Mac User. Im Switcing but need help

So im going to be buying a MacBook Pro,the 2 GB one, but i have some questions.

I want to use it for school but dont want to buy Office. Is there a free way to make powerpoints and word docs on the mac?

i read that i can run windows and macs software but how do i do that?

Are there any free programs i should look into getting?

also...........dang this always happens to me, i start the thread but forget all my questions haha ill post more as they come to me.

just toss in any info u want

super excited

 

I got the macbook pro about a month ago its a great labtop I also use it for school. I run microsoft and the one from the mac store. I used the mac office setup but it costed 50 dollars and i didnt know how to use anything so i went back to microsoft. If you do alot of word documents and powerpoint and stuff i would buy or get microsoft again.

 

I have two macs, a 2008 imac and a 2005 macbook pro, both with microsoft office, powerpoint, excel, and access. It's $102 for the entire suite and I actually find it more simple, reliable and attractive on the Mac than on the PC.

On an entirely unrelated note, see this harmless but informative web article.

http://www.what-is-torrent.com/

On an Intel mac there are a few different types of software you can use to run a virtual copy of windows on your mac. My favorite of these is called "Parallels", but you'll need to have the parallels software, a copy of Windows, AND a copy of microsoft office to do it this way.

Also, in addition to that last bit of information, I would also have to refer to that harmless and unrelated web article which has nothing to do with this thread.

 

You might check but it seems to me that most Mac's now come with a student version of Microsoft Office. This is an error and this version costs 149 from apple. They also have a Mac version installed that is similar to word and I believe there is something similar to powerpoint. You can always check with the Apple sales rep.
I just checked online and the program for Mac's that is similar called:
iWork iWork gives you everything you need to make impressive documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in minutes. Writing and page layout are even easier using Pages '09. Numbers '09 gives you innovative ways to create spreadsheets. You'll captivate your audience with sophisticated presentations using Keynote '09. iWork will be preinstalled on your Mac, so you'll have all three productivity applications available for immediate use.



Admittedly I have office for Mac on all my Mac's. Just easier when I need to get something from work to home or vise versa.

 

You should wait a few more days/ weeks. The MacBook pro lineup is rumored to be refreshed any day now.

 

Thanks guys
and what do u mean refreshed?

 

Chck out open office. It is free. http://www.openoffice.org/

 

i forgot about open office!
does anyone know if they will be doing the free itouch this year? maybe i should wait(but thats so hard haha)

 

Try this, will help you A LOT!!
http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78

 

I would highly recommend buy the apple care. You get a year of free tech support and they will give you one on one training for an hour once a week. That was real helpful for me. Also they will move every file over from your pc to your mac. Great service.

 

I've use neo office - it is free too.
You can also use Google Docs - it is compatible with MS Office formats.

Seriously though, just buy MS Office 2008.
You can buy the Home / Student version for about $100.
Shop around. Make sure to get the 2008 version.
You'll use it every-frigging-day for years.

 

Also - make sure to buy as much RAM as you can afford.
www.crucial.com

Macs love RAM - they will reward you greatly if you feed them lots and lots of it.

 

http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78

 

Another vote for open office if you want a good free alternative. As for windows applications I use boot camp for full blown windows and vmware fusion can't be beat for a virtualized windows environment. You can run windows apps right out of the dock. With a native version of Steam coming to mac my windows days are now numbered.

 

Not sure what school you go to, but Office for Mac should be dirt cheap, especially if the entire campus has a site license. Some individual colleges within the university may even have their own licensing agreement with Microsoft.

For example at UC Riverside, there's discounted pricing for students in general for Windows OS'es, but the College of Engineering has free Windows OSes for all of it's students.