Looks like the new Firmware for the iPhone (as well as the new 3G version of the Phone) will both be released on July 11. There were some rumors that the firmware update might release early. But, Mac Rumors seems to think otherwise.

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As many of you know, I recently switched to the Mac OS from Windows (or as my friend Grant likes to say - Windoze). One of the programs that I can’t live without is Mindjet’s MindManager. I was relieved to find out that they have a Mac version. I’ve already got it installed, and I love it.

If you don’t know, Mindmanager is a mind mapping software. If you are at all inclined towards visual learning as I am, then you need a mind mapping program - and Mindjet’s is the best, in my opinion. I use it for everything from mapping out marketing strategies and establishing my case management systems to organizing my to do lists. I attach a very simple mind map below that I use for personal organization. Each of the blue “map” icons to the right of the text is a link to another mind map with that particular topic in it.

I commend mind mapping to you generally, and Mind manager specifically.

my-life.pdf

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As I announced a couple of weeks ago, I recently made the switch to Mac when I replaced my Dell laptop with the metallic beauty of a MacBook Pro. The more I use it, the more impressed I become with it and with the Mac Operating System. It’s got some features that make me wonder how I’ve been computing without them.

With this post I begin a list of the REASONS I’M GLAD I SWITCHED TO MAC. Enjoy.

Reasons 1-10:

1. Parallels - The Mac lovers will not like me starting with this one. But, Parallels Desktop allows me to run Windows while also running the Mac platform, side by side. This has been very helpful as I’ve made the transition to the Mac. Additionally, there are a couple of programs that I just don’t see abandoning with the move (CaseMap being the primary one that comes to mind). With Parallels, I don’t have to.
2. Speed - This baby REALLY moves. The Mac OS loads so much faster than Windows that it is hard to believe. Applications run much faster as well. What is really strange is that when I run Windows on Parallels it loads faster on my Mac then it did when I was running it natively on a PC. Go figure. And, to top that, I can run a windows program on Windows running on Parallels, running on Mac OS, faster than the program ran on my Dell Latitude PC. That is crazy.
3. Spotlight - This is Macs built in search utility. It too is lightning quick. It displays results as fast as you can type. Literally. And, it not only searches or files and folders, it searches the contents of files. Very cool. And, did I mention it is really fast?
4. Pdf printing and viewing without Acrobat or Reader - I can read pdf files with the built in Preview application. And, every application that I’ve worked in so far, has a print to pdf option built into it on the Print dialog box.
5. Sweet Design - Yes, this is form and not function, but Apple just gets design like no other computer hardware or software manufacturer. If you work on your computer a lot like I do, it’s nice to enjoy the design - and it does turn heads (not that I’m into that kind of thing).
6. .Mac synchronization - This is a cool feature that I didn’t know about when I purchased the Mac. But, it is nifty. When you set up a .mac account, you can synchronize your bookmarks, calendar, address book, mail accounts and more. Then you can access them from any computer (including those running windows) over any browser. You also receive free disk space to upload files there that you or others you allow can access over the web.
7. Photo booth - Ok, I haven’t used this in my law office yet, but my kids and I have hada lot of fun with the digital effects you can use on your photographs. Witness the photo above of me and one of my girls taken with the built in camera.
8. Keynote - iWork includes the Keynote presentation software which produces stunning slide shows that make Power Point presentations look like a grade school child’s show and tell presentation.
9. Expose’ - This is a handy feature. I often have a half dozen or more applications running at the same time. Even with my dual monitor setup, this can make it difficult to easily find the window I want at a particular time. Expose’ allows me to access any open window with a single keystroke. So, I can hit one key and it will shrink all of the open windows to allow me to find the one I’m looking for. I can hit another key and it will hide all of the open windows and give me access to a clear desktop.
10. Stability - No blue screen of death. Enough said.

That’s the ten that come to mind right of way. I will supplement with others at another time. I do not own stock in Apple (though that might change soon!). But, if you are going to be getting a new computer anytime soon, there has never been a better time to switch to a Mac. I, for one, am very glad I did.

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For a couple of years I have heard the siren songs of the Mac aficionados telling me how much I was missing by stubbornly refusing to leave the comfortable, widely accepted Windows platform.  They promised me that I would not regret making “The Switch.”  Grant Griffiths’ Home Office Lawyer Blog, Ben Stevens’ Mac Lawyer blog, and others were effusive in their praise of Macs.  Surely the Mac OS could not be THAT much better than Windows.

Then my trusty Dell laptop died and it was time to get a new computer.  Did I dare take the plunge?  Well, I am typing this blog post on my new MacBook Pro, and I have to say it is SLICK.  I’ve only had it a week, but so far my only regret was that I didn’t switch earlier (they told me I would say that).  There is still the matter of case management that I haven’t completely resolved - do I go with a Mac program like Daylite or Easytime, or do I continue to use Time Matters running on Parallels?  That is still to be determined.

In any event, I will save the gushing until I have had it long enough to give it an objective review.  But, in the immediate afterglow of “The Switch” I have to admit that it seems they were right.

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