Moving To Mac

I have been a PC user for over 20 years but I am moving to Mac. Our son, Peter, is a Mac user and a graduate student in computer science in San Francisco. This is what he says.

For a professional user that expects to get heavy usage out of some Windows applications, I’d recommend a Macbook Pro with 4GB of ram, a 200GB 7200 rpm hard drive, and the Applecare Protection Plan. There are three models here: Apple Store

Any of these three should be very fast indeed; the Intel Core 2 Duo processor is a beast, it’s essentially four of the processors in your current laptop crammed onto one chip. Any of the processor speed options will serve you well. The big difference is screen size. A bigger screen can be nicer, but it’s heavier and more unwieldy, your call. The other options look superfluous to me.

My recommendation is that you get a new backup drive to go with the new laptop. The Mac comes with excellent backup software, so you just need a drive. My recommendation is this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136227

To run Windows, you’re going to want a copy of Parallels and a copy of Windows XP. If you want to hit the ground running with your new machine, you could get a copy of Windows XP and your windows programs together. The Mac comes with a 30 day trial of the Mac version of Microsoft Office, so you may or may not want to install the Windows version.