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Week 2: Ditching The PC--Moving To Mac

Ok I'm a bit tardy, I'm really at Week 3 but who cares right? The question is, does it work for what I would call "normal everyday business"? Here's the previous week's events of note.

Day 8:
I needed to load some work specific software, one of note was a Nortel VPN client. I loaded the CD, followed the prompts and had no issues during install. I loaded my company software and things were still working fine. However, when I tried to launch this software after install I could not connect to the Nortel VPN. I did not have enough time to diagnose that day so I addressed on Day 9. Strike 2.

Day 9:
I'm still having connection issues on the Nortel VPN, and now am questioning the processor of the Mac being compatible with this VPN. I try to find a customer support number for VMWare to verify.

Day 10:
I'm unimpressed with the website help at VMWare site, you get 30 days of e-mail support for free but I can't find much else. There's no support number to speak of, just e-mail and a few thin knowledge base articles.

Day 11:
I had an epiphany...Maybe restarting the PC virtual machine might be a good thing to do. I give it a whirl, and what do you know? It works! I've got things up and working with the VPN. I guess the old fashioned shut down and restart was in order. I had shut down and restarted the Mac on day 9 and 10, but when using VMWare Fusion it takes a "snapshot" of the virtual machine--not really shutting it down and restarting.

Day 12:
Everything is working great! I very pleased with the integration. I can drag and drop everything from Mac to PC and the the different views are very cool. I have the ability to have a split screen view of each OS, have a "Unity view" which puts the Windows program on the Mac Desktop, or I can even have a full screen view of Windows XP.

Day 13:
Still pleased, however, I don't have any sound coming off the Windows XP side and my darn keyboard has lost some critical shortcuts like Ctrl + C or Ctrl to individual files on my Windows side. For example if I want to delete certain files not in chronological order, I can't do it. Strike 2 1/2.

Day 14:
This is fantastic! Windows XP has never worked this good on any PC I've ever had. I'm planning to Google the problems I've got with the keyboard and sound, I'm sure this is a matter of setting that I've not been able to locate.

In summary, this was a much easier transition that I ever imagined. It's very nice to be able to switch back and forth between OS' especially since I use the Adobe CS3 suite on the Mac side. Even if you have no interest in specific Mac application, running XP on there is a real treat. Everything works the same as it does on the PC. I can't find any reason not to recommend the move, it's quite simple even for the novice (like me). I'll post anything of relevancy as they come up.

Week 1: Ditching The PC--Moving To Mac

We've all seen the clever commercials, "I'm a PC...and I'm a Mac...etc." but it is really practical in the business world? I'd thought I'd give it try since I've had a pleasant experience with a Mac Mini in my home and I needed to do some design work with our website--so I decided to take the plunge. Here's a quick rundown of my first week with the transition.

Day 1:
Right out of the box I can't help but stare into the shiny and beautiful display on the iMac. I'm amazed there's only one cord, far from the mess I've got with my other PC's. When I turn it on I'm blown away, the screen is so clear and bright, it's hands down better than any PC display I've ever seen. I hook up my wireless keyboard and mouse, set it up to the wireless network and I'm off to surfing.

Day 2:
I play around a bit with iWork, the Office "equivalent" on the Mac but quickly see that some things aren't converting how I want them to in Numbers--the Excel version on Mac. However, the templates and work flow are interesting and again are very appealing to the eye. I spend most of time trying to figure out Numbers because I use this many times during the work day, but I can see I'm going to need some help (I spent about 20 minutes trying to merge two cells). I've already got a membership to the online training site www.lynda.com, so I start taking some courses.

Day 3:
I'm still struggling in Numbers, but lynda.com is helping me out; after some patience I can really see what the iWork is trying to accomplish over the boring (yet functional) Excel. It seems that the value of tables in iWork Numbers is much more so than in Excel. I think the iWork Numbers group people were trying to create a much more interactive rich experience using this program, much like all their other products.

Day 4:
Enough of iWork, we'll learn more on that later. Let's get things communicated with the home office and really get this puppy cranking--let's start with my calendar and mail and getting it to talk to the Exchange Server 2003. The mail communication was just a matter of plugging in the right values and it went off without a hitch. However, the calendar was a different story--it simply wouldn't work. There's no compatibility (that I could find) with iCal and my calender on the Exchange Server. I guess you could call this Strike 1.

Day 5:
I come to terms that I can't get away from PC applications completely i.e. Outlook. So I find a program called VMWare Fusion that claims it can run things simultaneously and the box I have in front of me looks like what I need. Now all I need is to spend another $300 on XP Pro to load on my already pricey iMac.

Day 6:
The VMWare Fusion installation was simple and to the point. I simply followed the instructions on their website and installed XP Pro successfully. The rest of the day was spent doing a mammoth of PC updates.

Day 7:
Outlook is setup on the XP side and I've got my precious contacts, calendar and e-mail in one place. Everything is working amazingly smooth. Hey it's working just how they advertised!

So after one week, we've only gotten "1 strike" per say. After installing the Fusion and XP Pro I found out that I could've gotten the Office for Mac to get the Outlook equivalent with Entourage, but it would have cost a little more, and reviews online aren't the best; so I feel pretty good about my setup so far.

Stay tuned next week when we really put things to the test.

BUYING A COPIER 101

Scratching your head on what kind of machine to buy for your office? Try to start first with careful consideration of your vendors instead, this might make your decision much less of a hassle.

Here are a couple of good questions to ask:

1. 11 x 17: Many vendors charge separately for tabloid or larger paper, make sure you understand how this is calculated. In the copier industry, most vendors use some sort of cost per copy calculation. For this type of output most charge 2 "clicks", but some vendors only charge 1 "click." It doesn't take too much thought to see where this could get expensive if you're running the larger paper.

2. Service Credits: Make sure you are not paying for impressions being made when your service person is working on the equipment. Again, in the cost per copy world where you are paying up front, or as you go, this can add up quickly. Even with fairly simple devices, they can run several hundred impressions during their visit.

3. Supply Delivery: Are you the customer paying for the supplies going into your machine? It seems small, but most contracts these days are between 3-5 years. Let's estimate you get toner shipped every month and you get charged $7 for each time it arrives--that's costing you $480 during a 5 year contract!

4. Scanning Charges: Make sure you do not get charge for scan to file or scan to e-mail jobs. This is not as widespread as the 11 x 17 example above, but this is just simply a ripoff since it doesn't really cost the vendor at all.

5. Removal Fees: If there is nothing else you take away in the post, make sure you note this one. How does your vendor address lease expiration and removals? You (the customer) are responsible for the return fee, crating, packaging and shipping back to the leasing company. It's not uncommon for this to cost anywhere from $500 - $2,000 per machine.

6. Insurance: 1/4% of the asset value is the industry average per month, however, some vendors include it with their lease pricing. This is a value add to the customer because any claims won't affect your commercial policy premiums, plus there is no deductible.

7. Property Tax: This varies from state to state, but ask your vendor about the local rates. This usually doesn't have a huge premium associated with it, but some vendors actually include it in their offerings.

8. The Guarantee: What happens if you get a lemon? Does your vendor honor giving you a totally different machine if something goes really wrong? Some vendors allow you to make the call, some do not--make sure you're in control.

9. Miscellaneous: Other tidbits to ask about are any lease administration fees, UCC filing fees, Delivery & Setup, Network Setup, Fuel Surcharges, Color Calibration and System Overahauls.

Hopefully asking these questions sooner rather then later will aide you in your buying decision. As you can see, buying from the brochure i.e. speeds, feeds, paper sources, etc. isn't the only thing to consider.

XEROX OR XBOX?

Today, Xerox announced one of it's biggest branding makeovers in company history. The fresh new look is long overdue, but unfortunately it reminds me a bit of the XBOX logo. I would imagine they were going for a more "global" look with the 3D red sphere and new fonts. Overall, it's pretty good, but their revamped homepage really looks like the winner here.

Read more here on the new branding campaign at Xerox.com

PLACE A SERVICE CALL ONLINE FOR YOUR XEROX

Don't have time to call the 800 number for service? Neither do we!

Thanks to the service group at Xerox, there is a great new way to place a service call online for your copier, printer or fax machine that is under a maintenance contract.

Just click the link below.

Online Service Call - Xerox Copiers, Printers, and Fax Equipment

GREEN OFFICE PRINTING

With a green initiative coming around every corner these days, probably the least likely you’ve heard about is right in front of you at work everyday. Your reliable little friend that churns out paper like a pasta maker is not only costing you a pretty penny, but it is also filling up the landfills. Studies show that after after 100,000 pages printed, a typical laser printer generates over 157 pounds of waste due to cartridges, fusers and imaging units. Simply put, a laser printer produces a staggering 90% more waste than alternative print engines like solid ink.

How about when you go to fix your desktop printer? If you’re like most people, you throw it away and get another one. Desktops have gotten to be so inexpensive it’s easier to replace, rather than fixing them. Manufacturers have a done a wonderful job of “reverse marketing” to the public when it comes to getting their products in the hands of consumers. Why buy toner that cost a couple of hundred bucks when you can buy a brand new printer for a few dollars more?

How can you do your part?

1.Migrate to multifunction devices
2.If you have to buy a printer, use solid ink printers
3.Don’t replace laser printers when they break down, repair them

It may be hard for many people reading this to actually consolidate into more of a workgroup device because of habit (or sheer laziness). Yes it is more convenient, but Mom making your lunch everyday was too. New technology can print at certain times, and some even print securely so you don’t have to worry about unwanted eyes seeing confidential documents. Also, many users will be pleasantly surprised on the speed and features available on a multifunction device that they can’t get on their desktop.

At the end of the day you’re probably not going to win a Nobel Prize for “going green” in your office, but the little things add up. Finally, a closing note from our friend Gabby, an elementary school kid who has a unique perspective on this topic.