Chapter 1

Adventuring into the Mac World

IN THIS CHAPTER

Discovering why your computer is special

Conversing with your computer

Introducing the essentials life

Getting work done

Going outside the box

Computing safely

Forgive me for getting too personal right off the bat, but next to your spouse or significant other, is there anyone or anything you touch more often than a computer keyboard? Or gaze at more intensely than a monitor?

If this is your initial dalliance with a Macintosh, you're probably already smitten - and quite possibly at the start of a lifelong affair.

Despite its good looks, the Mac (whichever model you choose) is much more than a trophy computer. You can admire the machine for flaunting intelligent design, versatility, and toughness. A Mac can take care of itself. As of this writing, the Mac has avoided the scourge of viruses that from time to time have plagued PCs based on Microsoft Windows. Apple's darlings are a lot more stable, too, so they crash and burn less often.

Mac-Spectacular Computing

You shouldn't be alarmed that far fewer people own Macs compared with PCs. That's like saying fewer people drive Ferraris than drive Chevys. Strength in numbers is overrated - and even at that, the trend toward Apple's computers is in plus territory. Besides, as a new member of the Mac community, consider the company you are about to keep. Mac owners tend to belong to the cool crowd: artists, designers, performers, and (can't resist this one) writers.

Sure, these same people can be smug at times. I've had Mac mavens go ballistic on me for penning positive reviews that weren't flattering enough, or for even daring to suggest that Macs aren't always perfect. The machines come pretty darn close, though, so you're in for a treat if you're new to the Mac. It's been suggested that most Windows users go to their computers to complete the task at hand and be done with it. The Mac owner also gets things done, of course. The difference is that using machines branded with the Apple logo tends to be a labor of love. Moreover, with Intel chips inside Macs, Apple's computer can double as a pretty darn effective Windows machine.

Checking out shapes and sizes

Apple has a tremendous advantage over the companies promoting Windows PCs because it's the single entity responsible for producing not only the computer itself, but also the important software that choreographs the way the system behaves. Everything is simpatico.

This situation is in stark contrast to the traditional ways of the PC world. Companies such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo manufacture hardware. Microsoft produces the Windows software that fuels the machines. Sure, these companies maintain close ties, but they just don't share Apple's blood relationships.

You'll find a variety of Macintoshes meant to sit on top of your desk - thus the term desktop computer. These Macs are discussed in greater detail in Chapter 4. Just know for now that the main examples of the breed are the iMac, the Mac mini, and the Mac Pro.

Mac laptops, so named because they rest on your lap and are portable, are the MacBook Pro, the Twiggy-thin MacBook Air, and the even-Twiggyer MacBook. (You remember the svelte 1960s supermodel Twiggy, right?) They're often referred to as notebook computers or just plain notebooks. Like spiral-bound paper notebooks, they can fit into a briefcase or backpack. These days, MacBook Pros are also anorexic.

Matching a Mac to your needs

Haven't settled on which Mac to buy? This book provides assistance. Cheap advice: If you can eyeball the computers in person, by all means do so. Apple operates more than 460 retail stores worldwide, mostly in North America. You also find retail outlets in the United Kingdom, Italy, China, France, Spain, Germany, Japan, and elsewhere. Trolling through these high-tech candy stores is a delight. Of course, you can also buy Macs on the Internet or in traditional bricks-and-mortar computer and electronics stores.

Just be prepared to part with some loot. Although the gap between the cost of PCs and Macs is narrowing, you typically pay more for a Mac than for a comparable unit on the PC side.

(Uh-oh! The Mac diehards are boiling at that remark. I can practically see their heads exploding as they rant, "There's no such thing as a comparable Windows machine.")

Selecting handy peripherals

As you might imagine, a full range of peripherals complement the Mac. Although much of what you create in bits and bytes, to put it in computer-speak, stays in that electronic form, at some point, you're probably going to want to print your work - on old-fashioned paper, no less. Fortunately, a number of excellent printers work with Macs. I provide details in Chapter 8.

You may also choose a scanner, which in some respects is the opposite of a printer. That's because you start with an image already in paper form and then scan it - translate it into a form that your computer can understand and display. Okay, so you can also scan from slides or microfiche, but you get my point.

Many machines combine printing and scanning functions, often with copier and fax capabilities too. These are multifunction, or all-in-one, devices.

Communicating with Your Mac

The Mac isn't at all standoffish, like some human objects of affection. It's friendly and approachable. In the following sections, I tell you how.

It's a GUI

Every mainstream computer in operation today employs what's called a graphical user interface, or GUI. The Mac's GUI is arguably the most inviting of all. It consists of colorful objects or pictures on your screen, plus windows and menus (for more, see Chapter 3). You interact with these by using a computer mouse or other pointing device to tell your machine and its various programs how to behave. The latest Macs also incorporate multitouch gestures that control actions on the screen; your fingers glide across a touchpad (on Mac laptops) or the Magic Trackpad 2 accessory that you can purchase to use with a desktop. You can also use gestures on the surface of the Magic Mouse. Either approach sure beats typing instructions as arcane commands or taking a crash course in programming. For that matter, OS X El Capitan, the operating system that you'll get cozy with throughout this book, lets you use voice commands and dictation as well.

With great tools for you

Given the Mac's versatility, I've often thought it would make a terrific product to peddle on one of those late-night infomercials. "It slices, it dices. Why it even does more than a Ginsu Knife or Popeil Pocket Fisherman!"

Indeed, have you ever paused to consider what a computer is, anyhow? Consider a few of a computer's most primitive (albeit handy) functions. A Mac can tell time, display family portraits, solve arithmetic problems, play movies, and let you chat with friends. I daresay that you didn't surrender a grand or two or more for a simple clock, photo album, calculator, media player, or telephone, but it's sure nice having all those capabilities in one place. And as that announcer on TV might bark, "That's not all, folks."

I can't possibly rattle off all the nifty things a Mac can do in one section, and new uses are being found every day. (Many software programs preloaded on new Macs get their own sections later in this chapter, and I encourage you to read the rest of the book.) But whether you bought or intend to buy a Mac for work, play, or more likely some combination of the two, some little birdie tells me that the contents of the Mac's tool chest will surpass your expectations.

And output, too

I'm confident that you'll spend many pleasurable hours in front of your computer. At the end of the day, though, you're going to want to show other people how productive and clever you've been. So whether you produce legal briefs, spiffy newsletters for the PTA, or music CDs for your summer house's beach bash, the Mac will make you proud.

Living the Essentials Life

All the latest Macs are loaded with a terrific suite of software programs. These were collectively called iLife to help you master the digital lifestyle you're about to become accustomed to and are now lumped together as essentials in the App Store. Here's a sneak preview:

• iTunes: Apple's popular program for buying, streaming and listening to music, and buying or renting movies and TV shows. It's available free on all Macs. iTunes is also found nowadays on Windows computers.
• Photos: The great photographer Ansel Adams would have had a field day with Photos. This software lets you organize and share your best pictures in myriad ways, including placing them in calendars or in coffee-table books. You can even find pictures by where you took them and who's in them. For all intents and purposes, Photos replaced the old Mac photographic app known as iPhoto.
• iMovie: Can an Academy Award be far behind? iMovie is all about applying cinematic...