Customer Reviews

The iMac For Dummies®

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I recieved this book for Christmas and I am giving it five stars even though I was very dissappointed with it. This s a great book if you have never owned a Macintosh before. But if you have had a Macintosh before skip it. For it is nothing more than a revised edition of David Pogue's other book, Macs for Dummies (The book I cut my Mac teeth on.)

My favorite tip from the book, by the way, is to put an alias (you'll learn what that is and how to create one in the first few chapters) in a file called Start Up Items. Each time you start your computer, every item (like say America On Line) will be launched automatically.

But again, if you know how to use a Macintosh, this book isn't going to help you with the iMac...

Last night, I bought and began reading "iMac for Dummies" by David Pogue. OK, I'm no computer wizard. I'm from an older generation that has had to learn this stuff like a second language. Nonetheless, I must exclaim with glee that simply reading thie iMac for Dummies book is more fun than anything I've ever DONE on a Wintel machine and one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done with computers. I have purchased several different Dummies type books for Word, Windows, DOS, etc., over the years. Never, ever has one come close to being this readable. After one night and morning of reading, I feel I am user-friendly with Macs. Contrast this with the countless hours (years) I spent planted in front of Windows programs, jaw clenched, with three books spread in my lap and trying in vain to solve indecipeherable error messages, glitches and crashes. Suddenly, it seems absurd how simple computing might really be and could have been all along. I am beginning to get a feeling--a strong feeling--that one can actually have a good time on a computer. Mac fever. Bless Mr. Pogue and Apple for rescuing us from the dark side of the force. I can sleep safely now, iMac and Dummies book by my bed, knowing that my family is safe from the evil Wintel demon. Seriously, kudos to Mr. Pogue for writing an emminently successful and accessible book on personal computers "for the rest of us."

Jeffrey Teuber

If you are already a Macintosh user and say things like Windows95 is Apple 84, then you can skip this book. If you have Pogue's other book, MACS FOR DUMMIES, you can skip it as well. (You will want IDG's OTHER iMac Book: MY iMAC.) If however, the iMac is your first Macintosh book, This is the book for you. In it you will such important information like what an alias is, how to create one, and why you would need to. What items in your system folder you can trash, and what you should never ever even entertain the thought of trashing. The book is funny and practical. I turn to mine time after time.

This book saved me from a mental meltdown for I am a total computer novice and if it had not been for the long distance coaching from my adult daughter (from August until December) I would have been very frustrated. Now that I have read iMac For Dummies I am happy and my daughter is also happy, for long distance problem solving was not her favorite activity. The book assumes you know nothing about computers (so true in my case) and Pogue gently and humorously guides you through the maze within this clever computer. He tells you about things you can trash if you are not on a network; he shows you how to create deathless prose with the word processing program included (and uses very funny examples) and he also explains the games and other software that came with the iMac. This is an excellent book that I think should have been packed in the iMac box when it came from the factory.

The iMac is my very first computer and as a middle-aged housewife I was dismayed that there was no "beginners manual" packed in the iMac box. My adult daughter was a great help at first but our long distance "consultation calls" were getting pretty expensive. I was delighted to find this book, a perfect "beginners manual" that answered many, many questions for me. The book is clearly written by a man who assumes you know nothing and it is very thorough but not at all boring. Sprinkles of humor keep the tone light and reading this book was the most painless learning experience I've had recently. I feel the iMac is a wonderful "contraption" and I know that Pogue's book gave me more confidence than I could have found even with a tutor at my elbow. This is a wonderful guide to the mysteries of the innards of an iMac as far as I am concerned.

This book is perfect for those people who know absolutely nothing about computers, or macs anyway. If the first computer somebody buys is an iMac, (which, by the way, would be wise) this is the book to get. It's got everything from how to turn the machine on, to turning it off, and EVERYTHING that you will do in between. And it's laid out so simply. If you've owned a mac before, and just bought an iMac, don't buy this book. It truly is a book for "dummies", or beginners.

The book is very funny and does get you started. If you want to use it for a quick reference after you have read it, the jokes get in the way. Doesn't cover OS9 hardly at all. That was my main problem. I have OS9 and this book is probably great for OS8 and older. Would not recommend for OS9.

My daughter bought me this book with my iMac & told me that if I read it I woud have no questions about my iMac. She was correct. Now when my grandchildren come to visit, I CAN SHOW THEM things about computers. A Hundred stars! Harriette gramha@aol.com

I bought this book for my 71 year old Mother for whom we just bought an iMac. It was my first encounter with David Pogue. I sort of ho-hummed as I picked the book up with a highlighter in one hand. I didn't put it down until I finished it. It not only helped me with my own G-3, but you should se my Mom!It is funny and easy to follow & I promise you will search out all of Mr. Pogue's other works. Enjoy!! Siralewker@aol.com

I ordered this book for my mother, who just purchased her first computer, an iMac. The book came, and I looked at the back cover, where it states this book covers Mac OS 9. HELLO! Mac OS 10 is the current OS, and very different in nature from OS 9.

So while this may be a great book, it may be worthless to you if you are buying a new Mac.