New MBP + Bootcamp

Hi! One of the notebooks I've been looking at is the new Macbook Pro 15.4''. I had a few questions concerning the OS as I have been a PC user for years now.

First, how is OS X, whether it be performance or just downright looks?

Second, are there any problems with loading Windows Vista (32bit) using Bootcamp? Any driver compatibility problems such as graphics and what not?

How easy is loading Windows Vista on these notebooks, is it stable, and did you have to purchase a copy of Windows Vista before performing this?

Last question, are there any problems with installing Windows XP Home Edition?

I know there are alot of questions above, but I'm greatly considering purchasing the new MBP with the 8600M GT card. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

I don't think Apple has provided updated drivers yet for Boot Camp for the new MBP hardware, so you might have some difficulty until they do that. People have been trying other drivers, but it's not as easy a process necessarily. I would imagine they should have something soon though.

Aside from Boot Camp, Parallels is also worth looking at. That's the virtualization software that lets you run Windows inside of OS X. One of the really nice features of it is its "Coherence" mode, which lets you run Windows apps in their own windows, as if they were Mac apps, and even have them in the dock, etc. Parallels can use the Windows install in your Boot Camp partition, so you can use Parallels when you just need to run a Windows app, and still use Boot Camp for things like full gaming, etc.

Re: the OS. I love OS X, and you'll find that a lot of people, including PC people who have switched, would cite OS X itself as the great thing about owning a Mac.

I think the problem with using XP would be lack of drivers for some hardware (i.e. not sure if the 8600M GT has XP drivers or not).

-Zadillo