Using Macs and iPads for Genealogy

Using Macs and iPads for Genealogy contains links, apps, screenshots, and tips to help make the most of your Apple devices. This Sassy Jane Genealogy Guide helps you whether you’re thinking about switching from Windows because of popularity and ease of use of Macs and iPhones/iPads, or if you’ve been using Macs since 1984.

The two Apple operating systems – Mac OS X (on desktop iMacs and MacBooks) and iOS (on iPads and iPhones) – are powerful allies in the hunt for your ancestors.

There are several principal ways that Mac genealogists manage, research, and share their information:

• Desktop family tree applications (Reunion, Family Tree Maker, MacFamilyTree, others)

• Mobile family tree applications (Ancestry, My Heritage, others)

• Mobile research applications (specific apps for genealogy research)

• Mobile productivity applications for productivity (Dashlane, Wunderlist, others)

In this guide, you can choose and use these applications to manage and share your research, regardless of the operating system or family tree software your relatives and fellow genealogists use.

Links are also available to genealogists who are switching from Windows to Mac for the first time, including the popular article, “On Windows, I Used To…“. The first family tree application was written for the Macintosh operating system, but over time Windows became the dominant platform in genealogy.

Topics include the latest dedicated genealogy research apps, using productivity apps (like PDF readers) for your iPad, setting up folders to keep your apps organized, and the top ten free iPad apps for genealogy. For desktop users, learn about several different leading Mac family tree software packages.

Links to exclusive photo-editing programs for the Mac, and data security and backups to the cloud are also included. Some of us have used Macs all along, while others have switched (or are thinking about it) because of popularity and ease of use of the iPhone and iPad. Whatever path you choose, this Sassy Jane Genealogy Guide will help you make the most of your decisions.

Using Macs and iPads for Genealogy is a 59-page PDF download and has five sections:

Family Tree Software for iMacs, MacBooks, and iPads

Research Apps for iPads and iPhones

Photo-Editing Software for Macs

Backup Your Mac for Data Security

Tips & Tricks for Macs, iPads, & iPhones