Utility Automates Users' Migration From PC To Mac

By Gregg Keizer

Apple Computer's "switch" ad campaign -- where people describe how they dumped big bad Microsoft and their PC for the smoother, simpler experience of the Macintosh -- got a boost Monday when Detto Technologies announced its Move2Mac file and settings migration utility.

"We developed the code for Intellimover [Detto's PC-to-PC migration utility] with the idea of going cross-platform," said Frank Coyle, Detto's vice president of marketing. "When Apple began its 'switch' campaign, they started looking at migration vendors, and came to us. Since our vision was always to be cross-platform, it was an easy decision. The resurgence of the Mac helped."

During development, Detto passed Move2Mac's user interface by Apple UI experts for advice and approval. "They asked for very few changes, actually," said Coyle.

Like similar products long available for the PC -- including Detto's own Intellimover -- Move2Mac automates some of the tedious process of moving word processing documents, photo files, spreadsheets, Web browser settings, and e-mail accounts. In Move2Mac's case, of course, the transfer is from a PC to a Mac.

The $60 Move2Mac -- volume licensing packs in 5-, 10-, 20-, 50-, and 100-unit schemes are also available -- sniffs through the source PC, lets users select file types based on the creating application, then moves those files, as well as settings for Internet Explorer, dial-up connections, and the POP3 account settings and address book of Outlook Express, to the destination Macintosh. Move2Mac requires Windows 98, Me, 2000, or XP, on the PC side, and the latest OS 10.2 on the Mac.

Move2Mac relies on an included USB cable to move the data at a rapid clip. Detto claims that a typical migration takes just 15 minutes to move from PC to Mac.

About 80 percent of the code included in Move2Mac comes from Detto's Intellimover, said Coyle. "We knew the PC side," he said, "but we also partnered with KeySpan Technologies, which knows the Mac inside and out" to finalize Move2Mac's development.

Although Move2Mac doesn't do file conversions, the product does include a conversion guide in Acrobat Reader format. The guide outlines what steps users can take to convert files and, in some cases, points them toward online resources.

"If someone wants to move a Quicken file from PC to a Mac," said Coyle, "the guide outlines where to go on the Quicken Web site for conversion details."

Some files, such as Microsoft Office documents, don't need conversion, since the PC and Mac editions of Office can open and save documents in formats suitable for the other OS.