To iTunes Or Not To iTunes, That Is The Question

I've been debating this question for a few days now. While using Windows I used winamp for a while, then ditched it. Eventually, I ended up just playing my music in Windows Media Player. I never set up play lists, I just opened up a handful of songs at a time and went from there. As you may have read before, I'm a little paranoid about handing my data over to a program without knowing what the program is going to do with this data.

I don't remember any of the specifics of things I've heard in the past, but for some reason I have this suspicion that iTunes doesn't play well with non iTunes store music. And since I've never used iTunes, all my music is DRM free, mostly ripped CD's. My biggest fear is that iTunes would bring down an Iron fist and start trying to control where I can play my music. Although these feelings seem foolish, its hard for me to adopt iTunes with this fear. Tonight I decided to give iTunes a whirl and see if I could debunk my suspicions.

It wasn't long before realized that I was wrong, which is great, because I really want to use iTunes :) When I import my music into iTunes they retain their original file format and don't get converted to the DRM laden ACC format. This means that iTunes won't be able to control what I do with my music!

As I import more of my music and get some time to explore more of iTunes I'll give my full blown opinion of iTunes.

From the Boiling Pits of the Internet

I'm going to try something new today. Each day I spend a bit of time surfing the internet for interesting news, images, and videos. Usually Mac related stuff since I'm a new switcher. Sometimes I write about the things I find, and other times I don't. Even though I don't write about some it doesn't mean that many of you wouldn't mind spending the time to read the sites. So, every few days I'm going to post a quick list of what I've been reading and give a short description when needed. Enjoy todays links :)

• New Applegeeks comic. Applegeeks Lite comic, below the main comic is quite funny.
• Where are they now? Interview with “Switcher Girl” Ellen Feiss
• The PowerBook Prank
• Andrew Youll's Experience From Windows XP to Mac OS X. From 2005, but its still relevant.
• Murphy Mac, 1 a day Mac screencasts.
• From Windows to OS X, a great ui/feature comparison of the two operating systems.
  

Adventures With iPhoto

I'm not one to jump into using new applications, especially when years of data is in question. But, since I made the switch to Macs I might as well jump in head first and explore iPhoto 6.

I always like to do a bit of research before I start using a program. I like to know how its going to handle my data and where I need to go to back it up. My adventure with iPhoto was no different.

In Windows, I used to just store all my pictures in folders. Then when I wanted to view them I'd surf through the folders and 'view them as a filmstrip'. This worked ok. I tried out a few photo organization apps, but was never pleased with them. It seemed that they always wanted to store my photos in weird hard to find places with goofy organization. So I was a little hesitant to use iPhoto. If OS X had the 'view pictures as a filmstrip' built into the finder I probably wouldn't have given iPhoto a shot.

But, if that was the case, I'd be missing out on a killer photo organization app!

If you're like me you'll like to know how iPhoto stores your images. Most if of iPhotos data is stored in the /Users/uid/Pictures/iPhoto Library/ directory. The original unmodified versions of your photos are in the Originals directory. Within the Originals directory photos are organized just how I like them (Year/Album/Photos). If you edit a photo from within iPhoto, its saved in the Modified directory. You will never lose your originals! iPhoto's data storage met my approval, so I started importing pictures.

By dragging folders full of images into the iPhoto window an Album with that folders name is created for you. iPhoto also figures out the dates the pictures are taken and also organizes them by year. So you have 2 ways to look at your pictures at this point. Look in the Album or in the year.

Once you are finished importing all your pictures there are many things you can do. The biggest feature that most users will use will be editing. iPhoto has some nice editing tricks up its sleve. Rotating, Croping (with aspect ratio constraints), Red Eye Reduction, and Retouching are some of the simpler features available. More advanced editing includes Effects (Black & White, Sepia, Antique, Fade Color, Boost Color, Matte, Vignette, and Edge Blur), and Adjustment of brightness, contrast, saturation, tempeture, tint, and exposure. All of these effects give you a real time preview! There are 2 interfaces for editing pictures. To edit within the iPhoto window click the Edit button in the bottom left. To edit in full screen mode click the button to the right of the key located in the bottom left.

Slideshows are also really simple to setup in iPhoto. Navigate to an Album and select which photo's you'd like to add to the slideshow. If you'd only like a few select pictures hold down the shift key while selecting pictures. Once you are happy click the Slideshow button near the bottom of the page. This saves your slideshow in the left pane of iPhoto. When you select the slideshow you can set lots of options like Effects, Transitions, and Music. My biggest gripe is that there is no way to view a Slideshow without it being saved. I'd like to be able to click an album, watch a Slideshow of that album and move on. If anyone knows how to do this I'd love to know :)

This covers most of the basic features of iPhoto and most of what I'll probably be doing with it. However, Apple has some other neat things you can do from within iPhoto. You can get Books, Calendars, and Cards created with your pictures and Apple will mail them to you. You can also order prints of your images as well. iPhoto additionally provides a way to make and subscribe to Photocasts (similar to a podcast except with images). You can also easily upload your photos to iWeb via the 'Share' menu at the top of your screen. If you use Picasa or Flickr you'll need a 3rd party plugin to upload to their servers through iPhoto. The plugins are linked to at the end of this article. Backing up your photos seems easy enough, but I haven't tried it yet. Under the Share menu is an option to 'Burn' which should burn a backup of your images.

All in all, I'm impressed with iPhoto. Due to experiences with other photo organizing programs my expectations weren't very high. However, iPhoto meets my needs and I'll continue to use it. With more time I'm sure I'll find more things that will impress me and I'll be even more happy that I started using iPhoto :)

Here are a few pages that you might find interesting if you have time for some extra reading.

• About the iPhoto Library Folder
• Upload Your Photos to Flickr
• Upload Your Photos to Picasa
• Apple Official iPhoto Tutorial
  

Productivity ++

I don't know what it is, but it seems like I can get things done quicker with OS X. Lots of Mac users claimed that they get increased productivity on Macs vs PCs and I used to think it was a bunch of crap. But now that I'm using OS X full time I can notice a difference. I don't know if I didn't take the time to learn the key strokes in Windows, but they didn't seem very intuitive. Cut, copy, paste, alt+tab, and of course ctrl+alt+del were about the only key strokes I used.

Now that I'm actively trying to learn a new operating system I'm making a point of it to try to use keystrokes. Its making my productivity go through the roof. Which everyone knows is a big plus.

I think your atitude changes when you move to a new opperating system. Out with the old and in with the new... All the negative thoughts and reminders of bad experiences are gone. You're ready for a fresh start. Time to give something new a shot.

In rolls OS X. You're excited, amazed, and wowed. Everything is positive and because of that you're able to get things done. No more slamming your mouse when things crash or kicking your desk to retaliate against a virus. I can see why Mac users are so out spoken about loving their Macs.

If you are interested in learning a bunch of new key strokes I'd recommend the official OS X Keyboard Shortcut guide.

Day 1 With MBP = :-)

I've had about 24 hours with my MacBook Pro now. And as I said yesterday, its amazing. I've been around quite a few laptops in the past and this blows them all out of the water. My sister has had 1 Dell laptop, and now currently owns a Sony. My father has had 3+ dell laptops, anywhere from desktop replacements to midrange. He is now using a Fujitsu Lifebook. I'll tell you what, I wouldn't give up my MBP for any other machine I've ever seen.

Out of the box the machine is beautiful, and it doesn't end there. After going through the short setup process upon the initial boot, I was left to tinker. The MBP connected immediately to my Linksys wrt54g router with no hitches, which allowed me to make my first post on a Mac last night!

With one day under my belt, here are some features that keep blowing my mind. I have by no means explored everything, and I'm sure there will be new discoveries every day! Here's my list of my favorite things thus far.

Magsafe Power Connector - This was one of the first things I ran across. Instead of a male/female type plug the Magsafe connector uses uses a magnet to keep the power cord plugged in. The beauty of this design is that if you over extend or trip over your power cord your MBP won't suffer any damage! You gotta love that.

Built in iSight camera - I knew the computer had this, but with Photo Booth preinstalled the camera is a bunch of fun. I've read about people taking a picture of themselves everyday for X years and making a video out of it. I might have to give that a try, lol.

Frontrow + IR Remote - With Frontrow you can easily watch your dvd's and videos, view your pictures, and jam out to music. Think Windows Media Center except a whole lot more elegant. The MacBook Pro is accompanied with a small infrared remote to control Frontrow. Everyone knows its not fun for 3-4 people to crowd around the screen to look at a few pictures. With this combo, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

Dashboard - I had never heard of the dashboard before, but wow is it cool. Being able to see current weather, a calendar, and a calculator at the touch of a button (F12) is really handy. The functionality doesn't end there. Check out Apple's download page for more widgets.

Illuminated Keyboard - The MBP has a built in ambient light sensor. This sensor is used to automatically activate a light that allows you to see the keys on your keyboard in the dark! Great for those hunt and peck typers, or for handling those strange keys like: @#$%&.

Expose' - This feature of OS X is very useful. When you come from Windows XP, land of the 'fully maximized windows' you might find OS X to be a bit untidy at first. But as soon as you discover Expose' its like having a butler working behind the scenes. Expose' puts the window/application you need at your fingertips. So make a mess and let Expose' handle the rest.
Expose' Shortcuts:
F9 Display all open windows in every program.
F10 Display all open windows in the active program.
F11 Shows the desktop. Similar to Windows 'Show Desktop' feature.

Two finger right clicking - As a switcher you'll not only notice that there is not taskbar, but also that there no right mouse button! How do you access context menus? Well, you don't really need to since most actions can be achieved using key strokes. But, if you must use the menus just put two fingers on the track pad and click. If this is wierd for you, then using the 'Apple Key' + click is the same as the two fingered clicking.

Spotlight - I don't know what to say about this search tool, other than I'll never use the search feature in Windows again. Seriously, Spotlight is so fast and accurate, its not even funny.

So there it is. These features and applications have made my experience above and beyond what I had expected. I don't know what the next 24 hours have in store for me, but I know I'm looking forward to it!

My MacBook Pro Arrives!

DHL pulled up today and handed me my new MBP. I was amazed at how fast it got here once I reordered it from MacConnection.com. I placed my order Jan 22nd, it shipped the following day, and then arrived on the 25th. I'm really happy with my experience with this vendor.

I savored every moment of opening the box. Apple really does a top notch job with the packaging on these laptops. I knew this machine was going to be awesome, but WOW! It is above and beyond ALL of my expectations. The incredibly sexy exterior, the jaw dropping display (glossy), and the snappiness of OS X. I couldn't have asked for more. I spent hours snooping around in the System Preferences and giving the ui a bit of a personal touch. Each time I sit down at this thing I'm just floored by it.

You don't know how hard its been writing a blog about Apple computers without actually having one :) I feel legit now, a full blown switcher. After dreaming about my MBP all night I plan on getting a bunch of pics and some more thoughts posted tomorrow. More than just, "OMG...THIS MBP OWNS!" Which is about the only way I can describe this computer in my current stage of amazement :)

More tomorrow...

The Second Instalment of The Apple Web Comic Roundup

The first installment of The Apple Web Comic Roundup can be read here.

Its time for the second installment of the Apple Web Comic Roundup. I unintentionally ran across MacBoy.com this week and was surprised to find not one, but two great comic strips! After a few short email exchanges will the site owner, William, he directed me to a third comic. I have a feeling that finding more comics for a third installment of the roundup is going to prove quite difficult. If anyone has any recommendations feel free to insight me :)

Title: The Joy of Tech
Creators: Nitrozac and Snaggy
This strip is updated very regularly and consists mostly of Apple related content. The two authors do a great job at writing about whats hot at the time and are able to get the comic out to capatalize on the moment. The graphics slightly remind me of Fox's King of the Hill cartoon. If your looking for a great punchline look no further The Joy of Tech delivers! The authors have also built a whole community for readers to hang out and discuss the latest comic, geekdom, and just about any other topic on their forums.

Title: Zap the Pram
Creator: William Levin
Although this comic stopped being updated in 2004 there are plenty of strips to read up on. These single pane comics are just what you need if you only have a few seconds to get a quick dose of Apple humor. Each comic has a small paragraph giving the context of the situation. This strip reminds me of the political comics seen in Time magazine or your daily news paper.

Title: Mew and Zach
Creator: William Levin
This comic is done in the typical 'funnies' section in the news paper style, right down to the black and white. "Mew & Zach is a weekly comic strip about life in the music recording industry, and all things Mac Music! Mew is a hip-hop civet, and Zach is his nerdy engineer friend. They discuss the lighter side of the music industry, with a Macintosh slant." This strip is also no longer being updated, but again, has plenty of archives to read!

100 Apple Users And Switchers Project

Have any of you participated in the 2000 Bloggers event? If not heres some info. Tino Buntic is building a collage of 2000 Bloggers. Anyone with a blog and a picture of themselves can be added to the collage. The collage can be seen here.

I'd like to recreate the event here with a slight difference. I don't want just anyone with a blog, I want Apple Users and Switchers! If you've been reading my blog then you know that I believe that a big part of making the switch to Apple is the amazing community. If you're interested in meeting fellow users/switchers, then keep reading.

Instructions
Write a comment to this post that contains the following information...
1) Your name
2) A link to your blog, website, myspace/facebook/etc profile (blog preferred)
3) There MUST be a picture in an EASY to find place in the above URL.

I intend to shoot for 100 people, but if we get a whole lot more then thats great! I'll add each pic/url as they come in.

The 100 Apple Users And Switchers collage can be viewed HERE

If you'd like to promote your participation in this project, add the following image/link to your site :)

Light Laughs For The Day

So a bit of humor after yesterdays drama :)

In the shadow of the iPhone release and the iPods success, Worth1000.com is looking for your insight into Apples next consumer electronic device. What was the most popular product? Well, there were more iToilet/iPotties than any other product submission! My personal favorites were the iRobot and the iCandi. I wonder if the iCandi flavors would be the same as the colors of the original iMac; Blueberry, Tangerine, Grape, Strawberry, and Lime.

If you can stomach an Apple bash parody commercial without taking offense, then check out the following video... Will definitely give you a chuckle!




When I used to use Mac's in High School the 'accidentally rename when you click on an icon' and the 'drag items off a cd onto the desktop' things would always get me. Had there been Apple Retail stores at the time I'd have 'ran to the genius bar screaming!'

Lastly, an update to something I wrote about a few days ago. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has written four more installments of his MacBook Pro Experience. I think that its going to be interesting to see how my experience with my MB is going to compare to his... other than the fact that he got his for free :(

Apple Gives Me The Runaround And I Save $259 On My MacBook Pro

So the saga ended today. You would think that for a $2599 laptop (I added the 160gb hard drive) Apple would work a little harder to make the sale a success, but that wasn't the case. In case you haven't been reading my blog I'll recap everything for you.

Jan 11 - I decided to switch to Mac, but didn't have a high enough limit on my credit card.
Jan 12 - I got the limit on my credit card increased and ordered my MBP
Jan 13 - Apple notified me that my shipping address didn't match my billing address. I got this fixed immediately and they said everything was ok.
Jan 14 - Sunday, Apple probably doesn't process or ship orders on Sundays.
Jan 15 - Apple emailed me and said that my credit card was declined. Credit card company said it was their fraud monitoring program and that things should be good to go now. I called Apple back and they told me that everything was now ok!
Jan 16 - I was looking forward to my MBP shipping since the online order status ship dates were 17th-19th.
Jan 17 - Another problem... Apple was undercharging my order so it couldn't get processed. Apple gave me a $20 discount to cover the undercharged amount and to make up for the delay. Phone rep said that everything was ok now.
Jan 18 - Waiting for MBP to ship, order status says everything is ok.
Jan 19 - Waiting for MBP to ship, order status says everything is ok.
Jan 20 - Waiting for MBP to ship, order status says everything is ok.
Jan 21 - Sunday, Apple probably doesn't process or ship orders on Sundays.
Jan 22 - Apple notified me at 2pm PST that there was still a problem with my order. At this point I was so fed up with the whole ordeal and just canceled my order.

After 10 days of waiting and Apple telling me 3 times that everything was in line with my order I had gotten no where. Why would the phone support people tell me 3 times that everything was all set with my order when it wasn't? Apple offered to give me the upgraded shipping for free when I told them I wanted to cancel my order, which I obviously didn't accept. I still wanted the MacBook Pro though, I just didn't want to deal with the Apple phone reps anymore.

So, I went to check out MacConnection.com. Turns out they had some amazing offers;

• $150 rebate
• FREE photo printer ($100 value)
  
• FREE carrying case ($69.88 value)
  
• FREE Parallels Desktop ($79.99 value)
  
• FREE Logitech V200 Mouse ($29.88 value)
  
• FREE Shipping on Web Orders Over $499 (PRICELESS!)
  
• No Sales Tax, which Apple had to charge since there is an Apple store in the state :(
  

So, the MBP from Apple was $2499 + $100 (160 gb hard drive) + $104 Sales tax = $2703
The same computer (minus the 160 gb hard drive) was $2499 - $150 rebate = $2344

So I saved $259 by ordering from MacConnection.com. I also went ahead and got Parallels since it was free. If I would have taken advantage of all the offers I could have gotten another $280 in savings or $539 savings total!

Now as long as MacConnection.com doesn't give me the run around Apple did I'll be one happy customer :)

RSS Feed Change... Issues?

Is anyone having issues with the RSS feed? I switched to a feedburner feed and wanted to know if anyone is having problems. In case you were subscribed to the old feed the new one is at

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Keynote2Keynote

Let me know if there are any problems :)

Simple is Better

Thomas Fitzgerald wrote an article today called, The Changing Role of the Personal Computer, and why The Mac leads the way. He claims that the personal computer is becoming an appliance and that users choose Mac's because they "...just work". Thomas then goes on to state that... "The idea of a Computing Appliance is something that fits so perfectly with Apple’s “Digital Lifestyle” message of the last few years that Microsoft has had to sit up and take note. People are beginning to realize that the operating system needs to get out of their way and let them do what the want."

I believe this to be true. If you frequent any Apple related forums on the internet the "I'm buying my first mac" posts are a daily occurance now. It would be impossible to put a number on how many people switch to Apple a day, but I guarantee that its just the beginning! Apple enthusiasts have been called fanatics for a reason, its almost like a cult. Users become preachers on a mission to convert their families, friends and coworkers. Follow me, I will show you the path of righteousness! If you glance at the other camp, do you see any strays wandering back to the mother ship? I have no real numbers to go by, but I would venture to say that Apple to Windows switchers are FEW and FAR between. Is it because Macs "just work"?

Apple's strategy to create a digital lifestyle has payed off big. They have made it so easy to use your computer to create content and manage media that many Apple users claim huge productivity boosts on their Mac. Malware, spyware, viruses, system crashes all completely defeat the purpose of a computing machine. Why spend time dealing with these annoyances when users can sidestep them 'almost' entirely and use their computer for what they please?

Usability is key! Back in the Windows 3.1, 95 days, and to some extent Windows 98 there was likely only one application or method to complete a task. But today there are hundreds. How do you weed through the crap an accomplish anything? Usability! By simplifying the users experience you not only increase their productivity, but also the enjoyment of their experience. Whats more fun to show off, a home made movie you created in an hour or a 5 day hodgepodge that you've had to start from scratch 3 times due to crashes? Society uses their computers for such a wide range of purposes. The experience needs to be efficient, enjoyable, and successful and this takes place when the OS is unobtrusive. Simple is better!

Taking Things One Day At A Time...

My MBP still hasn't shipped yet, which is disappointing. I ordered the machine on the 12th, and here it is the 20th. Granted there was some problems with the machine being undercharged and not being able to ship which took a few days to take care of. But, its already been a few days since this was resolved and the machine still hasn't shipped. Is this typical? I was told that custom configured Apples take a bit longer to ship, but its only a hard drive! Had I known that it would have taken this much longer to ship I would have just bought it with the default config and replaced the hard drive myself. So, needless to say I'm a little bummed.

One article I read today however, was able to cheer me up and got me excited about making the switch again. SmokingMac.com has posted an article labeled 10 Reasons Why I Don’t Miss Windows. While reading through the list one can't help but get excited about dumping spyware, IE, and the horrible Windows Search. The author lists the Windows default ui second in his/her list. I personally don't have a beef with the Windows ui, but now that I'm thinking about it... I'm in need of a change. I've been using the same ui for the last 4-5 years, and honestly its rather boring. So bring on Mac OS X, Aqua, and all its glory! I'm ready for it... now only if my Mac would ship...

Apple Web Comic Roundup

Web comics bring humor and insight to everyday life and there are thousands of them. I've been a long time reader of Penny Arcade and its given me some great laughs over the years. I ran across an Apple plot oriented web comic today and it prompted me to look for others. I was expecting to find endless panes of Steve Jobs fighting all that is evil and promoting the iPod/iPhone/AppleTV. Boy was I wrong. Finding Apple based web comics was harder than I thought. In fact, I could only find two additional strips after my initial find! So if you have your own or frequent a strip let me know so I can add it to my list.

Title: Apple Geeks
Creators: Hawk & Ananth
Your first impression of this web comic is going to be WOW! The graphics are simply amazing. If your looking for a strictly humorous comic then Apple Geeks isn't for you. Thats not to say that there isn't mixed humor throughout, but most of the comic is serious in nature. The cast consists of two characters who are reflections of the creators, their family, and one Apple based android.

Title: Shutdown OS Land (SDOS)
Creator: Alberto De Armas
I have high hopes for this comic. Its in its early stages, but from what I've seen so far its going to be awesome. The first chapter introduces the four main characters, Steve Apple, Bill Money, Mack InTouch, Pee C. Box, and one special guest, Wozzy. If you know any history about Apple you can probably guess the premise of this comic. The creator claims that SDOS is, "Based on a true story (with a fantasy twist)."

Title: The Little Apple Dude (The LAD)
Creator: Reece James
Apple users know what its like in a world of PC users. As a minority amongst the masses you are often the butt of jokes and criticism. The Little Apple Dude (LAD) is no different. LAD is a Computer Science major and one of few Apple users. He at a constant battle with the 'The PC Dude', who is basically just a reference to anyone who isn't a Mac user and shows support for Windows. There are a few other minor characters, namely The Exchange Student, Nini, and Shrike the Linux Dude.

Give these comics a read. I'm sure that you won't be disappointed!

The Keynote2Keynote Variety Show

What does a switcher, lojack, PC running OS X, and a hidden dictionary have in common? They are the topic of conversation for today :) We got everything but the kitchen sink!

First off, heres another report of a switcher! Colleen Lynn's mom just purchased her first Mac. And in true boyfriend dumping fashion they plan on 'burning' some memories. Remember what Smokey the Bear says... "Only you can prevent another windows user." LOL.

So what do you do when you you fancy sports car gets stolen? You trace the bad boy with that expansive lojack system you got installed. How would you like to bring that kind of security to your Mac? Well Jonathan Zdziarski over at Nuclear Elephant has developed an application with this in mind. " MacLoJack is a system daemon running under Mac OS X designed to call home when your Mac is reported stolen. Once activated, MacLoJack will wait until it has an available network connection and every 60 seconds upload as much data as it has available..." This data includes an external IP address and iSight pictures of the culprit!

What happens if you are a switcher at heart, but don't have enough confidence to take the dive and ride the Apple train? You install OS X on your PC! I haven't tried this myself, but some clever people are doing just that. Its not a short process, but if your determined it shouldn't be a problem. Once you get a taste for OS X its doubtful you'll return to windows and you'll be one step closer to becoming a switcher.

Lastly, did you know that you have a hidden dictionary feature available, a way to invert colors, slow motion, text clipping, and multiple ways to take screen shots? All of these features are built into OS X and ready to use, so take a look!

I hope thats enough to keep everyone busy tonight :)

Cause For Delay

I got an email from Apple saying that there was a problem with my order. It seems that they had under charged my order by $17 and change. Since the order hadn't been paid in full they haven't shipped my order yet. After calling Apple they ended up giving me a $20 discount to cover the $17 dollars and do make up for their mistake. Its kind of a bummer that I have to wait longer for my MacBook Pro, but the $20 discount is nice :) So everything is in order and my MBP should be on the way!

So what I have for you today is Uninspiring Vista written by Erika Jonietz, Senior Editor of the MIT Technology Review. Erika claims that she was not only "...just a fan, but a champion" of Microsoft. She claimed that in years past "When I was forced to use Apple's Mac OS... I grumbled, griped, and insisted that Windows was better." Turn the page to Windows Vista and OS X Tiger. "For me, if the choice is between struggling to configure every feature and being able to boot up and get to work, at long last I choose the Mac." Claims Erika.

It seems that Mac OS X has won over may seasoned windows users. In fact, I think that the initial reviews of Vista are fueling users decisions to switch to Apple. People see the future of Windows with Vista and they don't like what they see.

Ship That Mac!

I'm hoping that my MacBook Pro will ship tomorrow :) Its supposed to ship between the 17th and the 19th, so maybe I'll get lucky! Until I get the machine I'll continue to attempt to immerse myself in the Apple community and keep everyone updated. I've been trying to be active on many forums and help people make the switch like I did.

I'm getting quit a list of ideas to write about once UPS/FedEx drops a package at my door. And each day the list gets longer and longer. Until then I don't have to much to write about.

So for the time being go check out Adrian Kingsley-Hughes blog. He received a 17" MacBook Pro from Apple to review for a few weeks. He's giving a day by day report on his experience with the machine, similar to what I will be doing except for a much longer period of time. My favorite quote of the blog, "I'm wondering if at the end of this review I'll want to buy a MacBook Pro or not." I don't see how he could not want one. So far 6 days have passed and other than his WiFi issues Adrian has been pretty impressed with the MBP. Hopefully in a week or two we Apple will have another 'switch' customer.

You Won't Get Mugged in You Living Room

I was quite narrow minded when considering Apple communities yesterday. There seems to be a world outside of the interweb! No, I'm serious! Someone named Solo reminded me of this in his comment to yesterdays entry. User Groups are a good way to not only meet people in your area but to learn as well. Believe it or not there are a great deal of Mac User Groups (MUG) around the world! Here is what Apple has to say about Mac User Groups.

"Apple user groups are always excited to welcome new members. So check one out to see what you think. You’ll probably find yourself connected to other Mac users in your area. You can get help and offer help, you can make new friends and contacts, and you’ll have fun. If you’ve got a Mac, you’ll want to join. Find out why, and learn how to get involved. --Apple"

Why Join a User Group?
Who Joins User Groups?
Questions About User Groups?

Not only does Apple provide all this information but they even allow you to find User Groups in your area! If you are unable to find a user group near you don't hesitate to become narrow minded and resort to the web. Consider I/O MUG, which is a user group based on the internet only (I/O = internet only).

Remember, its not what you know, its who you know! So go out, join a MUG!

Those Who Helped Me Make The Switch

Today I joined all the Apple forums that I've been secretly surfing. I was able to get a lot of really good information that helped me make my decision to switch to Apple from these communities. So here's my shout out to them!

MacNN
AppleInsider
MacRumors
MacWorld
Mac-Forums.com

I'll try to remain active on each of these communities. Hopefully I'll be able to help as many people as have helped me on these forums. Thanks again for the support guys!

Are there any communities comprised mostly of Apple 'switchers'?

Edit: The people over at MacNN pointed me to TUAW. It seems to be a nice Apple blog. I also stumbled across The Apple Blog and Cult of Mac

Should I See a Dentist About My Bluetooth?

So I've been thinking about all the possibilities that built in Bluetooth gives me. A wireless mouse without the need for a cradle would be simply awesome. I know that Apple has their own Bluetooth mouse named the Mighty Mouse. But, coming from the PC world I don't think that I'd be able to get used to the odd form factor. I was also looking at the Logitech MX900. The MX900 has nearly exactly the same form factor as my MX500, which I love. However, I read that users experienced flaky compatibility with Max OS X. I suppose I could always give the MX900 a try and if it doesn't work return it.

After checking out the mice I delved a bit deeper and checked out Bluetooth headphones. I read somewhere that basically any Bluetooth headphones would work with OS X. I also read about people having problems getting Bluetooth headphones to work with any computer not just OS X. A pair that I really like are the Motorola HT820 stereo headphones. These headphones even have a built in microphone that could be used for Skype calls or similar voice chat programs. But after reading a few reviews users had problems connecting or pairing these to their computer, both PC and Mac. Just like the MX900, I guess I could give them a shot and if they don't work I could just return it.

The Point of No Return

The deed has been done. After getting my credit card all in order this afternoon I made the 'switch'. So now I guess its the waiting game. I wonder if apple processes orders on the weekends... Anyone know? So far my experience with Apple has been great. Who would of thought? Most transactions in online stores go smoothly and so far this is no exception. I can't wait till that friendly man in brown comes a knockin on my door to deliver my new baby. If by chance he decides to have his way with my new Core 2 Duo machine he's going to be faced with one angry mofo!


In the mean time I'm going to start building a list of cool programs to load on the machine as soon as it shows up on my front steps and possibly some mods...

So far my list only includes.

• iSpazz
• FanControl
• Apple logo color replacement (similar to this mod for the G4)

If anyone has any recommendations I'd like to check them out and possibly add them to the list.

EDIT: Yesterday I talked about finding some programs well suited for 'switchers'. I was pointed to a great resource that has a huge list of great software for OS X and found another on my own.

List SOFTWARE & Freeware GUIDES for MAC (translated from Italian to English)
Flërnk: A Guide to OS X Software for Switchers
My Computer My Programs
Apps that make switching easy and worth it!

Both sites are a great place to begin a quest for good OX software. I still have plenty of time to keep researching till my MacBook Pro arrives.

Credit Goes Where Credit Is Due

So there I was... with a MacBook Pro sitting in my shopping cart on Apple.com. Then I decided that I should check the balance on my credit card to make sure that I had room for the purchase. Low and behold I hadn't even considered that I didn't have a high enough credit limit on my card! I suppose I could use my check card, but I want those damn reward points. So I'll give my credit card company a call in the morning and ask them to increase my limit.

To be so close to making the switch and being shot down is heart wrenching. Could this be a sign? Are there secret unseen supernatural forces that are attempting to prevent me from making the 'switch'? I suspect that Bill G is up to his dirty deeds again, trying to brainwash me.

At any rate, since I can't wow you with my 'switch' I'll post a 'switch' video. This is the video that Steve Job's showed during his keynote address during MWSF 2007. I'm not sure if its a new commercial or just one I haven't seen yet, but I got a chuckle out of it :)

EDIT: No clue why this video has so much space above it. If you have any idea I would love to hear from you!

Blogger Here I Come

Well, I heard a log of good stuff about WordPress so I decided to give it a go for my Keynote2Keynote project. BUT... I didn't like the amount of control that WordPress gave me. Maybe I missed some stuff, but Blogger seems to allow me to do more of what I want to do easier. So I've moved the content from WordPress to Blogger. I will resume the remaining 364 days of my blog on this site.

MacWorld Expo 2007 Keynote in a Nutshell

Yesterday was the annual MacWorld Expo. This is one of the four events throughout the year when Apple announces new products or updates to existing products. Here's a little rehash of what was announced.

Apple TV ($299)

• 40 Gig hard drive
• Wi-Fi (802.11 g/b/n)
• 720p HD image quality
• Plays iTunes video/music
• Displays Photos
• Auto sync content from one computer
• Stream content from up to five computers
• Comes with remote
  more

iPhone ($499 -$599)

• 4 GB and 8GB models
• Runs OS X
• 3.5 inch touch display
• Quad band (GSM, EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0)
• 2 Megapixel camera
• Google Maps
• IMAP or POP3 email
• Safari web browser
• Exclusive carrier will be Cingular
• SMS messaging with iChat similar UI
  more

Complete MacWorld Keynote info! (text)

Complete MacWorld Keynote! (video)

Dr. SteveJobs, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Make The Switch

Why? Well, I decided to throw in the towel and buy a Mac. Today was Apple’s MacWorld Expo in San Francisco where they announced the iTV and iPhone. Both seemed pretty damn rad. But, that’s not the reason I’m switching. Honestly, I’m just ready for something new! I’ve owned one laptop, and one Apple product (the same machine… a G3 PowerBook). I’ve been a long time PC user and avid gamer for longer than I can remember. That’s enough about me, but I’ll unveil a bit more about me as the year progresses.

I’m starting this blog to document my experience with Apple and their product/services over the next 365 days… MWSF 2007 to MWSF 2008. I hope to learn a few things along the way and possibly show seasoned vets a few things as well. I’ve also wanted to play with WordPress and this gives me the chance. Anyways, thanks for reading and enjoy the ride!