Question from a lifelong PC user who thinking of jumping the fence.

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I have a question for you guys. Please don't flame me, I'm sure you've had this discussion a thousand times, but nobody has ever had it with me. Anyway, I'm really digging the new Mac Book Pro. Ever since the switch to Intel and boot camp came out, I've been thinking about getting one. Anyway, I am not willing to run Mac OS exclusively for a lot of different reasons. That's not the point of this post. I was looking at the MBP and noticed that apple is still only using one mouse button. Didn?t apple start supporting more than one mouse button a long time ago? Please don?t say one is all you need. My desktop has 4 buttons and a scroll wheel and I use them all. My laptop has 2 buttons and I deal with it. If I?m going to be dual booting, I really want that second button. Do my eyes deceive me? Does the MBP only have one? I remember that second mouse button being a common gripe from PC users in the MAC labs at college. I would have thought that by now Apple would have given in. Do they want more people to ?make the switch? or not? The build quality of Apples appears to be superb and I would love to get one, but I have to feel comfortable on it. I don?t want to have to get used to it. I?m already going to be getting used to a new OS, one which, to be honest, I never got used to in four years of college. Granted, I did most of my work at home just to avoid the Macs. I know that some Mac users claim that Mac OS is easier but I?ve been on a PC for 10 years and I believe that?s a matter of perspective. I?m posting this here because I want honest answers from intelligent people. I?ve been reading these boards for quite a while and it seems that there are some good people on here. I?ve heard all the elitist fan-boy crap in college and never bought it.



Thanks for the help.



Aaron

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    Jump!!!



    But seriously, yes, Apple supports 2 button, even 3 button mice. Use your own if you prefer it.



    My brother (a long-time PC user & programmer) just switched with the MBP and he loves it.
  • Reply 2 of 20
    Firstly, it is never said "MAC" by Mac users because Mac is short-speak for Macintosh, and is not an acronym.



    Secondly, I'm using a Mac right now, and plan to send this post using my Microsoft 5-button side-scrolling Intellimouse Explorer. In simple terms? Yes.

    In more complicated terms? Absolutely yes. Even without an external mouse you can right-click on a Mac, and it's a VERY important part of the OS.



    I used to be a hardcore PC user who just wanted Mac hardware and decided to take the plunge, and man, I've never once regretted it. And now with bootcamp you simply can't go wrong.

    Take the plunge, pal - you'll be glad you did. Really glad.



    (I just bought a MBP myself last week. Can't wait for it's arrival.)

  • Reply 3 of 20
    Just to clarify, OS X and Macs support any number of mouse buttons. Not just one, not just two, not just three.
  • Reply 4 of 20
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Yep, I have a five-button-plus-tiltwheel Logitech G5 I'm using. Works amazingly.
  • Reply 5 of 20
    So even though there only appears to be one button on the MBP, there are in fact two? Cool, thanks.



    I realize that Mac is short for Macintosh, sorry for the typo. Heh, I was thinking about college days. I went to BGSU, which is in the MAC (Mid Atlantic Conference).



    Thanks for the quick response too.



    Aaron
  • Reply 6 of 20
    More than welcome, Aaron.



    Welcome to the fold.



    It's quite silly that to some that Apple's laptop's only ship with one button, but it somewhat makes sense. Personally, I never use the laptop buttons anyway, and where I do it's with my wrist. Tap clicking is much more useful these days, anyway.
  • Reply 7 of 20
    Long time Windows user ? since 1993 in Elementary / Junior High School ? and I just go an iMac when they went to Core 2 Duo. You sound a lot like me six weeks ago, but now I?m an Apple convert ? until someone else can do a better job at an OS. I?m not discounting the purchase of any future OS from of Microsoft ? its just in the hear and now, OS X is just the better system.



    To me, it?s the little things? For example, I?m a very hierarchical person in how I think ? where I like organizing things in folder, and folders in folders, so on and so fourth. Anyhow, with OS X, I hover over the folder and it opens it in another window ? and I can open up any folder I want to in the new window by following the same procedure. It has made drag and drop much more efficient for me.



    Or, like when I put a thumb drive in ? it shows up on the desktop automatically. Or, when I put a card reader in, and only occupied ports are reported as drives. Oh, and don?t get me started on how Expos?e makes me giddy, weeks after I started using it ? it just makes things easier.



    Granted, that might be small ? but there are so many small nice features makes for a more pleasurable experience.



    There are some things that bother me about OS X - like how it will not fully maximize the windows in most cases. However, as someone who uses both, I can tell you IMHO, OS X is just better. It will not allow you divide by zero, or stop a speeding train, but it will put a smile on your face a lot more often than XP will.
  • Reply 8 of 20
    I do that too, but on my laptop, I can only tap click for a left click (it also has a scroll function that I've disabled because when I'm sliding around on the touch pad, the page will start to scroll if I'm not careful.)



    Aaron
  • Reply 9 of 20
    kzelk4kzelk4 Posts: 100member
    Yea, I was a PC user all my life and bought an iMac when they got bumped to core 2 duo. I don't think I'm ever using windows again, besides if i absolutely need to play a game. Seriously, you won't regret it... and you'll likely never want to use windows again. All you need to do is enable right click in preferences, it takes about 2 seconds.
  • Reply 10 of 20
    Thanks for all the help guys.



    Aaron
  • Reply 11 of 20
    On the Mac Book (Pro) in OS X, you can right-click by tapping the trackpad with two fingers simultaneously - or by holding the ctrl-key and using the regular mouse button below the trackpad. Or use an external USB mouse, as several other posters suggested. Three different ways to achieve a right-click (if you will really need it in OS X, that's a different story...).



    When running Windows XP under BootCamp, you better use an external mouse for right-clicking, as I don't know whether the ctrl-click or the two-tap thingy is working there too (might work when using the newest version of BootCamp, Beta 1.1.2).
  • Reply 12 of 20
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    As I understand it, the two-finger-tap for right-click now works in BootCamp.
  • Reply 13 of 20
    Beautiful.



    What're the excuses to get a PC again? (A good excuse for being ignorant?)
  • Reply 14 of 20
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AaronHarmon


    So even though there only appears to be one button on the MBP, there are in fact two? Cool, thanks.



    There is only one button on MBP. It has option for two fingers on trackpad and click for left click. Perhaps give it a try!. Macs work with any kind of mouse you want.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AaronHarmon


    I do that too, but on my laptop, I can only tap click for a left click (it also has a scroll function that I've disabled because when I'm sliding around on the touch pad, the page will start to scroll if I'm not careful.)



    One the Mac scrolling is two fingered movement on the trackpad.



    You can configure taps and hot corner taps and the like using other paid-for utilities if you want.
  • Reply 15 of 20
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    To clarify the above comments...



    On the MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops:

    Single finger slide = move cursor

    Single finger tap = click

    Two finger slide = scroll (vertical or horizontal, depending on direction you move)

    Two finger tap = right-click



    On all Macs:

    Use whatever mouse you want, with however many buttons you want.



    Slick, huh?
  • Reply 16 of 20
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Kickaha


    To clarify the above comments...



    On the MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops:

    Single finger slide = move cursor

    Single finger tap = click

    Two finger slide = scroll (vertical or horizontal, depending on direction you move)

    Two finger tap = right-click



    On all Macs:

    Use whatever mouse you want, with however many buttons you want.



    Slick, huh?



    Yeah, that's pretty cool. It sounds a lot more usefull than the touch pad on my current laptop. Thanks again.
  • Reply 17 of 20
    I am a recent PC to Mac convert myself and I can testify that the two finger sliding and scrolling mechanism is far better than the use of a physical right-click button and two separate lines on the trackpad for scrolling like on most other laptops. Couple that with the ability to invoke Exposé by scrolling your mouse to any edge of the screen and you've got a very efficient and functional user interface
  • Reply 18 of 20
    aquamacaquamac Posts: 585member
    I'm surprised no one has recommend a bluetooth laser mighty mouse yet. They have 4 buttons and a very useful 2D scroll wheel.
  • Reply 19 of 20
    It is exhorbitantly expensive and suffers from a few problems, such as dirt accumulating within the mouse and being difficult to clean.
  • Reply 20 of 20
    Just top add one point-- anything new takes a little time to get used to. Part of the process is deprogramming yourself from Windows. What's fun about Macs is they often do exactly as you think they should to accomplish a task. That can be a shock for people who are used to jumping through flaming hoops in Windows.



    You are going to love the machine. Seriously. And then you're going to annoy all of your family and friends because you'll become an evangelist and will let everyone know what they're missing. Your relationships will suffer. Your productivity will skyrocket. You will develop an unhealthy love for an inanimate object. It's inevitable.



    Just kidding, of course. Well... kinda'.
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