Mac vs Pc

[BleuFire]

I understand you guys have probably answered a ton of these but i can seem to get past page 2 of the topics. And i KNOW that there are more topics referring to apple vs MS.

My question...

I currently have a:
Toshiba satellite p35 Laptop with a P4 2.8 ghz
60 gig Hd
512 mb RAM
Windows XP Pro

I constantly have problems with my computer due to viruses(we know why so don't ask how or why) and running excessively slow. Ive heard alot about macs though and recently i wanna jump into a Mac OS. I know just about nothing on macs except i used them when i was 10 in elementry school.

Is it true that there are fewer problems with a Mac then PC? Or this 0 virus thing for macs? do they really RARELY crash?

And if so, (looking at the laptops) which should i consider? Macbook or Macbook pro?

I currently do alot of surfing on the web and playing around with Itunes (oh, and Itunes runs slow as **** on my PC, does it do any better when itunes is running where it belongs?) I want to get into Photochoping again also. I play the occasional game here and there. And finally, what about this Dual Boot (bootcamp?) that i hear about with running XP and Mac OS on a Mac computer?

Any info or links would be appreciated.


P.S. I have tried to search the web for info on this topic but i can't get an unbiased opinion. When i search i get "PC users have more this and that while apple blows nuts!" or "Mac users can achieve this and that while Microsoft users stare at blue screens!"

 

[The General]

I have a Macbook Pro running MacOS/Winblows using Boot Camp. It's perfect for what you want. Games work great in Windows, and Photoshop works good in MacOS but better in Windows (because Photoshop isn't desingned for Intel Mac's yet so it has to run in Rosetta.)

I have never had Mac OS crash or lock up or freeze, etc. If you have any more questions let me know.

 

[JohnnyA]

Hey,
I don't mean to hijack a thread or anything, but I'm really new to Macs and hoped this would be a good place to ask this question.

So here it is; I'm thinking of getting a MacBook for university next year but my mom thinks it's a bad idea for the reason of compatability with windows based computers. The example she gives is having a problem with my Mac and needing to use a Windows PC to finish an essay. Can I do this? Just have a back-up copy of the essay on a CD and then pop it into a PC and have it work?

If this is the wrong place to post this, let me know. I'm new to this forum as well.

Thanks

 

[The General]

Macs run Windows now to, so having a Macbook can only benifit you. This means that instead of just having Windows, you have MacOSX also.

Her argument can be shot down with three things:

1. Macs don't have problems.
2. Yes, you can use Windows to finish your essay in the RARE event that you might have a problem.
3. If you just had a Windows laptop, and Windows goes kapoot, what are you going to use to finish your essay then? A Linux live CD?

 

[JohnnyA]

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks.

Heres another newbie question for you then; why don't macs have problems?

 

[The General]

They do, just not as many as Windows. Apple likes to get greater stability by limiting their hardware compatibility. Windows has to deal with thousands of chipsets and network cards and wireless cards, while Apple is sitting back relaxing, having a beer and watching their one Intel chipset and one network card work like a charm.

This also gives Apple time to work on other, more important stuff. Like security, look & feel, features, programs, and marketing.

 

[JohnnyA]

Ok, that also makes sense. Thanks for helping me clear that up.

Cheers