Rating: 
Summary: It Should Have Shipped With OS X
Review: This is one of the best reference sources I've seen to date on OS X. It is is well-organized, concise and easy to understand. The transition to OS X has been an easy one, and the system is as solid and crash-proof as advertised, however, I (like others) would like to have a manual to refer to occasionally if needed. There are tips in this book even an experienced Macintosh User like myself are sure to find useful. For most people using Macs a long time, de-mystifying where everything's been re-located to (or deleted and the logic behind it) was also helpful. I also appreciated the look at OS X "under the hood", it's useful to know what's there if we ever need to access it. Kudos also for not wasting our money on a "useless" CD filled with things we might find useful. Instead, they provide a web-site address inside the back cover where you can locate what would have been on a CD and decide what's important to you - saving money in the process. All in all, I'd recommend this to anyone looking to have a reference guide to serve as an accompaniment toOS X.
Rating: 
Summary: Pogue -- the Best Macintosh Author!
Review: Based on my positive experiences with Pogue (and Joseph Schorr's) "Mac Secrets", I preordered this book in September, choosing to wait for it to be published despite a number of Mac OS X books already on the market. Let me tell you: I'm glad I waited. I solved my three biggest OS X issues within an hour of receiving my copy, and learned a great deal more after reading through more thoroughly. David Pogue's writing style is clear and detailed without being confusing -- he has a gift for explaining complicated computer issues in a plain, informal style, all the while demonstrating his unique sense of humor. He also covers the gamut of OS X issues (including the updated version, X version 10.1) from simple to complex, from opening programs to working in the UNIX terminal. In my opinion, this is the Mac OS X book to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but should decide who the audience is.
Review: This book is up to Pogue's usual fine standards with some caveats: 1. OSX is still a moving target. This book does the best job of any book to date in being current on OSX, but it is still missing recent developments. This is a tough issue, because now is a tough time to write a book about OSX. The book was delayed twice in order to wait until OSX was in some stable and complete form (10.1), and it is a better book than its competitors because David waited for 10.1 before finishing the book. 2.Sometimes the book can't quite decide who the target audience is. A Mac user converting from the old MacOS? A new computer user? The book gives lots of details that will be helpful to a brand new user and perhaps overkill for a long-time Mac user. On the other hand, there are many references to how things "used to work" under MacOS 9, and these will be meaningless to a new user or a Windows convert. In spite of these minor problems, this is still the best intermediate level book on MacOS X and another fine book in the Missing Manual series.
Rating:
Summary: The best of it's kind
Review: I have purchased and read 4 different Mac OS X books. This is by far, the best of them all. Every hot key is outlined, several chapters are dedicated to command line/terminal. Easy to read, good humor. Outstanding details.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Introduction To Mac OS X, And A Great Reference Tool
Review: Like many aging Windows users, I am a new convert to the Mac operating system. I was impressed with Apple's recent designs and with their new OS 10.1. Pogue's book is highly readable--you will literally want to read it cover-to-cover. It is designed to inform current Mac users who are learning the new system, as well as Windows users who are just learning about Macs. The language and organization are clear and concise, and the material is well-indexed and cross-referenced so you can find what you are looking for without the continual reliance on Tylenol. Very good book!
Rating:
Summary: No Longer Missing
Review: The "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual" has finally become available and it is worth the wait. My experience with earlier publications was not good - I found them to be too basic and very incomplete (no surprise: writing a manual based upon the Public Beta has little relevance to the current high powered OS 10.1.2). Neither criticism applies to Pogue's new book. It is filled with all kinds of information that I found useful in evaluating Mac OS X. His style is to provide a number of ways to accomplish a task and let you pick the one(s) best suited to the way YOU work. If you are like me, many of those quick keyboard commands will be forgotten, but that's why I keep this type of book handy as a reference tool. Probably this book is best for developing 'Mac-experienced' users. The learning curve, for parts of the book, can be a bit steep. So new users may want to read something more basic before picking up this new publication. And serious power users don't need a manual. No CD-ROM with this book, but there should have been. Having the entire book as a .pdf file would be useful, especially for those using a Powerbook.
Rating:
Summary: Delightfully Useful for ANY OS X User
Review: I purchased "OS X: The Missing Manual" as a Christmas present for my nephew who recently migrated to OS X. I figured the manual would be a helpful "Getting Started" guide to him, and relieve me of a bit of tech support duty. Being a "power user" of OS X meself since the Public Beta days, I dun NEE no steenkin' manual, missing or no. After spending about 20 minutes with this book, I was back at Amazon ordering a second copy. For <ahem> meself. (Power user or no.) "OS X: The Missing Manual" was a long-time coming... but it covers Apple's new operating system clearly and comprehensively. The book presents a huge (HUGE) subject with clarity, wit, and delightfully useful tips that any (ANY) user of Mac OS X will find helpful, time-saving, and wicked cool. David Pogue didn't give us the first manual for OS X... but he has delivered the best. I wish all technical writing were this good.
Rating: 
Summary: Missing manual
Review: As a longtime Mac user, one who appreciates the simple, fast, intuitive feel of the Mac, OS X has been a real change: the installation, the desktop, the lost data, the new crashes, and booting and running two systems. As a seventeen-year Mac user, I was near wit's end when I went for this manual, needing just what its title implied. The "missing manual" helps but also misses the mark. Hey, I'm no techie. That's why I've always loved Mac. I've spent fifteen joyful years watching my PC friends suffer through Microsoft operating systems. Yes, I got some help from picking up the "missing" manual. I learned there was a chess game. I found out more about the use and misuse of buttons. I learned it might be helpful for me to know Unix . I expected a lot more from the "missing" manual: help, fixes, firm and fast reassurances, and direct and simple solutions. What I have loved about my Macs is to not need a manual. Maybe I just don't like manuals. The bottom line is that I don't see much improvement in my pleasure with OS X with the "missing manual".
Rating:
Summary: The one we've been waiting for!
Review: This is the best book on OS X that I have seen so far. I would highly recommend it to anyone at any level. It's not just for dummies, but is clear enough to help the beginning user. The section that tells where all the features from OS 9 went in OS X (or didn't go) is priceless. It covers version 10.1, unlike a lot of the other books currently available. It really is the manual that Apple should have provided.
Rating:
Summary: New Mac Convert Finds Most Of My Questions Answered Here
Review: As a new mac convert who switched from the pc, the mac OS is a totally different environment. I ordered 7 mac books before my new iMac arrived and this is the one along with"Teach Yourself Visually Mac Os Xv.10.3 Panther" that I am able to obtain the most helpful info and answers to my questions from.I am very pleased with both of these books for their thoroughness and ease of use. A mac newbie won't go wrong with both of them(which I recommend),and you will find yourself referring back to them over and over so I suggest you keep them in the vicinity of your computer area!
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