Your switching experiences

lil · Dec 14, 2005

Hello,

I am in the middle of writing a book on switching to Mac for PC/Windows users. I am trying to be honest and open, and point out the pitfalls, things Mac's aren't as good at etc. as part of it.

The book follows three main parts:

i. Why to switch to Mac and the Mac model range
ii. Moving from Windows
iii. Getting back to having fun with computers

With this book I'll cover the reasons to switch, why not to switch, the models available (without focussing too much on exact specifications as these date quickly), the intel issue, transferring files, email etc. and then for the having fun section -- all about how to have lots of fun using iLife, and also various Mac OS X goodies to make working more fun.

This book will be self published, and if it sells well enough to cover costs, I am planning on getting it an ISBN, and having it distributed to Amazon and so forth (so long as they pick it up from the wholesalers, but that's a long story for another time!)

As such, I'm not sure whether it will be successful but it's a fun project, and I shall make snippets available here. Also, I am trying to just do somethinga a bit different from a couple of the existing books out there.

What I am looking for is people who have switched from Windows to Mac OS X, and short précis of your experience, they can be good and bad -- trying to strike a balance here, but try to keep things short as I am just looking for a couple of short quotes.

For those who make it into the book with their experiences, I cannot promise much but to offer a free copy of the book to you. I know it isn't much but the unemployed like myself at present (hopefully not for too much longer) don't have much to offer in terms of reward.

I wouldn't necessarily be looking to include all your personal details in, so you'll probably be referenced by first name, or we can decide on a pseudonym if you choose, it's up to you, we can mitigate this if you come up with something I think is suitable for the book. Please PM me any other comments, but you can share you experiences here, and I shall feedback ofr course any progress.

Thank you ever so much, I really value your help!

Vicky :flower:

caribiner23 · Dec 14, 2005

When I switched to an iBook in January of 2005, I created a category on my weblog specifically to track my switching experience.

Go to my site and click on the category called "Switching to Mac."

Good luck with the book!

lil · Dec 15, 2005

Thank you so much for that, I really do appreciate it; and if anything comes up that perhaps I would like to quote you on or just get you to elaborate on a bit further then I'll be sure to PM you to discuss it further :flower:

I will as I say place parts of the book available for peeps here to get a good feel for it.

Vicky

solarith · Dec 15, 2005

i switched in october to the new powerbook 15". i was a diehard pc user who poo pooed macs for years for being elitist, pretty but shallow machines. i built computers and did a lot of freelance tech stuff and repair. the change started when i was forced to use an imac at my college when the pcs were all taken. i had to do some research and the mac was my only option. i was really taken with how intuitive it was and how easily i picked it up.. plus, it's **** pretty. i started using the macs in the editing room during my spare time and playing with all of the options and stuff in osx. my 3.0ghz sxga laptop got a nasty virus a few weeks later (no idea how that happened considering i had virus protection up the butt), and i spent the better part of 48 hours getting my system clean again. i also had a lot of problems with my desktop machine randomly failing to recognize very large external harddrives. basically, i was just fed up. i was sick of the whole windows thing and ready to try something new. i splurged on the new powerbook with the education discount and i couldn't be happier. i drool at all things mac now. i've been an ipod owner in some form since they came out and always really liked them, but now i'm a full convert. if you want me to elaborate on anything specific, feel free to ask.

UncSki1218 · Dec 15, 2005

sounds awesome...i switched about 2 months ago. i'm in high school and i saved up all summer. having a job isnt fun...but when im tired of carrying heavy golf bags on the 17th hole, i just thought about my imac. i couldnt stop thinking about it. once i had seen my friend's i was hooked. Easy, fun, gorgeous and intuitive...that sums it up pretty well. the first week i had it i spent at least 5 hours a day on it. i thought the novelty would wear off but it doesnt. i spend at least 3 hours a day on it. i love everything about it. say goodbye to virus's, spyware, and pop ups. i can now spend less time running scans for various problems and more time having fun. I'll never go back. it's simplicity is unrivaled. such a great experience...PM me if you discuss anything.

p.s. please pm as soon as the book is published. i would love to read it and support you. that would be awesome to have it on amazon.

WasabiTaylor · Dec 15, 2005

I as well am a high school switcher. I became obsessed (no really) with iPods at some point during 2004 and recieved a 4G (black and white) iPod that Christmas. Soon after, I found myself on the Apple website looking at their computers in awe. I read everything I could find Apple related. I joined this forum along with two others about 6 months before I actually bought my computer to make sure it was something I wanted to do.

I got a full-time job during the summer to pay for my iMac (I was originally planning on the 17" but couldn't even consider it after seeing the 20"). Not that my job was miserable, but it certainly was not ideal. I was having to wake up a 5 am to get to work by 6. I worked about 9 hours a day, dealing with snobby people and what not (I was a waiter). Everytime I wasn't sure if I could make it any longer, I just thought about my goal of buying my iMac. My only two days off were Monday and Tuesday (what teenagers in their right minds hang out on Sunday and Monday nights...none of my friends anyway). Everytime that I was bummed I couldn't hang out on weekends with my friends, I thought of my iMac.

Well, at the end of the summer I bought her. It has been quite the experience. I am now obsessed (no really) with every Apple. It has been a great experience switching.

Favorite things about switching are the beauty of the system and OS, the applications (especially iLife), and the community. Everyone has been so helpful.

Things that irritate me a little are pretty lame. First of all that I can't say "Set as desktop image" and do the desktop thing very easily, and the fact that my printer software won't load correctly so I can't scan to my computer (this is a mistake of my own for not reading the compatibility list more carefully).

I love Apple and I love OS X. I'm never going back. Now I'm saving up for a 15" PowerBook for college.

Meyvn · Dec 16, 2005

Well, I once wrote a very long, detailed explanation about my switch, but the basic principle is this: I woke up one day, and realized that I was serving my computer more than it was serving me; worse than that, I'd simply accepted this as reality. I thought "Surely, this can't be right." I finally jumped back into the rabbit hole and tried OS X, and what I found there was all the joy that had come with my first computer as a child. I recognized it right away, and knew: "this is what computing is supposed to be."

inflexion · Dec 16, 2005

Used windows since i was about 7, got to uni and saw/herd of linux so started using that in addition to windows as it was somthing different i and loved it.

Moved to Mandake linux for a good 6 months full time untill someone i trusted told me how good macs were. I was tempted as linux was giving me little head aches but i liked the fact that 90% of things 'just worked"but the other 10% involved installing devel packages and editing config files etc but the shear fact that i didnt have to run a virus scanner, spyware sweeper etc really won me over.

Mate was selling a powerbook really cheap so took the plunge knowing that i could sell it on ebay for the same price i bought it for. Got it home had a little play with it then reinstalled Panther to be mine personally. Was easy to install no hassle what so ever, set up my wireless network in no time and was happy.
The only things that i didnt like were as follow

1 Button mouse
Track pad even on highest tracking speed was too slow
No form of "run" command (fixed by Quicksilver though!!)
No easy way to view hidden files in finder

Things i really loved though

Forum help is much better than linux/windows forums! (were not a bad bunch are we)
Build quality
Terminal same as (well enough for me) Linux
way programs are installed
OS organisation from unix
Selection of software once you know where to look

Over all i would never switch back to windows now as a mac does what i want to it without me having to maintain it for 3 hours every week so why change?

Hope this helps Vicky and good luck with it all!!

lil · Dec 16, 2005

Many thanks for all of your responses so far and your kind comments, it means so much to me, thank you!

I will get around to reviewing this all soon (busy with Christmas preparations, job interviews, finishing presents off, sending cards, baking etc. that's not me baking but - oh well anyway!) and let you all know what I plan to do; but so far they all look very good and I just hope no one gets too disappointed if theirs doesn't get included. We will see, I just have to keep a balance between informing the new Mac user or potential user and not wandering into bludgeoning them with quotes that YOU MUST BUY A MAC! :flower:

Again I will be sure to get back to you soon, I'm just waiting on a call back from an interview to see if I got the job...

*trembles*

Vicky (...this is the 11th interview I have been to since October... So I have been let down plenty of times... y'ugh, they all want you to have 10 years industry experience, a masters degree, computer skills out of this world, legislation knowledge beyond all belief, administrative and organisational skills that would make Peter Pervis blush and be 21 years old...)

walkerj · Dec 16, 2005

inflexion said:
No form of "run" command (fixed by Quicksilver though!!)

There actually is one, used in the Terminal app called open. In Terminal do a man open and it'll tell you how to use it to launch apps, open finder windows, etc. Kind of like windows 'run', but more like UNIX exec.

Anyway, I'm a long time computer professional, having used IBM mainframes and UNIX work stations since back in the mid '80s. My main reason for not using MacOS even when MacOS X came around was the cost of the hardware. I thought it arrogant of Apple to price their hardware the way they did in the midst of cheaper Intel machines. Windows was never perfect and still isn't, but it was good enough and ran on hardware I could afford. When MacOS X came out I knew it ran on top of UNIX, but I would still have had to purchase the Mac hardware and when I could build a Linux box much cheaper. Even though I had lusted after NeXT machines (also very expensive and compatible with...well, only other NeXT machines in a practical sense even if the OS was way slick, especially for its time) Macs were still too expensive.

However when the Mac Mini, there was really no longer that reason for not at least giving it a try. I bought one and gave it a chance to be my primary home computer over my home Linux machine. Over the course of a month I came to realize that in addition to the UI being very intuitive, there were all kinds of little things that all added up to make the whole computer usage thing pleasant rather than work. By the end of that month I saw no reason to use anything other than a Mac for personal computing. The experiment was a resounding success. I realized that after all these years I was tired of having to tinker and tweak my personal computer (work computer is a different story...that puts food on the table so no problem) to get things done. The Mac allowed this to happen.

Over the course of the next several months, my wife observed how I was happily surfing/image editing/emailing along with no problems, and her own Windows computer was giving her such hassles that she was finding it difficult to concentrate on her artistic endeavors. Sure, she had Photoshop for her PC, but all of these problems kept creeping up making it seem more like work than the fun that it could be. So finally after watching how I could do things effortlessly not because I had more experience, but because it just worked better, she decided she needed a Mac as well.

So we went down to the Apple store and bought her a Mac Mini. After quickly setting it up, installing Photoshop and transferring all of her data over from the old PC over our network I showed her precisely four things: The Dock, how Finder windows work, mail, and iChat so she could talk to me while I was at work. Bracing for the expected flurry of questions, I set her loose and waited. And waited. And waited for a couple of weeks. No questions, and even though I told her she would be able to access her old Windows computer over Remote Desktop if she needed to, I got no questions and her old computer remained silent collecting dust in the corner. When I finally asked how things were going she said "Oh, this is just great! Everything is so intuitive and I can find everything I need." This was followed in later days with "Did I tell you recently how much I love my Mac?"

Experiment #2 - Another resounding success!

So now we are both Mac users, and do not see any reason to go back. I still have to deal with Windows and Linux at the office, but I have no problem with that because I get paid for it and know how to deal with the headaches of Windows as well as have a team of people to help out. Linux I use myself and still prefer for doing work like things, but I always come home to my beloved Mac.

Berman · Dec 17, 2005

walkerj said:
There actually is one, used in the Terminal app called open. In Terminal do a man open and it'll tell you how to use it to launch apps, open finder windows, etc. Kind of like windows 'run', but more like UNIX exec.

Anyway, I'm a long time computer professional, having used IBM mainframes and UNIX work stations since back in the mid '80s. My main reason for not using MacOS even when MacOS X came around was the cost of the hardware. I thought it arrogant of Apple to price their hardware the way they did in the midst of cheaper Intel machines. Windows was never perfect and still isn't, but it was good enough and ran on hardware I could afford. When MacOS X came out I knew it ran on top of UNIX, but I would still have had to purchase the Mac hardware and when I could build a Linux box much cheaper. Even though I had lusted after NeXT machines (also very expensive and compatible with...well, only other NeXT machines in a practical sense even if the OS was way slick, especially for its time) Macs were still too expensive.

However when the Mac Mini, there was really no longer that reason for not at least giving it a try. I bought one and gave it a chance to be my primary home computer over my home Linux machine. Over the course of a month I came to realize that in addition to the UI being very intuitive, there were all kinds of little things that all added up to make the whole computer usage thing pleasant rather than work. By the end of that month I saw no reason to use anything other than a Mac for personal computing. The experiment was a resounding success. I realized that after all these years I was tired of having to tinker and tweak my personal computer (work computer is a different story...that puts food on the table so no problem) to get things done. The Mac allowed this to happen.

Over the course of the next several months, my wife observed how I was happily surfing/image editing/emailing along with no problems, and her own Windows computer was giving her such hassles that she was finding it difficult to concentrate on her artistic endeavors. Sure, she had Photoshop for her PC, but all of these problems kept creeping up making it seem more like work than the fun that it could be. So finally after watching how I could do things effortlessly not because I had more experience, but because it just worked better, she decided she needed a Mac as well.

So we went down to the Apple store and bought her a Mac Mini. After quickly setting it up, installing Photoshop and transferring all of her data over from the old PC over our network I showed her precisely four things: The Dock, how Finder windows work, mail, and iChat so she could talk to me while I was at work. Bracing for the expected flurry of questions, I set her loose and waited. And waited. And waited for a couple of weeks. No questions, and even though I told her she would be able to access her old Windows computer over Remote Desktop if she needed to, I got no questions and her old computer remained silent collecting dust in the corner. When I finally asked how things were going she said "Oh, this is just great! Everything is so intuitive and I can find everything I need." This was followed in later days with "Did I tell you recently how much I love my Mac?"

Experiment #2 - Another resounding success!

So now we are both Mac users, and do not see any reason to go back. I still have to deal with Windows and Linux at the office, but I have no problem with that because I get paid for it and know how to deal with the headaches of Windows as well as have a team of people to help out. Linux I use myself and still prefer for doing work like things, but I always come home to my beloved Mac.

did you show her expose and spotlight? those were the first two things i told my sister to do when she got a powerbook. i told her to open a bunch of windows, then hit f9. her response: "whoa."

homer_j · Dec 17, 2005

I first bought a PC about 7 years ago and had it purely for internet and MSoffice apps. As a professional non technical user, (AKA Someone who has too much time on their hands and justs like to surf the net), I found that PC's were fine but did need a lot of maintenance just to keep the basics running.

It was my brother who first bought an imac (g3) and I was a little sceptical as it looked awesome but it did pretty much the same job as my PC. I did not understand at the time the whole mac thing and the cult following that surrounds it and it was only through actually deciding that I was spending more time doing things to keep my PC going than actually using it for what I wanted to do. It was at this point that I thought I would take the plunge.

When I bought my first mac, an imac G3, it was like buying a new car. It ran smoother, everything worked and I started seeing mac products and stuff when I was shopping or surfing the net. This was like the feeling when you note that loads of people all drive the same car as you but never noticed so much before you owned it.

To this day I have never had one issue with any macs that I have owned and I have always found that if there is anything I can't do on a mac, its not worth me doing. I know when I speak to people, I get the same objections that we all have had at some point re lack of software, lack of support etc but things are getting better, especially here in the UK with apple opening up more stores and the ipod pushing the brand into the homes of many.

Very recently, my mum has been given an ibook g3 for basic web surfing as she felt a little confident having learnt how to sms a few months back. She is less technically minded than I am so the fact that my brother and I have set her ibook up so everything opens up for her ,it is a great way of getting her to appreciate the internet easily as soon as she opens the screen up. I do know that PC's can do this and I hear PC users saying that all the time but I just know that I am not going to get called out evry 5 minutes to fix her ibook brcause of a virus or it asking her to install something. That is what makes me realise that macs are the best for what I need from any computer.I guess I can honestly say that once you go Mac, you don't go back.

I know people who work in IT and they tell me that PCs are better and I can appreciate that I have probably neve ever used any of my computers to their full potential but then again, why do I need to - i get what i need out of my computers. My friend who likes tinkering with his system and building his own computers is never going to be convinced that a mac is better because he cant do the same depth of tinkering with his hardware or os and that is what switching boils down to - you will switch and enjoy the switch if a mac will make your life easier and more fun!

volvo · Dec 17, 2005

I am an old timer who started off with the Commodor Vic 20 and 64. Have been using Windows since 3.1 version. I made the switch to OS X in March 2005 my reasons being that I was tired of running the various utilities to make sure I was virus and spyware free, installing firewalls and constant service packs to upgrade security flaws in the Windows OS. I am now very happy I made the switch to OS X. My lunch buddies are calling me the Microsoft Drop Out.

walkerj · Dec 17, 2005

Berman said:
did you show her expose and spotlight? those were the first two things i told my sister to do when she got a powerbook. i told her to open a bunch of windows, then hit f9. her response: "whoa."

Exposé I showed her a little later, and indeed got a "whoa", though she kind of got an even bigger "whoa!" from Dashboard. The dictionary, translator and weather widgets impressed her immensely, and when she discovered that many Mac apps spell check while she types (like iChat) that pretty much sealed the deal. Being able to spell check words by highlighting and command clicking...well, there you go. I set up hot corners for her so she's trucking along with exposé quite nicely.

Spotlight she discovered on her own. Or at least briefly observed when I used it to find a Photoshop document that she thought she had lost. From there she has been using it extensively to find everything she needs and now I don't think she can ever go back to a Windows machine. Ever.

One recent development - My office has an external USB/Firewire DVD burner which members of our team can borrow for an evening or weekend to make backups and such. When hooking it up to my employer supplied windows laptop there was the usual software/driver installation thing to go through to make it work. Not a big deal, but you had to do that to make it work.

I take it home and hook it up to the Mac with the firewire connection. Nothing, until I put in a blank DVD and Finder comes up with the 'what would you like to do with this?' dialog just like with the internal combo drive. Drag gigs of folders over to the DVD and click 'burn'. Mac is backed up. System requirements printed on the box: Windows computer running blah blah blah. Nothing about Macs. This doesn't seem to bother my Mac.

Everything just works.

Berman · Dec 17, 2005

walkerj said:
Exposé I showed her a little later, and indeed got a "whoa", though she kind of got an even bigger "whoa!" from Dashboard. The dictionary, translator and weather widgets impressed her immensely, and when she discovered that many Mac apps spell check while she types (like iChat) that pretty much sealed the deal. Being able to spell check words by highlighting and command clicking...well, there you go. I set up hot corners for her so she's trucking along with exposé quite nicely.

Spotlight she discovered on her own. Or at least briefly observed when I used it to find a Photoshop document that she thought she had lost. From there she has been using it extensively to find everything she needs and now I don't think she can ever go back to a Windows machine. Ever.

One recent development - My office has an external USB/Firewire DVD burner which members of our team can borrow for an evening or weekend to make backups and such. When hooking it up to my employer supplied windows laptop there was the usual software/driver installation thing to go through to make it work. Not a big deal, but you had to do that to make it work.

I take it home and hook it up to the Mac with the firewire connection. Nothing, until I put in a blank DVD and Finder comes up with the 'what would you like to do with this?' dialog just like with the internal combo drive. Drag gigs of folders over to the DVD and click 'burn'. Mac is backed up. System requirements printed on the box: Windows computer running blah blah blah. Nothing about Macs. This doesn't seem to bother my Mac.

Everything just works.

i've found that the weather widget is always off. i have it set to the right zip code, but it never agrees with the weather channel or what the temp readout in my truck says.

lil · Dec 18, 2005

Seems to be right here most of the time.

Says 28 degrees and **** I just walked outside and it sure felt like it! guess I'm too used to sitting inside sipping hot chocolate keeping snuggly during winter...

I don't think I'll put that bit in my book

Don't want any litigation for inciting nightmares lol! :flower:

Good stuff so far, I expect there are a few things I can use here, I will be in touch soon, just finishing my mom and dad's christmas present today, then swotting for an interview tomorrow I have on Tuesday as I so need it! So I expect I shall get back to you on Wedneday most likely.

And if I get back to you tomorrow, tell me to carry on swotting and to yank the modem cord out! :flower:

Vicky

Pierre · Dec 18, 2005

Well. Hi Vicky. I haven't switched yet. But maybe, just maybe, I thought I'd tell you why I'm saving up for one, and I'm sure I'm going to use macs for now and forever onwards

.

So anyways. My stepdad has an iMac that I don't really use often, but I saw him organizing/working on his pictures in iPhoto, then burning things to dvds with iDVD. The main thing that enthralls me is iLife. I use Picasa 2 from Google to organize my pictures into albums, but the thing that I hate, is that nothing is included in the Vaio that I have now. It didn't come with any included software, except for the usual solitaire and wordpad.

So I am looking forward to iLife. Other than that, I love the mac aesthetic. I really hope that when they change to intel, they don't put the Intel inside logo on their products. It makes it less mac-like.

Another thing I'd like to point out, I've been researching on the internet. I'm a student saving up for a laptop, and was deciding on whether to wait for Vista, or get Tiger with a MacTel. If you take the cost of what's bundled on the iBook, (iLife suite), and subtract that from the total price, the iBook is incredibly affordable. I haven't yet seen a Windows Laptop for under 1,000 dollars with a twelve inch screen, 5+ hour battery life, and pleasing apple aesthetic.

I've been searching forums like this one, and that is what made me want to switch. I really can't wait until i get my iBook.

lil · Jan 5, 2006

Sorry for letting this lapse badly, firstly there was Christmas and I went home to see my folks so I have been away.

Also I have been trying to find a job like no tomorrow the past 3 months, and now I have to find somewhere else to live by 2 weeks time -- long story; so the book is on hold and I am going to probably be very quiet here on the whole while I try and scrounge some work somewhere and somewhere to live.

I will get back to you all when things have settled and I have managed to get the project back on track. All of your responses so far have been excellent and I cannot thank you enough, thank you!

Vicky

inflexion · Jan 5, 2006

Vicki dont worry about it love, getting a job and somewhere to live is far more important than finishing your book at the moment.

It will all come togeather at once and then you will be too busy with work to carry on with the book

lil · Jan 5, 2006

Thanks hon, your support does mean a lot!

I dream of the time when I don't have the time to finish the book! LOL! But; I am about to blitz Brighton and Hove with my CVs, and going to see the manager at the other Apple Centre here as i managed to mention my previous work and APP status...

Plus PC World, B&Q, Currys, Comet... you name it -- I'm probably handing my CV in there or asking for a job!

Then when I have that sussed, I need to find somewhere to live and quick. There are good websites for finding peeps to share with but one thing shocks me --

you have to pay a subscription to be able to communicate fully with users which completely sucks. £19 for 7 days access or something!!

Anyway the book will get finished, and I am hoping my painting of Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) which I was enjoying doing so much only to have it all go down the tubes...

Anyway!

Thanks again!!
Vicky

Your switching experiences

lil

Guest

caribiner23

lil

Guest

solarith

UncSki1218

Guest

WasabiTaylor

Meyvn

inflexion

lil

Guest

walkerj

Berman

Guest

homer_j

volvo

Guest

walkerj

Berman

Guest

lil

Guest

Pierre

lil

Guest

inflexion

lil

Guest

Shop Amazon