Considering moving to the "congregation"

So, I've been contemplating a laptop since Oct-Nov of last year. Since it is quite an investment, I decided to wait a bit to see what the new year would hold. Now that things are panning out, I am almost at a point of buying. (see http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=44376)

The other day, though, I went into an Apple store to have them do something w/ my iPod. I started playing w/ a MacBook Pro. I, naturally, noted the build - Intel CPU & ATI GPU. I inquired about this & got some hint that many have been dual-booting OS X & XP & that it was almost to a workable point.

I didn't think much of this. I know that I do enjoy some of the more intensive games - BF2, CS:S, COD2. Mac's cannot play these like a PC. Yet.

So, I started searching forums galore. I have noticed that those who use Mac's are quite loyal. They believe that theirs is the superior product for a number of reasons. But, the following for the Mac is almost like a church.....this, I cannot fully understand. From what I gather, the Mac is much more secure than the PC - less 3rd party stuff to muck up the OS. & the Mac is simplistic, yet quite functional.

So, I've been toying around w/ the idea of getting a MacBook Pro. It seems to have the capability of doing everything I'd like it to.....except for 1 thing - TV tuner. I might be able to live w/ an express-card tuner, though, but what is the liklihood of that happening?

So, the whole point of the monotribe is ask the Mac (& perhaps the PC users who use both) users several questions:
1) Why should I switch?
2) Why did you switch or decide to use OS X?
3) How difficult is switching?
4) How easy is it on an administrative level? I have several mutli-user environments that I manage & these guys have been bugging me about this for at least a year.
5) Anything else?

Thanks for all the resources thus far.....

 

sincitymedic,

1) Why should I switch?
The Mac OS X platform has some distinct advantages. It has few viruses written for it, and it takes a little more cooperation from the user (an administrative password) to enable one, as I understand it. The graphics are wonderful, quicker for video although a bit slower for internet browsing. The flexibility of the system is far greater than Windows. On the other hand, there is a narrower program selection and things like gaming (from what I read) are not nearly as good.

2) Why did you switch or decide to use OS X?
I have used Macs off-and-on for a dozen years or so. I permanently switched about 3 years ago, although I very occasionally use a Windows box and even have been tinkering with a very lightweight Windows notebook (like 3 pounds, which Apple does not make at this time). Why do I keep using Macs? The maintenance and stability of the system, principally. With four office and home computers, keeping up with them with Windows is too much bother.

3) How difficult is switching?
People have actually been able to do it! Changing from CNTL + whatever to APPLE + whatever and such things seem pretty easy. The file structure is much different, but it is so easy to use on a Mac that I think it's easy to learn.
A year ago, we switched our whole office (except one remaining PC) to Macs, specifically to Mac minis. The tech people were unable to consistently keep our rather new Dells running properly, including problems with Office.
In the year we have been running Mac minis, I cannot think of any problems at all. The staff all accommodated the change almost immediately, with one person who took longer. Now, she is an advocate for buying one at home, and her mother bought one and loves it.

4) How easy is it on an administrative level? I have several mutli-user environments that I manage & these guys have been bugging me about this for at least a year.
I'm not really sure. I took in my laptop to my wife's office and through Desktop Remote Client was able to log into the exchange server and work just as if I was using a PC. Sharing is extremely easy, too.

5) Anything else?
Certainly get one and try it out for awhile. At first, it may seem foreign. Some things will be a bit slower, others quicker. It's probably good not to compare the two platforms as much as try to evaluate how you can do your specific work on the Mac OS platform. I have found that people get accustomed to the Mac OS after awhile, and then they become very attached to it. Not everyone, but a lot of people.
The MacBook Pro is new, as is the MacIntel platform, so there may be some initial problems that will be solved in time. You can wait for six months or a year if you want some of these things ironed out, probably having to do with drivers, etc.

I hope this helps some.