Customer Reviews

Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're a PC user and you're buying a Mac, for whatever reason, do yourself a favor and buy this book. I've been a PC user for most of my life, and all of my previous Mac experience had been with OS 9 or earlier. When I decided to buy a 12" Powerbook (also very highly recommended) I went out and picked up this book. Despite its size I had it read in less than a week. It's very well written, informative but still fun to read, and, a rarity in computer books, even not having the computer right in front of me didn't keep me from understanding and learning from this book. In short, it covers everything you'll need to know to get started, and it does it from the point of view of a PC user, making the transition a quick and relatively painless one.

One word of caution though, if you pick up this book too far in advance you'll be sorry, it'll make the wait until your new Mac arrives almost unbearable.

"Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual" provides a smooth adjustment path for anyone who intends to explore Mac's new environment. This book is a portable classic, whose pages manifested all those qualities found in the 'Missing Manual' series.
Apart from the detailed explanations on how to settle-down in the new Mac environment, this book provided comprehensive coverage: as it concerned all the supportive Mac staples. These extensive discussions include: Quicken for Mac, Mac's Microsoft Office, Filemaker for Mac, Photoshop, and so on.
Also discussed were all the important facts (and features) regarding networking and peripheral configurations. This text is by every means, a reliable introductory to the Mac arena. Traditional Windows users, who seek a Mac adventure, would have a lot to gain from it. But, complementing its efforts with that of an established Mac text would yield better result. In this case, I would suggest either "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual" or "Mac OS X: In A Nutshell".

Even if you aren't switching, this book provides accurate information on Mac OS X and the technical help for transferring documents to a Windows computer. David Pogue, my favorite mac writer, known for his vivid style, won't let you down. Highly recommended.

I recently bought a Mac after years of using a PC and I loved it, but had no idea how to use/activate some of the features i had heard so much about (tabbed browsing, anyone?). And then I found this book...

I'm a fairly casual computer user - main uses are Internet, digital photos and word processing, though i have needed to pull together a presentation or two. This book has been invaluable, but because it is tailored for the PC user who has recently switched over, none of the chapters go into much detail.

Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot of very useful information here, but unless you're like me, I think that The Missing Manual's OS X Tiger Edition (not this "Switching to the Mac" edition) may be better for you.

Here are the chapter headings so you can decide for yourself

~ How the Mac is Different
~ Windows and Icons
~ The Dock, Desktop, Toolbar and Sidebar
~ Programs and Documents
~ Five Ways to Transfer Your Files
~ Transferring Email and Contacts
~ Special Software, Special Problems
~ Hardware on the Mac
~ Getting Online
~ Mail and Address Book
~ Safari, iChat and Sherlock
~ System Preferences
~ The Freebie Programs
~ Installation and Trouble Shooting

Even if you choose not to purchase this edition, I would definitely recommend purchasing a Missing Manual. They are extremely user-friendly and understandable, which is not always the case with computer literature. They also have great support on their website with lists of shareware programs mentioned in the book.

The cover calls it "the book that should have been in the box" and that's not an exaggeration.

This is an exceptionally good book. After I read and studied this book, I felt quite confident I can flee the Windows quagmire with a minimum of pain and sorrow.

I just ordered my IMac and I can't wait to get going.

Thanks to David and company for this fine book.

Note to APPLE, you really should have this book on your web-site and / or ship this thing with Macs.

This book covers all the stuff you need to know!

I will be HAPPY to have this comment removed once the other Mac-bashing comments on the site have ALSO been removed.

At least two comments purporting to review the book have been posted here, but they are instead complaints against perceived deficiencies of the Mac OS. You are entitled to your opinions of the Mac OS, but reviews of the book are not the place for them. I have reported your reviews as inappropriate and hope they will be removed. In the meantime, focus your reviews on the PRODUCT UNDER REVIEW, please -- which is NOT the Mac OS or Mac computers -- and until such time as the inappropriate comments are reviewed, I hope this "review" serves as an antidote.

Definitely the manual that should have been in the box. I learn something each time I pick up this book.

Prior to my recent purchase of a Mac Pro I hadn't used a Mac since 1985, and that was a bad experience. This book was literally the only reference I needed to become productive very quickly with my new Mac. Every time I felt a bit frustrated or couldn't figure out how to do what I wanted to do I opened the book and found the information I needed to accomplish what I needed to do. Any PC user that has little or no Mac experience should get this book if they make the switch to the Mac.

The author explains himself clearly and cleverly. Easy to follow when instructions are explained and pleasant to read. Clever and smart at full!