Mac presentation shortcomings?

Rhisiart

Rhisiart

Registered
I hosted a one day seminar at a British university last month. I had my iBook set up, connected to an LCD projector and asked the various speakers to copy their PowerPoint presentations onto the iBook ready for their lectures.

If the truth be told, I was showing off a little by using an iBook in preference to a PC laptop (showing my bias).

Firstly, all the speakers complained at the lack of a right click facility on the mouse and found using Control+Click for going back to previous slides too awkward.

To make matters worse, their PPT presentations became unusable, as the iBook didn't maintain bullet configurations and other settings (OK, not Apple's fault).

Under pressure, I was persuaded to switch to my PC laptop, which I had brought along in reserve.

I was disappointed to say the least, but it did make me think that perhaps Apple ought to reconsider their mouse design (I know that they have produced a multi-click mouse, but this is not universally used by Mac-users).

P.S. I lectured in India last year, and many people commented on how good Keynote was. I remain buoyant. I would also add that my iBook coped very well with 45°C for nine hours continual use at a time!
 
Two comments: First--demonstrating a Mac to a certain class of Windows users threatens their world. The issue of the single mouse button is just something for them to hang their hat on. Second--PowerPoint is a Microsoft application and all that it implies. It is a very well-known fact that Microsoft documents have formating issues when transferred between two Windows machines. Moving from Windows to Mac can often produce fewer problems than moving from one Windows computer to another. It is also very well-known that PowerPoint bullets are not preserved in cross-platform file transfers. It is not fair to accept PowerPoint files from Windows-users on a Mac without giving them the opportunity to correct the formatting glitches that necessarily ensue or at least giving them fair warning.

You must also recognize that any problem at all experienced by Windows users will be blamed on the Mac. The best way to use a Mac in your environment is to throw it into the breach of a Windows laptop failure. This has been done on numerous occasions by me and others (including Wintel executives). They can't very well criticize your Mac when their Windows laptop has been reduced to a doorstop.
 
MisterMe said:
It is not fair to accept PowerPoint files from Windows-users on a Mac without giving them the opportunity to correct the formatting glitches that necessarily ensue or at least giving them fair warning.
Click to expand...

Yes, this a fair point.

I always assumed that PPT files transferred well between PCs. I am surprised to hear otherwise.
 
PPT's don't work well on my school's ibook G4s. Some animations are terribly slow and unrespsonsive.
Obviously windows users will complain about no right click, but i don't see why not. It is the most useful thing ever invented!
 
Single button mice are stupid. Period. They inhibit productivity. Just another one of apples poor decisions. I know I can buy a two button mouse, but the average pc schmo doesn't. Just another thing to possibly deter that schmo from switching.
 
I have just swopped over my PC & Apple mice so now my G4 uses the double click mouse. Lo and behold it is much better. Why didn't I think of doing this before? :rolleyes:
 
mikulla said:
Single button mice are stupid. Period. They inhibit productivity. Just another one of apples poor decisions. I know I can buy a two button mouse, but the average pc schmo doesn't. Just another thing to possibly deter that schmo from switching.
Click to expand...
I have to agree here. Two-buttons are better than one, and any PC switcher (or temporary Mac user) is going to find it easier to switch to a Mac with a two-button mouse. I found using one button annoying, and promptly bought a mouse with two buttons. I also find the one-button trackpad even more annoying now, because I have gotten so used to my two-button mouse that going back to the trackpad takes a second and requires thought. Right-clicking in iTunes and other apps is just too easy. ::alien::
 
dmetzcher said:
I have to agree here. Two-buttons are better than one, and any PC switcher (or temporary Mac user) is going to find it easier to switch to a Mac with a two-button mouse. I found using one button annoying, and promptly bought a mouse with two buttons. I also find the one-button trackpad even more annoying now, because I have gotten so used to my two-button mouse that going back to the trackpad takes a second and requires thought. Right-clicking in iTunes and other apps is just too easy. ::alien::
Click to expand...

I am LMFAO when i hear about a person (and there are many in these forums) that does not use mutlibutton mouses because they don't know about them or prefers the crappy one button apple mouses. There is no logical reason (Apple has no logic, or i have yet to find it sometimes) for a 1 button mouse.
 
I don't like it when people use the contextual menu in presentations. To me it seems very unprofessional. They can actually go forwards and backwards using the arrow keys and you don't get the butt ugly menu.
 
Captain Code said:
I don't like it when people use the contextual menu in presentations. To me it seems very unprofessional. They can actually go forwards and backwards using the arrow keys and you don't get the butt ugly menu.
Click to expand...
There are no contextual menus when you right-click an MS PowerPoint presentation while it is running through the slides. Left-click goes forward, and right-click goes backward, in the slideshow. You'd see no menu during the presentation if you right-clicked. I agree that contextual menus during a presentation could be annoying to those watching, but that wouldn't be an issue here. Also, the benefit of using the mouse during a presentation is that you can keep the mouse itself on a podium, with the computer on a table. If you have other documents on a podium, you probably don't want your laptop taking up room there.

The thing is, the above information for going backwards in the slideshow via right-clicking seems to work in Windows only. PowerPoint 2004 for the Mac requires a Command-click to move backwards. Right-click does nothing for me. Am I missing something here? Is there a setting I have to enable? Seems pretty foolish of Microsoft to change this behaviour on the Mac, when every PC PowerPoint user would expect it to be there. Also, right-click doesn't seem do anything, so it's not like they are using it for something else.
 
Well, I know I've personally seen a contextual menu come up in running PPT slides before. Maybe it's a setting?
 
Well, here's what happens in both OS X PPT and Window's PPT and both actually pop up a contextual menu when you right click and you are in the presenting slides mode.
 

Attachments

  • Picture 1.png
    Picture 1.png
    55.3 KB · Views: 3
  • Untitled-1.jpg
    Untitled-1.jpg
    64 KB · Views: 4
Captain Code said:
Well, here's what happens in both OS X PPT and Window's PPT and both actually pop up a contextual menu when you right click and you are in the presenting slides mode.
Click to expand...
It must be a setting, because I've never seen it on the Windows side, and I can't reproduce the screen that you have posted.
 
The only thing I can think of is all the presentations I've seen are mirrored to the projector so it doesn't act like a second screen. So maybe it doesn't show if you have it setup like a second screen instead of just mirrored.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top