Switch to Mac?!

[William Dowell]

Dear all!

I am seriously contemplating switching to Apple....

I usually hear screams of horror at this point, but given this is a Mac
forum !...

I have long been a Microsoft addict. I have the SPV phone, a Dell Axim, I
have 3 pc desktops, 3 laptops- all running some form of Windows. I am even
a Microsoft beta tester.

BUT, I am sick of it. I want a change.

One of my primary concerns about the switch is Office. I love office 2003
for the pc- BUT error messages are constant and outlook keeps crashing. I've
looked on the Microsoft mactopia website and it all looks very good but of
course, this is all going to be updated with the new 2004 version.. It there
any more information on the new version before I take the plunge?

Has anyone else switched?! To what extent are they really compatible? Can
you move pst files across or contact lists?

Ooo...while I am on mactopia expertise: will my (Microsoft Windows Mobile
2002) SPV phone not work either? or my (Windows Mobile 2003 ) Axim?!

Best regards,

William

 

[Mickey Stevens]

Dear all!

I am seriously contemplating switching to Apple....

I usually hear screams of horror at this point, but given this is a Mac
forum !...

....you probably won't. Usually this group is pretty civil regarding either
platform, though some of the other Mac-related newsgroups tend to be a bit
more critical.

One of my primary concerns about the switch is Office. I love office 2003
for the pc- BUT error messages are constant and outlook keeps crashing. I've
looked on the Microsoft mactopia website and it all looks very good but of
course, this is all going to be updated with the new 2004 version.. It there
any more information on the new version before I take the plunge?

All of the released information about 2004 is here:
<http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/newsroom/office/factsheets/MacOffice04FS
..asp>

Has anyone else switched?! To what extent are they really compatible?

They are very compatible, and the new Compatibility Report feature in the
soon-to-be-released Office 2004 will likely make them even more compatible,
or at least let you know what isn't.

There are a few cross-platform tips here:
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/resources/compatibility.aspx?pid=compatibility
&spid=how_to>

Can
you move pst files across or contact lists?

PST files aren't readable by any Mac OS X application (the only Mac
application that uses them is Outlook 2001, which is useless unless you use
an Exchange Server). There are some tips for moving data from Outlook to
Entourage (the e-mail program included with Office) here:
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/help/convert.html#Anchor-convert_scripts>

Mail can be transferred using an IMAP account.

Ooo...while I am on mactopia expertise: will my (Microsoft Windows Mobile
2002) SPV phone not work either?

iSync, the built-in synchronization software for mac, does not support
Windows Mobile smartphones. You need PocketMac Phone Edition, a third-party
product.

or my (Windows Mobile 2003 ) Axim?!

iSync, the built-in synchronization software for mac, does not support
Pocket PCs. There are two third-party utilities that might help you.

PocketMac Professional Edition
<http://www.pocketmac.net/pmpro3/pmpro3.html>

Mark/Space's The Missing Sync for Pocket PC
<http://www.markspace.com/pocketpc.html>

The Missing Sync does not synchronize with Entourage, but the FAQ
<http://www.markspace.com/pocketpc_faq.html> indicates that Mark/Space plans
to address that in the future.

 

[Neil Gordon]

Further to your query about changing to Mac. I am not a Mac fanatic and have
used PC¹s for 20+ years. Currently I have 4 PC¹s and 1 Mac (Powerbook) on a
network. The Mac is vastly superior to the PC in both hardware and operating
system. The applications included are superb and relevant to your specific
point, I was very surprised that Office X is better than Office for the PC.

If you use a recommended phone (I use a Sony T610), the integration is
excellent, straight out of the box:
* internet connection via GPRS over Bluetooth
* contact/task/calendar synch using Apple apps or Entourage using bluetooth
* Send SMS from mac (full size keyboard) via bluetooth link

After years of using PC¹s and linking them to handhelds, an SPV etc., I
could not believe how easy everything is with the Mac. Everything works well
and the hardware/operating system integration is so elegant compared to the
PC but more importantly it is much more reliable and stable. as soon as I
can all my PC¹s will be changed for Mac, and I am hoping to have a G5 very
soon.

Hope this helps

Kind Regards

Neil

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

If you think the current version of Mac Office is spiffy just wait till you
see the 2004 version...

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

All responses should be made to this newsgroup within the same thread.
Thanks.

About Microsoft MVPs:
http://www.mvps.org/

Before posting a "new" topic please be sure to search Google Groups to see
if your question has already been answered.

An Excel add-in is available to help with this task.
<http://www.rondebruin.nl/Google.htm>

 

[William Dowell]

Thanks to Mickey, Neil, and Jim -all your responses are GREATLY
appreciated...

I wouldnt do anything quite yet anyway - i intended on doing it after 2004
version of office- its just the details at present are somewaht sketchy. The
other "delay" factor is the price of a nice mac laptop

Cheers to all of you - and if anyone else wishes to comment - PLEASE DO!!!

William

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Are you aware that if you purchase the retail Office X product you are
eligible for a free upgrade to Office 2004? Waiting may not be necessary.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

All responses should be made to this newsgroup within the same thread.
Thanks.

About Microsoft MVPs:
http://www.mvps.org/

Before posting a "new" topic please be sure to search Google Groups to see
if your question has already been answered.

An Excel add-in is available to help with this task.
<http://www.rondebruin.nl/Google.htm>

----------

 

[Tim Murray]

If it makes you feel better, as a consultant I'm usually the one Mac guy in a
sea of Windows users. I pass Office documents (PowerPoint, Word, Excel)
around like they were candies in a bowl, and if I didn't tell people I had a
Mac, they'd never even know.

 

[Guest]

Are you sure the problems aren't caused by user
defectiveness?