Some people eat, sleep and chew gum, I do genealogy and write...

Monday, May 16, 2016

Apple Experience: One Week Later -- New Computer, New iPad Pro

OK, so it has been a week since I picked up my new iMac and more than week with the new iPad Pro. Moving to a new desktop computer when you have dozens of online accounts, multiple email addresses and hundreds of programs with passwords is a nightmare. The new iMac is a dream and works great, but trying to get a new computer sorted out is not fun. My biggest issue so far has been email. Somehow I got my accounts mixed up and I have been spending hours trying to get them sorted out.

The work flow from iPad Pro to iMac to the Internet is working great. I like the iPad Pro more every day. But what about Apple and genealogy?

There is a perception that you need a PC with Windows to do genealogy. Well, I have been all Apple for four or so years now and I haven't had to look at a Windows machine for anything having to do with genealogy. The reality is that most of what I do is online and device independent. That is one big reason why the iPad Pro is such a hit. If you keep your genealogy in a stand-alone program such as RootsMagic or Ancestral Quest, remember, they both have Max OS X versions of their programs and the data files are compatible with both Mac OS X and Windows. There are a number of other genealogy programs that have both Apple and Windows programs.

As far as the Internet goes, the device doesn't matter all that much. I can start a blog post at home on my iMac and finish it at the BYU Family History Library on a Windows PC. The same thing applies to all of the online programs. I have more problems with browser errors than device issues. Since I keep my data files in Dropbox.com, I can access my data from any online device Mac or PC.

My workflow speed has increased immensely with the new iMac, except for the transition issues that keep coming up. But considering the fact that Apple's latest operating system upgrade is limited to computers manufactured after 2007 and my old iMac was made in 2009. I figured I was getting too close to not being able to be upgraded.

That's the update. I would appreciate it if the Windows folks would quit saying they don't know anything about Apple computers when they both work essentially the same when accessing the Internet. You can show any online program on either computer if you know how to connect to the Internet and use a mouse or trackpad.

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