Please help! Transitioning from PC to Mac and I feel very overwhelmed right about now

Hi I am a new owner of a macbook bro 13in Retina, 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 and running on OS X 10.8.3. I will be using my macbook for school and research and the occasional movie editing . I want to get the most out of my new purchase and also I am not exactly sure what all the specs of my notebook really mean or if they are enough? Can someone please help me out. One more thing, what is the macs equivalent of MS if there is any?

Thank you very much!

Well, the specs are identical to any other intel based system. OS X 10.8.3 is the most recent version of the operating system (which would be similar to Windows 7... or maybe Windows 8).

As far is if it is enough, this (just like any other operating system) is dependent on what you are doing with your system. So more information would really be necessary to appropriately size the system. That said, your MBP is quite sufficient to perform more tasks than most users ever do.

Now, Macs equivalent of MS what? They manufacture other software than just operating systems.. so more info here is needed

Oh and welcome!

Have a look at the Tutors for mac in the app store.
These helped me a lot when I made the switch from windows.

Thank you very much for responding I will just be editing home movies and I mostly just need it for school. I use Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. When I purchased my Macbook from the store the guy selling it to me said that it would be a waste of money to purchase Microsoft Office for it because apple had better options for students but I was on a really big time crunch and left before he could explain to me what they were. I know Pages is like word but is there anything for Excel? Should I just purchase the Office version for mac?

Yes, Numbers is *like* Excel. Keynote is like Powerpoint.

I emphasize like, because Excel has better analysis tools than Numbers does. Since you're a student, I'd spend the ~$60 (as I recall the price to be) on the educational version of Office.

edit: But I use Excel, and those functions, daily. So I actually have both the Mac version, and the Windows version installed.. and both running currently actually

I say if you absolutely need Office, buy it. Don't try to get by with other programs that may not be as compatible, especially if it's Excel.

MS Office is the de facto standard regardless of what other publishers have available. And as a student or someone who needs an office suite for business, stick with MS Office and you won't have any compatibility issues. You spent big $ on your new retina machine, don't skimp with the software that you need for school.

Besides, I have found Office for Mac more stable overall and faster than the Windows version.

Thank you all very much! I am in love with my macbook. Once I get the hang of all the shortcuts I will be golden. I never really used the shortcuts on my PC either but I definitely want to with my Macbook. I sometimes feel like for being young I should be very well be used to this but I FEEL TECHNOLOGY IS LEAVING ME BEHIND I will definitely go with the Office software for the Mac.

Although I love Apple's iWork suite (particularly Keynote, way better than PP IMO), in your situation I would also recommend using MS Office for Mac, at least for the time being. The iMovie software that was included on your MBP should be more than sufficient for your movie-editing needs, there are several tutorials on Apple's website and built into the Help file for iMovie that should get you well underway.

Congrats on your new Mac and I'm sure with a little time and practice you'll love it like we do ours.

For the casual user iWork is quite compatible with Office, but in your situation in a college where Office is the DeFacto standard, if you want for sure 100% compatibility get Office for the Mac. I do agree with Mike that Keynote is better but for your situation, stick with MS Office.

Thank you

dtravis7 said:

For the casual user iWork is quite compatible with Office, but in your situation in a college where Office is the DeFacto standard, if you want for sure 100% compatibility get Office for the Mac. I do agree with Mike that Keynote is better but for your situation, stick with MS Office.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much! I installed Office University on my Mac today I have heard a lot from other Mac users that Keynote is better but since I am still trying to get used to this OS I will wait until I am very comfortable with even the simple commands. For my classes I have to do a powerpoint presentation every 5th week and some of my friends use keynote and their slides are incredible and they told me they can send it as a powerpoint. I am not to familiar with my Mac yet but hopefully soon

lovebug04 said:

Thank you all very much! I am in love with my macbook. Once I get the hang of all the shortcuts I will be golden. I never really used the shortcuts on my PC either but I definitely want to with my Macbook. I sometimes feel like for being young I should be very well be used to this but I FEEL TECHNOLOGY IS LEAVING ME BEHIND I will definitely go with the Office software for the Mac.

Click to expand...

Good choice! I am also a new Mac user (since May 1, when I got my MacBook Pro 15" Retina). MS Office for Mac was a good choice for you, I think. Also, a decent book might help you - I bought "OS X Mountain Lion Tips and Tricks" by Jason Rich (ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4991-8), and it has been very helpful.

I would recommend just sitting down with it in your comfy chair, and just use it. Open up different apps and programs and see how they work. Learn how to use the built-in touch mouse pad before you get an external Bluetooth mouse.

Lastly, there is a wonderful app called "Cheatsheet", that you install once and it runs in the background. When you want to know what the shortcuts are for any app you're currently using, just hold down the command key until the list of all shortcuts for that app pop up. You can set it up so that there is a delay of time you specify before the pop up list appears. You'll find this very helpful.

Welcome to Mac!

Keep it simple. Relax into your Mac's way of doing things. Only install software available in the Mac Apple Store, and let the apps install to their default locations. But aside from Office, don't buy other software for a while: Your Mac comes with everything you need. The overwhelmed feeling will pass.