We'll show you how to set up your Mac and get the most use from its powerful, friendly features.
I am a big fan of some of Mac OS’ default apps but like everything else online, there are tools and software apps which can do MacOS tasks better, faster, and more efficiently. We would be extremely remiss if we didn’t point them out to you. Compared to some of the bloatware that Windows packages on their operating system, MacOS’ equivalents are really good.
![]() Set up your new Mac
These simple steps will get you started. Learn how to turn on your Mac, use the setup assistant, and check for software updates.
Get your Mac up and running
Switching from Windows?
Mac ease of use is legendary. If you're coming from Windows, you can learn how to click, copy, close, and more in no time.
Get tips for Windows switchers
Bring your files and folders
Use Migration Assistant to copy all of your documents, apps, and settings to your new Mac from another Mac or Windows PC.
Navigate with gestures
Make your Mac do amazing things with a swipe, a tap, and a click. Navigating your Mac is easy with gestures for your trackpad, Force Touch trackpad, and mouse.
Use multi-touch gestures
Use keyboard shortcuts
Sometimes a quick press of the keys is faster than pointing and clicking. Save time with these keyboard shortcuts.
Learn handy shortcuts
Personalize your display
Quickly start a screen saver or put your display to sleep with hot corner shortcuts. You can also secure your Mac by requiring a password after the screen saver starts.
Set up screen saver
Create wonderful work with your Mac
Productivity is fun, easy, and collaborative with these powerful apps that come built into your Mac.
Pick up where you left off with Continuity
Start an email on your iPhone, and finish it on your Mac. Copy text on your Mac, and paste it on your iPad. Use your iPhone as an Instant Hotspot. You can even unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch. Continuity makes it all easy.
Stay connected with Continuity
Use Messages to keep up the conversation
You can send and receive iMessages and text messages on your Mac, just like on your iPhone. Learn how to set up Messages and keep chatting.
Use Messages with your Mac
Your photos, organized and perfected
The Photos app and iCloud Photo Library give you a beautiful way to organize and view your photos on all your Apple devices. You can also share and edit your photos with powerful, intuitive tools.
Use Photos on your Mac
Access your documents anywhere
When you store documents in iCloud Drive, you can open them on all your Apple devices and on iCloud.com. And your edits stay up to date everywhere.
Set up iCloud Drive on your Mac
Learn more
Get Mac Support, learn about the operating system that makes your Mac run, and brush up on the basics.
I am a big fan of some of Mac OS’ default apps but like everything else online, there are tools and software apps which can do MacOS tasks better, faster, and more efficiently. We would be extremely remiss if we didn’t point them out to you.
Compared to some of the bloatware that Windows packages on their operating system, MacOS’ equivalents are really good. My wife recently bought a new Windows laptop and we had a hell of a job uninstalling Avira anti-virus from it. Olympus vn-3100pc software mac. You don’t get these issues with a Mac.
Mac’s default apps for things like Mail, Calendar, Notes, and so forth are snappy and do the job for most people. But someone somewhere will always find a feature missing that they urgently need.
If that’s the case, here are some alternatives for you to consider. You can’t uninstall the default apps though so just throw them in a folder and forget about them if you don’t intend to use them.
Replace Mail With Mozilla Thunderbird
I haven’t used an email client for many years, preferring instead the portability and flexibility of web-based email. But if you still prefer to have your email downloaded to your computer, you would do well to use Mozilla Thunderbird.
Thunderbird gives you all of the things Mail does, as well as support for reading RSS feeds and instant messaging over Jabber (XMPP). You can also set up mailing lists and events, and encrypt your messages.
Replace Calendar With ItsyCal
I briefly mentioned ItsyCal in a recent article so I won’t raise my word count by rehashing everything again. I’ll refer you to the other article. But since starting to use ItsyCal, I have never needed to use Apple’s default calendar.
Simply add your events to Google Calendar online, then ItsyCal syncs with Google Calendar and shows all of your events and appointments in the handy little lightweight widget next to your clock.
Replace Books With Kindle
The whole iBooks recently underwent a bit of a paint-job but in my opinion, Apple has totally made a dog’s dinner of the whole thing. You now can’t hide iCloud books and the whole interface is just hideous.
Which is good news for Amazon because whoever feels like me and hates the new Apple Books, can switch to Amazon’s MacOS Kindle app instead. The Kindle app is more relaxing on the eyes, has a more minimalist design, and syncs effortlessly with the Kindle app on iOS devices.
It’s just really annoying if you have bought a lot of ePUB books on Apple though, which are incompatible on Kindle…. Mac app reduce image size chart.
Replace FaceTime With Skype
FaceTime gets the job done and is really handy if your iPhone is in the other room – you can instead reply to your calls on your Mac with FaceTime. But in terms of features, FaceTime is a bit bare-bones. That is why I tend to look elsewhere for a better video conferencing app.
Until recently, I would have had no hesitation in recommending Zoom as an alternative. But then came the bombshell that the company was running a secret web server on users Macs without their permission. This means my allegiance is now back with Skype. Kiss the Holy ring, Skype.
Replace Safari With Mozilla Firefox
I suppose this is more of a personal preference thing as there are lots of diehard Safari fans out there. I prefer Mozilla Firefox more because of their wide selection of extensions and I generally feel that Firefox is faster and more privacy-focused than Safari.
But hey, if Safari floats your boat more, then stick with it. My wife adores Safari.
Replace Messages With WhatsApp
I’ve never understood the attraction of Messages, except to send free SMS messages to other Mac and iOS device users. I more prefer a cross-platform solution where I can message everyone, regardless of their computer and phone operating system.
For my paranoid, tinfoil hat-wearing friends, that solution is Signal, which I have referred to many times before. For the others, who indignantly proclaim “I have nothing to hide!”, the one to use is WhatsApp, which has a desktop version. Signal also has a desktop version.
Replace Pages With LibreOffice
Apple’s suite of office apps, led by Pages, was something I never really gelled with. Perhaps I was too used to using Microsoft Office or perhaps by the time I got my first Mac, I was too hypnotized with using LibreOffice.
For the staggering total price of free, LibreOffice gives you pretty much everything Apple’s office suite does. Plus it is more lightweight and faster to run.
You can open Microsoft Office and Apple Office documents with LibreOffice as well, and save them back into the same formats.
After that, the app will cost $29.99, but it’s a one-time purchase without any subscriptions. Flowchart software mac and ipad pro.
Replace Quicktime With VLC PlayerOs App Download
I am actually a big fan of QuickTime, but its big Achilles Heel is that it doesn’t play every type of media file out there. Two examples are AVI and MKV files. This makes QuickTime rather limited in its usefulness.
Mac Os App Store![]()
Therefore I am forced to also run VLC Player on the Mac, which can take over when QuickTime stumbles. VLC is the granddaddy of running media files where other apps can’t.
Ones I Haven’t Bothered To Suggest Replacements For
Obviously “the best” is a very subjective term so what I think is best may not match your opinions. But hopefully this article has made you aware of some of the other options out there.
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2020
Categories |