Apple’s Migration Assistant is a great way to transfer your files from one Mac to another. It (usually) is able to seamlessly move your programs, documents, and settings over with a minimum of fuss, relying either on FireWire, USB, Ethernet, or AirPort. For some of us though, particularly those of us who upgrade all the time, you might find yourself having issues that get worse with each transfer.
This is particularly true with non-Apple programs. The iApps like iPhoto, iMovie, etc. tend to transfer over just fine. But others, like Microsoft Office and various other third-party applications, simply do not like being transferred with the assistant.
Perhaps you’re someone who is always looking for the latest software gizmo, downloading apps small and large from the Internet and the App store. Odds are very few of these apps are used past the evaluation period; if they’re free apps, odds are they haven’t been opened in a long time.
In today’s world, where your new Mac will come with at least a 320GB hard drive and up to 8 terabytes built-in, it’s not strictly necessary to conserve disk space. But, wouldn’t it be nice to open your Applications folder on a brand new computer and not be reminded of your old computer? Why wait longer for the window to open, and for the icons to draw, when you can simply elect to not transfer your applications when you use the Migration Assistant?
When I get my next computer, I won’t be migrating my programs. Instead, I’m going to install the applications I need, and only when I find myself needing them. Really, I don’t need a menu bar item telling me the temperature of a fan sensor; the half-dozen alarm clock apps I didn’t like don’t need to be there; and who uses Microsoft Messenger anyway?