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I’m sure we all remember the brilliant Apple ads that came out years ago.

Hi! I’m a Mac.

And I’m a PC…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQb_Q8WRL_g

These came at what I consider the “Apple boom” — when all of a sudden, Apple and its Mac products went from being the exception to the rule. iPhones and iPod’s began leading the market in terms of smartphones and mp3 players. College campuses went from being dominated by PC notebooks to a sea of MacBooks. Macs are certainly trendy, yes. But in terms of quality and ease of use — what’s the difference between Mac and PC computers?

This question prompted me to attend a Mason STAR Lab workshop on switching from a PC to a Mac. I have owned a Mac for about two years now, but admittedly am not extremely well-versed in its functions. I have many friends who are adamantly “PRO-MAC,” and while I love the sleekness and style of my MacBook, I’m sure I am not taking full advantage of its capabilities.

The workshop was extremely helpful in terms of navigating through the toolbars and learning about how to make PC software Mac-appropriate. This is one problem with Macs — they often do not support PC-based software. My most recent encounter with this issue stems from an online Statistics class I am taking this semester. Several of the required assignments require MiniTab software, which is not compatible with Macs. I purchased software that was supposed to make MiniTab work on my computer, but after many hours at the help desk and $125…no dice. My Mac is destined to remain MiniTabless.

Life goes on. Thank goodness for on-campus computer labs.

While I learned several interesting things about my lovely computer, such as how to make the most of the image/graphic software MacBooks boast, the main purpose of this workshop was to inform non-Mac users how to navigate the computer. I probably would have been better off attending a session that was more “Mac-skills intermediate” than “Mac-skills beginner.”

Still, every day you learn something new, and this day was no different. I am certainly more confident in my ability to handle my computer and also learned a few unexpected tidbits about PC computers as well.

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