Before you switch – 5 things to help you determine if Switching is for you

Yes. I know. There are way more than 5 things to take in to consideration, but it wouldn’t have made you come and read it if I’d have called it ‘327 things to consider….’ would it?

Apple have a section aimed at Switchers too...

So, seeing as ‘Lists’ seem to be the big thing at the moment, I thought if you can’t beat ‘em – join ‘em!

1. what do I use my computer for now?

2. do I want to tinker or use it?

3. is there a Windows Program I cannot live without?

4. is there a ‘crucial device’ I need to sync

5. will my existing devices work seamlessly?

Lets take them one at a time:

1. what do I use my computer for now?

Seems an obvious one, but it’s worth sitting down and listing out what you actually ‘do’ on your computer. I had quite a long list, seeing as I run a web design company, but your needs may be a lot simpler – or just as complex! Either way, it’s a great way of working out if it really IS worth taking the plunge.

Yep, you read that right – I’m not saying switching to Mac is for everyone. Some people could benefit by switching to something like Linux – lets take an example:

If all you use your computer for is email, surfing & writing the odd letter, then a switch to Linux would be relatively simple to achieve, as programs are freely available to do all those things, and if you have an older machine, you may see some performance increases too! (I’m not a Linux Expert, and if I’m talking rubbish here, feel free to put me right in the comments :0)

However, if you do all the above, and have an interest in taking & editing pictures or video footage and / or making music, then I wouldn’t hesitate recommending a Mac to you.

2. do I want to tinker or use it?

Might sound like an odd one, but some people love to upgrade their systems, and modify their cases etc – if this is you, again, I wouldn’t recommend a Mac straight off – there IS a large community based around modding Macs, but it tends to be older models in general, so maybe not the best place to start (and before you say, I know that a lot of people mod Mac Minis, and put them in all sorts of odd enclosures, but they ARE the exception to the rule, being so small)

Modern Intel Macs are getting easier to upgrade in terms of Hard Discs and RAM (well, RAM certainly) and the new MacBooks are a great example of this. But on the whole, I’d say this: 

If you want to spend time modifying & streamlining your hardware & software (& killing viruses & Spyware) then a PC is fine – if you want to spend time USING your computer – you need a Mac.

3. is there a Windows Program I cannot live without?

This might seem like the deal-breaker, if you rely on a Windows Program daily or very frequently, it might make you think twice about switching.

The good news is you needn’t think that! There are lots of programs (usually called Applications or Apps) available for the Mac, and I would bet there is a developer somewhere who has produced a solution to your problems. (even quite specific ones: I needed to sync an HP iPaq PDA to Mac & then transfer the info off when I got my iPhone, and I found Apps for both needs :0)

Even if you can’t find anything (say you have a REALLY niche program, that the Windows Dev’s are not going to port to the Mac anytime soon) there is still a solution. You can run a Windows operating System on your Mac – or another OS, such a s Linux too – so you needn’t lose the ability to run that program. I won;t go in to the details here, that will be for a future post, or the ‘Start Here’ section I’ll be getting under way soon.

4. is there a ‘crucial device’ I need to sync

Again, you may think this one would be a stumbling block, but as I’ve mentioned, there are lots of Dev’s out there solving your problems for you – go Google your device & Apple Mac Sync, you’ll be surprised at the amount of solutions :0) – if the answer is ‘No, nothing available’ then again, time to take a step back and consider if you will be due to upgrade your phone / PDA anytime soon, I found myself in that position just as the 3G iPhone came out, so it wasn’t much of a decision for me!

5. will my existing devices work seamlessly?

I’d be very surprised if they didn’t! Most modern devices will come with Mac drivers (if required) and the Mac OS X Leopard has support for a huge number of devices built in – here’s another example from my experience:

I have an old Brother Mono Laser Printer which has served me well for years, and when I moved to Mac, I was a little concerned, as it only has a Parallel Port – No USB ! Well, I tracked down a Parallel to USB cable and connected it up. Went to the Add a Printer section of the System Preferences, and chose the closest model in the list for Brother Mono Lasers (they didn’t have the exact one listed) and saved the settings – and it worked seamlessly. I can tell you I was pretty impressed. The same thing on Windows would have taken a few visits to Google & several Driver sites too I daresay.

Same goes for things like Cameras, Video Cameras, External Hard Drives, Scanners… the list goes on.

I will say, if you are thinking of switching to Mac, it’s always worth checking compatibility with things like Video Cameras – some of the older models will have a slightly more complex method of transferring footage across, but most will still work, USB or FireWire! (Apple have a list for compatibility  that you can use to check for iMovie ‘08 – iMovie ‘09 has it’s own section, link on the page)

So there you go, some food for thought if you are considering Switching to Mac, and if after doing all the above you’re convinced, we’d love to welcome you aboard!

Wiz