Thinking Of Switching To Mac's But Need LOTS of Questions Answered! (Sorry!)

It seems to me your biggest question is: "How secure is the operating system?"
Mac OSX is considerably less likely to contract a virus or other malicious program than Windows, for the main reason that almost all viruses are designed to be run in a Windows setting. However, this does not exempt you from security risks. There is at least one confirmed virus specifically written for the Mac OSX operating system and any amount of them could be written, depending on how popular Apple's PCs become. And you can fall victim to a phishing scam on any operating system. However, compared to Windows, Mac OSX is very secure. Also, if you run Windows on a Mac, you will have the same vulnerabilities as running Windows on any other computer.

If I may offer a suggestion since many of your concerns seem to be based around the operating system, take a look at Linux distributions (Ubuntu is a good starting place). They have the same security features as Mac OSX but you can install Linux on virtually any computer and it's free.

"I never want to worry about security ever again "

That appears to be the problem. OSX, Windows, Linux, and every other operating system will always have security problems. The best defense is a good offense, and knowing your OS and using up-to-date security software is essential on every computer. Switching OS may be good or bad depending on what you want to do with your computer, but it will not solve your problems.

"I usually buy the most expensive laptop I can afford in the hope that it will be better and therefore I will have less problems."

I will sell you a laptop for $10000 that I can guarantee will never have a security problem: It has no network card, optical drive, usb ports, or any other input device.

Including keyboard and similar HID devices.

Seablade

1. Will I be free of Viruses, Spyware, Adware, Firewall, Trojans, Malware, Phishing, and any & all other nasties
Nothing is for sure, but for the most part yes. As of right now, there are no viruses, spyware, adware or malware on OS X. There is one Trojan that requires you to be an overly trusting, shouldn't be on the internet anyway, moron! Phishing is generally based on the user being a moron again. It is not OS dependent.

2. Have total security
I have no idea what that means.

3. Be safe from stuff being hidden in my email
Now you are just being paranoid

4. Safety from those pop-ups refusing to go away and self installing stuff
To the best of my knowledge, nothing will self-install on OS X. Pop-ups have nothing to do with teh OS.

5. Will I still need extra security protection from anything affecting my computer
Anti-Virus stuff you mean? I don't run it, and neither do most OS X users.

6. I have a lot of MS stuff like word. Excel etc – can I transfer them safely and still be able to send such docs via email whilst on apple internet or do I have to log into Windows and go on IE and send them that way?
Well, Apple does use a completely different Internet than the rest of the world... /sarcasm
Microsoft makes a version of Office for the Mac, and there are other options as well. You will be able to collaborate with Windows users.

7. I have read that there are Trojans out there infecting Mac’s – has this been taken care of?
There is 1 Trojan, it requires you to be an idiot to get it.

8. I have read about many Leopard Problems – Have they been sorted yet or should I stick to the Tiger until I read that it is safe to use Leopard?
Isolate incidents for the most part.

9. Is Mac easy to learn?
Don't take this the wrong way, but you may have a hard time.

10. I have never tried Vista but have read that it will be bombarded by attacks so am really put off it but have also read that in the near future Apple will also be heavily targeted and is now vulnerable to attack – is this true and are Apple good at dealing with this kind of thing?
No one knows what will happen in the future

11. I have read that a MBP can now run Windows – if I do that for MS Office type stuff and am not connected to the net, will I be vulnerable to viruses and other nasties?
No, if you are unconnected to the regular Internet, you can still get viruses via the special Apple Internet.

Other Issues:

I really like the idea of a fully featured high spec entertainment/multimedia laptop like those from HP/Sony/Toshiba but the Mac book Pro does not have nowhere near the features and tools so I am very confused:

1) I guess there is no Blu-Ray/HD-DVD option?
No, there is none as of yet.

2) I would like to connect to Plasma as the PC has a HDMI – can I still hook the MBP and watch HD stuff?
Via a DVI-HDMI cable yes. Also, so long as the content is not protected by HDCP.

3) Can I download HD stuff on the net on the MBP OS?
No, the special Apple Internet does not allow for color, HD, sound, or anything beyond 800*600. /sarcasm

4) Can I download music etc from my choice of site or do I only have to use Apple’s?
Apple does not allow you to use anything other than Apple made software on their systems /sarcasm

5) The PC laptop I am thinking of has a 250GB HDD – is 120GB/160GB enough? Someone told me never fill a HDD to full capacity and ideally never more than 50%? This would mean that I am limited to about 60/80GB if true!
Generally it is advised to only use up to 90% of one's hard drive, and you can configure the MacBook Pro with larger hard drives.

6) The PC Laptop also has a TV Tuner so one can watch & record both Digital & normal TV – Can one do this on a MBP? (important)
You can get a separate, USB based Tuner.

7) I would very much like to be able to access internet/satellite TV channels and I know this is possible on a PC Laptop but can it be done on a MBP? (important)
I'm not sure what you are asking here

8) Does AOL work properly on a MBP?
Are you freaking kidding me?

9) Is only 2 USB ports enough? Many now have 3 or 4 (why so mean?)
That all depends on you. When I am out and about, 2 ports is fine. When I am home, I am hooked into a hub since I have 6+ USB devices.

10) No card readers on such an expensive item – puts me off a little!
Just connect the cameras directly

11) Can I set the DVD Drive to be region Free and is it fast enough?
Not necessarily easily... and define fast enough

12) Is there anything that the PC can do that the MBP simply cannot and which a PC user would miss and be frustrated without?
Not that I know of.

13) Can I cut, copy and paste pictures and images?
No, Windows has a patent on copy/paste /sarcasm

14) Can I do GPS & Sat Nav on a MBP?
Never really looked into it.

15) Can I connect a MBP to a X-Box or PS3? I have read one can do that with a PC and use it as a HTPC?
Sort of with the 360, no idea on the PS3

16) Can I run a Speech Recognition Program effectively on a MBP?
Yes

17) I am very new to gaming and may develop an interest in future - but it is not really a main concern at the moment – will I suffer very badly later on?
No

18) Is it true that many ISP’s do not support or work properly with Macs – AOL UK only very recently told me they now support Mac but AOL is a nightmare in itself!
No it is not true.

19) Is there anything I cannot download from the internet via a MBP that I could on a PC Laptop?
Yes, you cannot download anything on Macs... sorry, side-effect of teh Apple Internet /sarcasm

20) If I use a MBP and run Vista for certain stuff, then will I lose all the virus and safety protection and will I have to get tons of security features installed as per normal? (That would defeat the main purpose of me wanting a Mac!)
You will need AV and what not on the Windows partition of your machine.

21) Can I use a Windows/Nokia/Blackberry based Pocket PC/PDA and email and applications properly with a MBP?
Not for free

22) If someone with a PC sends me an email which has nasties hidden in it, will it infect the Mac?
No!!!!!!!

23) Can I copy & paste pics from the net?
Nope, yet another limitation of the Apple Internet /sarcasm

24) Is it true that one cannot access certain or many websites on a Mac as the websites were created for Windows only computers?
You can't go to any non-Apple websites on the Apple Internet /sarcasm

25) Is the 17” MBP really not useful for portability? It seems to offer more features for a few hundred bucks more which when one is spending thousands……
That is entirely up to you

26) I really like the glossy screen – any major disadvantages?
That is entirely up to you

27) Which is better for me out of the two 15” versions?
What do you do?


I am very sorry to be ignorant and ask so many questions but I really need to be sure this time round! I am hoping that a MBP will be able to do and offer everything (except hardcore gaming) that a very decent entertainment/multimedia PC laptop will do. Hopefully, you folks will steer me in the right direction and I will then very happily be able to switch camps and see the light!

Regards & Thanks,

Suave!

Come on stu, try not to be snarky...

Ubuntu is easier to install than Windows, has considerably more stuff running by default, and has a forum even bigger than this one where you can look up almost any potential issue with a search term and find a quick answer with step-by-step directions. There's really very little you have to know to get started. I mainly suggested it because most of the issues you described are dependent on software, not hardware. And you can run Linux on nearly anything, whereas you can only run OSX (which is also a very good operating system) on Apple products. However, you're looking for Apple info only, so..

In answer to all your questions about security, OSX is somewhat more secure than Windows because, as I said earlier, people don't make viruses for it. If they do in the future, you'll need to use some type of antivirus or firewall. However, a large part of computer security is what you do with your computer, and in that regard, you'll be as safe or as in danger using OSX as you are using Windows, depending on how safe or dangerous your usage habits are.

In answer to your usability questions, there's nothing that comes to mind that you cannot do with a computer made by Apple in comparison to a computer made by some other company. They are just not that different anymore. There ARE things that you cannot do in OSX that you can do in Windows (most notably you can only run games that use DirectX in Windows, since it's a proprietary format owned by Microsoft) and vice-versa, but both operating systems allow for a wide range of functions, including those you mentioned.

Now, regarding your hardware questions, which in my opinion should be the main consideration when buying a computer:

You can hook up any device that has a proper connector or adapter. For instance, a DVI signal can be converted to an HDMI video signal with an adapter.

Whether a product has "enough" USB ports is for you to decide, since only you know how many USB devices you tend to use at the same time.

If you need a card reader, get a notebook with a card reader.

There is a noticeable size difference between 15" and 17" notebooks. If you're used to a 15" notebook, a 17" notebook may seem huge and heavy.

The only disadvantage of glossy screens is that they can reflect light that shines on them, and thus obscure parts of the screen if bright light is being reflected.

The 17" MBP is very likely THE most portable 17" notebook around. Weighing in at 6.8 lbs puts it in the neighborhood of many 15" machines. So weight-wise, it's very portable for it's screen dimensions. The physical measurements however are what may make the machine cumbersome. For example, I can easily use my iBook or MacBook in a coach seat on an airplane, not so much the case with the 15" and very much not the case with the 17" MBP. Simply put, even with a relatively light weight you still need room to carry and operate the machine.