Info on Switching

Hey everyone, I am a University student that plans on going either the computer science or health care route. I have been a fan of Apple software for a while, particularly the way it looks, feels, and runs.

Currently, I am using a very good toshiba laptop with windows 7, so it'll last me a few years before I have to replace it.

My questions pertain to how I would end up in a spot of advantage if I do indeed switch to a Mac when I need a new laptop.

1) Would I be alright as a software developer if I use a Mac? I know many companies only put their software out for Windows, so maybe they are trying to hire Mac developers for the growing user base?

2) How is the general feeling of satisfaction once you do switch? Do switchers general feel good about their decision? It is a rather large money sink, so I'd like to make sure that this decision isn't often regretted.

3) Is the Mac really just a "The grass is greener on the other side" kind of thing? Or are the differences actually purely positive?

4) How is the battery life of the Mac when in real life situations? Mine currently lasts much longer than the whole class day because I have a 12 cell battery, which I know you cannot really get on a mac.

5) Does it look professional? This is a big question for me because I really like to have a good standing when it comes to being just an all around professional looking person.

And that's about it for now. Thank you for your replies in advance.

1) There is a lively developer community for OS X. Many of my favorite applications for Mac are third party ones such as Quicksilver and Onyx. But you can always run Windows on your Mac and get the best of both worlds.

2) I'm so glad I switched. I used to be a Mac hater but that was before I really used OSX regularly. Now I wouldn't go back to Windows as my primary OS for anything! The money is not as much as you think. A Mac will last longer than a typical Windows machine. My Macbook Pro is over 4 years old and still as fast as the day I got it, without any AV software too.

3) The differences have mostly been positive for me.

4) Not sure, but Apple claims you can get 7 hours of battery life with settings at minimum (no bluetooth, brightness turned down, etc)

5) I think most people would find a Macbook Pro to be professional, at least compared to a plastic, clunky Windows laptop.

Aztorak, you also mentioned the Health-care field. I just retired after 20 years in that field. Although my medical school was pc standard, most of the scientists insisted on using only Macs because that is the platform of choice for a lot of medical research. Those labs are outfitted with hefty boxes with a couple of 30+ inch monitors.

One of the factors that finally decided it for me was the ability of Macs to run windows. So, if at some point you decide to purchase a Mac you will have the best of both platforms. Running both platforms allows you to ease into the Mac world while you still have the security of being able to run windows. I went Mac and as of yet have not installed windows on any portion of my system... yet. I will probably set up bootcamp in the fall when I go back to teaching and need to use the occasional windows program, but the partition for windows will be bare bones.