Getting Started with Mac OS X Leopard : [a quick introduction for anyone who wants to learn to use the Mac ; covers integration with the iLife applications and related devices ; excellent for PC users switching to the Mac

Microsoft Windows has been my operating system of choice for years. But Apple's OS X product caught my attention from Day One. After the Intel-based Macs were on the market for awhile, I decided it was time for me to take the plunge. "Getting StartED with Mac OS X Leopard" has proved to be an invaluable tool to ease transition between Windows and Leopard. Don't get me wrong: I still have a soft spot in my heart for Windows and have installed Vista Home Premium on my iMac. But now with Microsoft's awesome Office 2008 for Macintosh, I am finding myself visiting the Vista partition less and less. If you are a person who was "brought up" on Windows, but now looking into a Mac, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book as a good source to get the ball rolling. After you put in your order for your Mac, the very next thing you'll want to do is order this book.

This book offers a simple to read, fast way to discover all that's new in Mac OS X Leopard, and how to make the most of it, whether you are new to the Mac, or simply upgrading from a previous version of Mac OS X.

New additions to the operating system are showcased, including the changes to the Dock and Finder, and new features such as Stacks, Cover Flow, and Quick View introduced, before the book moves on to give a basic guide to using the Mac-creating folders, moving files, installing applications, and burning CDs, for example.

Communication and organization are covered with chapters on Mail and iChat, including information on how to get the most of the latest features such as creating to-do items, and reading RSS feeds in Mail, and sharing screens in iChat. There are chapters that cover Spaces and Time Machine, perhaps the most talked about feature in this release of Mac OS X.

iLife is fully dealt with, with discrete chapters on iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD, and GarageBand, followed with a chapter on iWeb showing how to share your creations, and using Front Row to be entertained by them.

The final chapters of the book give an overview of some more advanced areas of using a Mac, namely how Mac OS X itself works, and also how to develop for the Mac. These chapters are intended only to give a glimpse as to the possibilities-the book is primarily aimed at regular users.

A number of appendices conclude the book, one providing a guide to those users who are switching from Windows, and another that contains a useful list of recommended Mac applications for a wide array of uses.

In the authors own words, This book isn't a bible or tome about how to do anything and everything with Mac OS X. Instead, its goal is to introduce the major features of Mac OS X so you can be up and running quickly.

This book offers a simple to read, fast way to discover all that's new in Mac OS X Leopard, and how to make the most of it, whether you are new to the Mac, or simply upgrading from a previous version of Mac OS X. New additions to the operating system are showcased, including the changes to the Dock and Finder, and new features such as Stacks, Cover Flow, and Quick View introduced, before the book moves on to give a basic guide to using the Mac—creating folders, moving files, installing applications, and burning CDs, for example. Communication and organization are covered with chapters on Mail and iChat, including information on how to get the most of the latest features such as creating to-do items, and reading RSS feeds in Mail, and sharing screens in iChat. There are chapters that cover Spaces and Time Machine, perhaps the most talked about feature in this release of Mac OS X. iLife is fully dealt with, with discrete chapters on iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD, and GarageBand, followed with a chapter on iWeb showing how to share your creations, and using Front Row to be entertained by them. The final chapters of the book give an overview of some more advanced areas of using a Mac, namely how Mac OS X itself works, and also how to develop for the Mac. These chapters are intended only to give a glimpse as to the possibilities—the book is primarily aimed at regular users. A number of appendices conclude the book, one providing a guide to those users who are switching from Windows, and another that contains a useful list of recommended Mac applications for a wide array of uses. In the authors own words,'This book isn't a bible or tome about how to do anything and everything with Mac OS X. Instead, its goal is to introduce the major features of Mac OS X so you can be up and running quickly.' Getting StartED with Mac OS X Leopard is a simple to read, fast way to learn about the Macintosh. The book starts with an overview of the major changes in this release of the operating system for those who may have used the Mac before, going through all of the items in the user interface so that users of all backgrounds will be at the same level. Thereafter, the book chapters essentially follow the icons you actually see on the screen, one by one, making it very simple to find what you want. In addition, it includes information on the iLife applications that many Mac users will want to know. Offers coverage of the new features, functions, tools, and applications of the new Mac OS X Leopard operating system, discussing such topics as integration with the iLife applications, Mac networking and Internet capabilities, security, and developer tools and tricks