FOOTNOTE TO WHAT YOUR ABOUT TO READ…

I want make an update to the story below… After receiving a round of emails from Apple fans, one of which I am, I decided I should address several points that have been raised…

I’m as big an Apple Fanboy as they come… I do all my computing on a MacBook Pro
Most of the notes I’ve gotten today have been from folks who are NOT real estate agents… The bulk of the folks that read my monthly column are real estate agents. And in the world of real estate, it’s just not an Apple friendly atmosphere. I work with agents everyday and see the problems the few that are Apple users deal with daily.
My remarks regarding Apple & Blackberry… I know there are several third party solutions out there for BlackBerry users… I use both Pocket Mac as wells as RIM’s sync software… If you’ve ever used your BlackBerry on a PC in connection with Outlook, there is no comparison… The PC offers a better user experience … Not to mention several of the key functions on my Blackberry don’t work with Pocket Mac… Memos still don’t have a place on my Mac… And for those of you using the RIM software and Leopard you know the two aren’t compatible yet… RIM posted in their forums a patch was forth coming… Could be months… Software that works half way is not in my mind an acceptable solution.
When I address networking issues I’m referring to problems I’ve had with Microsoft Exchange servers and older peripherals. Vista users understand the peripherals issues all to well.

Finally I want to address my Quicken comments… At the time I wrote the column it was being reported on several websites as well as podcasts (i.e. Leo LaPorte) that support for the Mac was coming to an end… The info I was able to track down at the time supported that… So I pressed ahead with the info I knew to be true when I wrote the story… So rather than change what I posted on my blog, in the interest of fairness I’ll make my peace here and leave the posting unchanged.

Thanks for the emails and if I still haven’t addressed your concerns, feel free to email me.

Jeff

Part 1

If you’ve spent anytime in a coffee shop lately, you’ve seen the laptops with the glowing white apples. By now you’ve seen the new iPhone, or at least one of its slick ads. And even if all of this is alien, I’m betting you or someone you know well is an iPod lover.

Now, thanks to TV commercials making traditional PC seem like a bumbling dinosaur, the Apple invasion is on its way to laptops and desktops everywhere, promising users a hip experience with a cool computer. And many people are abandoning the PC in favor of a MacIntosh, another name for the Apple computer.

But before you make a trip down to the Apple Store (a.k.a. The Orchard) and drink the Apple juice, there are a few things to consider.

For starters, Apples don’t come cheap—you’ll pay significantly more than you would for an equivalent PC. And what you do you get for the extra cost? Depending on how you’re going to use your new Apple, the main thing you could be buying is a whole new set of computer problems. I know this through personal experience because I work on an Apple. And although I firmly believe Apple makes a better machine and operating system, trust me, I have had my fair share of frustrating moments with it.

If you buy an Apple, I hope you like the coffee shop ambiance. The reason you see so many Apple users there is because it’s about the only place their computers work. Trying to integrate an Apple in a PC office world is not something recommended for the less than tech savvy among us.

Being an Apple user, you’ll also be spending a good deal of time in online forums and chat rooms finding solutions to your problems from seasoned Macintosh users who gladly share with others what they’ve learned. Solutions are also found at the Apple Store’s Genius Bar, which offers free tech support from a real person.

Think your tech toys will get along well with your Apple? Think again. Your Blackberry, Outlook email and Quicken all require workarounds to get on your Apple, although I understand the Treo is easily compatible. Microsoft does make a version of Outlook for Macs called Entourage, yet it’s missing some functionally, such as the reminder and notes features. And as far Quicken goes, you can’t transfer your files, so it’s only good if you’re willing to start you books from scratch. And don’t put your hopes on a future fix because Intuit, the makers of Quicken, says it will no longer make a Mac version.

Jeff

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