Macintosh : Computer Hardware Buyers’ Glossary

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imac logo Macintosh

Apple produces a competing line of computers to the PCs called the Macintosh.

The Mac computer was named after the popular McIntosh variety of apple tree. However, presumably for legal reasons, Apple deliberately misspelled the name as Macintosh. If you correct the spelling to McIntosh (the tree and also a stereo component maker) or Mackintosh (the toffee maker), Mac users will treat you as if you had defecated on the floor, ditto if you abbreviate its name to MAC instead of Mac.

The original Macs used the Motorola 68000 series of CPUs. Then Apple switched to using the IBM (International Business Machines) PowerPC RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) CPU (Central Processing Unit). All the currently manufactured Macintoshes now use Intel CPU s, the same as used in Windows and Linux/Ubuntu machines.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Keyboard Layout

The Macintosh keyboard is slightly different from a PC keyboard.

Macintosh keyboard

Keyboard Notes

Macintosh keys
Key
Legend
Function Notes
esc Escape  
tab ⇥ Tab  
caps lock ⇪ Capslock  
shift ⇧ Shift  
control ^ Control In Java, depending on the look & feel selected, the control key might be used for copy/paste instead of the command key. Like the PC Ctrl key.
alt option Macintosh option key symbol Option aka Alt, Alternative. The option entity ⌥ ⌥ is not well supported.
apple symbol Apple symbol Apple entity is   or   Only supported in Mac fonts.
apple symbol ⌘ Command aka open Apple, clover. Used for copy/paste. The four lobed clover entity (officially called a place of interest sign) is ⌘
blank Space long unlabeled bar
return ⏎ Return Like Enter on the PC
delete Delete back delete chars to the left, like PC Backspace
delete Macintosh delete symbol Delete forward delete chars to the right, like PC Del. The delete forward entity ⌦ ⌦ is not well supported.
help ◯ Help  
home ⇱ Home  
end ⇲ End  
page up PageUp  
page down PageDown  
Up arrow  
Down arrow  
Left arrow  
Right arrow  
clear Clear  

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