more questions about apple macbook

[thelittleprincess]

ok, so i read that you can dual boot macs to run Mac OS and Windows...why would some people want this?

if I got a macbook, and only had mac os on it, the programs i use for documents, spreadsheet, etc would not be compatible with PCs right? like i wouldn't be able to email a file to someone with a PC....or am I behind the times and wrong?

i'm trying to figure out if i get a macbook, will i actually have more problems or not.

right now, i basically use my laptop for emailing, internet, and every now and then some word doc and excel sheets. no longer in school, so nothing major needed. and i guess itunes and AIM. but when i do use word or excel, it's sometimes to help my siblings with stuff, but they all use PCs and I don't know if that'll be a problem if I write it on a macbook then email the file to them.

I just used my sister's laptop which has Vista and I am confused since i'm use to Windows xp. so either way, i'll have some learning to do if i get a PC with Vista or Apple with Mac OS.

thanks!
g

 

[slugg]

Well, it's not like it used to be. Mac's and PC's play nice with each other now . Yes you CAN email documents to a PC user and it WILL be compatible

Basically, it sounds to me like a Macbook would be perfect for you. AIM and iTunes aren't a problem, as well as web surfing and all that stuff. The only real decision you have to make is which productivity software you'd like to use. You have two options: Microsoft Office and Apple iWork.

Out of the two, iWork is definitely easier to use and you can make some pretty impressive stuff in very little time. Anything you make in iWork can be saved as a Microsoft Office document, so a PC can open it without any problems. Some people say that iWork takes up less resources and is faster as a whole, but I have no way to verify this.

On the other hand, Microsoft Office is already familiar to you. If your primary usage is to help out your siblings, it might be better to go with Microsoft Office, since your siblings will most likely be on Windows (so you can guide them more easily).

In my personal opinion, I enjoy using iWork by far more than Office.

Any more questions, feel free to ask

 

[TheStu]

Well, I have both iWork 08 and Office 08 on my MacBook. iWork apps definitely launch faster and use fewer resources. Although not quite as full featured as Office, it does take care of most situations. There is also NeoOffice (the Aqua version of OpenOffice) but frankly even version 3.0 isn't that great.

There are almost no compatibility issues between PCs and Macs any more, just like Slugg said.

 

[d3lt4]

And there is always open office. Which is a free office suite which I believe has compatibility with all iwork and ms office.

 

[TheStu]

I am not so sure that OpenOffice has support for the iWork file types, but that is more or less ok since they are by no means standards like .doc and .docx. However, OpenOffice on OS X is a real pain (even the Aqua NeoOffice isn't that great IMO), and since iWork is only $79...