PC to Mac

There probably are threads like this, but since the new MBP came out and Leopard and Boot Camp final is around the corner...

I've been a long-term PC/Windows user. No experience with Mac OSes or Linux. I've been searching for a good laptop now and have been wavering between the Asus V1 and Thinkpad T61, and then I saw the new MBP!

I'm not sure how long-time MB users view this upgrade, but it seems like a very nice system to me--esp. the 15.4" Backlit LED. There are a few things I feel it lacks, but its advantages seem to more than make up for them in terms of what I'm looking for. The touchpad isn't an issue for me either, since I'll use a VX Rev anyway. That said, the # of USB ports, lack of 54mm expresscard, and aluminum chassis might be problems, but not big ones. Plus, my school offers an educational discount for Apple.

I'm seriously considering switching, but I've had no experience with Macs (I once used an Apple IIe...if that counts...)

My question is then, from the perspective of someone who's only ever used Windows, how hard would the transition be, and what would be some of the advantages or differences of using a Mac OS instead of Windows?

Also, Leopard is coming soon, and with it, a stable version of Boot Camp. Having used neither, if I feel I need to run a Windows-specific program, would I get comparable performance running that program via the MBP and Boot Camp as a similar-specced PC laptop?

Finally, years ago, I felt using Macs put me at a disadvantage because of the lack of software. Is this still a problem now?

In addition to heavy office-applications, I would want to be able to play new games that are released, and possibly other utility applications and packages--utorrent, cccp, etc.

Obviously, there will be a learning curve, and I don't mind that at all--I actually want to use a better OS than Windows (from the dismal reports of Vista especially). I also don't want to be limited in any future options however.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: I read the stickies, but I'd also like some more recent personal opinions as well.

 

The switch isn't hard. You'll be quite accustomed to OS X within a few days, and will be a power user(if you want to be) within a few weeks. There's still a few things that I have yet to figure out, but for the most part it's all so simple.

apple has a switch helper: http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

Also, about the new games and software. Much of it is available for OS X. For what's not, you can easily boot into windows via Parallels or Boot Camp.

 

When I got my iMac a few months ago (After using windows all my life), it took me all of maybe a day to be fully accustomed to the OS. Of course, I still discover some tiny details every day that I never saw before (i.e. the way OS X handles screenshots, for example, or how to show thumbnails for pictures instead of just the file name, etc).

Don't worry about learning the OS...it's really easy to use, and is sort of like windows. All in all, I would say that it crashes much less often, and it makes my 700m feel like a turtle!

 

Thanks for the responses.

Is there any loss of performance running Boot Camp?

 

If you search around for some of my posts regarding boot camp, you'll see that I've found that XP actually runs better on my mbp than on windows hardware. My guess as to why is because of the superior product choices made by apple. They've customized their hardware to work 100% with all the other components, unlike many other PCs that sacrifice performance for compatibility.