Do you look at the pictures in a book or newspaper before anything else on a page? Would you rather see an image instead of read about how to do something? Search no further. This book is for you. Opening Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook allows you to read less and learn more about the MacBook computer.
This book is for a reader who has never used a MacBook or the software it runs. It is also for more computer literate individuals who want to expand their knowledge of the different features that MacBook has to offer. You don't need much experience with MacBook to be able to learn from this book because it begins at the beginning, such as powering up MacBook and using its trackpad. If you already know how to do these tasks, don't worry because that's only the start. You'll learn how to get the most out of MacBook, even if you have used it for sometime, such as learning about networking and managing the desktop.
Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook has 19 chapters. Chapter 1 gets you started with powering up MacBook, using the trackpad, and other essential tasks.
Chapter 2 helps you learn to look at the world through Mac OS X Finder windows, including changing views, using the Sidebar, and making the toolbar work for you.
In Chapter 3, you take command of the desktop using Expose, Spaces, and the Dashboard.
Chapter 4 teaches you how to move around on MacBook's desktop, create and use files and folders, and work with disks and discs.
You explore how to use applications on MacBook in Chapter 5. Topics include installing applications, opening documents, and saving documents.
In Chapter 6, you learn how to make MacBook your own by personalizing it in many ways. These include setting desktop pictures, configuring the trackpad and keyboard, and creating and managing user accounts.
No MacBook is an island. In Chapter 7, you learn how to connect MacBook to different kinds of networks, the most important of which is the Internet.
Now that you're on the 'net, Chapter 8 shows you how to surf the Web. From moving to Web sites quickly and easily, to saving and emailing Web pages, you'll find out how to perform some really useful Web tasks.
Chapter 9 helps you e-mail like a pro (is there really a professional e-mailer?). You learn how to set up e-mail accounts and how to use Mac OS X's excellent Mail application to read, send, and organize e-mail.
A .Mac account empowers you to do a lot of great things, including accessing an online disk, creating and publishing your own Web pages, and keeping information in sync. Chapter 10 shows you how.
Chapter 11 fills you in on the basics of iTunes music and video. You learn how to stock the shelves of your iTunes Library and how to listen and watch the great content you store there. Of course, no discussion of iTunes is complete without iPods and iPhones, so these devices make an appearance too.
Digital photos are great, and iPhoto is just the application you need to store, organize, and use your own photos. In Chapter 12, you can see how easy these tasks are.
If you like to communicate with other people in real time, chatting is a great way to do it. With iChat, you can chat with text, audio, and video. Chapter 13 shows you how.
When you communicate with people, you need to manage and use contact information. Chapter 14 explains how using Mac OS X's Address Book.
Chapter 15 enters the picture with iCal. If you're memory challenged like I am (and even if you're not), having a way to manage the times and dates that are important is helpful. You can use iCal to create and manage your own calendars, share those calendars with others, and access calendars people share with you.
Computers certainly did not eliminate the need for paper; in Chapter 16, you'll learn how to print your documents in a number of ways. If you want to save a few trees and distribute documents electronically, you'll learn that too.
One of the nice things about MacBook is that you can take it with you. Chapter 17 provides information about moving around with yours.
While MacBook contains all the hardware devices you must have; there are lots more you need, such as external hard drives and mice. In Chapter 18, you learn how to connect MacBook to these devices.
Last, but not least, in Chapter 19 you focus on tasks that are important to keep MacBook running in top form. You learn what to do if MacBook's condition becomes something less than that too.
This book consists of sections, all listed in the book's table of contents. A section is a set of steps that show you how to complete a specific computer task.
Each section, usually contained on two facing pages, has an introduction to the task at hand, a set of full-color screen shots and steps that walk you through the task, and a set of tips. This format allows you to quickly look at a topic of interest and learn it instantly.
Chapters group together three or more sections with a common theme. A chapter may also contain pages that give you the background information needed to understand the sections in a chapter.
To use this book, you need a MacBook running Mac OS X (of course, you can read the book even if you don't have a MacBook, but it won't be nearly as much fun). The Leopard version (10.5) of Mac OS X is used for the steps and screenshots so you'll get the most from the book if your MacBook runs Leopard too.
This book uses the following conventions to describe the actions you perform when using the trackpad:
Slide your finger on the trackpad. The pointer on the screen follows your finger motion on the trackpad. Pointing to something is how you indicate that you want to do something with whatever you point to.
Press the trackpad button once. You generally click the trackpad button on something to select it. This is equivalent to a single mouse click and to a left-button click on a two-button mouse.
Press the trackpad button twice. Double-clicking something on the computer screen generally opens whatever item you have double-clicked.
Ctrl+click (AKA Right-click)
Hold the Ctrl key down and press the trackpad button; this is the equivalent of pressing the right button on a two-button mouse. When you right-click anything on the computer screen, a shortcut menu containing commands specific to the selected item is shown (this is called a contextual menu).
Drag your finger on the trackpad to point to an item on the screen. Press and hold down the trackpad button to select that item. While holding the button down, move your finger so the pointer (to which the item will be attached) moves to where you want to place the item and then release the button. You use this method to move an item from one area of the computer to another.
A number of typographic and layout styles have been used throughout Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook to distinguish different types of information.
Bold type represents the names of commands and options that you interact with. Bold type also indicates text and numbers that you must type into a dialog box or window.
You must perform the instructions in numbered steps in order to successfully complete a section and achieve the final results.
These steps point out various optional features. You do not have to perform these steps; they simply give additional information about a feature.
Indented text tells you what the program does in response to you following a numbered step. For example, if you click a certain menu command, a dialog box may appear, or a window may open. Indented text may also tell you what the final result is when you follow a set of numbered steps.
Notes give additional information. They may describe special conditions that may occur during an operation. They may warn you of a situation that you want to avoid, for example the loss of data. A note may also cross- reference a related area of the book. A cross-reference may guide you to another chapter, or another section with the current chapter.
Icons and buttons are graphical representations within the text. They show you exactly what you need to click to perform a step.
Tip
You can easily identify the tips in any section by looking for the TIPS icon. Tips offer additional information, including tips, hints, and tricks. You can use the TIPS information to go beyond what you have learned in the steps.