Not too sure about iwork, but if it doesn't there are several good free options out there. In the past I have used Star Office and Neo Office. In each there were differences from MS office, but overall, very similar.
I thought about making a thread to discuss Parallels specifically, but since there's been previous discussions about it, I'll put it here. I have a small business providing accounting and computer consulting services to creative businesses in LA. I'm a long time Mac user for the usual reasons, music recording, video editing, photography, art, etc. Most of my clients use Macs fortunately, but a few have PC networks. I had a 12" Powerbook but as soon as I could, I got an Intel MacBook, figuring that I could use it on the PC networks I go to. I bought Parallels and a copy of Windows XP. But then I waffled. I didn't really want to run Windows, it felt so.... ewwwww. Months went by. My clients seem to always have an extra computer I can use, so it never became crucial to have it. But what is most important? Football. There was a game a couple of months ago that I couldn't get but I really wanted to watch and there is no streaming software for the Mac that I know of. So I finally installed it. It was seamless. Obviously, it takes a while to load Windows and all the updates, but once that was done, it detected my internet connection, I downloaded the streaming softwares and I was on. There doesn't seem to be any lag with the internet connection, if it's a good stream, it works great. I thought about using the free Bootcamp, (which would be better if you wanted to try gaming because the computer's resources would not be split between running the two operating systems) but to be able to watch a game on my monitor and still work with my normal Mac softwares on the laptop screen at the same time has been freaking wonderful. I would recommend Parallels to anyone, it's a bargain at $80, but I also wanted to hear more from others using it and their thoughts. Maybe someday I'll use it for business (don't tell the IRS that I'm not) but since I'm using it for the highest and holiest reason, I thought I would share my experience here and perhaps answer any questions I could.
parallels is best for what you need. but you answered your own question .... if you're doing gaming or something else heavy (video editing, etc.) bootcamp might be better so you're not splitting your resources. there's no right answer. it depends on the user. glad you're up and running though .... sounds sweet.
i got parallels only for the online games too. it just seems like a waste for anything else. love the mac.
I have had it now for a couple of weeks. I love it. Made songs on GarageBand, Edited my honeymoon on iMovie, created a nice photo album on iPhoto. All very easy and fun. Safari has been good with the'net, amazingly easy wireless setup. Smallest problem I had was I had a PC .doc file that I wanted to import in to iWork, but I could not. Perhaps I am not Mac savvy enough to fix that yet. I am 9.5 out of 10 happy with it. Thanks everyone fro their input for situation.
you can open the .doc files in textedit (free program that came on your mac) and then paste them into iWork. I'm sure there's an easier way, but that one should work in the meantime.
It has been about a month or so, and I must say I love this computer. Just so user friendly,the best home computer for people who are looking for something more than just a gateway to the 'net. I have made: - Websites(and I do not program) - a Comic Book using Comic Life - My own songs on Garage Band - a photo book with iPhoto
I went to the Apple Store page and it doesn't look like you can. If you look at other Mac models, they usually give you the option to upgrade the installed hardware, but that's not the case with the Mini. I guess you could weigh the cost/convenience difference of getting the higher end Mini or an external burner.
Dual-layer, as in two-deep (you can burn special DL DVD's which hold twice the capacity of regular DVD's). You need a DL player to play, though. Thanks to high-capacity DVD's, this is a passing technology.
My Sony Vaio laptop is on its last legs and I'm looking into buying a Macbook, but don't know if it's worth spending the extra $200 on the "better" one. The only differences I see are the extra hard drive space, the DVD recorder, and the extra processor speed. The extra 40 GB in hard drive space would be wonderful but I don't see it being worth the $200, nor would the DVD recorder (for me); is the difference between a 2.0 GHz and 2.16 GHz processor worth the extra $200?
I just got a Mac myself and am wondering how to get the "properties" from a pic and what not, anyone? Seems "right hand click" doesn't do anything ...lol... Also was curious how to "copy" and "paste"? Again, anyone? Thanks, IvanIV
Some ways to think about it: - The difference in price is an additional 18%. - The difference in HD space is an additional 50% - The difference between being able to burn a DVD vs. a CD when you need to is priceless. I once made the decision to go without the DVD-R and cursed that computer many many times, but I don't know your situation. - Processor is only an additional 8%. The processor speed jumps have slowed down to a crawl and now it's so many other things that contribute to computer speed like HD speed and buses and caches. See this short review with benchmarks from MacWorld. It is praising the low-end model as having jumped quite a bit from the previous low-end version and the difference to the speed of the next-up model is insignificant. So, if the HD space and DVD-R are not important, the lower end model might be just right for you.
Right click on a Mac = ctrl+click Copy = Apple key + C or highlight the text and go up to Edit then Copy Paste = Apple key + V or go up to Edit then Paste
I was told that I would be able to copy and burn dvd's as well but that doesn't seem to be the case. Mac says I need to get "superdrive". Does it sound right to you good sir? thanks in advance.
that is correct. To burn DVD's, you need what they call "Superdrive", which means a DVD burner. I suppose you just got the normal CD-rom drive (CD burner)?
One more thing. At the online Apple Store, when you select the base MacBook, you can then choose to upgrade the hard drive - 120GB for $75, 160GB for $150, if more space is the only extra you desire.
In older Mac systems, you could also hold down the mouse button to get the same effect as ctrl+click. New question: Would it be possible to buy a two-button mouse and use it on a Mac, or must the Apple mouse be used?