Before I make the switch.

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I've been thinking about purchasing a Mac desktop when I start my business in photography and video editing. The other day I was at my local CompUSA looking for a new monitor when I passed by the Mac section. There was a Mac desktop with a 20" LCD screen on display so I decided to give it a try. I began to mess around with it and I was simple amazed by the UI. It was so smooth and almost second nature. It absolutely blew me away. Between my fiance and myself we own 2 PCs and 2 laptops. I want to get a new computer mainly for photography, video/audio and graphics such as Adobe. I no longer play computer games(yay Xbox 360) so games are not an issue for me. I don't run an excel or word programs so that is also not an issue. I just want something to surf the web, check emails, graphics/photography/video editing and website updates. I've been told a Mac is what I should be looking at therefore I have a few questions hopefully it can be answered.

1) Are there are sites on the net or magazines I can read up where I can read up on to help me to better understand a Mac/OSX? As in commands ect.
2) Is it difficult to run Boot Camp and are there any serious conflicts if I do choose to use Boot camp?
3)What about technologies for connecting to peripherals and networks? How compatible are they for a Mac?
4)Can I run many softwares on my PC that I have now on a Mac? Dreamweaver, CDdisplay, Winamp, Picasa ect?
 
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Your Mac's Specs
ibook g4, imac 2ghz c2d, mbp 2.4ghz c2d - 10.5.1
1) http://www.macworld.com/
or http://www.apple.com/support/
or http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/

2) i run bootcamp and if you follow the instruction (print them out) then it all runs smoothyl and is easy as the bootcamp software partitions it etc for you.

3) It is easy just to plug your mac into a network. If you plug a print in etc most just add almost instantly - no installer cd

4) You can run all the software you would want to if you have it for windows or mac - run it on bootcamp if you have it for windows and os x if you have it for mac.

hope this helps
 
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1) You can ask questions right here, also see www.macosxhints.com , and macworld magazine as well as www.macworld.com are great resources.

2) Boot Camp isn't very hard to install, though some people prefer to use Parallels instead, which lets you run Windows and OSX side by side without having to reboot.

3) Virtually any piece of hardware (such as cameras, printers...) will work with your Mac, I have had great experiences with Canon products all over, and it's a great choice for your photo editing.

Networks work as long as your router or modem uses standard 802.11 technologies, which it probably will.

Macs don't usually give (and have never given me) hardware problems. In most cases, there's no driver installation involved, either.

4) Some of the software you mention have Mac versions. You can't use the same CD, though, unless it says it's for Mac. Dreamweaver has a Mac version, you'll have to repurchase it, though.

I googled CDisplay, and found the Mac alternative to be Comical. Winamp will be replaced by iTunes, which already ships, and iPhoto is much better than Picasa. If you use Picasa Web Albums, there's a plugin that will let you upload pictures from within iPhoto. Just go to the Picasa Web Albums Home Page when you have your Mac (google detects your Mac and gives you the right plugin automatically).

Hope that helps, keep asking.
 
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2011 MBP, i7, 16GB RAM, MBP 2.16Ghz Core Duo, 2GB ram, Dual 867Mhz MDD, 1.75GB ram, ATI 9800 Pro vid
1) I just saw this link and thought it could be helpful to someone into keyboard commands. Apple has a lot of informaiton you can do searchs for. There are several magazines and websites. Mac OS X Hints is great for general and low level tips and is searchable.

3) If you have someting of specific concern, you should mention it. Many printer and scanner companies support the Mac. Many digital cameras work as do video cameras with firewire. OS X is very network friendly.

4) OS X does not natively run Windows software. You can use Bootcamp (you'll need a copy of XP or Vista 32bit), or a virtual tool such as Parallels. Windows 3D games require booting into Windows via Bootcamp. Also check with the vendor of your Windows software to see if they have a Mac version. Of course there are often many good alternatives.
 
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Mantronix
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Macs seems more friendly user and I can't see why more people do not use Macs opposed to Window base PCs. The ability to run OSX or Windows let alone makes me want to get a Mac. The best of both worlds. Thank alot for the input guys. It helped out alot.
 
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No problem. The reason why Macs don't control the larger part of the market is possibly due to two reasons:

1) Windows is licenseable on any compatible architecture. OSX comes only on Macs.

2) The Mac target market does not encompass the entire world, very unlike Windows' strategy.

3) If everyone used Macs, it wouldn't be so good/special anymore.
 

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