As I noted earlier, I have added a PowerBook to my computer lineup. I enjoy using Mac OS X (10.4), and find it to rarely be frustrating, unless we’re talking about keyboard shortcuts, and usually pleasant. In fact, pleasant is an excellent word to describe the experience; it’s neither thrilling nor bad.

But this post is about my decision to leave Microsoft Outlook and turn to Apple’s PIM suite, which includes iCal, Address Book, and Mail. Reasons for this switch include:

• Increased use of my laptop and decreased use of my desktop, which makes having PIM data on laptop desireable
• (Alleged) Ease of synchronizing my Motorola RAZR v3 with Mac OS X, iCal, and AddressBook
• The use of open standards by the Apple PIM suite versus proprietary formats of Microsoft Outlook.

The Plan
Because I had heard switching out of Outlook could be difficult and because I did not know well Apple’s software worked, I decided a good plan was to do a series of test switches. I would move small amounts of information from Outlook’s Mail, Calendar, and Contacts sections to Apple’s Mail, iCal, and Address Book. I would also test syncing with my phone and PDA, a Handspring Visor Deluxe. If the transfers worked smoothly and if I liked the software, then I would make the switch. Otherwise, I would continue using Outlook and/or look for alternative solutions, including Microsoft’s Entourage.

In thinking, talking, and doing research about this process, I realized that the resources for such a switch are inadequate. Although I did not do an enormous amount of research, only enough to pull off the switch, I found that there was no central resource to guide a user through the process and the resources that were geared for each specific part of Outlook were poorly written, usually providing little background or explanation. I decided, therefore, that outlining my experience might be helpful to others, as well as demonstrate the difficulty of leaving Outlook.
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