Newbie help using Apple Computers and macOS

[IWT]

but I'm getting answers that assume I know how a Mac works when I've made it clear I'm a complete PC guy.

Mikeffx - may I presume you are called Mike?

You didn't make this "truly huge investment" on a hunch. You must have seen friends using Macs, at work, in school, whatever applies.

In other words, part of your life must be spent in some kind of Mac environment. We can endlessly give you tips and tricks; but nothing beats a hands-on tutorial from somebody who has a Mac.

That is, more than anything, what you need to do. Sit down with a person who owns a Mac and bring your MacBook Pro along. One hour later, you'll be an expert in the making. Macs are deliciously easy to use - when shown how. And once started, you'll learn more each day.

With no disrespect to my learned friends here, or to myself or you, you will gain much more and much more quickly by sitting with a Mac user.

Ian

 

[macgig]

macs are easy but you have to give it some time and make some effort to learn it.

 

[ferrarr]

As with all things, you will get, what you put in. You spent a long time learning how to use winOS, expect some differences, just like all things.

 

[MacInWin]

Mikeffx - may I presume you are called Mike?

You didn't make this "truly huge investment" on a hunch. You must have seen friends using Macs, at work, in school, whatever applies.

In other words, part of your life must be spent in some kind of Mac environment. We can endlessly give you tips and tricks; but nothing beats a hands-on tutorial from somebody who has a Mac.

That is, more than anything, what you need to do. Sit down with a person who owns a Mac and bring your MacBook Pro along. One hour later, you'll be an expert in the making. Macs are deliciously easy to use - when shown how. And once started, you'll learn more each day.

With no disrespect to my learned friends here, or to myself or you, you will gain much more and much more quickly by sitting with a Mac user.

Ian

Good suggestion, Ian!

 

[badshoehabit]

Hang on in there. Mike! I made the change nine years ago and would never go back. I'm a user, not a techie, so read as many of the introductory tutorials from Apple as needed and, like you, joined this amazing group very quickly. Put a topic in the search bar and you will usually find a wealth of information. https://support.apple.com/en-gb/explore/new-to-mac

I've never encountered 'no windows available'. Hover over the icons in the dock and it will tell you what it is; click and it opens the app.

 

[pm-r]

@Mikeffx

thank you all so much for your help. I've never ever gotten this much feedback so fast.

my question still stands. Generally, how patient should a very hig functioning PC user take to figure this out?

Mikeffx, welcome to Mac-forums as a member.

And FWIW, I have been using Macs for about 30 years and I'm still learning small bits and pieces about their operation, but a lot of users here are much faster Learners.




- Patrick
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[badshoehabit]

You'll be fluent in a week and wonder what you were worrying about.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

The three major OS', Windows, Linux and macOS are each unique and involve a learning curve regardless where you are coming from. One of the first things that you gotta do is stop trying to make the first behave like the second.

The more you compare the OS', the less that they'll make sense. Explore each OS independently and learn using books or videos or just playing around. When you get comfortable with the basics, ask questions about the more detailed things.

Each person learns at a different rate, do NOT listen to what anyone says about how easy or hard it is.

One of the nice things Apple offers with the purchase of a Mac is the Genius Bar that has workshops. Also look for your local Mac User Groups or community colleges/centers that also have classes for learning Macs.

 

[Mikeffx]

My daughter solved my problem. She sent me to Settings>>Trackpad and turned off Force click and haptic. Problem solved. I'm flying already. Downloaded Garage Band. Look out world, here I come!

 

[Mikeffx]

You'll be fluent in a week and wonder what you were worrying about.

After my daughter solved my initial problem, I'm now flying. I know it's different from Windows, so I don't expect it to work the same, and I know enough people who know both OS and like Mac better, so I'm pretty confident I'll be in that camp in no time.

 

[Mikeffx]

Again, thank all of you who've commented. Even though my daughter solved the initial problem I now have a pretty good list of resources to learn a whole lot about this OS thanks to all of you.

 

[chscag]

Have fun with your new Mac and visit us often.

 

[pm-r]

Again, thank all of you who've commented. Even though my daughter solved the initial problem...

Is your daughter one of those 12 - 16 year olds who just seem to have the right answer for new technology on the way some computer stuff works???

Regardless, she may just become your best Mac user teacher. Don't be afraid to use her talents...!!!



- Patrick
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[lclev]

As Patrick said - use your daughter’s help. I purchased my first Mac about seven years ago. I immediately started hunting for help online and found this forum. The people here are the best and very knowledgeable. I have over 40 years of Windows experience and learning to use a Mac was frustrating for me at first too. Keep working with it and one day you will look back and wonder how you ever got along with out one!

Lisa

 

[badshoehabit]

After my daughter solved my initial problem, I'm now flying. I know it's different from Windows, so I don't expect it to work the same, and I know enough people who know both OS and like Mac better, so I'm pretty confident I'll be in that camp in no time.

I look in here most days to see if there's anything I can learn from.

 

[Tomos]

I look in here most days to see if there's anything I can learn from.
Ditto

 

[Mikeffx]

I seem to have replied to this thread a few times that showed up in the moment, but aren't there now so just to say again, thank you all for your feedback. My daughter solved my problem, which was just a setting I had to change, solved everything, but the resources you all sent me are priceless and I'm so grateful. Thank you.

 

[Rod]

Ha, I had a bit of a head start insofar as my first computer was a Mac, way back in the 80's but it wasn't long before my son, only 10 at the time, caught up and passed me for technical computer skills. By the time he was 15 I just took my curly questions directly to him and if he didn't know the answer already we would work it out together. My problem was when computers were introduced to the workplace they were all early MS devices and I had to start learning all over again.

 

[pm-r]

My problem was when computers were introduced to the workplace they were all early MS devices and I had to start learning all over again.

It was thanks to the MS DOS computers work that I bought our first Mac LC for home when the Adam computer my 10-year-old son was using gave up the ghost. It was a dream to use by comparison.

With the work computers, one needed at least three thick manuals at the ready: DOS, Word, Wordperfect and one other I can't remember.

The Mac came with small animated tutorials for how to use it, It including the mouse and the filing system etc. Anyone remember those??? And it could talk to you!!!!

And oh did our son and his friends have fun with the microphone and all their fart sounds etc. they would create..., and then add some of them to their HyperCard and animation videos. What fun and creative tools they were... and all in color as well!!!!



- Patrick
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[MacInWin]

For every story waxing rhapsodic over the glory of Apples in the early years, there is a counter-story. I had been using a variety of systems, and was now in the market for a new machine in the early-80s. I had used TRS-DOS from Radio Shack, CP/M from Digital Research, MSDOS and an early try at Windows 1.0 from MS, but had not used an Apple. There was an ad where a stack of manuals was dropped on a table and the pitch was that with an Apple, you didn't need that because it "just worked" with lots of flashy images of graphics, sounds, etc. So I went to a store than had Apple machines. Walked up to a demo model with a mouse attached (one button, of course), and tried to use it. I clicked on everything on the screen and all I was able to get going was something similar to About This Mac. No programs would start, no sounds, no help boxes, no error messages, no flashy anything, just nothing. Walked out of the store and bought a Dell online. Didn't come back to Apple for almost 30 years. And when I did, it was because Microcenter had Windows running on an iMac and it was faster than the same Windows on my then-relaltively-new machine. I bought on the spot, used it as a Windows machine with Parallels and slowly learned macOS (then called OS X). Now I'm 12 years on this journey and have found where the documentation is (online) that should have been put in the packing in the first place.