PC to Mac transition...

[Rusty K]

Ok...

I'm needing a new puter and I've wanted a Mac for a long time. It seems that the hassle of changing over will be almost the same for either...so why not get what I want?

I do have some questions though...

1. Apple doesn't offer "deals" but are there any suggestions on where to get the absolute lowest price possible?

2. I'm a bit hesitant about purchasing from a sourch without tech support such as file transfers and set up etc. Obviously my programs will have to be reinstalled and some of them will not function on the Mac...I've checked most of them out and done a search for Mac compatible alternatives. If I purchase the Mac from say Guitar Center (no tech support) how do I accomplish the file transfer? Network the two computers?

3. I'm running and Mbox mini on my PC and I disabled my other sound card. This causes some inconvenience when browsing or when trying to run two audio programs at once since it's "one at a time" with the Mbox. Can I leave the built in Mac soundcard active so that I have both?

Thanks

 

[Rusty K]

Duh!

I think I've had the answer to the transfer issue all along. I use a usb external hard drive for backup. I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be able to store all my necessary data on this and then transfer it to the new machine.

Still have the other two questions though....

 

[dgatwood]

1. Apple doesn't offer "deals" but are there any suggestions on where to get the absolute lowest price possible?

Refurbished
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

If you are buying a laptop, use the money you save to buy AppleCare protection.

2. I'm a bit hesitant about purchasing from a sourch without tech support such as file transfers and set up etc. Obviously my programs will have to be reinstalled and some of them will not function on the Mac...I've checked most of them out and done a search for Mac compatible alternatives. If I purchase the Mac from say Guitar Center (no tech support) how do I accomplish the file transfer? Network the two computers?

Yeah.

http://macs.about.com/od/macwindows/ss/sharemacfilesxp_5.htm

3. I'm running and Mbox mini on my PC and I disabled my other sound card. This causes some inconvenience when browsing or when trying to run two audio programs at once since it's "one at a time" with the Mbox. Can I leave the built in Mac soundcard active so that I have both?

Of course. In fact, it's not even possible to disable the built-in audio hardware on a Mac without doing really horrible stuff to the operating system....

 

[Rusty K]

dagtwood,

I'll certainly look into the refurbished machines and compare prices, warranty etc.

Thanks much for the links...

 

[dgatwood]

dagtwood,

I'll certainly look into the refurbished machines and compare prices, warranty etc.

Thanks much for the links...

No prob. The warranty on the refurbs is the same as the factory warranty for any other Mac---1 year parts and labor, 90 days phone tech support.

 

[BRX rad]

Ok... the safest way is to buy directly from Apple. Don't be so cranked up about price, it's a Mac. You're gunna pay a chunk of change no matter where you go, it's a quality piece of equipment. You'll have tech support on your side for any problems you may encounter. You'd be stupid not to have them their to help you or to fix anything that may go wrong in the future. They call it Apple Care, I bought it with my Macbook Pro.

Use an external hard drive to transfer your programs, although I don't see how any of your PC programs will work on a Mac unless you were to run a crossover program on it such as VMware Fusion or Parallels.

And switching back and forth between sound cards on a Mac is so effortless, you simply select the one you want. None of them are permanently disabled, whichever one you select is the one that's active.