Moving to a Mac

If you are like most Americans over the age of 30, your first experiences with a computer were on an IBM-compatible machine, now called simply a PC. For decades, Microsoft’s Windows operating system has held a virtual monopoly on the industry and many current users have never used anything else. Lately, however, the shift has been to the Apple Macintosh line of computers and the Mac OSX operating system. Those who work heavily with creative software like PhotoShop, InDesign and Illustrator will probably benefit from switching to a Mac, but fear of change and learning an entirely new operating system holds them back.

Switching to a Mac does not have to be a cumbersome and frustrating process.  Most programs function very similar on a Mac as they do a PC.  It is easy to transfer programs like Metrofax faxing to your new Mac.  A little research ahead of time will greatly reduce the problems you might have. One of the easiest things you can do in preparing to switch is to familiarize yourself with the Mac’s menus and shortcut keys. On a Mac computer, all the applications will be listed in the Finder, an icon for which is in the lower part of the desktop. Select the application you want to use and click on it.

There are a few key changes that you will want to familiarize yourself with. A Mac uses the “delete” key to delete type backwards; there is no “backspace” key. Instead of the Windows key, you will see a Command key with an icon that looks like a flower. This is used instead of “Ctrl” for many window shortcuts. Once you have a window open, you will notice that the icons used to shrink, enlarge or close the window are nowhere to be found. Instead, windows in the Mac use a “Stoplight” configuration of red, yellow and green dots, in the upper left corner of the window. These buttons are used to control the window, but they will not allow you to close the application. In order to do that, select “Quit” from the application menu.