Makin' The Switch: PC to Mac

[TIrwin24]

So, my current HP laptop is now starting to go bezerk on me, Windows 8 is a complete joke, and I've decided to buy a Macbook Pro.

Is there any of you in the BN that have any advice or input on how to best transition from the Windows world to Mac? I do plan on getting Office for Mac, but other than that, I'm pretty much leaving the Windows world in the dust.

I do like video and photo editing, any programs that you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

[rtb]

So, my current HP laptop is now starting to go bezerk on me, Windows 8 is a complete joke, and I've decided to buy a Macbook Pro.

Is there any of you in the BN that have any advice or input on how to best transition from the Windows world to Mac? I do plan on getting Office for Mac, but other than that, I'm pretty much leaving the Windows world in the dust.

I do like video and photo editing, any programs that you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

It's a really easy switch really. The Office Suite for Mac sucks if you do a lot of Excel work, but you can live with it for 90% of things and I'm using Google docs more and more anyway and leaving the Microsoft Office stuff alone. If you do photo stuff you'll probably use Photoshop right? I have the whole Adobe creative suite and it's awesome on the MacBook. I haven't gone to their web based solution yet, but have heard it works well too. As far as software goes, there isn't a lot you need, you can do a lot of thing natively on a MacBook without additional software. If you get a new one and have other Apple devices like AppleTV you should be able to share your screen, music, etc. across devices.

For mail I use Thunderbird, for web I use a combination of Safari and Firefox. Outside of that I don't have much software downloaded.

Enjoy, I have a 2008 Macbook that is still running strong. I keep trying to justify how/why I need a new one, but there really isn't a reason to as the old one just keeps running like it should.

[WeedKillinCat]

I was reading the other day that PC manufacturers were looking at software other than MS Windows 8. They blame the drop in sales to Windows 8. I have it on my home computer and can't stand it. My kids seem to like it though. I also saw an ad in the latest Costco flyer with a laptop loaded with Windows 7 Professional, so that should tell you something. MS made a huge mistake going with 8

[kmax]

Not the one to help with a switch to Mac though I can completely understand the idea of switch away from Windows (if you are ever interested in giving Linux a try let me know). On the side note of an Office Suite, depending on your needs and usage might I suggest one of the free alternatives to Microsoft Office. There are two that are essentially cousins (the second forked from the first a couple years ago) and completely free, http://openoffice.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or http://libreoffice.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have used one of these two in place of MS Office on both Windows and Linux (it is Mac compatible as well) for probably close to ten years rather than paying for MS Office. Both can open and save to MS Office compatible file types if needed. The only way I would say not to do this is if you do some very advanced work in spreadsheets and need MS Office file compatibility as that can be problematic, otherwise I've never had a problem using them and opening or sharing Office files with others.

[TIrwin24]

The main reason that I will need the MS office suite is that our company's email is used with Outlook and a lot of our materials tracking and bidding activities are done with Excel.

[geogfather]

On a Mac, you can use "Mail" instead of outlook even if your company uses outlook. I found it superior. Also, in terms of office. I agree with the poster that said it sucked on Mac. I don't use it anymore though. I use the productivity programs for Mac, which in my opinion are a million times better than anything office has to offer once you get used to them. That are called Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. You can work in those and save them as Microsoft files as well if you need to send them to someone, and they will open pretty much any type of related file that someone did on office and sent you.

Sorry for the late reply. Just now saw this.

[c.falls cat]

I was reading the other day that PC manufacturers were looking at software other than MS Windows 8. They blame the drop in sales to Windows 8. I have it on my home computer and can't stand it. My kids seem to like it though. I also saw an ad in the latest Costco flyer with a laptop loaded with Windows 7 Professional, so that should tell you something. MS made a huge mistake going with 8

I took some comfort in reading that WKC. I have been trying to decide if 8 is a POS or am I just suddenly too old and out of touch. Nice to know I am not the only one who hates it.

[TIrwin24]

So here's an update:

I went with a 2012 model MacBook Pro that has been updated with 1TB of memory and 16gb of RAM. I actually really like the Windows office suite for Mac as it wasn't a huge transition, and I've found that Outlook is a lot more stable in this OS for whatever reason. Due to the fact that I have scheduling software that can only be ran on Windows, I installed a virtual machine onto the Mac and so I can run Primavera P6 out of Windows 7 Pro in the virtual machine. Pretty Sweet!

Never again will I mess with a PC.

[BozCatFan]

Once you try Mac you won't go back.

[CatBlitz]

Once you try Mac you won't go back.

Yes you do.

[allcat]

Once you try Mac you won't go back.

Yes you do.

Yes find the cheapest Mac you can $900 I have a Mac Air, you can find a decent laptop at best buy for $259 (I have one)all the time. What do people use the computer for. Heck I even have a chromebook, that I bought for $100. For making astute observations on Bobcat Nation, everything works fine.

[Cledus]

The main reason that I will need the MS office suite is that our company's email is used with Outlook and a lot of our materials tracking and bidding activities are done with Excel.

I just got a new HP laptop, and i concur that Windows 8 blows more than anything has ever blown. Having said that, with this new computer I switched to the subscription-based suite, Office 365, and I absolutely love it. I wish I had done it sooner. The entire Office suite operates as web-based rather than running off your hard drive. So now, any time I get a new computer I'll never have to worry about productivity software. And, it also works with Mac.

I had thought about getting a Mac, but you get about 1/3 the hardware performance, power, and storage for double the price. Yes, Windows is frustrating but it is still the best value.

EDIT: guess I should have read the entire thread before responding.

[TIrwin24]

I had thought about getting a Mac, but you get about 1/3 the hardware performance, power, and storage for double the price.

That's partially untrue. You can get the equivalent RAM and storage for double the price.

[BozCatFan]

I have both at work, and a Mac at home with parallels / win 8.

IMO the Mac hardware is superior and feels more solid than the average dell or HP. The trackpad and how smooth everything works is far superior to anything else out there I've tried. I also have fewer problems with malware. The magnetic power plug is handy.

It takes a while to get used to Windows 8. 8.1 is a big improvement, and to be honest I like it better than 7.

It all depends on your needs and budget. I actually use the iPad for more and more, and hardly use the computer at home.