Apple (text and lots of pics)

 Apple's own "Mac 101" Grand Tour

 *Apple - Find Out How - Mac Basic help on general topics with video
 *100’s of tutorials - Sorted by topic/what to do in text and pictures.

Learning vital things can be as easy as watching TV

Quick lessons from the dude next door 19 videos x 2 mins
*eHow to use a Mac Video Series If you are computer savvy, and just want to learn from the dude next door. A video series to learn about Mac OS X Tiger basic features and functions  (Introductory, a bit old, but still applies, quick across specific topics)

Topics like the dock, locate drives, create alias, change desktop image/screen saver, use “hot corners”, menu bar icons, spotlight, color tags, eject drives, burn DVDs, on/off timers, install software, short cuts, expose, delete file, and hook up drives.

Apple Support is good on quick topics, 100’s of tutorials. 
 *Apple - Find Out How - Mac Basic help on topics with video
 *100’s of tutorials - Sorted by topic/what to do in text & pics.

Overview Leopard, PCRescueRepair's 12 videos (68 mins)
 *Mac Training Tutorials YouTube - stuff all users to learn.

If you aren't computer savvy, to learn step-by-step, try this
 *AustralianMac.com - interactive - click the area or topic on the virtual Mac on the screen and learn about it, or click a software icon and learn about that.

Take lessons from Dave in Oz.  This IS NOT in a geeky format, it's relaxed and simply explained for easy access! If you want some more info on Macs in Australia then get the Australian Mac Gossip podcast in video and audio too.  And if you have questions, this is a real person who can take you from beginner, right up to intermediate, and maybe to an advanced level.

Course approach, VTC's Mac Starter Training (1st 11 free)
  *Training for Leopard  <or> *Training for Snow Leopard

• Introduction to Mac OS X & -Leopard, 3 lessons in 14 mins
• Using Controls, 4 lessons in 14 mins
• Using Windows, 3 lessons in 15 mins

Then subscribe ($$) for more, this site has training for all kinds of IT things, which is why it costs more.  So I would stick with Dave in Oz...  You'll have more fun learning there at your own pace, and no subscription clock ticking away.  Dave takes donations, if you feel you must pay to learn.

Garage Band Training:  Work with Music, Create Music

I found Garage Band Training courtesy of Susan Ferdon, a music teacher from Gurnee, Illinois
  See Garage Band section from her home page for 105 minutes of video plus printouts and resources

MyFirstMac advice for 1st time users and beyond.

*MyFirstMac.com "Great Website Links to Learn
Here are the most important MFM articles to start with right off the bat:
 

• 5 Things to Do After Starting Up Your New Mac
• The Next 5 Things to Do After Starting Up Your New Mac
• What Other Software Do I Need?
• Control the Magic Behind the Mac – An Intro to System Preferences
• What Else Do I Need to Get With a New Mac?
  
  For more of a detailed orientation to the Mac, check out these two areas on Apple's website:
   
• Mac 101: Get Started With the Mac
• Switch 101: Migrate to Mac
  
  The Unofficial Apple Weblog as a nice Mac 101 section too. The only problem is it's just a listing of articles with no organization. You may need to use their search.
   
• TUAW Mac 101"

Get "Click To Flash" for Mac Safari

What it is:  Flash for Mac users has many downsides:  It drains your battery, slows down your system, and page loading, makes your CPU work harder, run hotter.  Plus, flash is all over the place, like animated .gif's used to be.  Now there is an open source Flash disabler plug-in called “Click to Flash” and it runs inside Safari, stopping flash from running except when you want it to.

How it works:  The parts of the websites that have flash displays a word flash and the user clicks the word, and content runs. For YouTube, Click to Flash even is better as runs videos as H.264 videos.  H.264 is how the iPhone shows that content, higher quality than Flash. (so now we know why Steve Jobs hates Flash)

How to get it: Click to Flash is available for free by clicking here. 

Cleaning your Mac Mighty Mouse ball (if up/down stcks.)

Flip mouse over, Run ball around with a bit of pressure on white sheets of paper.  If it still sticks, blow into gap around ball (web says "compressed air", but even a straw works too)  With the dust removed, the roller ball bit will work like new again.

The Magic Mouse or Magic Track Pad will never need this stuff, but that's £56.  After using Magic Mouse for a year, it is very, very good.  It is no surprise that Apple replaced roller balls with this and Magic Track Pad.

iPhone training

• Apple iPhone User Guide (interactive)
• Guided Tour Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
• Apple Manual (.pdf)

Apple iPad training

• iPad User Guide (interactive)
• 14 Guided Tours
• Apple Manual (.pdf)

Worth Godwin:  1st Impressions  / iPhoto Tutorial

Aussie Tutorial in 4-parts:
 Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4

Wikipedia links about your Hardware

Comparison of current Mac Models
find your device, and learn all about it.
(Why not, as you'll spend years using it!)

Comparison of iOS Devices
ditto for iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV

Wikipedia links about your Software

Comparison of current Mac Software
(that have articles in Wikipedia)

• iOS App Store info

• Mac App Store info

Applications that are great to have.

AppStart / App Advice (for iPad)

AroundMe find places, augmented reality (landscape mode)
eWallet securely manages IDs & Cards
Google Earth browses the earth from space
Wikipanion mobile wikipedia
Spotify is awesome music streaming - Europe Only
Skype for all platforms - video conference
FaceTime Apple's own video conference appt

• Download free product called AppStart.
• See Welcome section - video & text
• Review iPad 101 to learn basics
• Ways to Use, Software to Get
• From Beginner to Expert Advice

Wikipedia links about your Hardware

Comparison of current Mac Models
find your device, and learn all about it.
(Why not, as you'll spend years using it!)

Comparison of iOS Devices
ditto for iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV

Wikipedia links about your Software

Comparison of current Mac Software
(that have articles in Wikipedia)

• iOS App Store info

• Mac App Store info

If you want to make an App some day, "You can..."

Someday, I will make an iPhone App that helps me or others... for fun or otherwise
*Article from Smashing Magazine on the subject
 

Last update: June 10, 2011