If Apple want to highlight Mac software to encourage switchers, they should enable tap-to-click on their demo machines.
Every time i am in an Apple Store I see someone come in, get distracted by the Macs, click on the dock, nothing happens, so they give up and carry onto the iPods where they were headed anyway.
And then there is plain old familiarity. We tend to preach "Macs are so much easier to use than Windows" (or at least that used to be a common refrain). But if you are used to Windows, a Mac is not easier to use. Likewise, if you are used to Excel, why bother switching? I have tried Numbers many times but I always struggle. I am getting better (not a frequent spreadsheet user) and familiarity is beginning to make the experience less frustrating. I have also tried NeoOffice which seems to me extremely able in spite of a somewhat antiquated look. But as soon as I am sent an excel doc which renders differently, or has macros that don't work, I ask myself why I am even bothering? I also have this nagging feeling that Numbers may not last. Then what happens to all my numbers docs? I mean is Apple REALLY committed to iWork?
As a recent switcher, i use Numbers and Pages for my own documents, but have Office ready for all those situations you mentioned above. That means that I have VMWare Fusion plus Vista plus Office running in a virtual machine that contains no data, just so I can have 100% compatibility. Might seem excessive, but when I get a spreadsheet from my accountant or a legal document to sign from a client, I need to know i have 100% compatibility. It also means i learn the iWork features when I have the time and interest.
For me, a slimmed down VM of Office 2007 would be ideal. That's all i need. None of the fancy VM features or multi-media, no settings, 99% of Windows removed from the image. Just enough to fire up Office and stay out of the way.
I may be alone, but I've rarely found myself using most of the iLife software. Garageband seems like a really niche product. Likewise, though to a lesser exent, for iWeb and iDVD (I don't know if I've even opened iWeb in my 2 years of Mac ownership). That leaves 2 actually substantial products, iMovie and iPhoto. Neither is really a product most people will end up using very frequently.
Go to your local Best Buy and you can walk down several aisles of PC software. Go to your local Wal-Mart and you'll find an aisle or 2 of PC software. When I go to my local Apple Store, I find a six foot span of wall with about 40 cubby holes for software. If they're trying to get switchers, shouldn't they make a better effort to show that they can match a PC's software selection?
Ah. Walmart(!) and Bestbuy, and no use for iWeb, iDVD, etc.
Clearly you're on the cutting edge of Digital Lifestyle. No wonder iLife doesn't interest you.
As a recent switcher, i use Numbers and Pages for my own documents, but have Office ready for all those situations you mentioned above. That means that I have VMWare Fusion plus Vista plus Office running in a virtual machine that contains no data, just so I can have 100% compatibility. Might seem excessive, but when I get a spreadsheet from my accountant or a legal document to sign from a client, I need to know i have 100% compatibility. It also means i learn the iWork features when I have the time and interest.
For me, a slimmed down VM of Office 2007 would be ideal. That's all i need. None of the fancy VM features or multi-media, no settings, 99% of Windows removed from the image. Just enough to fire up Office and stay out of the way.
Couldn't you use Office for Mac? I am not familiar with the differences so I don't really know. I do use VMWare and XP for my accounting package. It works well but it is clunky because Address Book and iCal integration is non existent and I end up with duplicate records. When I create PDF's with my accounting package I have to use a work-around and again - clunky. My aim is to free myself from all things Windows - not because I necessarily dislike it but I just want to simplify my life. My HP laptop has been dormant for months now.
I'm curious. What aspects of the iWork suite make it better than the Office suite? I've read in-depth comparisions of both, and reviews and comments point to the contrary. You can't just cough up a comment like that and not explain what it is about iWork that makes it "just a better product" than Office.
As one who admittedly uses Office, I find this interesting.
They serve different needs. I can't say anything about Numbers, but Pages and Keynote are pretty easy to learn and use, even if the interface requires more mouse clicks than I would like. I hear that Numbers is best for people that don't have preconceived notions about how spreadsheets are supposed to work. All these programs work differently than you would expect if you had used any other program that performs a similar function. The hotkeys in particular can be very different, and it's pretty disorienting at first if you are a heavy hotkey user.
Quote:
Originally Posted by deanbar
I only use iPhoto out of the bundled suite, I often read there are other better alternatives but I can't be bothered to change over.
Picasa is the only serious Mac-compatible competitor that I'm aware of, but it's a step behind in terms of glitzy features, the new iPhoto has Location and Faces, not available for Picasa in the least bit. Picasa's main advantage is that it's blazingly fast, and it does have some niche capabilities that can be useful. Picasa doesn't work with other Apple software in the same way, and you can't just drag and drop items out of Picasa onto another program. Other programs like Lightroom and Aperture are more serious products for photo enthusiasts and pros.
Quote:
In the mid 90's we had Avid software bundled with our computers, far superior to iMovie.
You're kidding, right? Are you trying to pull our chains? iMovie isn't meant to compete with Avid, it makes no sense to compare consumer software with pro software. iMovie wasn't even around in the mid 90's. So that line doesn't make any sense, you couldn't have compared Avid with a program that didn't even exist at the time you supposedly made the comparison.
Quote:
Originally Posted by teckstud
As long as the corporate world uses Excel, Office for the Mac is a requirement. Name me any major corporation that uses Numbers 09?
That's true for businesses, but for the casual user, as long as the software can read and write the Office files, does it matter? Different markets, different needs, you can say they compete, but usually at very different levels. Office is easily too much for a home user.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna
1. why wouldn't they focus on the in house software that they don't have to share profits on
That doesn't make sense, Apple gets its money whether or not people use iLife. Apple doesn't have to show off software that competes with its own offerings, there are plenty of programs for which Apple doesn't have a relevant piece of software that does the same thing.
Ah. Walmart(!) and Bestbuy, and no use for iWeb, iDVD, etc.
Clearly you're on the cutting edge of Digital Lifestyle. No wonder iLife doesn't interest you.
Just don't blame Apple for it. :P
Thanks for not even bothering to actually comprehend what I wrote and instead just sling insults instead. I was going to write more, but I decided you weren't worth my time.
I don't think I've ever been in a Apple Store, where I didn't see a lot of people looking at Macs/iPods. The stores are always busy.
As for SW, I've had my Mac for a year, but there's just some SW that I can't find equivalents for, but that's just because I've gotten used to certain apps and their features (most of which is freeware on Windows) and as for as iLife, it's a big 'meh' from me, since the majority of the suite is a waste, as I only do photography primarily, and iPhoto is shite.
As for as iWork, it's OK. Pages is pretty good, Numbers is too simplistic for what I was doing (all I really needed was the ability to import external data, Numbers 08 can't even do that), and I almost never need to make slides, and with me having a Windows laptop, and PP being the de facto standard, Keynote might be better, but if I have nothing to play it on, it's not doing me any good.
Comments
Every time i am in an Apple Store I see someone come in, get distracted by the Macs, click on the dock, nothing happens, so they give up and carry onto the iPods where they were headed anyway.
And then there is plain old familiarity. We tend to preach "Macs are so much easier to use than Windows" (or at least that used to be a common refrain). But if you are used to Windows, a Mac is not easier to use. Likewise, if you are used to Excel, why bother switching? I have tried Numbers many times but I always struggle. I am getting better (not a frequent spreadsheet user) and familiarity is beginning to make the experience less frustrating. I have also tried NeoOffice which seems to me extremely able in spite of a somewhat antiquated look. But as soon as I am sent an excel doc which renders differently, or has macros that don't work, I ask myself why I am even bothering? I also have this nagging feeling that Numbers may not last. Then what happens to all my numbers docs? I mean is Apple REALLY committed to iWork?
As a recent switcher, i use Numbers and Pages for my own documents, but have Office ready for all those situations you mentioned above. That means that I have VMWare Fusion plus Vista plus Office running in a virtual machine that contains no data, just so I can have 100% compatibility. Might seem excessive, but when I get a spreadsheet from my accountant or a legal document to sign from a client, I need to know i have 100% compatibility. It also means i learn the iWork features when I have the time and interest.
For me, a slimmed down VM of Office 2007 would be ideal. That's all i need. None of the fancy VM features or multi-media, no settings, 99% of Windows removed from the image. Just enough to fire up Office and stay out of the way.
I may be alone, but I've rarely found myself using most of the iLife software. Garageband seems like a really niche product. Likewise, though to a lesser exent, for iWeb and iDVD (I don't know if I've even opened iWeb in my 2 years of Mac ownership). That leaves 2 actually substantial products, iMovie and iPhoto. Neither is really a product most people will end up using very frequently.
Go to your local Best Buy and you can walk down several aisles of PC software. Go to your local Wal-Mart and you'll find an aisle or 2 of PC software. When I go to my local Apple Store, I find a six foot span of wall with about 40 cubby holes for software. If they're trying to get switchers, shouldn't they make a better effort to show that they can match a PC's software selection?
Ah. Walmart(!) and Bestbuy, and no use for iWeb, iDVD, etc.
Clearly you're on the cutting edge of Digital Lifestyle. No wonder iLife doesn't interest you.
Just don't blame Apple for it. :P
As a recent switcher, i use Numbers and Pages for my own documents, but have Office ready for all those situations you mentioned above. That means that I have VMWare Fusion plus Vista plus Office running in a virtual machine that contains no data, just so I can have 100% compatibility. Might seem excessive, but when I get a spreadsheet from my accountant or a legal document to sign from a client, I need to know i have 100% compatibility. It also means i learn the iWork features when I have the time and interest.
For me, a slimmed down VM of Office 2007 would be ideal. That's all i need. None of the fancy VM features or multi-media, no settings, 99% of Windows removed from the image. Just enough to fire up Office and stay out of the way.
Couldn't you use Office for Mac? I am not familiar with the differences so I don't really know. I do use VMWare and XP for my accounting package. It works well but it is clunky because Address Book and iCal integration is non existent and I end up with duplicate records. When I create PDF's with my accounting package I have to use a work-around and again - clunky. My aim is to free myself from all things Windows - not because I necessarily dislike it but I just want to simplify my life. My HP laptop has been dormant for months now.
I'm curious. What aspects of the iWork suite make it better than the Office suite? I've read in-depth comparisions of both, and reviews and comments point to the contrary. You can't just cough up a comment like that and not explain what it is about iWork that makes it "just a better product" than Office.
As one who admittedly uses Office, I find this interesting.
They serve different needs. I can't say anything about Numbers, but Pages and Keynote are pretty easy to learn and use, even if the interface requires more mouse clicks than I would like. I hear that Numbers is best for people that don't have preconceived notions about how spreadsheets are supposed to work. All these programs work differently than you would expect if you had used any other program that performs a similar function. The hotkeys in particular can be very different, and it's pretty disorienting at first if you are a heavy hotkey user.
I only use iPhoto out of the bundled suite, I often read there are other better alternatives but I can't be bothered to change over.
Picasa is the only serious Mac-compatible competitor that I'm aware of, but it's a step behind in terms of glitzy features, the new iPhoto has Location and Faces, not available for Picasa in the least bit. Picasa's main advantage is that it's blazingly fast, and it does have some niche capabilities that can be useful. Picasa doesn't work with other Apple software in the same way, and you can't just drag and drop items out of Picasa onto another program. Other programs like Lightroom and Aperture are more serious products for photo enthusiasts and pros.
In the mid 90's we had Avid software bundled with our computers, far superior to iMovie.
You're kidding, right? Are you trying to pull our chains? iMovie isn't meant to compete with Avid, it makes no sense to compare consumer software with pro software. iMovie wasn't even around in the mid 90's. So that line doesn't make any sense, you couldn't have compared Avid with a program that didn't even exist at the time you supposedly made the comparison.
As long as the corporate world uses Excel, Office for the Mac is a requirement. Name me any major corporation that uses Numbers 09?
That's true for businesses, but for the casual user, as long as the software can read and write the Office files, does it matter? Different markets, different needs, you can say they compete, but usually at very different levels. Office is easily too much for a home user.
1. why wouldn't they focus on the in house software that they don't have to share profits on
That doesn't make sense, Apple gets its money whether or not people use iLife. Apple doesn't have to show off software that competes with its own offerings, there are plenty of programs for which Apple doesn't have a relevant piece of software that does the same thing.
I think Apple is shifting focus on their store merchandising but i'm not sure switchers are their main focus quite honestly.
Ah. Walmart(!) and Bestbuy, and no use for iWeb, iDVD, etc.
Clearly you're on the cutting edge of Digital Lifestyle. No wonder iLife doesn't interest you.
Just don't blame Apple for it. :P
Thanks for not even bothering to actually comprehend what I wrote and instead just sling insults instead. I was going to write more, but I decided you weren't worth my time.
As for SW, I've had my Mac for a year, but there's just some SW that I can't find equivalents for, but that's just because I've gotten used to certain apps and their features (most of which is freeware on Windows) and as for as iLife, it's a big 'meh' from me, since the majority of the suite is a waste, as I only do photography primarily, and iPhoto is shite.
As for as iWork, it's OK. Pages is pretty good, Numbers is too simplistic for what I was doing (all I really needed was the ability to import external data, Numbers 08 can't even do that), and I almost never need to make slides, and with me having a Windows laptop, and PP being the de facto standard, Keynote might be better, but if I have nothing to play it on, it's not doing me any good.
Couldn't you use Office for Mac? I am not familiar with the differences so I don't really know.
MS Office for mac does not suport VBA for a start, the only way to get 100% compatability is still to use the windows version