Mac Help
meme
Posts: 4,695
Hi,
I am ready to take the plunge and move to a Mac!
I have decided to go for a MacBook 2GB memory, 160GB drive.
I mostly do word processing and music listening, so I figured that's enough.
I am at the high end of my price range, and I have two questions:
should I go for the 3 year Protection plan for 183 bucks?
what software do I need to start word processing and transferring my Word documents from day one?
Thanks
I am ready to take the plunge and move to a Mac!
I have decided to go for a MacBook 2GB memory, 160GB drive.
I mostly do word processing and music listening, so I figured that's enough.
I am at the high end of my price range, and I have two questions:
should I go for the 3 year Protection plan for 183 bucks?
what software do I need to start word processing and transferring my Word documents from day one?
Thanks
... and the will to show I will always be better than before.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Sorry, don't know the answer to your questions though...
I'm excited, it looks so pretty
i didn't get the protection plan (couldn't afford it after buying the computer)but i believe you can buy it later
i'm not on the mac side of my macbook right now but i believe it comes with a trial version of office for mac.....microsoft is not longer support it though so you will want to get iWork which includes a word processor, spreadsheet etc - just like office
Thank you... will pass on the protection plan then. I absolutely need to have a very smooth transition of my Word documents to the Mac. Do you think it could work with... iWork?
http://www.apple.com/iwork/pages/#compatible
I was looking at the exact same thing... this is what worries me:
Getting the word out.
When it’s time to share Pages documents with friends and colleagues, you can export them as PDF documents, in Word .doc format, as RTF, or as plain text documents. Or send your documents to iWeb for publication on your website as Pages ’08 or PDF documents. (For the former, readers will need a copy of Pages; for the latter, Preview or Adobe Reader.)
I don't seem too seamless...
well that's to export files......if this is a concern then you'll have to break down and get office for mac.....unless anyone else has a way around this
I'll ask around. I just don't want to pay for the iWork and then have to buy some version of Office later on.
Damn, whenever I think I'm all ready to click the buy button a thousand questions come up
But thanks for your help, you have been very kind
i LOVE my macbook to pieces....it rocks!
Nice, thank you!
I can't wait
As far as the warranty goes, you have within the first year to buy it. It covers any technical issue with the computer, but not accidental damage, like having it drop or liquid spilled on it. The extended warranty also covers phone support ; which Apple normally charges $50 a call for.
Also, ask about their .Mac service, you save 30% when you buy a new computer. It offers some pretty useful features. They are also having a promotion where you get a $100 mail in rebate toward the purchase of a printer, so you might want to ask about that too of you need a printer.
Three crooked hearts, swirls all around
You can't spell Gossard without G-O-D
6/30/2008 - Mansfield, MA.
5/17/2010 - Boston, MA
9/3/2011 - East Troy, WI (PJ20)
9/4/2011 - East Troy, WI (PJ20)
I'm going to ask a few questions to colleagues to check on Word compatibility in a university environment and then I'm set!
I need to get more life out of my old old printer, since I'm really stretching my budget. But I may go for the protection plan after all.
Thanks again!
As for Word documents, I bought the $149.99 version on Office 08 for Mac. It came with Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Messenger, and Entourage. I have been more than satisfied transferring files from my Windows laptop. The biggest pain in the ass was transferring my iTunes though. That took some time.
Anyway, feel free to PM me with any other questions you may have and enjoy your Mac
Ft Lauderdale '96:::West Palm Beach '98:::Tampa '00:::Tampa '03:::Camden 1&2 '06::: DC '06:::West Palm Beach '08:::Tampa '08:::Columbia '08:::Virginia Beach '08
Thank you so much
This may have been the tipping point. I was a little concerned about file transfers, but my old Dell is so overloaded I am actually thinking about starting over and copying directories on a need-to-have basis.
I also plan on starting over with Itunes and manually update my Ipod.
So you don't have any issues sending and receiving word files from PC users, correct?
Thanks again
I would recommend a USB hard drive with the MacBook. Time Machine won't run on the hard drive that you have installed.
I have had no problems reading documents in iWork that were created in Word. I have old school reports that I had done in Word and I've easily opened them in iWork.
If you are worried I'd go with Office 08
It has horrible, horrible reviews. I'll try iWork and see if it's enough. Perhaps by then the glitches in Office 2008 will be solved.
Thanks again everyone
Maybe you could get that
Yeah, I have to use Windows at work and use my Mac at home. I transfer files back and forth all the time using Excel and Word with Office 08 for Mac. I have yet to have any issue at all. Wish I could get my work to go Mac though
Thought about starting over with iTunes at one point but I have so many PJ boots on there that I def. didn't feel like reloading them all. But whatever works for you !!
Did I mention I love my Mac? ? Haha.
Ft Lauderdale '96:::West Palm Beach '98:::Tampa '00:::Tampa '03:::Camden 1&2 '06::: DC '06:::West Palm Beach '08:::Tampa '08:::Columbia '08:::Virginia Beach '08
/System/Users/(username)/Music/iTunes
I've been a Mac user for life and worked at Microsoft for a short stint. You're making a good moving going Mac.
Here is my opinion on your two questions:
1. Being that laptops are so expensive to replace, absolutely buy the extended warranty. It comes with a 1 year warranty and you have until that expires to extend it.
2. I would recommend getting Office. It is one of those necessary evils. iWork is ok, but not up to par with Office yet (I wish it was). The difference between the $399 version and the $149 version is support for Exchange Server. If you are not using it in a work environment, you likely will never miss this feature. Go for the $149 version. In regards to the poor reviews that 2008 has been getting, it is largely in part because Microsoft switched support from their VBA for macros to using Apple's AppleScript. It kills people who have a ton of macros in VBA in their past documents and it also hinders interoperability between the Windows and OS X platforms. Again, if you rarely use macros, this is not something you will miss.
I'd never recommend an extended warranty to anyone...there are always people who can fix your computer for much much less than Apple. However, extended warranties are a personal choice...but you have to read the fine print very carefully....The mark-up on MacBooks is nil, so Apple makes their money from extended warranties, software, and Apple brand peripherals...
This was very helpful. Beside the VBA issue there also seems to be an issue of the office applications being slow to load. I'll let you all soon enough how it goes, but thanks again
I'm going to have to disagree here. I think it's much better to pay a reasonable 1-time fee. If you're covered under the warranty, they charge nothing. If you're not under warranty (which doesn't cover physical damage), they only charge for parts and labor. Apple do not make money on their in-store tech support. They actually lose it. 3rd party companies will usually charge you much more, as that is their sole livelihood. And the great majority of these people lack certification.
I do, however, agree that a warranty is indeed a personal decision. Regardless, if anything should ever happen, I would be glad to help troubleshoot :-)
Three crooked hearts, swirls all around
You can't spell Gossard without G-O-D
I'm going to partially agree with this in that usually I say avoid the extended warranties. But with a laptop, I almost always get one and I think that is the general industry concencus.
And actually where Apple makes their money is in the hardware. The Mac computer line is their most profitable business segment. That's why the "halo" effect of iPods is such a big deal.
All true. I never buy the extended warranty with any product, except when I buy a Mac, I buy Apple Care. When I bought my MacPro, one of the USB ports was not supplying power. Without Apple Care, I would have to bring it to an Apple store and wait for them to fix it. With Apple Care, the technician was at my house doing the repair (they had to replace the motherboard) the next day. Did not cost me a dime in either time or money. I generally turn over my machines every three years, so Apple care guarantees me worry free operation of the machine for the time I have it.
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is who I am
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That's impressive. So, since I can buy it up until one year after purchase, can I wait until I have a problem?