Switching to a Mac For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
Written by: Arnold Reinhold
Editorial Reviews:
Thinking of making the switch from your PC to a Mac? Congratulations! You’re in for a great, virus-free ride. And Switching to Mac For Dummies makes it smoother than you ever imagined. From buying the Mac that’s right for you to transferring your files to breaking your old Windows habits and learning to do things the (much easier) Mac way, it makes the whole process practically effortless.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mac for dummies book
Comment: This book is very helpful. I wish that this book came in the box with the I-Mac computer. After useing a PC for most my life switching to a MAC can be intimidating. But the book has been very useful.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Book for New Mac Users
Comment:
I was a Microsoft PC user for over 15 years and I recently decided to buy an IMAC. With the new ITouch and new IPhone out, I wanted to combine that with a Mac Machine so that everything can work together easily.
This book gave me a great start to understanding a Mac. Even though I'm good with computers and most of the information I already knew just from playing around with a Mac, the book did give me useful shortcuts and great inside information.
Like other "Dummies" books, this was very easy to understand!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mac Rules
Comment: I started on an Apple-IIc back in 1987,
but had to switch to PC bc of work.
Have had to hassle with MS through
Windows 95, 97, Millennium, XP and then ugh,
the hell with Vista.
I LOVE MY MAC.
Even Windows XP runs better on my Mac
than it did on my Toshiba.
Anyway . . .
this book was great in helping me figure
things out on the Mac.
PS,
if you want to use XP on your Mac
I recommend downloading the trial version
of Parallels from their website.
The disk sent with my Mac was out of date
for the Leopard, but the downloaded version
of Parallels runs perfect.
The best of both worlds.
Awesome.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This Book is a Must!
Comment: I switched from a desktop running Windows to a MacBook the day after Thanksgiving. Although I do have 3 software engineers in the family (2 at Google and 1 at Microsoft) they got my new toy all set up, transferred my files and promptly left me to return to their techie lives in Seattle. I could continually bombard them with questions via email and phone (they wouldn't mind.... really!) but I decided it would just be more practical to have a Dummies book on hand so I don't look quite so dimwitted when I need the answer to the same question a second or third or fourth time. Thus, I find myself reading "Switching To A Mac For Dummies". It really helps. The book is very clear and also quite entertaining. I've laughed out loud more than once. Oh yeah, and I'm learning stuff, too.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Skip this book: Too Much Useless Info and not enough Useful info.
Comment: I have a traditional love/hate relationship with Dummies books. When I am truly a dummy in the subject, I like their broad overviews. "Switching to the Mac for Dummies" is a new title for the Dummies series and is the first Dummies book by author Arnold Renhold. Generally Dummies books are designed to give you the information you need in a lighthearted way so that the reader doesn't feel intimidated or overwhelmed.
I'm not sure what mark Reinhold was shooting for but he clearly missed it. The book is overwhelming yet inadequate and in some places just wrong! As an example, Reinhold said you can't run Appleworks on newer Macs. That is simply untrue. But why would someone switching to the Mac ever care about older version of Appleworks? Based on the contents of the book, it was more akin to "New Macs for Dummies". Reinhold covered PC to Mac issues as well as Mac to Mac issues. While that's nice, why would a PC user need that info? It creates an information overflow that makes the book harder to read and confusing for new Mac users.
While I realized Reinhold did not intend the book to be funny, I had to laugh at some of the topics he covered. Few users switching to the Mac need to know that back in the 1980s some PCs used MicroChannel Architectures (MCA) and Macs used NuBus. This minutae reminds me of the sketch on Airplane when the air traffic controller is asked how we got into this crisis, and he starts talking about dinosaurs creating oil and people buying expensive cars. Funny on a big screen, but not for a dummies book. That's just an example of the massive overkill of useless information. Is the author prepping people for an appearance on a trivia show?
Too much information isn't that bad so long as critical information is included and Reinhold simply failed to deliver on critical information. In particular I am comparing his book to the Missing Manual series of the same title and the Dummies version seems like a really poor rough draft of the Missing Manual. When people switch computers from either Mac to PC or PC to Mac they are most concerned about their data (including pictures and music), their emails and address book, and their favorites. Reinhold comes up with rather elaborate Rube Goldbergesque style ways of moving the information, but way beyond the skills (or budgets) of the average switcher. He also fails to cover how to convert email from PC to Mac, which is a top question for switchers.
Those topics Reinhold covers well are horribly disorganized and hard to follow with few, if any, illustrations or screen shots. You simply have to take his word for what he's saying and use your imagination. I asked typical "How do I?" question on the Mac and none were covered. A new PC user might be calling Microsoft after reading this book asking for reconciliation.
Sorry for such a harsh review. I'm sure Reinhold knows his stuff and was simply trying to be helpful. Switching is a relatively new topic. Apple had to make a Newton before it could make the iPhone and I'm sure version 2.0 of this book will be much better. Skip this one though.
Pros: Interesting for trivia buffs, might increase Windows sales and Apple returns.
Cons: Disorganized, inconsistent coverage. Hard to read and follow.
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.446
EAN: 9780470140765
ISBN: 0470140763
Label: For Dummies
Manufacturer: For Dummies
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: 2007-10-29
Publisher: For Dummies
Studio: For Dummies
 | Format: Paperback List Price: $21.99 Our Price: $14.95 Your Save: $ 7.04 ( 32% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Customer Rating:  |
Editorial Reviews:
Thinking of making the switch from your PC to a Mac? Congratulations! You’re in for a great, virus-free ride. And Switching to Mac For Dummies makes it smoother than you ever imagined. From buying the Mac that’s right for you to transferring your files to breaking your old Windows habits and learning to do things the (much easier) Mac way, it makes the whole process practically effortless.
Whether you’ve been using Windows XP, Vista, or even Linux, you’ll find simple, straightforward ways to make your transition go smoothly. That will leave you plenty of time to get familiar with Mac’s prodigious and dynamic OS X capabilities. You’ll also connect with iLife, Mac’s amazing integrated software suite that lets you turn your computer into a powerful media center—not just for listening and watching, but for creating music, video, and much more. Discover how to:
- Decide whether the switch to Mac is right for you
- Choose the Mac that will change your life
- Keep and reuse elements of your old setup
- Go online with your Mac
- Connect to your home network—even that old PC
- Go media crazy with iTunes, iPhoto and more
- Take advantage of Mac’s business capabilities
Complete with handy cheat sheet of common Mac short cuts and commands as well as a glossary of Mac world lingo, Switching to Mac For Dummies ensures that your switch will be the smartest thing you ever do.
If you like "Switching to a Mac For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)), you might also like ...
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mac for dummies book
Comment: This book is very helpful. I wish that this book came in the box with the I-Mac computer. After useing a PC for most my life switching to a MAC can be intimidating. But the book has been very useful.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Book for New Mac Users
Comment:
I was a Microsoft PC user for over 15 years and I recently decided to buy an IMAC. With the new ITouch and new IPhone out, I wanted to combine that with a Mac Machine so that everything can work together easily.
This book gave me a great start to understanding a Mac. Even though I'm good with computers and most of the information I already knew just from playing around with a Mac, the book did give me useful shortcuts and great inside information.
Like other "Dummies" books, this was very easy to understand!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mac Rules
Comment: I started on an Apple-IIc back in 1987,
but had to switch to PC bc of work.
Have had to hassle with MS through
Windows 95, 97, Millennium, XP and then ugh,
the hell with Vista.
I LOVE MY MAC.
Even Windows XP runs better on my Mac
than it did on my Toshiba.
Anyway . . .
this book was great in helping me figure
things out on the Mac.
PS,
if you want to use XP on your Mac
I recommend downloading the trial version
of Parallels from their website.
The disk sent with my Mac was out of date
for the Leopard, but the downloaded version
of Parallels runs perfect.
The best of both worlds.
Awesome.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This Book is a Must!
Comment: I switched from a desktop running Windows to a MacBook the day after Thanksgiving. Although I do have 3 software engineers in the family (2 at Google and 1 at Microsoft) they got my new toy all set up, transferred my files and promptly left me to return to their techie lives in Seattle. I could continually bombard them with questions via email and phone (they wouldn't mind.... really!) but I decided it would just be more practical to have a Dummies book on hand so I don't look quite so dimwitted when I need the answer to the same question a second or third or fourth time. Thus, I find myself reading "Switching To A Mac For Dummies". It really helps. The book is very clear and also quite entertaining. I've laughed out loud more than once. Oh yeah, and I'm learning stuff, too.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Skip this book: Too Much Useless Info and not enough Useful info.
Comment: I have a traditional love/hate relationship with Dummies books. When I am truly a dummy in the subject, I like their broad overviews. "Switching to the Mac for Dummies" is a new title for the Dummies series and is the first Dummies book by author Arnold Renhold. Generally Dummies books are designed to give you the information you need in a lighthearted way so that the reader doesn't feel intimidated or overwhelmed.
I'm not sure what mark Reinhold was shooting for but he clearly missed it. The book is overwhelming yet inadequate and in some places just wrong! As an example, Reinhold said you can't run Appleworks on newer Macs. That is simply untrue. But why would someone switching to the Mac ever care about older version of Appleworks? Based on the contents of the book, it was more akin to "New Macs for Dummies". Reinhold covered PC to Mac issues as well as Mac to Mac issues. While that's nice, why would a PC user need that info? It creates an information overflow that makes the book harder to read and confusing for new Mac users.
While I realized Reinhold did not intend the book to be funny, I had to laugh at some of the topics he covered. Few users switching to the Mac need to know that back in the 1980s some PCs used MicroChannel Architectures (MCA) and Macs used NuBus. This minutae reminds me of the sketch on Airplane when the air traffic controller is asked how we got into this crisis, and he starts talking about dinosaurs creating oil and people buying expensive cars. Funny on a big screen, but not for a dummies book. That's just an example of the massive overkill of useless information. Is the author prepping people for an appearance on a trivia show?
Too much information isn't that bad so long as critical information is included and Reinhold simply failed to deliver on critical information. In particular I am comparing his book to the Missing Manual series of the same title and the Dummies version seems like a really poor rough draft of the Missing Manual. When people switch computers from either Mac to PC or PC to Mac they are most concerned about their data (including pictures and music), their emails and address book, and their favorites. Reinhold comes up with rather elaborate Rube Goldbergesque style ways of moving the information, but way beyond the skills (or budgets) of the average switcher. He also fails to cover how to convert email from PC to Mac, which is a top question for switchers.
Those topics Reinhold covers well are horribly disorganized and hard to follow with few, if any, illustrations or screen shots. You simply have to take his word for what he's saying and use your imagination. I asked typical "How do I?" question on the Mac and none were covered. A new PC user might be calling Microsoft after reading this book asking for reconciliation.
Sorry for such a harsh review. I'm sure Reinhold knows his stuff and was simply trying to be helpful. Switching is a relatively new topic. Apple had to make a Newton before it could make the iPhone and I'm sure version 2.0 of this book will be much better. Skip this one though.
Pros: Interesting for trivia buffs, might increase Windows sales and Apple returns.
Cons: Disorganized, inconsistent coverage. Hard to read and follow.
Technical Details
Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 005.446
EAN: 9780470140765
ISBN: 0470140763
Label: For Dummies
Manufacturer: For Dummies
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: 2007-10-29
Publisher: For Dummies
Studio: For Dummies
