PC to MAC Transition: Day One

Yesterday I purchased a MacBook. For the past six years I have been using the same Dell Desktop running Windows XP. In 2002, during the first few months with my PC, I had to get a new mouse and a new monitor because the ones that came in the box mysteriously broke down. Luckily, I only had to pay for the mouse. After that, things ran rather smoothly, however the college obsession with free music downloads (Kazaa, Limewire, BearShare, Napster) wreaked havoc on my system, bringing spyware, hidden viruses and bots to my machine. My poor little PC just wasn't the same. I cleaned up my computer, had many conversations with the JMU Computer Help Desk and straightened out my consumer conscience (which meant paying for music downloads).

Even after all that work, I still needed something better than what I was getting from my PC. It's old and runs very slow. With my increasing use of the Internet & fancy computer programs for networking, blogging and work I needed something to work almost as fast as my brain.

Enter MacBook.

I can't give a full report on this transition since I've had my new system for less than 24 hours, but here are some initial noticings from this new Mac User:

1. I'm going to have a lot to get used to on a Mac. It's not a bad thing, just a different format. First, there's the naming: All the programs have a different name than Microsoft uses. Second, there's the layout: I'm not used to all the programs at the bottom, the close-the-window X button being on the left and probably many more changes I haven't yet discovered. Third, the right click button on my mouse is gone. Woe is me!
2. I opened my e-mail (probably prematurely since nothing was installed on my Mac yet) and signed into my gmail account. I was impressed with how quickly the list started to populate and how thorough it was. Oddly enough, I was seeing the very first e-mails ever I ever received on gmail (varying from my current employer during my internship application process, to silly notes from my best friend before we graduated and she got married). However, the list of e-mails stopped populating around July 2006 messages. It was strange. Hopefully after everything is installed it will catch up.
3. I don't have many concerns about my new Mac. I know the transition process will be a long once since the PC system is so ingrained in my head, but I'll get used to it. I do have a concerns about how my new laptop will use memory, though. I bought the most memory that the Apple Store would sell me, but I don't want my computer to crash and to lose everything because I don't have an external hard drive. However, I would have worried about that if I bought a Dell desktop, too.
4. I'm loving the simplicity and the lack of trash that came in the box. Go green packaging!

In the next few weeks I'll be researching how other people beefed up their Mac knowledge quickly and what I should be prepared for, but until then I'll keep updating my blog with how this transition is going.

Another tidbit: I also bought an 8GB iTouch yesterday. I'm waiting for it to power up so I haven't even been able to turn it on yet. I'm currently using an iPod Nano with an embarrassingly low amount of space on it.