“Ten years ago, if you were a Windows user, the idea of switching to a Macintosh might not have seemed enticing. An abundance of new Windows software was arriving on store shelves, while the selection available to Mac users seemed to be falling behind, often relegated to a back corner of the same store,” Thomas J. Fitzgerald reports for The New York Times.
“Today the calculation is different. Apple Computer, through a series of transitions, has reinvented itself. With a new operating system, its own chain of retail stores, the iPod and now a new line of computers that run on Intel processors, this new and more mainstream Apple is catching the attention of Windows users, and many are curious about switching,” Fitzgerald reports.
Fitzgerald covers the basics of upgrading your personal computer experience from a Windows PC to Mac OS X machine, including software, Boot Camp and Parallels Desktop for Mac for running Windows applications, and security. Of the latter, Fitzgerald writes, “Security is another aspect of Macs that has Windows users curious. In Windows, antivirus and antispyware programs have become essential for defending against a variety of threats. So far, the Mac OS X operating system has not been infiltrated by viruses, and it remains free from the type of spyware threats that spread in the wild and go after Windows users, according to Symantec, maker of Norton Antivirus. But when Windows is run on Intel-based Macs, for example through Boot Camp or Parallels, it is vulnerable to the same virus and spyware threats that can affect conventional Windows-based PC’s.”
Fitzgerald also covers hardware and also includes a brief bit about switchers’ experiences in the full article here.
Related articles:
Liberal blogger on switch from Windows to Mac: I’m sold – August 03, 2006
Top Ten Reasons I’m Glad I’m a Mac Switcher – June 20, 2006
Switching To The Mac: A Guide For Windows Users – June 15, 2006
Detroit Free Press’ Wendland: Apple MacBook Pro ‘the finest portable computer I have ever owned’ – March 14, 2006
Sydney Morning Herald Tech columnist dumps Microsoft Windows, switches to Apple Mac – June 13, 2006
Moving Microsoft Internet Explorer Favorites to Apple Safari Bookmarks when you switch – June 08, 2006
Apple Boot Camp’s ‘Windows Insecurity Blanket’ helps buyers decide to switch to Macs – May 19, 2006
PC Magazine: Top ten questions and answers about switching to Apple Macintosh – May 18, 2006
A switcher’s guide to Windows, Mac OS X – April 25, 2006
Macs that run Windows will calm potential switchers’ irrational fears – April 06, 2006