BeginnerMac.com

Now, I wouldn’t normally do this, but I do happen to know that some of you PC lovers do read and follow this blog. So, just to prove that I’m not that much of a PC hater, I thought I’d show you some love today. Basically, if you are on Twitter, and you have a PC, you need to have this software. Check it out.
Click here to visit Mesiab Labs website!

It’s no lie that the Mac community is a colorful bunch. They have their own Expo, there are numerous magazines , books , and countless blogs and websites. So it’s not that far out that they would have their own language right? I mean, the computer industry itself has all these different terms, definitions, etc… just in order to communicate what’s going on with our beloved tech gadgets. So I thought I’d take a couple of minutes and hopefully be able to define some of the Mac jargon.

Apps: (applications) – sometimes referred to as “programs”. There are the actual components on your Mac that allow you to accomplish a task. Mail would be an app. iCal would be an app, and so on.

Bluetooth: a wireless technology used to create a temporary connection between two blue-tooth enabled devices. Bluetooth technology is used in instance where the two devices are in close proximity, such as a cell phone and headset or a mouse and your mac.

Dock: usually located on the bottom of a Mac’s desktop, the Dock holds icons, minimized and running applications.

Force quit: to force an application to shut down. On a PC, it’s known as Control+Alt+Delete. On a Mac the key combination is Option+Apple+Esc (but you won’t really have a use for it).

MobileMe: an online service offered by Apple. Having a MobileMe subscription allows you to have server/storage space online. It’s great for hosting pictures, files, syncing calendars, and even hosting a blog or website. More to come on this…

Screenshot: also referred to as a “screen grab” – to take a picture of what’s on your screen.

This is literally just the “tip of the iceberg”. There are a thousand other terms. Some are related specifically to the Mac platform, and others could be just general computing terms. So, I’d like to know what terms you are confused about. Click the “Comment” button on this post, leave a comment, and I’ll do my best to answer you question. If you like, you can subscribe to the newsletter by going up to the top of this page, and fill in your name and email. Make sure you check back, or subscribe to the RSS feed to stay updated. Another option is if you’re on Twitter, you can follow @beginnermac and speak your question there.

(The picture used at the top of this post is from a great book entitled “The Cult of Mac”. If you are interested in some of the genesis of the Mac culture, this is a great read.”

The Cult of Mac (Paperback edition)

I would be remiss if I didn’t let you know about this.

My friend John over at Creativityist.com wrote a great post on it, but here’s the skinny….

Every now and then MacHeist bundles a bunch of applications (software), and sells them for a ridiculous discount. The better part is that 25% of every purchase goes directly to charity. You can pick from 10 different charities, or split the cost between a number of them. I plan to do a series on apps later, but take if from me…for the price you pay ($550 for $39), it is a great deal.

Every now and then I hope to offer a quick tip or two to make working on your mac a little easier.

It seems like the common theme that comes up when you are describing a Mac to a non-Mac user, is simplicity. Simplicity of use. Simplicity of design. Simplicity of functionality. “It’s just like when you expect it to do something, it just does it”, is probably what you’ve said before. I hear ya.

Have you ever wanted to capture a quick snapshot of something on your screen? Maybe you are having a video chat with someone and they make a funny face and you want to capture that to, perhaps blackmail them later???? Or say you are trying to describe to someone where to click on the screen? Or, maybe you just want to grab a photo from the web, but you can’t drag it over? Easy

Shift + Apple + 4 – is the command sequence that will bring up a cross hair that will then allow you click and drag to select and area of the screen that you would like to take a picture of. That’s it! That simple.

If you have a Mac, you already know the ease of which you are able to get rid of unwanted applications (software). If you have (have had) a PC, I’m sure you are familiar with the multi-step process of trying to uninstall a piece of software, only to find out later that there are still small traces of it lying around your hard drive.

Luckily when you purchase a Mac, there isn’t alot of extraneous software on it that you want to dump. But every now and again, you might find that you don’t use something anymore and want to get rid of it to free up space. So in order to do that, you just open the applications folder, and drag that specific app to the trash and POOF! …it’s gone. Well, not quite…

Depending on the app, there may still be some system files that are left. You may have gotten rid of that application itself, but the registry files, or other “mac bits” may still be floating around.

Rest assured…I have a solution for you.

I picked up AppZapper when I was new to the Mac and googling around trying to find out the best way to ditch an app. I can’t say enough about this simple application. I guess the first thing I would say is that this application is…well…simple. You want to get rid of an app? You just open AppZapper, drop the app you want to get rid of, it finds the other associated files, hit “ZAP” and it makes a very cool sound and your app is gone! Just like that!

The creators of AppZapper have been so generous to provide me with 5 licenses to AppZapper, to be given AT RANDOM to 5 people who subscribe to the RSS feed, and comment on this post. Just leave a comment saying which app you have that you would like to “zap” and at the end of today (9pm PST) 5 commenters will be chosen at random, contacted via email,  and given their FREE license.  Good luck!

By the way, if you are looking for a killer everyday Mac application site, check out MacZot. Created by the same guys who gave you AppZapper.

This post is a continuation in a series of posts on Mac Hardware.  Here is the first part.

Is there a difference between a ‘laptop’ and a ‘notebook’?
That is a great question!  And the answer is……no.  They are one in the same.  So let’s take a look at the different Apple notebooks.

Apple MacBook Pro – my personal computer.  This computer is a workhorse packed up nicely in a very small and sexy notebook.  If you are looking to do some serious computing on the go, then the Apple MacBook Pro is your perfect companion.  As with all of the Macs, it is fully customizable in terms of hard drive, memory, etc… (yes, there will be a post on this later).  If you are a video editor, photographer, or anyone that works with multimedia of any sort, a MacBook Pro is your companion.

Apple MacBook Air – a true technological work of art.  The beauty of the Apple MacBook Air is that it is so thin, that you can literally fit it in a manila envelope.  In fact, that is how Steve Jobs introduced it to the world when Apple unveiled the MacBook Air for the first time.  Keep in mind that if you are looking to make your first Mac notebook purchase, the MacBook Air would probably not be the best choice.  There are some quirky things that were left out during development that, unless you know how to navigate around a computer, would probably leave you in a pool of frustration.  If you are a business person who is always on the go, and needs to do basic functions such as check email, surf the web, edit documents, etc… the MacBook Air would be a terrific choice for you.

Apple MacBook – this is your PERFECT introductory Mac notebook.  If you are looking for your basic, solid, reliable, portable computer, the Apple MacBook is the perfect choice for you.  This was my wife’s first Mac, and the transition for her from a PC to a MacBook was really easy.  If you are new to the world of Apple/Mac and are looking to get your first taste of a Mac notebook, then this is your best pick.  The link I have provided offers a very resonable price for this particular computer.

So tell me, what computer (Mac or PC) do you have, and what do you like/dislike about it?

This post will serve as the beginning of a series of posts on Mac Hardware.

In the land of computers and technology, there are two basic categories to which “stuff” falls into. Those categories are what we refer to as hardware and software. In this series, we will focus on some of the different facets of Mac hardware.

What is hardware?
Hardware refers to anything physical to the computer. It could be the actual computer itself, a keyboard, a mouse, a hard drive, a memory chip, etc… Anything that you can physically touch and pick up.

Dang, Macs are pricey!
It’s no lie that a new Mac will cost you more than if you are going to buy a new PC. Now, hold on…let me explain.
The old adage of “you get what you pay for” falls true for this exact point. If you compare a brand new Apple product to a brand new multi-brand PC product, it will be clear at first glance in terms of the craftsmanship and quality that goes into creating an Apple piece of hardware. But think of it this way, would you rather pay cheap up front and then have to go out and buy something in a short amount of time, or would you rather pay some good money up front and have it last?

I think we all know the answer.

Some different types of Mac Hardware

Apple Mac Pro – the “big daddy” of the Mac computers. The Mac Pro is desktop computer, meaning that it belongs at or under your desk. I guess the best way to think of it is that you can’t put it on your lap (i.e. laptop). The Mac Pro comes in all different configurations in terms of hard drive and memory. If you are looking to do any video editing or photo manipulation, and don’t plan on needing to take your computer on the road with you, then this is your workhorse.

Apple iMac – definitely the “luxury” Mac. This is the computer for you that doubles as an elegant piece of furniture. In terms of looks, it is absolutely gorgeous with a brushed metal finish and smooth curves. I have seen iMacs in people’s living rooms, in doctor’s front offices, as well as on desks in dorm rooms. Just like the Mac Pro, the iMac comes in different configurations as well. The beauty about the iMac is that it is pretty much “all-enclosed” in that you don’t need to buy a monitor because the monitor (screen) IS the computer. The only other pieces of hardware that you will need would be a keyboard and mouse. If you need a powerful computer that would still look good sitting out in the living room, this is your winner.

Apple Mac Mini – the little guy with a big punch.  Yes, that image there is the entire computer.  It really is amazing how small a footprint it leaves.  All you need to do is plug in a monitor, keyboard and mouse, and you are ready to go.  No wonder a lot of people are using the Mini as their home media system (more on that later).  If you need a beefy computer that is compact, yet elegant in style, the Mac Mini is the one for you.

Check back for Part II, where we will look at Mac laptops.

Twitter is all the rage right now. And for good reason. You have probably heard the terms “twitter”, “tweet” and the such in regular conversation. Well, what exactly is Twitter, and why should you get in on the action?

In my opinion, one of the things that sets Twitter apart from blogging or any other kind of social networking, is that you can post updates from your cell phone (also referred to as SMS). This means that when you are out and about, you can send a text message to a short code, and your Twitter account is automatically updated.

If you are on Twitter, you can follow BeginnerMac at @beginnermac. Or you can follow my personal Twitter feed at @jwilli.

If you don’t have a Twitter account, what are you waiting for?!?! It’s free! So go here and sign up, then come back and follow this feed and this feed.

I have a lot of ideas for future posts, but before I get into them, I want to hear from you. What questions do you have? As a new (or potentially new) Mac user, what are you struggling with? Leave a comment on this post, or send me an email!

Blog…blog…blog…you’ve probably heard this term all over the place nowadays. Well, what is a blog?
Very simply, a blog is short for a “web-log” or in simple layman’s terms…an online journal. Think of it as a digitized diary. If you want to really know more about it, you can check it out here.

So…why a blog?
Blogs are different from websites in the fact that they are essentially a reverse-chronological series of thoughts. Websites can change what they want to put on the front page, they can manipulate the structure of the listing of pages and topics. Blogs, for the most part, are a “stream of consciousness” weblog.
Another thing that sets blogs apart from websites are that (for the most part) blogs are run by individuals, whereas websites are maintained by companies and businesses.

I like this blog, so what do I do?
Well, you have a couple of choices. Reading blogs for me is like reading a new edition of a newspaper everyday. And because you have a Mac, getting multiple blogs into one location for you to read is simple and easy.

Here is how you do it:

There are a number of different programs/applications out there that are designed to aid you in reading blogs. There are good ones, and there are bad ones. I’m going to recommend what I use personally that just also happens to be FREE.

1. Go to www.google.com/reader and sign up for a free Google Reader account. If you don’t already have a Google account, it is free to sign up. You will just have to fill in the required information such as username, password, etc… If you do already have a Google account, you can just log in.
2. There is a button in the upper left corner, right under the Google Reader logo that says “Add Subscription”. After you click that button, and bar pops up. That is the bar that you paste (for example) http://www.beginnermac.com, or the appropriate blog you are interested in subscribing to.
3. Click the “Add” button and you are done!

There is another way to do it once you have a Google Reader account set up. I’ll explain that here:

Anytime that you see a logo that looks like this, all you have to do is click on it and you will be walked through the steps to subscribe to that particular blog. On BeginnerMac, ours is right on the upper right hand corner of the site. See it? Cool, now click on it! There, now wasn’t that easy?

Now all you have to do is find some more blogs that you enjoy reading and subscribe to those as well. Then when you’re ready to read all you have to do is go to your blog reader (i.e. Google Reader) and enjoy!

Questions? Please don’t hesitate to comment on this post.