Mac OS X Snow LeopardPortable Genius [Paperback]

Dwight Spivey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0470436379 | ISBN-13: 978-0470436370 | Edition: 1

Hip help on how to make Apple's new Mac OS X Snow Leopard purr

• Full-color, 400 pages, and packed with information, this savvy guide gives readers the essential information they need on Mac OS X Snow Leopard
• Whether novices or serious Mac fans, readers will find that this book answers the questions they have most, without overwhelming them with detail
• Topics include troubleshooting and maintaining Mac OS X, customizing the computer and workspace, automating repetitive tasks, using Unix, manipulating images and multimedia, listening to music and podcasts, connecting peripherals, copying music to an iPod, syncing Macs to other devices, and more
• As with all books in the Portable Genius series, this book is fun but straightforward; it comes in a handy portable size that doesn't skimp on the essentials and is packed with tips, cool tricks, and savvy advice

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Genius is in.

You don't have to be a genius to use Mac OS X Snow Leopard. But if you want to get the very most out of it, put this savvy Portable Genius guide to work. Want to quickly access the most useful features, apps, and utilities? Customize the desktop and make it your own? Install Xcode Developer Tools or learn UNIX tricks? Automate repetitive tasks? You'll find cool and useful Genius tips, full-color screenshots, and pages of easy-to-access shortcuts and tools that will save you loads of time and let you enjoy your Mac OS X Snow Leopard to the max.

Portable Genius

Fun, hip, and straightforward, the new Portable Genius series gives forward-thinking Apple users useful information in handy, compact books that are easy to navigate and don't skimp on the essentials. Collect the whole series and make the most of your Apple digital lifestyle.

About the Author

Dwight Spivey is a software and support engineer for Konica Minolta, where he specializes in working with Mac operating systems, applications, and hardware. He is the author of Mac OS X Leopard Portable Genius, teaches classes on Mac usage, and is a Mac OS X beta tester for Apple.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470436379
• ISBN-13: 978-0470436370
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mac OS X Snow Leopard Portable Genius, June 14, 2010

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David Kilby (Gresham, Oregon, US) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mac OS X Snow LeopardPortable Genius (Paperback)

This is a great book for "newbies" or someone crossing over from "PC Land". It covers all the basics and gives a good intro to the parts and potentials of Snow Leopard. However, if you are more than a casual "Mac-maniac", it leaves a bit to be desired. For experienced Mac users who want to do more with the OS than just the standard, I would suggest David Pogue's "Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual".

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get up to speed quickly., December 2, 2009

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D. Chun (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mac OS X Snow LeopardPortable Genius (Paperback)

The traditional way to learn a new OS is to play around with it and figure things out as you go, which sometimes works but is an unreliable way to get up to speed quickly. With this Genius book, the features, benefits and warnings are laid out systematically in nice, neat chapters. Terrific images complement the instructions and make comprehension easy. A good book--well worth the money.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners, not for more seasoned folks, July 25, 2010

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J. Omohundro (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mac OS X Snow LeopardPortable Genius (Kindle Edition)

I bought this book hoping to learn more of the nuts and bolts of OS X. I'm a recent Windows convert, and I have used computers since the 1980's, so I'm already comfy with the basics. What I was hoping for was a book that would share some good, practical info for exploiting OS features, utilizing the dock more efficiently. In short, I guess maybe I should have purchased "OS X Secrets of the Pros," if there is such a book, because this book didn't have what I was looking for personally. The book is okay for what it is. It gives good information on the basic stuff. I did learn a few things about using the dock and setting up some things in Finder. The majority of the book, however, seems to be directed toward teaching folks the basics of e-mail, Internet, and other tasks using the software that comes standard on a Mac. If you have used any computer for a while -- Mac or Windows -- you already know how to do these things.

This is an okay book for pure beginners, but if you've been around the block more than a couple times on your tricycle, you'll want something more advanced.