Use Microsoft Word... most people who use both the Windows and the Mac versions say the Mac's is superior. Alternately, if you don't need an A Bomb to smash a gnat, buy and use iWork '08... it will open and save Word documents with no problem.
... spreadsheets ...
Excel spread sheet files are the same on the Mac and Windows...
... loading new software ...
You've got to be kidding... 90% of Mac software installation is drag and drop from a Disk Image. I'll bet you just opened the Disk Image and double clicked on the icon you were supposed to drag to the Applications folder. The application would run from the Disk Image and then disappear when you restarted or dismounted the image. The other 10% use standard installer scripts. Double click the installer and follow the prompts. You probably will need to provide an Administrator user name and password on most installs. Sounds like ignorance of how Macs work rather than anything wrong to me. It is not Windows.
... attaching docs to email...
Drag and Drop. Can't be easier... or click on the Paperclip icon on the tool bar... or select Attach File under the File Menu on the menu bar and select the file.
opening some graphics in emails
What kind of graphics are you having trouble with? I haven't found ANY that will not open in the email. Apple's Mail program uses the same graphic engine as Safari... which can open everything except Windows DRM'd WMV files.
... the aforementioned music services that are unusable on the Mac.
Give us some names. If you are talking about the Zune Store... that was Microsoft's choice. Most of the others, if they sell or download standard music formats, will work fine with the Mac.
Give me some time and I’m sure I could come up with more. All it does better is play with photos, but that is more based on the embedded software (iPhoto) vs Adobe than the computer itself.
We've got all the time in the world. Keep listing.
Just because YOU and your spouse didn't bother to learn how to use your new Mac doesn't mean there's something wrong with it. If you continue expecting it to run like Windows, you won't get far. Learn the new paradigm.
We have Office for Mac 2004 and it works nothing like Word for Windows. Excel does not work as well on the Mac. Even my stepson who has two Macs, an iPod and an iPhone uses a PC for his business spread sheets and word processing.
I have named the music services twice, but here I go again; Napster, Rhapsody, Yahoo Music. None of which are full service apps on a Mac. They can only be used as internet apps not stand alone programs which delete some of their features.
To install new software on a PC you just insert the cd hit install and away it goes, in seconds it ready to run. Didn’t say it was wrong just not as intuitive.
Finding the file to attach is the problem. On a PC you go directly to documents from the email app. on the Mac it takes you to photos first then you have to click on documents and then you can attach the file.
And finally why should I have to learn a “new paradigm” to use a computer. If I buy a Chevy after owning a Ford I don’t have to learn how to drive again. I have purchased 8 computers and built 3 more for my own use and have never had to learn a “new paradigm” to use them. I am happy you guys all like your Macs, but from my perspective it was a horrible purchase. As soon as I find someone I can snoocker into buying it, it will be gone and replaced by computer with a nice workable “old paradigm”
I've used the flip4mac plug in to play the WMV files.
What you say is so true, Swordmaker.
My sister has switched to Mac, (retired HP software engineer), and finds that when she is having trouble with the Mac, it is because she is overthinking things.
My guess is that this tendency to “overthink” is problematic for some long-time PC users. They just do not understand how Macs work, and try to do things the PC way on them.