An invaluable companion for non-technical PC users switching to Apple Mac. I do not know what I would have done without this great book. User friendly. Highly recommended.

The Mac operating system may be more logical & stable than Windows, but starting from scratch on a Mac can be difficult. This book does an excellent job of using what we already know from Windows and explaining how to do it on a Mac. I love that David really takes the time to explain the reasoning behind the Mac way of thinking; it helps with the learning curve. It is easy to read, progresses logically from beginning to end, and with a great index continues to be a valuable reference. Would absolutely buy this again, and plan on purchasing it for anyone else I know who is switching. As a bonus, several items are available from the book's website, both manuals and helpful programs.

A year ago, after careful consideration and a lot of research, I decided to take the plunge and after many years of Windoze (since 3.1), I decided to to try a Mac. I bought "Switching to the Mac" to ease some of the pain of the transition, which it most certainly has done. There is a wealth of information in this book that is very helpful in switching over.

I would have given this book a much better review except for two things. First, many of the tips on getting information and files from my Windoze machine over to the Mac simply didn't work as promised. I did eventually get most of it over, but some of it, like my Outlook Express address book I never got over. I had to reenter it manually. Overall, getting data from one to the other was not nearly as easy as I expected it to be from Pogue's book.

The second major flaw is the "Missing CD" referred to throughout the manual. They claim that the information that could have been put on a CD and included with the book, and which would have driven the price of the book up several dollars, is not included, to keep the price down, but is available online. Simply put, it's not. I tried to find and download two of the promised articles, and couldn't find or download them. I send a complaint to Missing Manuals publishers, and I got an apologetic reply promising me they'd find and direct me to the articles. They never did.

I'd have been a lot happier with book if they had just left the CD out, without any hollow promise that there was extra material available online.

In spite of my issues, this is, basically, a good, well written and fairly complete manual. I recommend it with these two caveats:

1. Don't believe that getting data from a Windoze machine to a Mac is as easy as it is portrayed in the book. Sometimes, even when a number of alternatives are given, they work, and sometimes they don't.

2. The "Missing CD" is still missing.

I'm now getting ready to purchase an iPhone, and am considering the Missing Manual as a possibility. But I'm not believing for a second that the "Missing CD" promised therein will actually be there.

This book has really helped me to decide that the switch from a PC to a MAC will be worth it. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering such a switch.

I bought a MacBook in December after decades of PC's and have loved it except for a few irritating issues- like grouping files and pictures and some program issues with Keynote. I had exhausted the internet help and local resources for the irritating problems I was having. I got this book and it solved all my major irritations and directed me to other resources where needed.

My only complaint is that it is written from a Mac philosophy and I speak PC. I was completely confused when I got to the Quick keys for non-mouse shortcuts. One major issue is Go. What does that mean? It's the first step in a number of procedures and if it's explained I can't find it- why isn't it in the index, so dummies like me can find it?

The Leopard system and Mac programs are great, but there really does need to be more help with the transition for most of us.