I'm a little worried that it won't be reliable. I never got Touch ID to work reliably for me when it was on the iPhone. I ended up using the passcode instead.
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Just got a MacBook Air. Help!
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Yea. I worry too.
But, come on, give it a try why don't you.
Seriously, the mac experience is much about letting it go, and things just work.
I've had better luck with the MacBook's fingerprint reader than the iPhone. It works pretty well.
I don't have TouchID on my Mac, but Ive had it on iPhones, and I think typing my 4-digit passcode isn't much longer than wait for TouchID to authenticate.
Either way, it's not like you have to do it very often. Unless you spend all your time installing new software or tinkering with security settings.
But then there is the intoxicating feeling of gratification when you place your index finger on the sensor to complete a Paypal transaction to get a wonderful piece of purchase delivered at your door, and the mac goes "Pling" to indicate 'complete'.
Dude, you've been a user longer than I have (you joined in 2010). You think you would've picked up Mac just from hanging out here. But seriously. 14 years and now you decide to join the mac world?
But seriously. 14 years and now you decide to join the mac world?
This is the best response I've seen in a long time lol
My understanding is that the MBA can only output to one display. What if I have the lid closed? I know that MacOS scales differently with resolution than Windows. I have the two following monitors at home. How will this look? Sharp or fuzzy text? Is the M1 MBA capable of supporting 4K/144hz output?
What about the monitors in the OP?
What about the monitors in the OP?
Appl3e support should be your first place for questions.Long story short, I have a brand new M1 MBA. I come from a Windows background so very limited MacOS experience.
I intend to mostly use the MBA at home. As a result, I don't really want to set up a login/password. My Windows desktop is set up where after I press the power button, it'll go straight to the desktop. Is this possible with a Mac? I recall if I were to turn it on the first time, it'd ask me to create a username/password.
My understanding is that the MBA can only output to one display. What if I have the lid closed? I know that MacOS scales differently with resolution than Windows. I have the two following monitors at home. How will this look? Sharp or fuzzy text? Is the M1 MBA capable of supporting 4K/144hz output?
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How do I install apps not from the app store? In Windows, I just click on the .exe file and then go through the prompts. What about on the Mac?
Maybe not the place to ask, but is it possible to create a bootable Windows 10/11 with a USB drive plugged into the MBA? Ideally, this is possible and then I can take the USB drive to go and do a clean install of Windows.
Is Google Chrome running natively on Apple Silicon or it's still in emulation?
Is it possible to take all the tabs, bookmarks, and history that are in Chrome and transfer them to Safari?
Is anyone here using Chrome and Safari simultaneously or I should stick with Safari for the best possible experience?
Is anti-virus necessary? Even on my iPhone, I only install apps from the App Store and I never open email attachments. I only deal with email attachments on my Windows desktop.
Are keyboard and mouse commands largely the same between Windows and MacOS?
You just download the app package file and then copy it to your Applications folder! Most will be compressed into .zip files which will then mount themselves on your desktop like a flash drive. Just drag the icon from this folder into Applications. Once copied you can 'eject' the virtual drive by dragging it to the trash icon on the dock.
Mac apps are normally entirely self-contained packages that don't install extra files across your main drive. You can run them from anywhere actually but keeping them in the Applicaitions folder is a lot easier. You can then drag the package to the dock, creating a neat shortcut or run it from the launchpad (normally the second icon in from the Finder). Uninstalling them is as easy as dragging them from the Apps folder to the trash on the dock.
You will occasionally find an application that takes you through a traditional installer clock-through rather than a drag-and-drop. Give it a try with Tinkertool
You'd be better off virtualising the ARM version of W11. You can't create a boot camp bootable version of Windows and run it natively on a Mac anymore. The ARM W11 runs really well on an M1 processor. This also saves you having to carry around a flash drive. As M1 is ARM if you could create a bootable drive it would only be able to run ARM apps anyway so you lose nothing by virtualising. x64 and x86 apps wouldn't run natively. If you do have a Windows app you rely on thats not developer-related then it might be worth using the Mac equivalent (Eg Mac Photoshop etc)
I'm afraid copy and paste might be your best friend here. If you're anything like me you have dozens of old web pages, bookmarks and tabs that you never really use anymore. Use this as an opportunity to downsize! I'd ditch Chrome just because of how many resources it hogs.
The difference is largely that the Command key (the one with the Apple logo on it) replaces Ctrl. For example its Cmd+C to copy rather than Ctrl+C etc. There are extra modifiers using the shift and alt keys (often called 'option' on older Macs). For example Cmd+Shift+3 creates a screenshot and dumps it straight onto your desktop.
+++++
You should be able to skin login from the settings app. Anti-virus isn't necessary. I've been using Macs for nearly 20 years and never had any problems. If you're naturally wary of suss emails then you'll be ok and the Mac market is still quite small and thus not a target for scammers.
TouchID on mac works far better than any finger print reader I've used on a phone, iphone or android.
On iPhone it gets dusty or greasy faster, on a Mac you only touch it when needed, so it has a better reliability.
-> use the touch-ID sensor for security _and_ convenience then
You can have two external monitors on the M3 MacBook Air with the lid closed but that doesn't work on the M1 MBA. Sorry. (You can use a DisplayLink hub to add additional monitors but that has some performance drawbacks and some functionality problems like watching protected content.)
I've found Logitech's software to be pretty awful and very persistent about keeping itself running. I prefer to keep things light if I can and uninstall extraneous software. The mouse will definitely be recognized by just pairing it, but you might not be able to do some of the more advanced configuration stuff.
The way I've gone is to install the Logitech software, configure the mouse (I'm using a G305 gaming mouse) and save its settings to its onboard memory -- and then uninstall the software.
Mostly. Sometimes you're still asked for the password -- like after a restart. And also just other operations sometimes. I've never quite been able to work out the logic, but yeah, the TouchID sensor will replace the password like 90% of the time.
Not completely. Just like your iPhone requires you to punch in the digits after a restart, so your mac will require the password when it restarts. Most of the time TouchID or wearing an Apple Watch nearby will replace the password, but not exhaustively. Passwords are a basic security feature on Mac and imho are necessary. You don't want someone to be able to pick up your backpack at an airport, open up your computer, and immediately access Keychain Access (Mac's awesome app that stores all your passcodes). That's a scenario where having a password is nice.
1 display output lid closed or open. If you need more, purchase a dock that supports DisplayLink. I have a Dell D6000 which works just fine for my purposes.You guys have been fantastic! Thank you!
In terms of drivers, how are they typically installed? If I have a Logitech and it's Mac compatible, will the mouse automatically work after connecting via BlueTooth?
Logitech MX ERGO Advanced Wireless Trackball Mouse
www.logitech.com
My understanding is that the MBA can only output to one display. What if I have the lid closed? I know that MacOS scales differently with resolution than Windows. I have the two following monitors at home. How will this look? Sharp or fuzzy text? Is the M1 MBA capable of supporting 4K/144hz output?
Since the M1 MBA has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, I'm assuming they can be used to transfer data and charge simultaneously?
Choose a different finger and make sure you follow all the steps. My dad has had trouble as well from an injury. Choosing a different finger can usually remedy that. Easier on the Mac than an iPhone.
Another cool trick: if you have multiple user accounts set up (for example, I have one for personal stuff, one for work), you can register a separate finger for each one and switch to that account by pressing down on the TouchID sensor.
Caveats: 1) It works best if you rest your finger lightly for a moment before pressing down. 2) It worked more smoothly under Ventura, but has been a bit more buggy under Sonoma.
Of course, people use external monitors here. You seem to be quite overthinking everything. Millions of people use Macs with external monitors everyday and it works and looks just fine. If you don't like the default scaling change it in the system settings. It is true that some screens look better than others with MacOS. For those with a fine eye, nothing beats Apple's built-in screens but not everyone is willing to spend thousands one Apple's displays or the screens that come close to it. Nor is it necessary -- somehow millions of Windows users manage to get by with screens that I as a Mac user would find unbearable on a daily basis.