Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Yosemite Edition

Introduction

What’s going on with the Mac these days?

Apple was the only computer company whose sales actually increased during the recession. The Mac’s market share has quadrupled since 2005—it’s now around 20 percent of computer sales in the U.S. And then there’s the most significant statistic of all: you, sitting there reading this book—because, obviously, you intend to switch to (or add on) a Mac.

What’s going on?

Maybe it’s the “halo effect”: the coolness of all those iPads and iPhones is rubbing off onto the rest of Apple’s product line. Maybe people have grown weary of boring beige and black boxes. Maybe it’s the convenience of the Apple Stores. Maybe potential switchers feel more confident to take the plunge, since more and more of life is moving online, where it makes no difference what kind of computer you have.

Or maybe people have just spent one Saturday too many dealing with viruses, worms, spyware, crapware, excessive startup processes, questionable firewalls, inefficient permissions, and all the other land mines strewn across the Windows world.

In any case, there’s never been a better time to make the switch. Mac OS X version 10.10 (nicknamed Yosemite) is gorgeous, easy to understand, and virus-free. Apple’s computers are in top form, too, complete with features like built-in hi-def video cameras, built-in Ethernet, illuminated keyboards, and two different kinds of wireless connections. If you’re talking laptops, the story is even better: Apple’s laptops generally cost ...