The Reluctant Apple User…

I like multi-tasking, although the latest Guru-Du-Jour Eben Pagan says it’s a “no-no

So having eaten my lunch while MythBusters was playing on Discovery, I finally opened up the box containing my new MacBook 2.1 Ghz machine (a freebie bundled together with my new 10mbps DSL plan).

While Jamie and Adam are firing machine guns into the side on a car on the screen, I’m pulling the polycarbonate-sheathed laptop out of the box.

First reaction: This thing is pretty heavy compared to my Fujitsu Lifebook ultra-portable.

Second reaction: The graphics are really pretty (I can see why Sam Harrelson and Shawn Collins get into their Asus eee/Apple/Dell Vostro bickering matches)

Third reaction: I don’t quite like the tactile feel of the keyboard. The keys don’t have the “sink” of a traditional keyboard (but that could be easily remedied with a regular-sized USB keyboard). I am just wondering why the Apple developers don’t include the “double tap” on the touchpad simulating a mouse click – that would greatly enhance productivity.

Fourth reaction: I’m not too certain what the Mac equivalents of “control-a”, “control-c” and “control-v” are on the Mac. I think it’s the “open Apple” button.

My first “proper” computer ever was an Apple ][e and I spent 3 years as a desktop production editor working on Apple Quadras in the early 1990s, so I think I’ll be able to make the transition.

I’m still mulling over Geordie Carswell’s advice to ditch the default 1GB of ram and go for the 4GB max.

The MacBook seems to have a proprietary interface for connecting an external monitor, so I still have to figure that one out.

And yes, the absence of a mouse is sorely missed.

As far as I’m aware, Google AdWords Editor does not run on OS X, unless you’re running Basecamp or Parallels or some other cross-platform…It’ll all have to wait till tax season is over and I’ll have time to fiddle with it.

The iSight built-in webcam seems to take pretty killer pictures though…

At times like this, I’m glad that my skype contact list is filled with a host of Apple geeks.

More updates after April 15th.

37 thoughts on “The Reluctant Apple User…

  1. JC

    Glad to see another Apple user!
    Here’s my input for you…
    Reaction 3: Open System Preferences (in the dock & applications folder) > Keyboard & Mouse > Trackpad > “Trackpad Gestures” – You can set clicking, dragging, etc.
    Reaction 4: Apple-A, Apple-C, Apple-V, etc. And a tip: You can “right click” by holding down the ctrl and clicking.

    Google Adwords Editor IS available on mac! Just go on over to http://www.google.com/intl/en/adwordseditor/ and you can choose Windows or Mac to download.

    Hope this helps.
    JC

  2. Ken Price

    Andrew,

    I’m going through a learning curve too with my new Mac Pro. Overall I like it though.

    FYI – you can get AdWords native on Mac.

    Cheers,

    Ken

  3. Geordie

    Welcome to the dark side…the chiclet keyboard will grow on you. You need a dongle from apple to hookup an external monitor. One thing you’ll also shortly notice is how fast it wakes up from and goes to sleep, it’s a major time saver.

  4. Gareth

    Hi Andrew, the equivalent of CTRL + C is Command + C (aka Apple + C) etc.

    Have fun with the new toy!

  5. Amit

    Hi Andrew,

    Welcome to the Apple community!

    Yes there’s bit of a learning curve when you first switch over to an Apple, but within a week you’ll be up to speed.

    I LOVE my Mac Pro and will NEVER use a Windows machine EVER again. I actually had a Mac Consultant come in and optimize my whole home office.

    I got parallells running and everything it’s awesome! 🙂

    I find I rarely use parallells, I can do 95% of what I need to do on the Mac side.

    As for Adwords Editor, they have a Mac version.

    Sincerely,
    Amit

  6. Andrew Wee Post author

    Thank goodness my 5-button logitech gaming mouse works with it.

    Even the right mouse button works!

    I plan to live on the edge and hook up my favorite USB keyboard soon…

  7. Andrew Wee Post author

    Yeah, the next stage after I beat up my machine a little after tax day is to decide if i want to go from 1gb ram to 4gb.

    and maybe try a spot of video blogging with the isight camera.

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