Quote:
Originally Posted by New Englander
Never used one before, but tomorrow a new 15" MacBook Air is arriving. Please be patient with me because I most likely will have some really dumb questions.
1st Question. Any advice on the initial setup?
|
As someone suggested, you might consider attending a getting started with Mac event at a nearly Apple Store. Below is a link to nearby events. I see some events in Orlando.
Get Started: Mac - Apple
Alternatively, you have lots of YouTube videos available. Some are good and some not. The Tech Talk America channel on YouTube has many good instructional videos on Mac.
In addition to initial set up, you will need to decide which applications (programs) to install and get them installed. Some apps can be found on Apple’s App Store for Mac. That source is considered safe from viruses and malware. On your Mac, press CMD key + Space Bar to open your local search window (called Spotlight) and type ‘App’ to get to the App Store.
Some of the biggest initial challenges (easily overcome with time) include differences from the ways of the Windows operating system and Windows computers such as:
(i) different ways to change you local computer settings,
(ii) different file manager interface (it’s called ‘Finder’),
(iii) Mac has no ‘Alt’ key; Mac has a ‘Cmd’ (called ‘command’) key,
(iv) the Delete key deletes backwards, not forward (you will get used to it),
(v) the Mac operating system has a good file back-up system called Time Machine; I suggest that you use it with a local external drive and schedule back ups at least daily,
(vi) Apple will encourage you to use their iCloud service. It’s handy for many things Apple but not necessary for storing documents if you already have another cloud storage service such as Google Drive or OneDrive,
(vii) On a Mac, the Chrome browser is considered a memory hog by many people. That may or may not be relevant for your case.
This is a start. You will quickly love the simplicity of the Mac compared to Windows (‘it just works’). Be patient during the first week. If you run into questions, a Google search will often lead to Apple’s very good online help documentation. Have fun.