I have three Apple computers, one of which is a 17" PowerBook.
All the comments before mine are valid, but I would like to remind everyone that Microsoft offers "Office" for Macintosh and with it, you can run Word, Excel and all the other terrific Win programs with equal ease as a PC based laptop.
As for comments about spyware and virus.
My son is a computer science major, and as smart as he is about software and PC's (his system), he has to regularly clean out his drive, ridding it of these invaders. He says these can be picked up through email, downloading games and imbedded in music downloads. However, with active housekeeping you can keep the system running fine. He says there are free programs that will eliminate these problems.
I think Mac's are pretty much free of these, have visited Mcafee and Symantec and allowed them to probe my computer, looking for access and the report comes back that not only are ports "closed" they are in "stealth."
Here is a quote from a discussion about these issues:
All the comments before mine are valid, but I would like to remind everyone that Microsoft offers "Office" for Macintosh and with it, you can run Word, Excel and all the other terrific Win programs with equal ease as a PC based laptop.
As for comments about spyware and virus.
My son is a computer science major, and as smart as he is about software and PC's (his system), he has to regularly clean out his drive, ridding it of these invaders. He says these can be picked up through email, downloading games and imbedded in music downloads. However, with active housekeeping you can keep the system running fine. He says there are free programs that will eliminate these problems.
I think Mac's are pretty much free of these, have visited Mcafee and Symantec and allowed them to probe my computer, looking for access and the report comes back that not only are ports "closed" they are in "stealth."
Here is a quote from a discussion about these issues:
Spyware is third-party software installed without your permission that transmits information you assume is private. Windows PC users are all-too familiar with the problems presented by spyware applications that display browser ads, or that reset the browser to a different home page. While these issues do not affect Mac users, you may find that some Web browser cookies fall under this broad definition of spyware. You can maintain your privacy on a shared Mac by clearing the browser history, removing all cookies, clearing downloads, and emptying the cache.
While virus issues are similarly less frequent on a Mac than on a PC, it is wise to run antivirus software - particularly if you run Microsoft applications on your Mac.