I was in NJ this weekend helping my sister buy her first computer. She got a mac :). A MacBook Pro (because of the 15" screen), an AirPort Extreme (great range), and a free printer. She basically got the latest versions of what I have. She's doing pretty well at using it all. She's using Mail, Safari, iCal, iChat, MS Office, Google Earth. She can print, find an application's preferences, and have a video conference. When I left she was busy ripping CDs and entering people into the Address Book.
It was interesting for me helping a non-geek along. I'm usually pretty good at explaining things but I was surprised at what things she knew and what she didn't. Computers have a lot of abstract concepts and most people don't understand them at all. I also helped them with their Windows ME machine. Even I found playing in the network settings there very confusing. What I think most people don't realize is that mac's are easier to use because they present things in a more obvious fashion, not that they don't present the complex details, they just do it in a much more intuitive way.
2 comments:
But did you install and teach her how to use QuickSilver?
Not till I finish the manual :)
Actually I didn't want to confuse her with different ways to do things. Also I didn't want to install too much software. Particularly since her machine is an Intel processor and mine is PPC. I don't know what things are glitchy so didn't want to go there.
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