And so now you know why the business world uses windows.  Call your mac salesperson and ask your questions.  Also you need to contact all the real estate programs you use and see what they say - for example your mls may have guidelines and advice or info (hopefully not problems with mac).  Only your office technical person will be the one to answer you connectivity question.

I hate to say it as the MAC is a great PC. But the dell xps had more to offer for less $. Good luck on the MAC programs in point 2. I tried and failed!

Heath - thanks for your input.  I'm guessing that you are not a MAC user!  It's time for the business world to revolt, imo.

Laura - There was no way that I was going to get past my family by purchasing another pc.  They are all MAC users in my household, and I've been the last holdout.  This was a gift for mothers day, so I have to make good use out of it (and so far, I'm loving it!).  

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As an update ---

I heard back from top producer (wow, they were quick! - I just emailed them this morning!) and my tp7i account will work just fine with the Windows system installed.  Woohoo!  I'm certain from what I've been hearing that other programs that have not migrated into the new century will also work fine once I install the Windows software.  My MLS works just fine, my ActiveRain works just fine, I already have Office for the MAC and absolutely love the iWork trail that is installed -- much more up to date than Office for power point and word docs.  

Also the top producer tech guy said that they are working on tp8i working seamlessly with MAC OS and that should be available in the future.

I am using Parallels and I like it.  The reason I chose Parallels is because I can run both Mac OS and Windows XP at the same time with a  simply toggle between them.  Imagine Parallels and Windows as nothing more than a program on your Mac.  This works great for my Top Producer, Zip Forms and my Supra Lockbox.  Hope this helps.  The benefits of using the Mac far outweigh any PC I have ever seen including the higher end Tablets.  Once you get the hang of the Mac you will have some fun with the iSight camera and the video conferencing with other Mac users and top agents.  Did you set up your dot.Mac account yet?  this is another huge and ultra convenient feature you will enjoy because creating pages on the web is pretty much instant.  If you are learning to make online movies you will love the .Mac account.  Good times are ahead for you.  Biggest issue I had was learning to right click...once I got that down everything because REALLY simple.

Sam, thanks so much for your input!  I think I've pretty much decided that I am going with Parallels and not Boot Camp.  The thought of being able to continue using my Zip Forms - as well as my e-signature program, is exciting.  I am absolutely loving this computer.  I signed up for the .mac free trial account today.  I have to admit, I didn't know that I could right click!  I was excited to learn that, too.  I've realized that I love the Keynote program, and especially love that it is compatible with Power Point.  I think it has much better features, and I'm looking forward to making some killer listing presentations!  

A great alternative to top producer is daylite made especially for macs.  They have a wonderful real estate version.  It syncs with your contact list and iphone.  Highly recommend it to anyone searching for a contact management system for macs!

Lauren, thank you for the head's up!  I will definitely look into Daylite and it's real estate version.  Thank you!

I love everything about my mac except that there are programms that still need internet explorer. What give I mean can't the world catch on to Firefox or Safari??? I mean who doesn't use firefox nowadays?

Jeannie,

In my opinion buying a Mac is an excellent choice. After you get past the initial learning curve (which, in retrospect, is quite easy) you will most likely be a Mac user for life! I used PC's for years and got my first Mac 5 years ago and thought I made a mistake - everybody said they have compatibility issues. The new dual core processor eliminated that problem. You can work in Windows Explorer if necessary (my MLS requires that) and you can get software that allows to work both Mac & Windows environments at the same time.

Here are just a couple of the best parts of a Mac -

1. Virtually 100% virus free. I talked with a computer security guy (owns a large computer security company) and he stated that these are built on the same foundation as government users - DOD NSA etc. The PC side can get a virus but if you have Leopard you can set up "time machine" which consistently backs up your hard drive - it is brilliant! 

2. It IS the future for computer systems. Wait until you see what the IPhone is going to do in the next month or 2 - it will blow away any PDA phone on the market.

3. A very stable system - no crashing issues, bad freezes etc. I have 2 Mac's (desktop & laptop) and over the 5 years I had to call a Mac tech guy twice for help. The issue was resolved very quickly.

Get used to it and you'll love it!

Jason - I too have found some programs (like the back end of my website) will work only with Explorer.  I got the switcher for Firefox and that worked okay for some programs.  Then, I ended up getting Parallels and Windows -- wow, I am really impressed now!

Jeff - I get more and more amazed every day at what my MAC can do.  I should have switched years ago!  I had one minor setback today when I needed to install some updates for Windows, but was able to figure it out.  I haven't used the Time Machine (well, tried to today but I guess I didn't have it set up).  

I'm excited to see that there are some new things coming up with the iPhone - my Treo is just about dead (or will be soon) and I will need to get a new smart phone.  

I need to use Windows to get on the network at the office, but I do a lot of switching back and forth.  I just can't send to a printer that isn't on the network, and that can get a bit tedious - but so far that is my only complaint, and it has nothing to do with the Mac, it has to do with the Network.

I have found that I LOVE iWorks08 -- great flyers and presentations!  And today during a slow open house I fooled a bit with iMovie.  I'm sure I'll love that as well.

Glad you're loving your Mac! I had to have Internet Explorer too for my MLS and Point2 website. I went to Northstar Access and subscribed to their service so I could get IE. Now I can access MLS and my Point2 website with no problems - and I didn't have to install Windows XP on my Mac (like I believe you have to do with Parallels or Fusion).

Not to say that someday I might not go with Parallels or Fusion.

Enjoy!

Jeannie - I hope you are still loving your Mac.  Did you end up using Parallels for your Top Producer and Zip Forms?

Sam - Yes, I'm using Parallels - and I am still loving my Mac!  I love being able to easily switch back and forth through the "Spaces" program.  Love it, love it, love it!

Hi Jeanie,

I'm a devoted mac user and at this point you have to have windows or windows vista to use top producer for the drip letter system.

I've tried using virtual windows and it is slow and unsupported.  I spent about an hour with the top producer tech. They told me

TP 8i has no set time to support mac.  Basically it is about us complaing to get them to support mac.

Firefox seems to be better than Safari in the business world.  Glad you like your mac.

Cindy