A Windows Girl Goes Mac: Episode 1

So. It was a very good mail day. :D The MacBook came. :D

So today began the adventure getting to know the new machine, and learning the Mac OS for the first time. I have been asked a lot since I mentioned it, to talk about my personal experience as a Windows girl, entering the Mac world, and my thoughts. 

Here is how the First Meeting went down:

When we opened the box and removed the styrofoam, our Thing of Beauty with the sweet translucent apple logo gazed up at us, and batted its eyes.

We opened the lid and turned it on, LOVING that it was fully charged so we could dig right in.  

We watched a cute little Welcome movie with a jazzy soundtrack, and then it began to lead us through the setup process.

Right away it located our wireless network, and all we needed was the password. 

It asked for Jared’s iTunes information and got our address and his phone number.

Then it connected itself to our file server. 

I think we said, “Holy CRAP!” about 34 times in the first 10 minutes. And I think I cried a little bit.

Later:

We plugged it in. The power cord is slightly magnetized, so it locks itself into place.

I’m sitting here in the dim light on the couch, and the keyboard is illuminated.

Clearly Apple has the science of human interface design down to, well, a science. It is so easy to get blinded by the sexiness. Part of me wonders, “Where have you been all my life?” and part of me wonders why there’s no backspace key. And whether to push the CONTROL key or the COMMAND key when I want to copy something? And what does this little line and triangle button here above the Delete key do? Ah! It’s the Function button.

And how do the kids feel? 

Nothing better than a built-in webcam to play with! Elliott got shy, and Rowen experimented with seeing herself on video as only a 4-year-old can. :)

 

So far, I am cautiously in love. All I’ve done is type, after all, oh, and upload a YouTube video. I don’t know if I am brave enough to bring this to CKU next week - there are a few too many hunt-n-peck and “what was that key again?” situations for my comfort.  But it’s light, it’s lovely, it glows, and I am pretty sure I can figure out how to maximize, right? :)

More to come as the journey continues! (And I was just hunting for the End key, and apparently there isn’t one?) 

I’d love to hear how your first encounter with Mac went, if you have one!

Comments

[stacy t]

oh i fell in love may 2008. completely in love. first time i ever touched a MAC was when i bought it. always PC. but now that I am MAC, i will never ever EVER go back. it's amazing. did i tell you i'm in love??

[Crystal]

We got our first MacBook while on vacation in Miami in March of this year and it's been marvelous. I was so used to the convoluted PC way of doing things that I'm still learning how to do things. I love iphoto and imovie - so simple and almost failproof. I'm hoping to buy PS Elements soon and then I can try following you into digi scrapping.

One thing I can't figure out how to change - in the Pages program, how can you adjust margin sizes? I can drag the left margin but can't figure out how to change right, top or bottom. I appreciate anyone's help!

[Heather L.]

I just love how Rowen moves her tongue side to side throughout the video clip. Bwahahaha! So, so cute.

[Monica]

Question from another PC girl looking to get a nice new laptop....do I need to buy a MAC version of CS3 or is there a way to make me PC version work?

Monica

[chrystal]

We are kind of hot and cold about our Mac. We got it in February, and have really liked (LOVE that it automatically connects to our printer, network, etc.), but we have had some pretty major issues stemming from Time Machine. And some freezing issues. But most of the time it's great!

[LawrenBC]

How fun that you have a Mac! I'm not brave enough to make the jump...yet.

I have a HUGE favor to ask of you -- can you give me some direction on loading ACTIONS in PSE6? I haven't found any info on this anywhere and I'm getting ready to download some fun actions from Mindy Bush...and I'm stressin'

Thanks Jess!

P.S. Still on week 3 of Now We're Rockin'...yes, I know class has been over for quite some time...GREAT class! I'm just slow.

[Jen]

I am a recent switcher from a Dell desktop to a beautiful 24" iMac. I LOVE it! It hasn't been completely painless, but I am glad I switched. I did figure out how to make my mighty mouse "right click" and that has eased some frustration. Everything else has been so intuitive. I was using PSE 4.0 on the WinPC and got PSE 6.0 for my mac. I had my photos all organized, but somehow int he transfer I lost that structure. And I haven't spent much time trying to figure out "Bridge" or whatever it is to start over. I have been using iPhoto though, and it is so easy! I need to spend more time with PSE and get back on my feet with that - for editing and to learn some digi scrapping anyway, maybe not organizing. Have fun! I'm sure you will love it! Jen

[tchrtiff]

Our family went Mac about 9 months ago. It was a huge learning curve for me but love my mac now. Everything is just easier on the mac--just drag and drop! Love it! Please keep us updated on life w/a mac.

[Linda]

OMG, Jared speaks!!! After how many years of blog stocking, class taking and video tutorial watching, I know hear Jared.

[CristieB]

It's so exciting that you bought a MAC. I just bought the EXACT same MAC last week and am a newbie too. I'm very happy about discovering the MAC world along with you!!

[Joanie]

Fun for you with a new toy. I loved your post and all of the PC vs MAC comments. I hope that you get comfortable real soon. But don't forget us PC'ers who haven't switched, yet!

[Tina]

"Once you go mac, you never go back" is NO lie. I grew up with PC's with a hardcore dad who never had anything good to say about Macs. I had my first encounter with mac's in high school and they were so foriegn and strange... and they were the OLD ones, so it was not so great at all. No good memories.
I started getting in to graphic design more (Paint Shop Pro on the PC) and finally decided to go to school for it. Signed up for school and bum-bah-dum... they handed me over a sleek, black suitcase-type box with a big fat apple on the front. ;) SCARY! Sexy, but scary. It was intimidating at first, and we had a few kinks with our airport, but after having it for a year now, I'm a die-hard mac fan all the way. :) SO EASY...

And not only are macs great, but SO IS APPLE. We are lucky enough to live about 15 minutes away from an Apple Store. They. Are. AMAZING. They have gone above and beyond when we've brought it in for repairs (and admittedly all repairs needed were our fault, not manufacturer). Had a some funky lines on my screen that google said warranted some settings changed. Had no idea how to do that, so trip to the Apple Store. Did they change the settings? Sure they did... but they also threw in a brand new top shell (the entire screen of my 15" macbook pro) because it was covered in the warranty (a $700-$1000 value). Cost us nothing. At all! They've also replaced keys (they aren't as easy to pop in an out as you'd think, so I don't recommend trying it *LoL*) and our whole keyboard once, under warranty. We are planning to extend the warranty... because we've already saved in repairs as much as it would have cost us to buy a brand new mac in the first place. And... it's still running smoothly, no problems of it's own. I've never seen this kind of customer support provided anywhere for PC's... (and I say that with all the love in the world, as my dad repairs and rebuilds PC's himself and is an expert in the IT field. Heh!)

Congrats on the new Mac! I bet you'll be head over heels for it in no time... (And we keep our pc's around just for old-time's sake!) :")

This is my first comment on your blog, btw... I'm loving your site and your blog! Thank you for sharing it with the world!

[Tina]

Oh, oh, oh! Must add.... YOUR KIDS ARE SO CUTE! *LoL* I have two boys, 2 and 4, and they love seeing other little kids on webcam... I'll have to show them your blog tomorrow. :") The Photobooth is a family favorite. Youtube is great, too, since the Isight connects right up (using the USB option) to both the isight cam and the built in mic. We've had many fun times with our Isight, doing puppet shows for the grandparents who live out of state. Enjoy!

[heather (h2)]

Got my Macbook pro 9ish months ago. LOVED it for all the reasons you mention and more. My Desktop PC was running low on memory (too full of photos!) and the processing speed was turtle slow.....hello MacPro. never looking back.

[Maegan]

LOL! Great post. I converted about a year ago. Once you go Mac, you never go back! :) My husband loves it because the only tech support he has given me in the last year is getting our printer to work (and that is just printer issues, it has nothing to do with my MacBoox). Enjoy!

[Amie]

Now that you've joined the world of Macs, a word to the wise...GET AN INVISIBLE SHIELD. I love mine, as it keeps my beautimous Mac from getting scratched and those miniature fingerprints that seem to appear out of nowhere become much easier to wipe away. I got mine from www.zagg.com. Check out the demo vid, get one, rest easy with your new mac!

[Melissa]

I wish I could remember what my first encounter was like to that degree! It was about 15 years ago when I was in high school on the newspaper staff! I think it was an Apple II!!!

I've been a Mac lover for years and years. Once you get used to it, it will be so intuitive that you'll wonder why PCs are so popular. BTW, Command (or as I still call it "open apple" because it's an outlined apple) is PC's "control." I really never understood why there's no backspace key though!

Enjoy your new "toy"!

[Betty]

OMG Jessica
I've been tempted to make the switch and thank you for sharing your experience. I think I'm going to make the switch some time this year...after moving back into our home (being remodel). So with that said...I want to know more more about your experience with Mac and how your transition with all your programs that you currently use. Thank you for a wonderful blog. I'm here just about everyday!! Esp. Fridays!!! Thanks!

[Savannah Brentnall]

Congratulations! After being a PC programmer for almost 20 years, I switched to a mac last year. I can't believe it took me so long! Everything is just easier.

Re. the backspace key, it's the same as the delete key on the top right of your keyboard.

For people asking about switching to the mac version of PS, just contact Adobe. They have a form you can fill out where you state that you promise to destroy your Windows version (you give them the serial number), and they send you a new mac version. It's very easy.

[Sarah Goodyear]

Jessica! You are too cool! I'm loving the Mac saga. I too have always been a PC girl, but in the last few years, I've found myself longing for that sexy mac. I could never give up my PC desktop, but to have a mac as a laptop would be so so so much better. Maybe someday... : )
Keep us posted on how it's going.

[Amy L]

Congratulations! I got my MacBook for Christmas 2006, Ds the MacHead was helping me set it up when we suddenly saw ourselves on video on the screen. He just freaked (with jealousy) because his doesn't have a webcam.

I Skyped with Veevs last weekend (while she was actually hosting said ds on his journey through the UK--Veevs and ds, sitting side by side in her flat LOL). You will have to Skype with us, it is awesome!

[hchybinski]

ahhhh. . .for the love a MAC. . .my hubby bought me a MacBook 2 years ago for Christmas and I've been in love ever since. . . this year I got an iPhone and honestly - my technology life is utter bliss. enjoy the journey.

Hillary

[Tracey]

I switched to a MAC about four months ago. I LOVE my MACBOOK!!! It didn't take me too long to get the hang of it and I love the Finder. I even figured out how to change the icon previews to show the Previews of my digital kits. I can then use the cool "cover flow" to browse through the previews.
I could go on and on, :)

[Jocelyn]

I was an "I'll never switch to a MAC" girl...since my husband is an IT guy, we were an anti-MAC house....but can I tell you, I'm a convert! I bought myself a MAC for Christmas and was given the classes at the MAC store as a gift..which really helped and only $99 for the year...great deal. I use my PC for work, but I really am enjoying the MAC journey...one thing that I am longing for on my MAC....PICASA!!!! I keep reading blogs that it is coming soon...not soon enough. I've been asking all the computer geeks if I should invest in Crossover to be able to run PC programs on my MAC (well...just Picasa)...still debating...

[Linn]

My Mac was an "I've had it with my computer and can't take it anymore" spur of the moment purchase. I was in love the moment that I discovered that it recognized both of my (different manufacturers) cameras and instantly downloads (without any software!) the photos into one fabulous iphoto program. Aaaah. It's been 7 months and I'm about ready to trade in the laptop to get a Macbook. Hubby and I were both Windows people, and now can barely stand it. Enjoy your new baby!

[michelle]

the classes rock....so much so i drove 2h to go to one about i Movie yesterday with my two kids! lol! (must be good, eh?) i would suggest paying the 99$ to take a years worth of them! also, the geniuses are wonderful....gave me a whole new macbook when the airline bent my frame a little!

you are so gonna love it more as you go! congrats!

[Ann]

Let me just tell you, Jessica, having 3 Mac laptops, an iMac (largest monitor, to boot!), and a Mac Mini (can't just toss our old PC!)...we are truly an APPLE household! Not to mention that we are also a family of 4 with 4 new iPhone 3G's! Yes, we are crazy in love with Apple products! There is no question in my mind that you made the right choice!! Enjoy!
Also, I just ordered the invisible screen from Amie's post earlier...can't wait to try that out!
HAVE FUN, Jessica!! :)

[Donna C]

Hi Jessica

I have been a Mac person since the old Mac Classic days (25 years - yikes!) and have been through my share of Macs over the years. I absolutely love them. They generally have had less bugs and problems, and are so wonderfully intuitive to use. Yes, I have worked on PC's when required but to me, there is nothing like a Mac. Welcome to the club!

[Wendy]

First, I have to say that I was practically rolling on the floor reading your post, Jessica. You are such a great writer - so descriptive and I was right there with you. I don't have a Macbook but just got an iMac about a month ago and my experience was very similar to yours. Like, why isn't there a delete key, for crying out loud. I got the wireless keyboard and mouse and, I must say, I am missing my number key pad. But, happily, those are about the only things I'm missing. I am absolutely loving my new mac. I am still in the learning process, but I'm confident that within a short time, we'll be the very best of friends.

[Sarah Beverly]

I crossed over to the MACbook side in 2004 and never looked back! Eye candy! The thing I found out was that I was making stuff too hard, using my PC mind. One of the neatest things I stumbled onto was creating a PDF from anything. You just hit Print and this little PDF button is right in the left corner! No buying expensive Adobe Acrobat or anything. I still find new stuff everyday. Enjoy! If you want a cool skin for your top (so it won't get scratched) this site is really cool: http://gelaskins.com/ My s-i-l, Aaron Kraten has some of his art there. Enjoy!