I Finally Took the Plunge

I am now officially a Mac PowerBook user. I bought one of the new 15“ models, which has 40% more screen space than the more compact 12” model. It also has a faster processor (1.67 GHz), bigger hard drive (80 GB), faster FireWire port (800 Mb/sec), a SuperDrive (CD-RW, DVD-RW), s-video port (for playing DVDs on a TV or external monitor), and 1 GB of RAM.

I’m finally getting used to the keyboard, which was the first hurdle. This is always a challenge with a new computer. However, it was particularly tough with the Mac, probably because I have been using PCs for two decades. The PC keyboard had become an extension of my brain. I had to re-map my neurological circuitry and that was more difficult than I anticipated.

First, I had had to learn the difference between the Command, Option, Ctrl, and Fn shift keys. The functionality is not exactly parallel to the PC. In addition, there’s a Backspace key (called “Delete” on the Mac) but no “Del” key like on the PC. I eventually learned you can get the same action by pressing Option-Delete. You can also delete the word to the left of the cursor by clicking Shift-Option-Delete. Confused? So was I. But, it’s beginning to feel more natural all the time.

The next challenge was porting my workflow. I had to either buy and learn the Mac version of familiar programs or find new programs to replace those that didn't have a Mac version. Microsoft Office was an easy switch. I had to learn a few new keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Ctrl-U to edit an Excel cell instead of F2), but other than that, the functionality is basically the same. In fact, if anything, the Office 2004 on the Mac is more advanced on the Mac. The Project Center is particularly cool. It allows me to view on one screen all the appointments, tasks, e-mail messages, documents, and notes related to a specific project. This alone would almost be reason enough to make the switch. It is also available across the full suite of Microsoft Office applications.

Entourage is the Mac version of Outlook—sort of. It seamlessly integrates with our corporate Exchange Server. My assistant is using a PC, and she can still interact with me in the same way, including monitoring my e-mail messages, replying on my behalf, and manipulating my calendar.

Entourage does most of the things Outlook does, along with a few things Outlook doesn’t do. For example, you can’t access Outlook’s Out of Office Assistant (you can work around this by using Microsoft Outlook Web Access), but you can tag items with a virtually unlimited number of categories and/or projects. I also like the fact that you can add functionality using AppleScripts, though I no longer have access to Outlook Add-Ins like David Allen’s GTD add-in.

The thing I have enjoyed the most in this experience is discovering entirely new applications that have no real equivalent in the PC world. There are numerous examples of this, but the most notable is QuickSilver. Where do I start? It’s kind of like ActiveWords on the PC but without the need to assign words to actions.

You can invoke QuickSilver from any application using an assigned hot key. You then begin typing a search, hit the tab key, and then determine an appropriate action. For example, I press Option-Command-Space, start typing “George Bush”, press the tab key, select e-mail, and—bam!—I am staring at a new e-mail message addressed to George. However, this description doesn’t really do it justice, because the program “learns from me” the more I use it. Each time it takes fewer keystrokes. This is truly a program you have to try to appreciate.

The best part of the Mac experience so far is that the technology simply works. I have yet to experience software conflicts, viruses and spyware infections, and endless tinkering and tweaking. Installing a printer, an Apple Airport Express, or some other peripheral is easy and painless. The bottom line is that I am simply spending more time getting real work done. And that’s what I was hoping for by making the switch.