MacBook...some things to know

There are some things I would have liked to know when I recieved the MacBook from school.  I'm not complaining. Someone probably told me some of these things at some point, but I wasn't paying attention. You learn more when you have to figure it out for yourself anyway. I taught myself how to use the Apple //c when I was in 7th and 8th grade, and I used those skills into college with a Power Macintosh.  A MacBook has to be easier, right? It has a really cool mouse.

No hands!

1. Speaking of mice, I love the magic mouse! It is magic; it works from your pocket and your backpack.  Look ma, no hands! I'm not sure about the range yet, but my backpack was about 10 feet away so...there's a power button for a reason.


2. Finder is nice, but Spotlight is better.  If you don't know where you saved something, you can find it. You just have to remember the name. It works in Finder too, but Spotlight is more elegant. Spotlight will also search the internet and do math! 


3. The camera takes nice pictures, but it is inconveniently placed for framing a photo well.  I had to edit out Alex's hairy legs for my hands free picture. I need to look up solutions...mini easel? periscope? suggestions anyone?
    






4. There are so many keyboard shortcuts I will probably never learn them all. Working in different programs helps, but at first I didn't know what some of the symbols meant. I got the chart on the right from a Keyboard Shortcut site. Note: A lot of short cuts are the same as they were on the old Apples once you make a vocabulary adjustment. Goodbye, open and closed apple.


5. The MacBook so pretty and light!  The thoughtful design of the power cord connection, flexible system preferences and backlight on the keyboard are just some of the reasons it is a pleasure to work with. 

There are a lot more tips, tricks, and observations to make. Huffington Post lists more than 25 tricks, and Gigaom has five really good Windows-transition tips. There are thousands of blogs extolling the virtues of Apple. My list includes just some of the things I wish I had known a while ago.  I probably would have made the switch the last time I had to buy a new laptop. It is a lot easier to learn than the Apple //c...no floppy discs.

By the way, thanks to my dad for not buying me an Atari. The Apple was a much better investment even if I didn't know it at the time.