So You Have A New Apple Mac

At the FETC conference in 2008 I received my first real exposure to the Apple MacBook. I have to say I was smitten. Between financial considerations and the seemingly never-ending rumors of new models and lower price points coming, the stars finally aligned and I purchased my first MacBook Pro last summer. It was a sweet deal. Because I was eligible for the "back to school" special I not only got the MBP but also a free iPod Touch and a printer.

LET THE LEARNING BEGIN

So I begin the transition to browser buttons in the upper left, a sometimes difficult to navigate Finder system and new names for functions. But reflecting, it really was not difficult. That said I am still learning. In the process I know others that have "drank the Kool-Aid" and now have their own Apple product(s). Now I share their excitement and challenges and in the process have fun learning and helping others.

FIRST THINGS

Just like getting a new musical instrument in 7th grade, all the features you saw in the advertisements may not be as easy as they appear. So my advice - don't worry about it - just enjoy your new toy for a while. The Apple site has some really great tutorials that I recommend taking the time to view. The other challenge is getting things that always worked - to work - on your computer. So what I decided to do is list some downloads, plug-in's and features I have found useful and may help flatten that learning curve for you.

Adobe Products - (link) this area is too large to list. I ordered Adobe CS4 Web Premium with my MBP at the "order with your new computer" educational price. At a minimum you are going to need Adobe Reader if it is not there already.

Camtasia - (link) is now available for the Mac. Camtasia is software for making a movie from content you record off your computer screen. If your institution supports Relay it is also available for the Mac.

Evernote - (link) Use Evernote to save your ideas, things you see, and things you like. Then find them all on any computer or device you use. For free.

Firefox - (link) A must have for any computer Firefox has more than 6,000 add-ons to help you customize it to your exact needs, plus thousands of Personas to instantly change the way it looks.

Google Chrome - (link) Another browser worth downloading and looking at. Good load speed and security. Takes a little orientation to get used to.

Google Earth - (link) Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places, and share with others.

Handbrake - (link) HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded video transcoder, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows.

iWork - (link) iWork is the Apple version of Microsoft Works. I like it better that MS Works for Mac - plus it's cheaper! Even so you should start using Google Docs if you are as techy as you say.

Seesmic - (link) On Twitter? Seemic is my runner up for best Twitter client for Desktop, Web and Mobile, manage multiple Twitter accounts, Facebook feeds and pages and access Twitter Lists

Skype - (link) With Skype make free calls over the internet to other people on Skype for as long as you like, to wherever you like. It is free to download.

TweetDeck - (link) My favorite Twitter client is TweetDeck. A personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook and more. TweetDeck shows you everything you want to see at once, so you can stay organised and up to date.

VLC - (link) A must have if you want to play video files from your Mac. VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player and multimedia framework capable of reading most audio and video formats.

X-Marks - (link) Another must have for All your browsers. Xmarks is a free add-on for your browser that synchronizes and backs up your bookmarks across multiple computers. Xmarks helps you find the best sites on the web based on what millions of people are bookmarking.


This is far from an inclusive list. But just to get started this should keep you busy for a bit. What do you think needs to added to this list? Let me know!