The big switch to MAC

it took me years to decide. but i finally did it and i just acquired an hour ago a MacBook Pro. I feel excited like a little kid and terrified at the same time as i need to learn everything again. the good news is that everything seems so simple and fast that i think i will be done in a couple of hours max.

Let me know if among you people switched from PC to MAC and what tips you could give me for a great experience.

Comments

[Nir Levy]

I recently switched myself. I am vowing never to buy a pc again.

Just two big suggestions:
1. Just do what should come intuitively.
2. Download and learn to use Quick Silver. Though a program you have to learn how to take advantage of sounds like a waste of time, this simple elegant program which transform your mac experience and make it even better.

[eriK]

I've heard others talk highly of Quick Silver but having recently switched myself (1 year ago) I find a simpler alternative to be Namely. Namely allows you to type in your application names to launch them and doesn't require much learning at all. There's no "Start" menu though, and if you like to keep a clean and limited-size dock, Namely is better than digging through the Applications folder.

[lagon]

Finally!
Just remember - once you go Mac, you don't want come back ;-)

[Tal Keinan]

Congratz!

I did the when the 1st ipod came out. I am now working on my 3rd powerbook. Lost or stolen, I wouldn't hesitate buying another one.

My recommendation - just use it. Read macrumors if you have specific questions, and check out lifehacker for good recommendations.

Finally, and I won't recommend you doing this before you feel very comfortable with the OS X, you can install bootcamp or parallels to have windows a short distance away.

Let me know if you need more specific help.

-Tal

[Renaud]

Welcome !

I switched 4 years ago when my dell crashed for the third time in 6 months... I followed my brother's advices and went to mac.

And I will never go back to Windows. Never.

Just one tip : just try to forget the way you acted with you PC. Here all is very simpler !

Enjoy !

[Shamir]

Finally you bought it. Forget your previous life and discover this new user xperience ;)

[David Kadouch]

So here's another voice: I consider myself a power user, I use IBM Thinkpads with MS Windows for 10 years. Two months ago I was brave enough and decided it's time to be cool (fool?) and I switched to a Mac pro. Yeah it looks really great and bla bla but - I mainly do email and web browsing with that one app called firefox, and I also use extensively the Google apps and .... I was disappointed. Firefox is not stable if you are used to work with 20+ open tabs and use lots of FF extensions, it crashes about 5 times a day!, and safari is just not a viable option (try to fill a form on a Hebrew site with safari). Not to mention that all the keyboard shortcuts that work on Windows don't work on Mac - I think Apple should have offered some basic compatibility to ease migration from Windows to Mac. So after I went nuts for a while and my productivity decreased by 50%, I just switched back to my thinkpad and I'm happy. So the Mac may be cool, but Bill Gates turned me into a Windows junkie and I need my stuff all the time. Anyway - good luck with your new mac, let us know how you feel

[Will]

I'm used to saying than when I go back home at the end of the day and open my mac (I have a PC at work) it's like opening a window (a real window :-) ).
SO.. enjoy the view and the fresh air!

[Louis Choquel]

I switched to Mac in 1984, from the Apple IIc.
Enjoy Ouriel, and have fun.

[Marc Samson]

Hey Ouriel, only newbies write MAC, thinking it's an acronym like PC. It's actually Mac, short for Macintosh. :)

[Stephane]

I have switched also last april for a macbook and I still need to know that I have a Dell not far from me.
The best practice was to ask all my several Mac addicts friends which apps they use everyday or which ones they install first when they have a brand new one.
And for my brand new MBP I've installed : skype, adium, ms office 2008 and that's it...
Enjoy yours

[Benoit Descary]

Great choice! I did the same thing two weeks ago. For my new MBP I've installed: VMWare Fusion and Windows XP ;)

[Tali Aben]

Great move. That's the first thing I wanted to do in my new life, but didn't quite have the guts. Let me know how it goes!
Tali

[Jay Meydad]

Ouriel,

How is it going with the Mac for you?

I have lots of pains since migrating, in particular with the lack of some basic apps that I have been using every day on a PC.

Check out my list of pains and let me know if you have cures for them: http://www.meydad.com/2008/03/17/14-days-with-a-mac/

-jay

[Martin Lessard]

I switched one year ago. Could not feel better.

[Ulrich]

I switched two months ago, tu ne vas pas regretter ! ;)