I am new to this site. I found a great deal of very useful information so far. I have some information I would like to share. As a brand-new Mac mini owner, I have found that the set up process is quite daunting. I called last week to Apple support to verify that I did not need a monitor or a mouse. They told me it was fine I did not need those. So I only ordered the Bluetooth keyboard and the Mac Mini. After two hours on the phone with Apple support, a trip to the Mac Authority store, I still cannot get my system going. There is no way around having a mouse. I just wanted to let other users know the information Apple provides is not always correct. You must have a mouse or you cannot get past the set up screen.
Comments
If you search the podcast
If you search the podcast section of the site, you should find some Mac basics tutorials that will really help you with getting your new Mac Mini set up.
Setting up the Mack
Hello Briam!
First of all, congrats on getting a Mack ! You'll love it ! For starters, do you know how to turn on voice over? The command is the command key, which is to the left of the space bar. Plus the f5 key. That accurate a VO.
Steps to setting up the Mack:
1 enter your Apple ID and password . Once you've done this , press the control and option keys next to the command with the space bar.
2 accept the terms
The Mack will ask you for your contry, language , ect. Hope that helps.
Have a nice day !
The Out-of-the-Box Accessibility Factor
Hi and welcome to the wonderful world of Mac. I've had mine since the end of 2013 and love it. In fact I'm on it almost 24-7 nowadays. Well maybe not quite that, but I'm on it a lot. This is my first Macintosh computer, and my parents bought it for me as a Christmas present. They had previously discussed with me and a sister switching from Windows to the Mac. I don't want to speak for my sister here, but I was not at all enthusiastic about switching. The reason for this is that I had primarily heard negative things about Apple's accessibility track record with their Mac computers and i-devices. I have still read a lot of negativity towards Apple, but that's more or less besides the point. So this sister and I went with our parents to the local Apple store and we immediately received great service. My sister didn't end up getting her Mac until after the New Year of 2014, but I got mine right then and there. It was set up right in the store, and I had a brief look at VoiceOver. Having access to the screen reader right out of the box is sweet. So I don't really have any first-hand knowledge of the set-up process from the perspective of a brand-new user. I started out on OS X Mavericks. However, I did get a brief look at the set-up process for Yosemite and I can tell you that indeed it is accessible. You'll probably want to turn off File Vault or have someone experienced do it for you, but I was able to turn it on a couple days ago and have all my data encrypted. There's a great walk-through on this site about how to do this.
Voiceover will not function upon new Mac set up
Jake,
I have had nothing but difficulty with this new device. I am sure that Apple accessibility is there. However, I made my purchase online based on information I was given from Apple support. They informed me that I did not need to have any mouse and trackpad or monitor to activate my Mac Mini. This was far from accurate. I only had the Bluetooth keyboard. I did press command F5 nothing happened. I called Apple support and they told me I had to take it to a store because the keyboard was not synchronizing with the computer. I took it to a local store where they set it up for me. I asked the man at the counter if I needed a mouse when I got home. He said no This also was not correct. You cannot get past the first screen without having a mouse detected on the device. Now I am at a login screen which requires a password which I have no idea what it is. Additionally, the arrow keys and the do not allow me to navigate there is no spoking feedback. I am quite sure that voiceover is wonderful when it works. However, it is not working on my device. I will be returning this it is been nothing but a headache. at least jaws for windows functions every time I press a key.
Just curious...
When I've played with Macs before, hitting Command + F5 launched VO right away. However, I was playing with a new MacBook Pro at the store yesterday (beautiful machine) and I discovered that upon hitting Command + F5, I had to hit the spacebar before VO would turn on. Has this always been the case? Either way, if VO isn't talking at all, have you tried hitting space after Command + F5 to see if that turns it on? This probably wasn't helpful, but I figured I'd mention it just in case.
New VO Users
Yes that is correct. When launching VO for the first time a spoken dialogue comes up, asking you if you've already used VO or would like the interactive tutorial. Hit the spacebar if you don't want to start with the tutorial, and hit V if you want it. I'm pretty sure this order is correct, but I haven't gone through the tutorial in awhile so I may be reversing things here a bit.
Mouse
Hi. Apple is correct on not needing a mouse . When toggling on VO press command plus F5 and a diologue will appear and ask you if you want to access the tutorial or If you've used VO before press the V key. Also, to use the Magic Trackpad, place two fingers on the flat square surface below the space bar. Press two fingers down and twist your fingers to the left or right , I believe it's left but don't quote me. If you've used an iPad or iPhone , you can use the trackpad with gestures similar to VO gestures on an iPad or iPhone .
Hope that helped and if not you can take it to your local Apple Retale Store
Yeah, you are right about the
Yeah, you are right about the space key turning on VO. it's an introductory dialogue welcoming you to Voice over. I'm surprised that you didn't get a wired keyboard with your mini. It seems like the wireless keyboard wouldn't pair during the setup process. This is just my assumption as I don't use a bluetooth keyboard with my mac.
Yes, as becca and apple have said, you don't need a mouse, just probably a wired keyboard for the setup process. Just see if you can find a apple USB keyboard or something at the local apple store. And, also, if you go to the apple store, just ask them to not set a password for you, set it up yourself. It's in the users and groups option under system preferences screen.
HTH, and take care.
New Mac
Hello,
I have had my MacBook Air for nearly a week; I love it so far. I've never set up a Mac desktop before, but I have heard that you don't need a mouse or monitor if you're using VoiceOver. You don't even need a trackpad; that's optional according to your own preferences. However, last I heard, you may need a dongle so that you can trick the Mini into thinking there is a monitor attached. Again, I'm not entirely sure if that's still the case, as I bought a notebook, not a desktop.
Also, in terms of the setup, I would suggest you do it yourself as much as you can, since you'd set the password yourself. I'm sorry you're having so much trouble. I hope you get things sorted out and will love VoiceOver as much as I already have.