Michael,
I use a Mac at home and a PC at work (as does my wife). My
wife and I run a small non-profit using the Mac. The only time I need
to emulate a PC (which you can easily do with programs like Parallels or
VN Ware) is when I need to work/read an Access document or a Publisher
document (MS does not make a Mac version of these programs). As far as
Word, Excel and PowerPoint go there is no problem. (I have heard that
there are some small differences with PowerPoint, but I have not had any
problems.) MS does not not make Outlook for Mac, instead they make
Entourage. While I have Entourage, I've never used it so I don't
how it plays with Outlook. I use Thunderbird for my incoming mail
(both personal & business) and I use Mac's Mail and Mac's Address Book
for my outgoing Business mail and my business contacts. Quickbooks
for Mac can be saved as /or can open a Windows file. I hope this helps.
Steve
Michael Wosnick wrote:
So my questions relate to what is the real-world experience of Mac users in
what is still a predominantly PC-world. I cannot afford an expensive
experiment of buying my first Mac and finding out that, while I may love
what I can do with it at home, it causes me grief when trying to be fully
and transparently compatible with work. Main applications that need to be
seamlessly integrated are all of the MS office suite (esp. Outlook, Word,
Excel and PowerPoint). Are the Mac versions of these REALLY interchangeable
with the PC versions? Or do I need to run the a Mac in some sort of
PC-emulation mode? And if so, why bother, as in, do the benefits of a Mac
disappear if you are not running it in some "native" mode.
In short, if I bit the bullet and went Mac, what will be the advantages and
what will be the hurdles I will face in needing to stay fully compatible and
connected to my PC-based world out there? And, while I am pretty technically
savvy, I am not really in the mood for a long learning curve either - how
truly "intuitive" and easy will it be to re-transfer what I do with
proficiency on my PCs and learn to do it on a Mac instead?
Many thanks for all constructive and impartial advice.
Michael
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