Switching to a Mac, maybe

I’ll be spending a few hours in the Apple store today, to decide if I want to get a MacBook to run in parallel with my PC setup for a few weeks.  I’ve been a PC user for a quarter century—but as I age, I am more and more interested in things that “just work.”  I’m also more likely to give top priority to things that save me time, versus things that save me money—if I'm forced to choose. 

We’ll see; this should be an educational experiment, if nothing else.  Advice from anyone who’s been through this exercise is most welcome.

Comments

[Ghamal]

Macbooks are good and fast laptops. And you have the benefit of being able to run windows on the macbook also (note: regular windows runs great, but the new windows Vista is still not completely compatible.)

I have been running windows on my macbook for about 4 months now and I'm quite please with it. The one hardware problem I had soon after I got the macbook got fixed in a reasonable time by apple support, who made things go pretty smoothly. It has worked fine ever since.

Although if you want something that "just works" and you mainly use internet apps and micrsoft office type apps there won't be much reason to switch from the apple interface.

[Tim Lundeen]

I'm a long-time Mac devoté, and highly recommend this. The new Macs can run Windows software if absolutely required via a 3rd-party application called Parallels, so you don't lose any functionality. Apple builds really nice stuff, and OSX is a very productive environment.

[Jim Glass]

My wife has been an a PC techie for years.

She recently switched all her personal computing over to Macs.

'Nuff said as far as she goes.

[Eric Wright]

I disliked OS X for many years merely because the mental model is slightly different from Windows (with which I was very familiar). When I was forced to use it when I started my current job, my frustration was soon replaced with an admiration of the consistent interface design and overall system polish.

It's not about the eye candy - the system feels like an intelligent person put some thought into it.

So don't get frustrated if some things are annoying at first - you'll eventually stop hitting Ctrl when you should hit the Apple key, and soon you won't look back.

[David]

One Question.... WHY? Can you describe 1 thing that does not work for you? Ignore these Mac bigots, and the Apple Marketing Machine. What exactly does not work for you? I've been using Compaq/HP pc's for many, many years (10-12 hrs/day), and I have never experienced a problem or productivity issue. As long as you buy a new pc every 3-5 yrs, AND maintain a proper amount of RAM, you should experience same.

[Steve]

David:

Why: Simply to see if what several others have told me is true -- that it's more stable and far less susceptible to malicious software. If that turns out to be my experience too, then I'll happily migrate, because I like it when something increases my ratio of real work to admin overhead. MS Office (2004) is available on the Mac, so is Firefox, so migrating will be reasonably easy.

I'm not going to throw away my PC, though (...partly because I'm a nostalgia buff.)

[Jon Thompson]

Well, the advantage in terms of malicious software is on the way out. As more people use the machines, there is a greater desire to make viruses for them, and the security really isn't up to snuff anymore.

[Steve]

By the way, Microsoft Streets & Trips is my favorite map software; does anybody know when it will be available for the Mac?

Just kidding.

[Splashman]

@Jon Thompson:

There are plenty of reasons to like Windows and not to like Macs. Security doesn't qualify as one of those reasons, however.

Unless you can provide evidence for "on the way out" and "not up to snuff," your comment is a textbook example of FUD.

Fact: Today, there are ZERO viruses/spyware that affect the Mac.

Fact: Today, there are TENS OF THOUSANDS of viruses/spyware that affect Windows.

It is reasonable to assume that the above Mac number will increase at some point in the future. It is also reasonable to assume, based on past performance, that the above Windows number will increase by thousands in the next year.

As I said, there are many persuasive arguments to be had in favor of Windows. But only a Windows fanboy with extraordinary control of his/her facial muscles would attempt to argue security with a Mac user.

[Dave Justus]

Slashman,

Your first 'fact' simply isn't true. For example: http://news.com.com/Is+Mac+OS+as+safe+as+ever/2100-1002_3-6043353.html

Certainly there are more viruses that effect Windows machines, and the average user will almost certainly have less problems with them. Anti-virus software is still necessary with a Mac though, and maintaining it isn't appreciably easier then maintaining anti-virus on a Windows machine.

[Blake]

Hi, just thought I'd throw my two cents in.

Macs are fine machines, but the idea that they are better than Windows in all aspects is probably false. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Whoever said that security problems with the Mac are on the rise is correct. Last year, (or maybe the year before), Apple actually had more security compromises than Microsoft in the same year. That doesn't mean that Microsoft is more secure, but it does show that as Apple's popularity rises amongst consumers, hackers/jerks will become more interested, too. If you want a source for that, check PCMAG. I read the article some time last year.

If you want my recommendation, take a look at Linux. The Ubuntu distro is probably the most popular right now, and that's because it's ridiculously easy to use, runs great, and has an incredible support base. I have been using it for less than 6 months, and I am already quite adept at Linux. You should at least check it out.

[Splashman]

Dave, read that article again, then look up the definitions of "exploit" and "vulnerability," and compare to the definition of "virus."

Bottom line: a recognized exploit/vulnerability is not a virus, nor a direct threat to anyone. In the OSX era, nobody has ever reported a Mac virus in the wild, nor has any Mac ever been infected or damaged by any kind of hostile attack. My facts stand.

Also note that your Cnet article is a year old. If you click the link in that article's sidebar for "More stories on Apple security," you get an up-to-date list of articles that talk about a few Mac vulnerabilities discovered in 2006, but no viruses. Depending on who you ask, the number of new Windows viruses in 2006 was between 4,700 and 21,000.

"Anti-virus software is still necessary with a Mac though..."

That's an opinion; you may also be of the opinion that it is "necessary" to wear body armor in the supermarket. I do not have, and never have had, any kind of anti-virus/spyware software on my Mac. I don't know any Mac users that do. Except for the fact that I just Googled it, I wouldn't have known that there were any anti-virus applications available for the Mac. Turns out they are, but their sales pitches are variations of "Yes, you're safe now, but you may not be in the future." Hey, if they can sell software that way, more power to 'em. Free market economics, etc.

"...maintaining it [Mac] isn't appreciably easier than maintaining anti-virus on a Windows machine."

Spoken from ignorance; perhaps I should explain the concept of "zero." If a Mac user expends zero dollars/time/energy on security, and a Windows user expends a non-zero amount of dollars/time/energy, the difference between the two is, in mathematical terms, infinite.

Note that virus protection software can only protect a system against known threats. When a new virus comes out, it's a race between the infection and the protection companies -- who will get to your computer first? I'm sure y'all have read about "botnets" -- armies of compromised "zombie" computers whose use is for sale to the highest bidder. I'd guess a lot of those zombies' owners thought they were protected.

A few weeks after I switched my Dad to the Mac, he commented on the intense relief he felt due to not having to think about security AT ALL. That's something that long-time Mac users like me cannot, I suspect, entirely appreciate. And it's something that long-time Windows users cannot, I suspect, entirely believe until they experience it for themselves.

[Splashman]

Blake, I don't see anyone here arguing that Macs are "better than Windows in all aspects." Certainly not me.

Here's a great site that compares Mac OSX to Windows XP: http://www.xvsxp.com/

I readily concede that some things are simply done better in Windows. Both Apple and Windows copy/borrow from each other. I never try to convince anyone to switch; if they're happy with their computer, I'd even argue against them switching -- why ask for trouble? But if they're curious, I'll point out some of the advantages of OSX and let them decide for themselves.

Regarding security compromises, I'll repeat that compromises are not a threat to the Mac user. There could be a million compromises/exploits/vulnerabilities; if none are turned into a working virus, Macs are safe. So far, there have been zero viruses -- even for "unpatched" Macs running a four-year-old version of OSX! Compare that to Windows! In April 2005, the BBC published the results of a study which showed that an unpatched XP SP1 machine would survive its first connection to the Net an average of 4 minutes before being compromised; one test machine was compromised after being connected only 8 seconds.

Yes, sooner or later, Macs will get their first virus and I'll have to get Norton or whatever. In the meantime, I'm more productive than my Windows counterparts, because I'm wasting zero dollars/time/energy on security. And it's reasonable to assume that even after the first Mac virus appears, I'll have to spend less time on security than Windows users. Macs won't go from 0 to 10,000 viruses overnight, if ever.

Regarding Linux, from what I've read, it's a reasonable alternative to Mac or Windows. However, if one of Steve's motivations for switching is the desire for "it just works," I'm guessing Linux wouldn't be the best choice. I don't have personal experience with Linux, but in the past year, I've read the personal accounts of two high-profile bloggers (Pilgrim & Doctorow) who switched from Mac to Linux. Both were (and are) generally happy with the change, most especially since they're both big open-source fans and DRM dissenters, but both reported that Linux has a long way to go with the "it just works" thing.

I'm not trying to diss Linux; every OS has its advantages and disadvantages.

[Bob]

Well, Steve, let us know if you switch and how it goes. I'm contemplating a switch ( a couple years out, new Toshiba is only 1 year old). If Mac's boot up and down faster that alone could sell me. XP takes forever.

[Calmypal]

Oh noes! Flamewar! :o

I second the recommendation of Ubuntu Linux. Download the CD image from Ubuntu.com (or have them send you a CD for free!) and try it. It's far and away the most user-friendly operating system I've ever seen. You put in the disc, and it boots into the operating system so that right away you can see what everything will look like. You can play around with that, and if you like what you see, you click a button to install. You don't have to reboot your computer. You launch a program to update every program on your computer, and then don't reboot. Everything is organised into eminently navigable categories like Games, Office, Web (I wouldn't know, since I don't use Ubuntu), and if you want more programs, there's a program to download and install thousands more from Ubuntu. It's pretty sweet.

Funny story: my friend's father heard about Windows Vista on the news, and gave him some cash to acquire a copy and install it on his PC. Friend instead installs a copy of Ubuntu and tells him it's Vista, and shows him the "new" Solitaire, IE, and Office. Father goes on all week about how great it is, how OS X on Friend's laptop is obsolete, how Bill Gates is better than Steve Jobs, etc. Friend plans to let him keep believing a while longer than give him his money back and tell him the truth.

[Steve]

So far so good on my MacBook; I really like the look and feel of OS X, the (relatively) fast boot, and the sleep mode that almost precludes ever having to boot. I still need the two-button mouse, and have a feeling I'll be tag-teaming Mac and PC from now on. As soon as it's almost 50% Mac, I'll get a Mac Mini and set it on top of the PC box. Also am very glad that Firefox works *exactly* the same on both machines.