m said:

Also I think I'll recommend iWork ($79) featuring Pages, Keynote and Numbers over OpenOffice. Yes, OO is free -- but its also very un-Mac-like, and that's not the reason we bought a Mac now is it?

Click to expand...

Right on the money, Chas! To me OpenOffice is like the old Word 6 for Mac... it's a Windows app! Why would I want that?

congratulations andy

Wow thanks guys! Some really great advice and apps there

I'll check those out and see what happens. My guess is it will probably take me a little bit to de-windows my way of thinking, so that should keep me entertained for a while in itself!

Thanks again and im so glad to be a proper part of the community now.....well soon anyway

Well done Andy ....
As chas_m stated, learn the system before you go looking for stuff to add.

But being new and a switcher just a cpl to look at

Mac 101
Switch 101 : Windows to Mac

And the biggest piece of advice ........ Enjoy it and have fun.
We are always here to help too.

Cheers

Getting a Mac, I believe should come with like a Windows intervention, or, weekly meetings at the local Apple store, you know... WA (Windows Anonymous). Can you here THAT meeting?

"Hi, my name is mtbinva, and.........****sobbing**** I have Windows."
**group** "Hi mtbinva........."

Three moths later.....

"Hi, my name is mtbinva, and I've been Windows free for 3 months!"
**group** clap * clap * clap * clap *

Then you get your 3 month coin in the shape of an apple.....

Hey, it COULD happen!!

I think it's more like being freed and finding Jesus, after being cellmate with Big Bubba 'Window' in a state correctional facility.

You're never the same after the years of mistreatment, but at least you know you're in a better place with OS X =)