LOL forgive me as i have just bought an Apple

[h0ughy]

well the deal is done - i just bought myself an apple macbook air 11" with 4 gig memory and a 1.6dual core processor with 128 gig SSD and loin onboard (originally had snow leopard).

yes its second hand - yes i bought it from flea bay - yes i more or less have no idea what i got myself into.

My question is do i meed Microsoft office or will some other suite be enough?

Why did i buy this - good question? my excuse was that i needed a light computer to take flying with me to cairns etc - i am hoping that i can get everything working with my canon camera (40D or maybe one of the newer ones)

Oh and don't ask what i paid - i shudder but it was well under a grand LOL by a few dollars ;):lol: i blame it on all the clouds we have had here

when i did compare around i made an educated guess considering the new series is out with the i5 processor. I have until January with new warranty:question:

[Omaroo]

Why should you be forgiven David? :shrug: Have fun with it, and consider it a learning experience - something new and different. There are things you'll dislike about the system, and other things that will delight. Same for me when I use a PC from time to time.

Try out Apple's iWork suite first, before you go buy Office. You can download "Pages" (Apple's Word) for about $18 from the Apple App Store. THeir spreadsheet application is called "Numbers". Very intuitive and completely capable of outputting Microsoft-compliant export files.

I'm looking at a new MacBook Air next week too - the i5 11" version. It should fit in nicely with my fleet.

[h0ughy]

Chris i have been a hardened WIn/Dos user since i was a teenager....way back in the 80's til now.

[h0ughy]

yeah i was looking at all the costs involved with upspecing the machine - thats what convinced me that the money i outlaid for mine was worth it - in comparison to the new breed. ok it doesnt have the thunderpants port or the illuminati keyboard ;) but it was top of the range only in january of this year. My only concern is the battery - not really friendly to get changed since its built in but hey i will get used to it.

[cmr]

before buying microsift office, or even iwork (which is great) look at the free openoffice suite - has os x version n does everything basic youd want ms office for - plus files are compatible ith ms office

http://www.openoffice.org/

[h0ughy]

ok will do. Last time i used openoffice was version 1. didnt know they had a mac version

[Octane]

Congrats, and, welcome to the light side. :)

DPP/EOS Utility, PixInsight and Photoshop work beautifully.

H

[dugnsuz]

Next - Mac Pro
http://www.apple.com/au/macpro/

Interested to hear from a lifelong PC devotee as how the Mac experience compares.

[h0ughy]

goodness gracious what a price:eyepop:

[janoskiss]

The latest incarnation of OpenOffice is LibreOffice. You may like to try that.

But if you want either of those to work exactly like Microsoft Office, you will end up frustrated. The worst thing is that they look very much like MS-Office and to some extent they try to imitate it (as well as other office software, like remember wordperfect??) but they are not the same. So it's easy to forget you're not using MS-Word etc and then expect it to behave just like MS-Word.

They are good though; in many respects better than the MS products that still have the bugs in them that were annoying me in the pre-animated-paperclip days in the mid 1990's!! I've been a Linux user since 1999. Never looked back. But I am a nerd and mostly use computers as big calculators / computing machines, which is what they are. Modern Macs are great in my limited experience.

[iceman]

MS Office for Mac is 'ok'. Though a bit like Google Docs. Works ok, but still not quite as good as the PC versions; especially Excel.

[spacezebra]

Hi H

Welcome to the world of apple. I carry both the mac office and microsoft office on my macbook pro. No issues to date.

Cheers Petra d.

[h0ughy]

:thumbsup: thanks both for the productive input. might have to have a good think about it as the hdd is limited and needs to have astro stuff loaded;)

[xstream]

Welcome aboard Dave. You will be looking to upgrade to a MacBook Pro (http://www.apple.com/au/macbookpro/) in no time at all. ;)
Funny enough, I don't think I will ever go back to a pc.

[Octane]

David,

Look at Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Beautiful, beautiful applications.

Lots of fun to use, too.

I did my AAIC presentation entirely in Keynote.

H

[gbeal]

Count me in as well, die-hard to the core, never go back. Only PC I own is the one I use at the pure and only because it works so well with Maxim etc. Yes I could run VMWare if I wanted, but an ugly old PC sitting out in the dew and cold, doesn't really worry me.
Everything else we have is Mac, and I can count about 6 at this stage.
Take your time with it Huff, you'll love it.
Gary

[h0ughy]

ok here is my first post from the macbook air. geez its hard to drive - i am trying to load software on it - my goodness what a learning curve

[Steffen]

With years of Windows baggage under your belt I bet it's more of an unlearning curve ;)

In some situations, when you can't figure out how to do something, it helps to ask yourself "what would a completely computer-illiterate person try first?"

Cheers
Steffen.

[marki]

The more I look at the components use to build Macs these days the more I think thats just PC hardware at an extravagant price :P:D.

Mark

[Octane]

David,

All you have to do, typically, is drag a downloaded application to your Applications folder. :)

To delete/uninstall an application, you simply drag it to your desktop from within your Applications folder, and it takes care of itself.

H

[Steffen]

Yep, in the same way a Takahashi is just a Bosma at an extravagant price. :P

Cheers
Steffen.

[kustard]

I went from 0 Apple products to now owning 5 (that includes 3 iPhones for app development though) and my iMac is a great computer. For the price I paid yeah I could have gotten a bit more of a powerful PC but there are no regrets.

Once you spend a week or so on your Mac you'll pretty much know all you need to know to use the computer with ease.

I still have windows, running under VMWare and Bootcamp, so all the tools are still there for me to use.

Personally I think of computers as tools to get the job done, whether it be CAD work, document writing or yes even gaming. Some are easier to use or look more pleasing and some are more expensive... I like my Apple tools :)

[FlashDrive]

You did What ... !!!!!!! :eyepop: .... you bought a Mac.
Nahhh !!! .. that's OK ... I have an Ipad 2 and the latest Ipod 64gb.

My daughter is trying to " convert " me to a MAC ... she reckons ... once you get the hang of it ... you'd never go near a PC again...:rolleyes: ... dunno about that.

Good one houghty :thumbsup:

I still like my PC for FPS and general Web use.

Flash. :hi:

[h0ughy]

i have to agree - but sometimes when you see a bargin - the one i bought they flogged for nearly 1700 and i got it for under a grand with some warranty still. the nearest Win version ultranoteboook is nowhere near the price i paid.

[h0ughy]

it is a challenge- i am wanting the right mouse button and copy but cant LOL. I have loaded pixinsight and skysafari pro (yes i bought thaty on the web site special - looks great)

[marki]

Yes apple is rotten to the intel core... :P:D

Mark

[rat156]

just use two finger tap on the trackpad...

[Octane]

Once he's enabled that in Preferences > Trackpad.

H

[Steffen]

Does two-finger tap still need configuring? I don't remember, most of these customisations seem to happen in a subconscious routine whenever I set up a new Mac ;)

That said, you can always use control-click for right-button functions such as context menus. Better still, explore the wondrous world of drag'n'drop which on the Mac works in many situations and often in smart and surprising ways.

EDIT: Also, familiarise yourself with the numerous keyboard short-cuts. I reckon I haven't used the mouse for copy and paste in a long while. Many of the short-cuts used in Windows work if you substitute control with command.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Omaroo]

Talk of this just made me buy a spanking 11" MacBook Air to add to my collection. Beeootiful! :thumbsup: Not much larger than the iPad. Going to use it for work though to replace my old PowerBook G4. Can't believe the weight and size difference.

[h0ughy]

considering i have the old model 1.6gig dual core it screams with the ssd drive. i have loaded pixinsight and i bought skysafari. i tried to load my version 6 of starry night pro but it comes back and says the powerPC is no longer supported?

I must say it is growing on me:P

[h0ughy]

thanks Steffan

[h0ughy]

i also bought from fleabay a 12V cig lighter powerpack for the macbook and a vga connector. have loaded openoffice

[cjmarsh81]

I too bought my first Mac this year. I have been in the IT industry for many years and thought I should check out the 'other side'.

I think the transition from Windows to Mac would be a lot easier for the novice user. I am so ingrained with the 'Microsoft' way of doing things I find it frustrating working out how to do simple tasks.

Remember you can still run windows on the Mac laptops with Bootcamp if you wish, just keep in mind that there are a few keys missing from the Mac keyboard. I believe this was done by Apple to make it annoying to run windows on Mac hardware.

All that aside, the Unibody is definately the best laptop hardware on the planet at the moment.

Good luck learning the new platform!

[Octane]

David,

I thought I might post this, as I have found this very helpful in transitioning:

Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts
(http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1343)
Hope it helps.

Also, nice one, Chris! If I didn't already have the MBP, I mighthave gone the Air route. I am very, very happy with mine. PixInsight, Photoshop, Digital Photo Professional all screamalong. :)

H

[h0ughy]

i have noted that there are some differences ;) :lol:

[Barrykgerdes]

Be care with your "Apple"'s. Don't use them too regularly in case you get sick.

"Remember an Apple a day keeps the doctor away"

Barry:thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

well some news on my apple air - it died. Like the famous parrot sketch it is no more. i used it on friday night then shut it down, then tried to start it this morning - nothing. then i smelled it - unmistakable smell of a deceased motherboard. I was calm, i didnt throuw it, didnt swear, i even didnt send an abusive email to the guy i bought it off. i was very very lucky that it is still under warranty (til jan 25th 2012). So its the same as any other product out there in the market - dont plan on having it long term without a backup plan. i will be taking up the applecare warranty after i get it fixed.

[Omaroo]

Yep David - a machine is just a machine is just a machine. Like any other, they will all occasionally die nasty deaths.

Was it at all wet at the time with dew? Unlike most laptops, the Airs run quite cool, so in moist air they aren't as ameliorative - i.e. they don't act as their own dew heater.

[h0ughy]

no comments until i can find out what died - as for the dew its been very wet this week and rather wet but its been indoors

[cjmarsh81]

Bugger!.

I hope you had timemachine setup so you can restore when it is fixed and haven't lost any data.

Chris