Just ordered a MBA for my mother....more inside..

[dlock13]

whose never used OSX in her life.. How much of a hard time am I going to have teaching her how to use it? Then again, I've never used OSX either so it'd be a learning experience for both of us.



Also, this is off-topic, but does anyone know where other than craigslist/xda/reddit/eBay I can find someone to swap me their iPhone 4S for my Nexus? I'm so sick of Android and really, really want to finally have an iPhone.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Has she been using windows?

 

[bearxor]

whose never used OSX in her life.. How much of a hard time am I going to have teaching her how to use it? Then again, I've never used OSX either so it'd be a learning experience for both of us.



Also, this is off-topic, but does anyone know where other than craigslist/xda/reddit/eBay I can find someone to swap me their iPhone 4S for my Nexus? I'm so sick of Android and really, really want to finally have an iPhone.

Which Nexus?

 

[nitrous9200]

I imagine of what she'll be doing is just going to be in the browser, so just show her where that is. If she doesn't want to use webmail or her email provider has crappy webmail, you can use the Mail app...pretty easy to set up (usually finds the proper server settings and everything after entering the email address & password). Last thing would be the Finder, show her how to make new folders, copy and paste etc. Maybe have a look in the system preferences, although she probably will not need to change anything. One thing you might want to change is the scrolling - Lion's default option is inverse scrolling, so moving your fingers up on the touchpad scrolls down - might be confusing.

One thing I've noticed (especially with older people) is that they try to click the icons in the dock to launch the apps but accidentally drag the mouse up - that causes the icon to disappear from the dock - clearly not a good thing since most people don't know another way of launching apps.
Easy fix is to search for the app with spotlight (magnifying glass in top right), open it and then click and hold the icon in the dock when it appears, and choose keep in dock.

 

[dlock13]

Has she been using windows?

Yes she has. She has used Windows her whole life. For the past 1.5 years, she's been
using Windows 7. She still has many, many questions about Windows to this day.

Which Nexus?

The Galaxy Nexus for VZW.

I imagine of what she'll be doing is just going to be in the browser, so just show her where that is. If she doesn't want to use webmail or her email provider has crappy webmail, you can use the Mail app...pretty easy to set up (usually finds the proper server settings and everything after entering the email address & password). Last thing would be the Finder, show her how to make new folders, copy and paste etc. Maybe have a look in the system preferences, although she probably will not need to change anything. One thing you might want to change is the scrolling - Lion's default option is inverse scrolling, so moving your fingers up on the touchpad scrolls down - might be confusing.

One thing I've noticed (especially with older people) is that they try to click the icons in the dock to launch the apps but accidentally drag the mouse up - that causes the icon to disappear from the dock - clearly not a good thing since most people don't know another way of launching apps.
Easy fix is to search for the app with spotlight (magnifying glass in top right), open it and then click and hold the icon in the dock when it appears, and choose keep in dock.

That is all extremely helpful. Thank you for that advice. I'll have to teach her the multi touch gestures. She uses an iPhone so it might not actually be that bad when it comes to scrolling and such.

Currently, she uses Windows Live Mail with Verizon. I feel like the Mail app is a much better client after looking at a few videos for it.

Thanks for the tip on the dock and the removal of applications. Seeing as how she is used to W7, I can see her doing that here.

By the way, she is 58 years old so its not too bad, but I feel like she expects me to teach her every possible thing instead of trying to learn on her own.

 

[lokiju]

My Mom runs a home business and has been for years. Plus she's a author/writer.

She finally went through the Lenovo Thinkpad I told her to get when she wouldn't get a Mac about 5 years ago. Then about a year and a half or so ago when she was ready for something new I finally convinced her to get a MacBook Pro. Took some convincing but she paid the extra $100 or whatever it was to have the 1 on 1 Apple store Genius time before regular store hours by appointment. Plus she attended some of the free weekend classes they do at the stores to learn some of the basics.

Within a few weeks she was off and running and the absolute BEST part of it has been she almost NEVER calls me for help or with spyware issues anymore.

Whenever she does its either a quick fix answer or "well time to use that fancy support you paid for" and when she does, she's not left being frustrated but actually gets helped with her issue and in a helpful way in person.

I cannot stress how great this has been for me. She was always the person I dreaded the most to ask me a computer issue question.

 

[GrantMeThePower]

My mom is pretty old and really terrible with computers.

I got her an iMac this time last year and she is absolutely in love with it.

One of the best things is how easy it is to screen share when i'm at home just using iChat so i can show her things without having to be there.

 

[Ns1]

if i were you I would make sure your mom knows where the apple store is so she can go there to get all her questions answered

therein lies the true power of apple.

 

[runawayprisoner]

If you don't know a thing about OSX, I'd expect the learning curve to be very very steep. But if in doubt, just drag and drop things. Works all the time.

 

[dlock13]

My Mom runs a home business and has been for years. Plus she's a author/writer.

She finally went through the Lenovo Thinkpad I told her to get when she wouldn't get a Mac about 5 years ago. Then about a year and a half or so ago when she was ready for something new I finally convinced her to get a MacBook Pro. Took some convincing but she paid the extra $100 or whatever it was to have the 1 on 1 Apple store Genius time before regular store hours by appointment. Plus she attended some of the free weekend classes they do at the stores to learn some of the basics.

Within a few weeks she was off and running and the absolute BEST part of it has been she almost NEVER calls me for help or with spyware issues anymore.

Whenever she does its either a quick fix answer or "well time to use that fancy support you paid for" and when she does, she's not left being frustrated but actually gets helped with her issue and in a helpful way in person.

I cannot stress how great this has been for me. She was always the person I dreaded the most to ask me a computer issue question.

That is pretty awesome. The only problem is my mom is tight with money, and we live about 1:10 from the closest Apple store (Pittsburgh) so the classes really aren't that good of an idea for her. I mean it'd be awesome if we were closer, but at the moment, it's not really in the cards.

I do know how awesome Apple support is though so she'd definitely be able to contact them, etc., to get a lot of help.

My mom is pretty old and really terrible with computers.

I got her an iMac this time last year and she is absolutely in love with it.

One of the best things is how easy it is to screen share when i'm at home just using iChat so i can show her things without having to be there.

I feel like OSX is an easy OS to learn even though I haven't used it much so we're both going to learn a fair amount.

if i were you I would make sure your mom knows where the apple store is so she can go there to get all her questions answered

therein lies the true power of apple.

Like I said previously, we're too far away from one.


Also, getting back to my other question in my OP, does anyone know of a good place to swap a Galaxy Nexus (VZW) for an iPhone 4S?

 

[runawayprisoner]

Also, getting back to my other question in my OP, does anyone know of a good place to swap a Galaxy Nexus (VZW) for an iPhone 4S?

Have you tried Craigslist? I saw a Galaxy Nexus on my local CL a while ago... and I can only assume that the owner successfully traded his.

 

[Ns1]

I feel like OSX is an easy OS to learn even though I haven't used it much so we're both going to learn a fair amount.

this is true. the problem is unlearning all of the assumptions you've made in the past 5-10 years of using windows (at least this was the case for me)

 

[dlock13]

Have you tried Craigslist? I saw a Galaxy Nexus on my local CL a while ago... and I can only assume that the owner successfully traded his.

Well, my Craigslist isn't very helpful. I've posted on there before and scoured it for a little bit to find anyone trading an iPhone 4S, and I've found nothing.

this is true. the problem is unlearning all of the assumptions you've made in the past 5-10 years of using windows (at least this was the case for me)

That's definitely going to be a huge problem. I already know though that for certain things command takes place of the control button and sometimes the option button takes place of the control button. That's the one problem I'm going to have with it thus far.

 

[Ns1]

Well, my Craigslist isn't very helpful. I've posted on there before and scoured it for a little bit to find anyone trading an iPhone 4S, and I've found nothing.


That's definitely going to be a huge problem. I already know though that for certain things command takes place of the control button and sometimes the option button takes place of the control button. That's the one problem I'm going to have with it thus far.

definitions of full screen, enter, file management, delete, eject (just to name a few) will be very, very different. I think they may have fixed some of these problems in lion (full screen)

 

[cheez]

OP, I would recommend you read up on TheStu's guide on using Mac OS X for the new users. http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=79291

I found it very helpful.

As for the Safari browser it's something I could not get use to so I downloaded the Mac version of Firefox. This works so good. Total satisfaction.

I am really really liking Mac OS X Lion.. this is my first Mac OS I'm getting my hands on.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=79291

 

[dlock13]

OP, I would recommend you read up on TheStu's guide on using Mac OS X for the new users. http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=79291

I found it very helpful.

As for the Safari browser it's something I could not get use to so I downloaded the Mac version of Firefox. This works so good. Total satisfaction.

I am really really liking Mac OS X Lion.. this is my first Mac OS I'm getting my hands on.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=79291

Awesome. Thank you for that. I'll definitely read that over and have her try and read it over as well.

 

[suklee]

whose never used OSX in her life.. How much of a hard time am I going to have teaching her how to use it? Then again, I've never used OSX either so it'd be a learning experience for both of us.(

http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/
http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

 

[TheStu]

Awesome. Thank you for that. I'll definitely read that over and have her try and read it over as well.

Bear in mind that guide is many years old at this point and needs to be updated to take into account changes in Snow Leopard and Lion. I wrote that when Tiger was still the OS du jour.

 

[fatpat268]

this is true. the problem is unlearning all of the assumptions you've made in the past 5-10 years of using windows (at least this was the case for me)

I've always seen it like this:

A windows poweruser will have a difficult time switching and learning OS X. Mostly because of what you said... you make certain assumptions and you have to unlearn some basic things because OS X is just different.

To someone who can barely operate a windows computer without outside help (you know, like parents), OS X will have a very light learning curve and will probably be more intuitive to them.

 

[Printer Bandit]

one thing i don't like is the sharp edges near the wrist support area on the laptop.

 

[TheStu]

one thing i don't like is the sharp edges near the wrist support area on the laptop.

On the Air because of the slant of it, the edges are less of a problem, though I didn't really notice them on modern Macs until I used a PowerBook for a while.

 

[Printer Bandit]

On the Air because of the slant of it, the edges are less of a problem, though I didn't really notice them on modern Macs until I used a PowerBook for a while.

yeah, I had a 2008 macbook pro with the plastic case and when switching to an early 2011 unibody it was killing my wrists.

 

[Geekbabe]

I'm 55 yrs old, got my 1st Mac at the end of Nov ( a MacBook Air) I do everything with it including running my website. Your Mom has computing experience, she's going to love the Air.

You might want to pick up the book " Mac OS X Lion, the Missing Manual" it's a great reference tool that's really helped me.

 

[alkemyst]

If you really want to be generous, throw in Parallels and buy her a Windows 7 license.

I run windows and OSX at the same time in convergence mode. It's fast as heck on my mid-2010 MBP 15" base version.

 

[dlock13]

How do I export email messages from Windows Live Mail to the Mail client on OSX? I've been searching and searching and cannot find a suitable answer.