Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual

By David Pogue
First Edition  March 2003 
Pages: 447
Series: The Missing Manuals
ISBN 10: 0-596-00452-4 | ISBN 13: 9780596004521

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Book description

Apple's "Switch" campaign, aimed at Windows PC users who've had it to here with the complexity, intrusiveness, viruses and hassle of life in Windows, is having tremendous success. This concise, entertaining and jargon-free book from celebrated author and New York Times columnist David Pogue shows novices and power users alike how to convert from Windows to Mac quickly and easily.
Full Description

Apple's "Switch" campaign, aimed at Windows PC users who've had it to here with the complexity, intrusiveness, viruses and hassle of life in Windows, is having tremendous success. Lured by Apple's gorgeous computers and Mac OS X, the new super-stable operating system, thousands of Windows refugees are making the leap to the simpler, cleaner lines of the Macintosh -- and then discovering that just buying a new Mac isn't quite all there is to it. Not only must they learn new ways of doing things, but they may find it a challenge to bring over their digital lives from the PC they leave behind (or leave on their desk as a second machine). This concise, entertaining book from celebrated author and New York Times columnist David Pogue shows Mac converts how to make the move quickly and easily. With refreshing humor and jargon-free prose, Pogue teaches novices and power users alike how to move their files, address book and email collection from a PC to the Mac; adapt to Mac versions of programs such as Microsoft Office, FileMaker, Photoshop, America Online and Quicken; find familiar controls in the new system; set up a network to share files with PCs and Macs; and adapt their old printers, scanners, and other peripherals. An important part of this book is Appendix B, the "Where'd It Go?" Dictionary, which includes an alphabetical listing of every familiar Windows feature, and where readers can find its equivalent in Mac OS X. If you're ready to switch, this is your guide.

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Cover | Table of Contents | Index | Sample Chapter | Colophon

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Media reviews

"One of the beauties of the Missing Manuals is that there is always something new to discover and the research is quite thorough...I kept finding snippets of information, in the way of Tips or Notes, that would give just that bit extra."
-- Graham K. Rogers, Bangkok Post

"Pogue, the New York Times computer columnist, is among the world's best explainers."
-- Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired

"I have reviewed quite a number of Missing Manual books and I am always impressed with them. David Pogue is a Mac master and the depth of his knowledge shines through."
-- Roger Bernau, ACT Apple User Group Incorporated

"David Pogue has written about Windows, and is also a Windows user, and this comes through clearly in his book. His familiarity with both operating systems is patent; he is thorough and precise in presenting the differences, and his coverage of Mac OS X is more than sufficient for any switcher who needs to get a handle on the Mac."
--Kirk McElhearn, About This Particular Macintosh, July 2003
http://www.atpm.com/9.07/two-books.shtml

"Nothing is overlooked in comparing Win/Mac parts, functions, commands and components, including a 'Where Did It Go?' dictionary for the Alt Key-deprived. Extensive guides to system preferences and all the iApps and utilities that come bundled with your new machine will leave separation anxiety behind."
--Tony Reveaux, "Film/Tape World," May 2003

"'Switching to the Mac' is in Pogue's highly readable style, which makes it both a book to read through (then go and try) and one of those useful books that stays beside the computer as a handy reference."
--Graham K Rogers, "Bangkok Post," May 6, 2003

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Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual
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"One of the beauties of the Missing Manuals is that there is always something new to discover and the research is quite thorough...I kept finding snippets of information, in the way of Tips or Notes, that would give just that bit extra."
--Graham K. Rogers, Bangkok Post