Switching to Mac

Hi!

I am thinking about buying a iMac and finally making the switch from a PC to a Mac but I still have some reservations.

1) The last time I used a Mac was for a paper my last year of university about 5 or 6 years ago and I remember I got really frustrated because when I tried saving my paper with images in it and re-opening it on a PC it said that the program used to compress the image was not compatible with the PC. Does anyone know if this problem has been fixed?

2) Does anyone find that there are still web sites that you can't get access to with Safari? Should I install a different web browser on my future Mac to eliminate this problem?

3) In going from a laptop to potentially a desktop has anyone felt that the iMac is just too big? Would getting another laptop be preferable? I am trading in my university laptop (which is wayyyyy out of date now) for a new computer and I am thinking that it is time for a desktop again. Any thoughts? Laptop or desktop?

Thanks,
shamrocktexan

shamrocktexan said:

1) The last time I used a Mac was for a paper my last year of university about 5 or 6 years ago and I remember I got really frustrated because when I tried saving my paper with images in it and re-opening it on a PC it said that the program used to compress the image was not compatible with the PC. Does anyone know if this problem has been fixed?

Click to expand...

I don't understand how saving a paper relates to compressed images. "A paper" being a Word document? RTF? What? MS Office 2008 and Office 2007 can open each other's files, though I've noticed they don't necessarily interpret everything 100% the same.

shamrocktexan said:

2) Does anyone find that there are still web sites that you can't get access to with Safari? Should I install a different web browser on my future Mac to eliminate this problem?

Click to expand...

There are still plenty of websites (usually business stuff like the timeclock site my work uses) that are *only* designed for Internet Explorer. However, a typical web user won't run into any show stoppers. Worst case, there's Firefox and Chrome for OS X, and both are very nice.

shamrocktexan said:

3) In going from a laptop to potentially a desktop has anyone felt that the iMac is just too big? Would getting another laptop be preferable? I am trading in my university laptop (which is wayyyyy out of date now) for a new computer and I am thinking that it is time for a desktop again. Any thoughts? Laptop or desktop?

Click to expand...

Your idea what is "too big" will depend on where you plan to put it and how portable you expect it to be. If you have a decent sized desk with adequate space for an iMac, go for an iMac. If you want something you can take down to the coffee shop, ya know, priorities shift.

shamrocktexan said:

Hi!

1) The last time I used a Mac was for a paper my last year of university about 5 or 6 years ago and I remember I got really frustrated because when I tried saving my paper with images in it and re-opening it on a PC it said that the program used to compress the image was not compatible with the PC. Does anyone know if this problem has been fixed?

Click to expand...

Like SubZero said, we need some more specifics here. Barring those, one can always Print to PDF via the Print menu--almost idiot-proof in terms of sharing capabilities.

shamrocktexan said:

2) Does anyone find that there are still web sites that you can't get access to with Safari? Should I install a different web browser on my future Mac to eliminate this problem?

Click to expand...

Safari will open probably 99% of Web sites with no problems. The other 1% usually do fine on any of the other choices (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, etc). And, for the occasional IE-only site, Boot Camp/Parallels/VMWare is always a last-ditch option.

1) It depends on what programs you use. If you create a document with iWork's Pages application, it may not open properly in MS Office, though I think there's an option to save Pages documents in Word form. If you use the Mac version of MS Office, opening documents on a Windows machine shouldn't be a problem. But you can also download OpenOffice for Mac, which is free and is compatible with any version of Office.

2) I haven't run into any major problems with Safari, though once in a great while it will have trouble playing a QT movie. The one or two times I've had an issue with Safari, I just opened the page with Firefox and it's fine. I have to say though that Safari is now my favorite web browser.

3) The iMac is meant to be more than a desktop, it's a media and entertainment center, hence its size. If it's too big for the space you have, you could certainly go with a Macbook Pro and hook it up to an external monitor, even while it's closed. I use my MBP as my main DVD player and media center so I make my HD TV an "extension" of my laptop screen, meaning not only can I have my TV mirroring what's on my MBP screen, I can also drag windows from my MBP over to my TV screen. So I have the best of both worlds. But only you can decide if it's too big for you or now.

1) What you are talking about is not necessary a Mac or Windows issue. You didn't mention what program you used and how you saved it. If a file is saved properly for both Mac and Windows or if you use a software than can properly open the file you wanted correctly then there shouldn't be problems. The problem you mentioned can also happen within Windows if you use the wrong programs to open your files or saved it improperly to be used in other software.

2) I occasionally get websites that have problems with Safari but all the major web browsers are free and they have Mac versions. Nobody is forcing you to use Safari so don't feel like you have to just because it's preinstalled. I use Firefox mostly myself but I do have other browsers installed and use them also. Try them all out and see which one you like best. Don't be a typical Windows Internet Explorer user and use it just because it there.

3) A choice between a laptop and desktop is a personal choice. If you feel that you no longer need the portability and won't miss it then a desktop will be a good option. If you feel that it's too big then go and see them in person and decide for yourself.

For the same price as a laptop you will get a faster desktop but you can also get an external monitor and connect that to your laptop. This way you can buy the perfect sized monitor for your desk if you feel the iMac is too big.