bought a new computer

[racedraper]

well my last computer went up in smoke, yes it really did.lol so I went to best buy and they had a good deal on a gateway with quad core and 650 gigs of memory. well it lasted about due to the fact that the system would shut down by it self and programs would be come non responsive. I took it back and was going to upgrade to the D700 but this computer spotted my eye and I had to. I bought the new 24" I-MAC.

I love this thing , the graphics are great but getting used to the new system is not so easy. I need to buy a dummies book/ anyway enough of me bragging.lol

[jetrim]

I've been seriously contemplating making the switch from PC to Mac as all the graphic designers I know rave about them, but the learning curve makes me even more nervous than the application compatibility, so do keep us updated on your transition. Any feedback you can offer would be very helpful (to me at least )

[EOSThree]

I switched to Mac this summer. It's really not all that hard to understand the OS. I just take it as it goes: if I need to do something, I look it up on the internet and there is always an answer. Apple also has some very good tutorials on their site. It does everything in a slightly different manner, and when I first got it I was very frustrated, but now I am frustrated when I get in front of a PC.

I had to give up a few of my favorite programs, namely Breeze Browser, Paint Shop Pro, and Pro Show Gold. I have started using Lightroom more and have purchased PS elements. I am going to eventually purchase Fotomagico for a slide show. The licenses of most programs that support Mac and PC OS are transferable to the other license.

There were definitely some growing pains, but overall I am pretty happy with the switch. I would say if anyone is thinking about making the switch prepare to lose some of the programs you like using now. That's a big factor in making the switch. It definitely cost me some money in some areas I wasn't expecting. But the OS has been ultra stable(it's never crashed)and I have only had issues with programs very very occasionally. Of course with the Intel Macs you can run Windows on a partition and run your favorite Windows programs still. I thought about this option when I first switched, but after seeing what I could do with just OSX programs I decided to just stay with OSX.

[Medley]

Welcome to Macs! I switched about ten years ago, and really have never looked back. My latest is the 17" MacBook Pro. I started out with the dual OS that EOSThree spoke of, running Windows XP, but have since given it up. I just couldn't justify splitting my RAM in half for how little I had to use Windows.

Here's a bonus for you. Hit apple+esc from your main screen to access Front Row. It's designed to work with the Apple remote, but works well enough without it too. Navigate with the arrow keys, and select with Enter. Escape to back out. Enjoy!

- Joe U.