Mac computers: popular programs

Safari is a minimalist browser. The emphasis is on the content (the web page), rather than the navigation that should lead you to those pages (the buttons). Safari looks slightly different from other internet browsers in appearance, but basically does the same job. One of the great things about Safari is the Reading List, a kind of Bookmark (or Favorites) for articles you want to read, but don’t have time for right now. You can add web pages to the Reading List by hovering your mouse over the address bar and clicking the plus sign that appears on the left side of the address bar. In previous versions of Safari, the plus sign is immediately visible. You can find pages that you have added to the Reading List by clicking the icon top left of the browser. Then click on the ‘Reading List’ button .

Would you like to learn how to work with Safari? Then read the article ‘Mac computers: working with Safari’.

A user-friendly mail program, who wouldn’t want that? The Mac has one by default. The program is aptly named simply Mail, symbolized by an envelope icon. What’s great about Mail is that it takes you step-by-step through configuring an existing email account when you first use it.

Furthermore, the program works very efficiently. It roughly consists of three panes. In the left pane you select the correct mailbox, in the middle pane you select the message and in the right pane the message is displayed. Another great thing about Mail is the Templates function, which allows you to create beautiful emails in no time.

Want to know more about Mail? Then read the article ‘Mail: start emailing (Mac)’.

With the built-in Calendar, you no longer need a paper version. The menu structure is simple and you immediately see what you need. Add synchronization with, for example, an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, and the calendar in the toilet can go with the old paper.

Contacts is symbolized on the Dock with an address book icon. Here you can store the address details of contacts, as you might have done in a paper address book in the past. Contacts is well-arranged, you don’t have to search long for options. You can add contacts by clicking the button with a plus sign at the bottom. If you want, you can also organize your contacts into different groups. This way you can easily navigate between, for example, your family and your friends.

TextEdit and Pages are Apple’s word processing programs. If you only want to edit, format and align texts, the standard TextEdit program is perfectly suitable. The files can even be saved in the Word file type. If you want more advanced options such as inserting images and creating a table of contents, use the Pages program. This word processing program comes standard on newer Mac computers. Pages can also be downloaded for free from the App Store on Mac computers purchased after October 1, 2013. If you have an older Mac computer, you will pay about twenty euros.

Photos is a program that allows you to manage and edit photos. The Photos program replaced its predecessor iPhoto a few years ago.

With the program you sort all your photos by, for example, date or geographical location. But you can also edit and share them with various online services. A handy feature is face recognition: the faces of people you often photograph are recognized so that you can also search by name. Would you like to learn how to work with Photos? Then read the article ‘Edit photos on Mac’.

Also for video editing, you don’t need to buy any software when you buy a new Mac. iMovie, like Photos, is part of Apple’s iLife suite. This package is not free unless you buy a new Apple computer. Then you get the most recent version for free. iMovie is without a doubt the easiest way to edit videos. Import, drag, apply effect and upload to YouTube, it’s simple. The new Trailers function is wonderful, with which you can create real Hollywood trailers in no time at all, for example from your holiday videos.