Switching plans/questions

Hi all,

New to Mac so please bear with my questions which have answers I am sure will be blazingly obvious to you, might not be to me!
I had planned to buy a new i-Mac (27", 2012 + top-of-the-line) when it's released.
However, given the Japanese Tsunami and floods in Thailand causing havoc with supply of HDs, I might go for the 2011 model rather than get caught in a large price-hike on the 2012 model.

I have backed up all my files (NTFS file system on a WD 2TB HD) so that won't be a problem (will it?).

So..........a few questions....

SOUND
I have a 5.1 system (Black/Orange/Green plugs).
How would I go about adapting this to attach to an i-Mac?
I found this http://www.griffintechnology.com/sites/default/files/FireWave_Manual.pdf which seemed ideal, but no longer made

KEYBOARD
Not too impressed with Apple's offering I plan to use my old IBM 1391406 (the best keyboard ever made).
For this I will use a USB A/M MINI DIN 6/F Adapter.
Might I face difficulties here?
Another keyboard question....does anyone know if at Point of Purchase, the customer can specify the FULL size keyboard as opposed to the shrunken wireless one?
I also guess Apple do not make a UK version either....

SOFTWARE
Thought about all this bootcamp/parallels but all too much of a palaver AND it defeats the whole point of getting a Mac in the first place.
Also, I will have to purchase a new copy of Windows.
Costs then spiral and become unjustifiable.
I'll have to bite the bullet and purchase a new copy of MS Office for Mac.
No problemo there - pricing not silly.
I also use Adobe Photoshop....hmmmm.
OK get a copy for MAC?
Jeez....how much
So......
Any suggestions here?

PRINTER & SCANNER
I discovered these bases are covered as MAC software available for both. Simples!

MOUSE
Only a month ago I purchased a new Logitech Darkfield mouse which will no doubt function fine on a Mac.
Assuming of course that I don't like the Magic Mouse

A big thank you in anticipation - it certainly seems the more I look into this task, the more straightforward it is becoming.
After all, a company wouldn't get this rich selling rubbish................it HAS to be good!

I'll answer a few

Keyboard - good luck getting that old IBM keyboard to work
Yes you can opt for a full wired keyboard at purchase, and if bought in the UK it will be a UK one, although try one in the Apple store - I think the wired keyboard is the best, but you may want to accept the wireless one and investigate aN MS or logitec keyboard if your like big clicky keys.

Software - is it the full version of Photoshop and do you own the license. You can cross grade some adobe applications, but you may be charged a standard upgrade cost if the versions are different

Gwrandawr said:

I had planned to buy a new i-Mac (27", 2012 + top-of-the-line) when it's released.

Click to expand...

You're making the assumption that Apple will definitely upgrade the iMac this year. Not the wildest bet I've ever heard, but not guaranteed.

However, given the Japanese Tsunami and floods in Thailand causing havoc with supply of HDs

Click to expand...

This simply hasn't happened. At least from Apple's perspective, it's a mild disruption at best. Prices may rise somewhat but I don't think this will amount to a serious factor in buying, at least for Apple products.

I have backed up all my files (NTFS file system on a WD 2TB HD) so that won't be a problem (will it?).

Click to expand...

Not for copying them from the drive to the Mac, no. Macs can't natively WRITE to NTFS drives, however, so once you've copied the applicable files to the Mac, you may want to reformat that drive.

....does anyone know if at Point of Purchase, the customer can specify the FULL size keyboard as opposed to the shrunken wireless one?

Click to expand...

Depends on where you're buying it guess ...

I don't think your old keyboard is going to work, but a number of companies offer (expensive) replicas and models that replicate the full clicky travel of the old keyboards so you might want to look at those. Here's one example:

Das Keyboard comes to Mac | Electronista

I'll have to bite the bullet and purchase a new copy of MS Office for Mac.

Click to expand...

Only if you are CERTAIN that you HAVE to have MS Office. There are plenty of alternatives, ranging from free (LibreOffice et al) to extremely cheap (iWork) and others a bit pricier.

I also use Adobe Photoshop....hmmmm.
OK get a copy for MAC?
Jeez....how much

Click to expand...

You're completely changing platforms and did not realise you'd need to buy new versions of your third-party software? Really??

Anyway, first question: do you actually mean Photoshop ($600ish) or do you mean Photoshop Elements ($100ish)? Too many people don't bother to specify ...

Second: do you really NEED full-blown Photoshop, or do you just need a pixel-based graphic editor? If the latter, look at Pixelmator or any of a dozen other options, all WAY cheaper.

If you did mean and really need Photoshop, Adobe will "cross-grade" your license for you for a fee.

Only a month ago I purchased a new Logitech Darkfield mouse which will no doubt function fine on a Mac.
Assuming of course that I don't like the Magic Mouse

Click to expand...

The Magic Mouse is kind of revolutionary, so don't dismiss it too hastily. Give it an open-minded try and you might be surprised. I certainly was.

Regarding Windows and Office, a few points:

1. If you're going to stop using your current computer in favor of the Mac, you might consider calling Microsoft and seeing if you can activate your current copy of Windows to use through Parallels (which does cost money) or Boot Camp on your Mac. If your current computer is OEM, and you therefore have an OEM copy of Windows, this might not be possible, but you may still want to call Microsoft and see if you can do it.

2. If you're going to keep your current computer running with Windows in addition to running your Mac, you can see about installing something like Microsoft's own Remote Desktop Client for Mac, which will allow you to remotely use your Windows machine (and by extension, its software) on your Mac. The performance might not be enough to do things like play video games, but for Office it should work fine (disclaimer: I haven't used this myself; I'm simply listing it as an option).

3. If neither of those options works or is desirable, consider that Office for Mac and an OEM copy of Windows are roughly the same price (going by the cost for Office 2011 for Mac Home/Student Edition and Windows 7 Home Premium for System Builders at Amazon's UK site). In fact, you could get a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium OEM and a copy of Parallels 7 for less than the cost of the Home/Business edition of Office 2011 for Mac. This would allow you to run your Windows version of Office, and any other Windows application, through a virtual machine within Mac OS X. Again, performance wouldn't be stellar, but for Office it should be fine.

Maybe none of this works for you, but I thought I'd make the suggestions, in any case.

Gwrandawr said:

I have backed up all my files (NTFS file system on a WD 2TB HD) so that won't be a problem (will it?).

Click to expand...

As chas_m said, copy-off then reformat in Disk Utility. I'd just add another little point:

If you don't expect to be using this drive with Windows and will want to use it for Time Machine back-ups, format it to HFS+; however, if you think you might still need to access it on Windows machines from time to time, format it to exFAT (the "extended", 64-bit version of the FAT32 format used on thumb drives; unlike FAT32 it doesn't limit the maximum size of any single file to 4GB), it'll then work with XP SP3, Vista, and 7...

Gwrandawr said:

KEYBOARD
Not too impressed with Apple's offering I plan to use my old IBM 1391406 (the best keyboard ever made).
For this I will use a USB A/M MINI DIN 6/F Adapter.
Might I face difficulties here?
Another keyboard question....does anyone know if at Point of Purchase, the customer can specify the FULL size keyboard as opposed to the shrunken wireless one?
I also guess Apple do not make a UK version either....

Click to expand...

While I appreciate your love for the old IBM keyboard - I have one myself & sometimes use it for typing essays, as I find the typewriter-like clunk-click action of the keys charming - sadly it will be next to useless on a Mac, even with a PS/2 to USB adapter.

The reason is; that keyboard has one notable omission compared to most PC keyboards: the Windows key. While said key is merely a convenience on a PC, and can easily be done without; when plugged-in to a Mac, it maps to the Command key, a fairly essential modifier (the main one for Mac short-cuts) that can't really be done without.

Sorry mate

Yes, you can specify a wired full-size keyboard, as opposed to the notebook-style bluetooth keyboard at purchase. Also, there is a EN-UK version, but it's still quite similar to the American-PC-keyboard-like EN-US keyboard; however, I use both UK PC and UK Mac keyboards on a regular basis, and I've never had any trouble getting into the required mindset to not get @ and " mixed-up, so you shouldn't have much trouble just switching wholesale!

Many thanks.........

to all of you for this info.

It is quite clear that whilst not a total 'doddle' to start afresh on a new platform, it is mostly a very straightforward procedure.
Everything either has a solution or a 'work-around'.

And the Das Keyboard seems a beautiful piece of kit - thanks for that gem.

Cheers guys.