Hello Laura, In short, I think your question is too broad to be answered in one email with any degree of authority. I say this because, like most things in life, there is no silver bullet, no one-size-fits-all.
Having said this please consider the following before you make your decision: 1. Find someone who is impartial with regard to Windows/PCs and Macs. Trust me, this is important because most often Mac people will do their best to tell you how bad Windows is and Windows people will do their best to tell you how limited Macs are. Neither group is right or wrong. You need to develop a relationship with someone who has your best interest at heart and not her/his own ego. For example, I am often asked to recommend computers and I find that I recommend both Mac and PC equally as often. Further, even though people love sending emails, I find it best to have an actual conversation via telephone when consulting. There are so many factors that must be taken into account when deciding how to proceed many of which cannot be denoted in written correspondence. For example, were you and I to talk, part of my recommendation would be based not only on what words you chose to answer the questions but the manner in which you speak when giving the answers. Does this make sense? 2. Don't think of your upcoming computer crossroad as a switch but rather as an opportunity to add more tools to your proverbial toolkit. 3. Money will always be a factor so don't let anyone tell you to ignore this factor. 4. Whatever you do, do not ask a sales person for advice on what to purchase. 5. Finally, whatever you decide, remember to have fun and enjoy the experience of learning something new, OK? Mark ----Original Message----- From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Laura Ann Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2011 7:36 PM To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com Subject: pondering switching to a macbook pro from windows XP >Hello, I currently have a toshiba laptop running XP but its about 6 to 6.5 years old or so. I can tell soon I need to make a change either to windows 7 or Mac. It recently had a major crash and had to be revived and is now a bit sluggish. I have been a windows user since windows 95 or 98 and am using jaws. I have also used K1000 and an opticbook 3600 scanner. What advice do you have as I switch and what spec recommendations. I was thinking a Macbook pro? Will I need to keep jaws and run it with fusion or boot camp or can I do what I need only on the Mac? if I did run windows 7 and learned it would I still need jaws for the screen reader? What applications are recommended for doing the below task? I have been listening to pod cast like Tech doctor, mac-cessibility and others trying to learn. I multi task a lot and use MS office with word, eccel and outlook. I want to be able to work with mp3 files, word processing, making forms in a word processor or in a spreadsheet, manage files, download files, read pdf files, email, navegate the web, listen to podcast, create flyers for my work, research on the net, manage files and add to my victor stream, manage audible files, add files to a mp3 player, work with my IPhone 4, Itunes, add bookshare daisey books to my victor stream, work with music, learn to make presentations, work with jpg files and photos to rename and label and so on.... I am a massage therapist and made my own intake form in word and keep records on my computer. I also use eccell for record keeping, budgeting, and tracking income and expenses... I use to use a schedule I created in eccel but now since having an IPhone 4 use outlook for my contacts and calendar. I use eudora paid version for email. Will I still need jaws to do any of the above or could I sell it to help me finance a new Macbook pro? Will I still use K1000 in windows 7 along side mac's OS? I have a Kindle and also use audible and am not volunteering as much on bookshare lately. Thanks for advice, websites, and information to help me make a solid decision and if I change to help me transition as smoothly as possible. Laura Ann Laura Ann Grymes, LMT http://www.lauraannjuiceplus.com http://www.facebook.com/agapewellness -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
