Comments on David Alison's Blog: My wife and her iPhone

David, you're description of how your wife views t...

2009-02-18T15:34:00.000-05:00

David, you're description of how your wife views technology: "as a utility... a means to accomplish a goal" is perfect. It describes my wife exactly. She is super smart, an analyst, works on PC's, huge db's, access, etc. but is clueless if computer malfunctions, or even how to turn on a stereo! How can she not appreciate and savor every detail and design feature of our new "family" 17" MacBook Pro! Slowly but surely I'll have here fluent in Mac, and thus worthy of touching the "family" computer....

Your wife will love a Mac. Might take her a month ...

2008-08-09T13:02:00.000-04:00

Your wife will love a Mac. Might take her a month or two to get the hang of it but then it'll be off to the races. Congrats!

I think the computer-like, icon-based navigation a...

2008-08-05T08:19:00.000-04:00

I think the computer-like, icon-based navigation and touchscreen usability make iPhones very easy to acclimate oneself to. I have thought of getting each of my parents one. I can't tell you how much time I've spent helping them navigate those arcane menu systems on standard cell phones.

If eyestrain is an issue, think about the matte sc...

2008-08-04T07:28:00.000-04:00

If eyestrain is an issue, think about the matte screen MacBook Pro. The extra screen real estate will make it more pleasurable to read anything, and the matte finish will keep reflections away. (Some people love the glossy screen, so it's just a matter of preference).

If the computer will mostly be on a desktop, a separate monitor (Apple Display or cheaper non-apple models) is a wonderful combo with a mac laptop. With the separate keyboard. Best of all worlds.

My better half is a bit of a techno-phobe (is also...

2008-08-04T02:26:00.000-04:00

My better half is a bit of a techno-phobe (is also a RN / MidWife), and the computer is definitely a utility to her too (write in her blog, skype with sister in Oz, catchup with email, use the web for scrapbooking / card making ideas, doing DVD videos from the DV camera to send overseas)

She had always said that using the PowerMac G5 we have had at home for ~5 years was a breath of fresh air compared to the old XP machine and also her work computers.

For a while (ie about a year) we have been discussing getting a laptop and moving the computer desk out of the lounge. Anyway, I had suggested the option of getting a 'cheap' Windows laptop to experiment whether having a laptop as the 'main machine' would work.

I basically got a 'how precious are your various bodily attachments to you' type of response. Needless to say, we ended up going with a refurb Macbook Pro and TimeCapsule.

We had debated at length around the blackbook (white was NOT an option to her, too easy to get/look dirty) v's a MBP and FWIW, she definitely feels that the MBP was the right decision as opposed to the MB.

@davistech; Thanks for the info. I took the plun...

2008-08-03T20:08:00.000-04:00

@davistech; Thanks for the info. I took the plunge and downloaded Quicken and moved my accounts. I just started as a new user versus trying to move over the data. I did not have any historical data that was critical. It only took a couple of hours but I was able to get rid of my Windows XP Boot Camp partition. I now consider myself a full convert and not a partial one.

David keep posting I enjoy reading your blog....

@maxpug: I had a similar problem when I switched, ...

2008-08-03T08:40:00.000-04:00

@maxpug: I had a similar problem when I switched, except that I am a Quicken user. I first kept using my existing Quicken running under XP on a Fusion virtual machine. Eventually I switched to Quicken running natively on the Mac. You may be able to import your MS Money files, but I'm not sure.

When I first switched I continued to run a number of favorite applications in the virtual XP environment. However I find that I use this less and less as I have found Mac apps that fill all (or most) of my needs.

Once she goes Mac, she'll never go back...I have a...

2008-08-03T00:13:00.000-04:00

Once she goes Mac, she'll never go back...

I have a nearly identical situation with my wife. She's not stupid or technically illiterate (she's a registered nurse in ICU), she just doesn't like to fool with computer problems.

I finally convinced her that the switch wouldn't be that bad and we got our iMac a year ago. She loves it; especially the fact that she doesn't have to yell for me as often (actually, almost never).

We also both have iPhones. She's officially hooked.

I found it easy to switch but I am still looking f...

2008-08-02T21:14:00.000-04:00

I found it easy to switch but I am still looking for a good replacement for Microsoft Money. If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it. I have heard of a few but the reviews are always 50/50 and I am hesitant to switch from what I know and works for me. It is the last program I need to find a replacement for.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Pedro, click on the link on David's ssh comment, a...

2008-08-02T14:16:00.000-04:00

Pedro, click on the link on David's ssh comment, and you'll see the effect he is actually going for here. ;-)

@SimpleLife is correct: the difficulty in switchin...

2008-08-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

@SimpleLife is correct: the difficulty in switching to Mac is inversely proportional to your current skill level with Windows. People that I expect to have a little bit of trouble actually breeze through it, while people that I consider "power" users actually struggle because they think too hard about it. The best possible candidate for a switch to Mac is a person that sees the PC as a tool and nothing more.

As for your ssh remark, you won't even need to do that. Leopard allows desktop sharing and it is built into the OS. Your wife's machine will show up in your finder aavailable for sharing, click once and you'll see all available ahares, and a button to allow you to start desktop sharing. Once you are in, basically you have a window with her desktop and you can do anything you want. If you have ever used VNC or Windows Remote Desktop/Terminal Services it is almost identical.

Get her a Mac. You're doing the Tech Support anywa...

2008-08-02T10:59:00.000-04:00

Get her a Mac. You're doing the Tech Support anyway.

That's how it was with me. Got my wife a MacBook Pro, and she LOVES the beautiful LED display and general quality.

She loves it. And I love it because I'm not constantly working around Windows nonsense.

Trust me, the transition is easy. The transition tends to be harder for power users as we do more and expect more.

In fact she hates it when I touch her notebook now.

Everyone's happy.

@Buckley: Thanks for the advice. I had read some o...

2008-08-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

@Buckley: Thanks for the advice. I had read some of the rumors too. Her birthday isn't until the end of September so I can see how all this plays out.

David, you might want to see if she is willing to ...

2008-08-02T08:32:00.000-04:00

David, you might want to see if she is willing to wait until mid-September when reliable rumors say that Apple will be releasing updated MacBooks. My best guess is that they will do so after the free iPod Touch deal runs out on September 15th.