AAUG Reviews

by John McCormick, AAUG Member

Having used PCs for over 20 years at home, work and school, I was dissatisfied with what PCs offered the non-corporately supported user, and with the prospect of being able to run some essential PC apps on Intel Macs, I committed to making my next computer an Apple. This e-book, made available at a local Apple user group meeting was exactly what I needed, especially since the newest iMacs had literally been introduced the day before! I need to make it clear at the outset though that it contains no information specifically for potential switchers from other platforms, but it offers, as the title suggests, help to avoid getting a Mac you would regret buying.

The e-book features the following sections:

Read Me First
This section contains publisher contacts and e-book usage information.

Introduction
The author’s qualifications are listed here with a motivation for purchasing the e-book.

Quick Start to Buying a Mac
This is a one page summary of the sections that follow.

Decide When to Buy
Starting off with “self-analysis comes first,” the author offers a checklist to help you ensure your purchase is not motivated merely the urge to pick up a new toy. Real-life examples show both sides of the right reasons to purchase or not to purchase. A lot of space is used to describe Mac production cycles and what they mean to a potential purchaser.

Figure Out Which Mac to Buy
A laptop or a desktop? The author again helps the reader analyze his or her needs objectively with a checklist that actually includes “lusting” for either the latest laptop Mac or the latest desktop Mac as one of the many factors to consider, which is of course, a realistic part of making a major purchase. I would suggest that the author could include some other possibilities such as making a desktop Mac portable with use of special carrier. A former spouse transported her 1980’s Macintosh in such a carrier, and although not compact, it was certainly portable. Also, is it possible that a laptop could be outfitted with a full-size keyboard, mouse, and monitor for more ergonomic use when not traveling? The balance of the section addresses the pros and cons of different desktops or laptops and associated options. I was especially interested in RAM, since prices at Apple’s web site seemed so inordinately expensive, and the author explained alternatives fully. Processors, hard drives, optical drives, video cards, display options and interfaces, Airport and wi-fi, Bluetooth, AC adapters and batteries, and finally, Apple Care are all discussed.

Choose Where to Buy
The author also covers this exhaustively assuring the reader that no stone has been left unturned.

Determine What Else to Buy
A new computer may mean incompatibilities between your applications or peripherals.

Move to a New Mac
Information on choosing a method for file transfer and step-by-step instructions for connecting two Macs.

Deal With Your Old Mac
Just because your old computer can’t do the latest software doesn’t mean it can’t be a jukebox, server, recipe book, or even a welcome donation to a deserving organization. All the mechanical aspects of cleaning up a machine for a donation are covered.

Overall, I was impressed by the comprehensive nature of the author’s guidance. He seemed to anticipate nearly every question I, as a PC user, had about Macs. It’s so rare to find such objective and systematic guidance to purchasing anything. I took an economics class a long time ago and I remember the teacher and the textbook emphasized that having adequate information was the key to gaining economic advantage in a transaction, and Take Control of Buying a Mac certainly provides the needed information. What did I end up purchasing? Well, I lusted for a Mac Pro, but could not possibly justify it since I have access to powerful computers at school. I was totally captivated by the Mini-Mac but saw that it might not support my longer-term needs. I don’t do laptops at all. In the end, I was able to objectively analyze what I really needed was a home machine that would handle video, music and all the fun things you can do with a computer, with the ability to support my MS Excel VBA programs, some small AutoCAD files, and a couple of other math programs in a Windows environment (for school) and connect various calculators and GPS devices. It would have to do this and not take up a lot of desk space, and it would have to be able to do some travel on occasion. Lastly, I needed to have room in my budget to cover purchase of Parallels and Windows XP Pro. I bought the last 17″ iMac (2.0 Ghz, 1GB Ram, 128MB Video Ram) in the university bookstore (this is after the new iMacs came out) and got a matching (white) 80GB iPod. I’ll be buying an iLugger case and enough memory to max the machine out at 3GB. Now, if I could just find some furniture to match the computer…