Changing to a Mac

By Kerry Fielding, 5 October, 2012

Forum
macOS and Mac Apps
Hi folks. My netbook has died and I'm thinking about taking the leap into the world of Mac. These are the functions that I want to be able to perform should I take the leap. 1. Word processing - including creating simple bulleted and numbered lists and tables. 2. Creating simple spreadsheets and being able to do simple formulae. 3. Write and publish blog posts 4. Creating and publishing simple videos 5. Creating and publishing simple podcasts 6. Scanning documents I know there are apps out there that will let me do all that and I'd like opinions about what apps to get from those who use them on a daily basis. I know I could just use MS Office on my windows pc also but I haven't upgraded JAWS for a while and rather than pay for the upgrade I'm thinking that it's time to get a pc that talks right out of the box. Kerry

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Comments

By David Woodbridge on Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 00:14

Hi Kerry, Most of the items you listed you will certainly be able to do on a Mac, except for tables which are still a pain with VoiceOver. You can't use Word on a Mac, but Textedit (the default word processor on the Mac) is still quite ok. I still find Pages a bit fiddly, but certainly usable. Numbers is ok with VoiceOver as a spreadsheet. Both Mail (email), and Safari (web browser) work well with VoiceOver. I use Amadeus Pro which works quite well with VoiceOver to do my podcasts (available from the Mac App Store). As far as scanning, I highly recommend Docuscan Plus from Serotek which is both a scanning, and PDF access application. I've been using nothing but the Mac at home now for the last couple of years and it still feels great to just use a system out of the box. If you want to go through some podcast/demos on using VoiceOver on the Mac, feel free to listen to all of my demos on the Vision Australia podcast at: http://www.visionaustralia.org/atpodcasts Start with the Snow Leopard demos, and then work through Lion, and Mountain Lion as they all build on each other. Feel free to twitter me at: @dwoodbridge if you have any questions. David

By Maria on Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 00:14

Hi. i text express is also nice. you can create bulleted lists and there are also a lot of other nice features i haven't discovered. I've also heard it's possible to create tables using numbers but haven't actually tried this. You can also if you need windows for something run bootcamp or vmware fusion. I switched to a mac last Christmas and I've not regretted it. I hope this info helps you. Also if you do get a mac be sure to join a mac list or 2. and ask questions here.

By JT on Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 00:14

Is there any chance of you doing a short podcast on Numbers? A lot of people have said it can be used successfully, but they have been unwilling to show how.

By JT on Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 00:14

A JAWS upgrade might very well be a lot less than the premium you will have to pay for a Mac. It is nice having a computer that works out of the box, but then again, you only take it out of the box once! If it really is basic Word and Excel you want to do, then you might be able to get away with using a Mac. However, when you think of the years and years of effort that has gone into making Word and Excel useable, it would be a shame to limit yourself. I love my iMac, it's an great home computer, but it's not ready for work and being productive. Mars Edit is great for blogging though.

By Ivor123 on Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 00:14

I bought a new Mac about three weeks ago and David's podcasts have been a tremendous resource. They are really worth listening to and following along with if you can.

By Eyelessguy1987 on Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 00:14

I run two blogs and a podcast on accessibility at www.htb2.com. AmadeusPro is perfect for audio editing and Garage band works well to get music and effects and throw it all together. For blogging I use and recommend Mars Edit from the Mac app store. You can manage multiple blogs and posting and editing is a breeze. the only downside is it costs like $40 if I remember correctly. But if you blog a lot it is worth it. I can't speak to the rest much but I know Pages does word processing and will be able to do what you need.

By Signaltonoise on Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 00:14

Hi Kerry, You'll be able to do everything you want to do with a mac except spreadsheets, and tables. The mac is a good platform for creating video and podcasts, recording music and other things. I'm a college student getting a degree in sound engineering and I use a mac full time. That being said I'd go to a local Apple store and try one out for yourself. There is a big learning curve and that's why a lot of people seel their macs is because they want it to work just like windows. Don't go into this thinking that all your windows knowledge is out the door because it's not. Also don't get frustrated when you want to do something and it doesn't work out the way you thought. You'll have to relearn a new operating system just like you did with learning the iPod Touch. As far as a scanning application goes DocuScan plus is awesome. Nisus Writer Express is a great word processing application as well.