Posted by Luke | Posted on 12-07-2009
Category : 5 Reasons to Buy a Mac
Tags: apple, Mac, Malware, OS X, Security, Viruses
Security is such an important thing for us all when we are using a computer, especially given that we are essentially connected to our computers 24/7, one of the biggest advantages of running a Mac is the Security of the system. You would have certainly heard the good old argument ‘Mac’s don’t get Viruses’. Well this is pretty much true, let me explain:
Mac’s are not immune to viruses, they can get them! The thing is that Mac’s make up such a small segment of the overall computer footprint in the world that from a virus authors point of view – why would we bother spending all that time writing a virus for mac when we can write one for windows and have such a bigger effect. At this point in time there is essentially no reason to run anti-virus software on a mac, in fact the anti-virus software that is out there only scans for windows viruses anyway!
One of the other reasons Mac’s are less vulnerable to these attacks is due to the way viruses and other malware works. In order to get onto your system in the first place viruses and malware need to ‘trick’ you, they are like a mini program that has to install itself on your system to run. Now one of the great things about the Mac OS is that whenever any program try’s to gain access to change or install something on your system the Mac will request you enter the administrators username and password. This not only stops a hacker from taking over your computer and installing at free will but it makes you actually think twice about what you are installing. Now having said all of this, Windows is (finally) learning this and thats the reason Vista always asks you allow or deny, and why windows 7 will take a similar route as Mac OS for your approval before installing.
There are a number of other reasons as well such as the difference in file types that a mac can open and use and so on, but I think that at this stage the biggest benefit is that they just aren’t a target for the ‘bad guys’ as there isn’t a huge penetration of Macs in the over all computer market making them less of a target.
This is going to be a series of 5 posts, and before you turn off and get all offended about what I have to say, (I know there’s a lot of Mac haters out there) I know that there are a lot of things out there that Windows is better suited to. This however is aimed towards home users, people who don’t have a large IT department to go to in order to have their tech problems fixed, or have the will, determination or patience to solve these problems themselves.
I will start by saying that if you are a gamer and a serious one – you will undoubtedly be better off with a Windows machine. If you are the person that your family and friends come to when they have an issue with their computer then chances are that you have a pretty good knowledge of computers while also having the patience to troubleshoot when things go wrong. If you are this person then switching to a Mac may not suit you but wouldn’t be out of the question 
I believe that the typical home user should be able to use their computer without having to worry about having to worry about knowing what a system registry / .dll file / driver is: they should have the ability to use their computer with ease and without frustration and know that when they open a program it is going to do what they want – the first time. It is for these people especially that I would suggest a Mac.
The thought of buying a computer can be daunting enough without even thinking about going to a system that you haven’t had any experience with – this I know – while I consider myself pretty technically savvy we had just had enough of our PC’s, they were giving us all kinds of trouble. Being the impulsive type of people we are, drove all the way to Brisabane (Toowoomba didn’t have anywhere selling Mac’s at the time) and purchases an iMac our first Apple product other than an iPod. We were walking back to the car with our new computer in hand and all I could think amongst the excitement was ‘Oh my God what have we done!! We don’t know the first thing about Mac’s and this could’ve been a very expensive mistake that we have just made’. It turns out that within the two years of our initial iMac purchase we were so thrilled with our new system that we had purchased another two laptops, our little Apple famliy.
So hopefully over the next couple of days as I post my 5 reasons for choosing a Mac over Windows, this may lessen your hesitance to buy a Mac and help you understand why I truly believe they are a better choice for the General home user.
You may enjoy these ‘Get a Mac’ ads from the Apple Website > click here
