Hi, new member here, planning to jump on the surface book wagon soon

[qqaz4]

Hi, everyone

I'm planning to purchase a new Surface Book soon, I have a Late-2012 macbook pro and I've been waiting for the next-gen macbook pro eagerly but after watching the latest Apple keynote I wasn't impressed by the new macbook and decided to jump ship since the surface pro was launched last year. One of the reasons I left Microsoft is because of the viruses I used to get on windows seven on my Sony vaio and and I had to keep to delete the viruses every other week using my anti-virus softwares. So my question does windows have a better built in Anti-virus software like my Macbook or Do I have to get Norton again? My second question is are there any Macbook users that switched to Pro and can you give an insight on your experience? Is there anything annoying about the hardware/software?

Thanks

 

[Niterider4]

I'm not a Mac guy, so I can't comment directly on the comparison between the SB and the Mac. However, I would not recommend the SB to anyone. My experience with my SB has been one of frustration and disappointment.

From what I have heard, the Macs just work. They may have the odd glitch, but they work when you turn them on, and they don't need constant feeding and attention.

My SB is the opposite of that. Half the time when I turn it on I get a black screen and I have to do a cold reboot. When it does work, there are a multitude of glitches. It freezes without reason in the middle of meetings and presentations. It has trouble hooking up to peripherals and external monitors. It exhibits bizarre and random behavior (touch screen stops working or registers touches when the lid is closed, sound comes on and off, keyboard and trackpad randomly stop working, etc.).

The SB2 might be a good bet, but the original SB has been nothing but an expensive annoyance for me. I have owned probably a dozen laptops over the years, and this is by far the most unreliable and troublesome laptop I have ever owned, including those that ran on Windows 95, Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Epic fail for Microsoft as far as I am concerned, and I'm a pretty savvy computer user.

 

[Orlbuckeye]

My Surface Book works great. I love it and would trade it for anything. I use Norton 360 and AntiMalware Bytes but the biggest thing about not getting viruses and malware is most get to your computer by clicking on the wrong things. Another thing about virus and malware software is alot of the free programs don't do or have limited real time protection while the pay versions do have real time. What that (real time protection) means is they block the attack when it happens versus having to do a scan after an attack is installed to remove the attack.

 

[sharpuser]

... are there any Macbook users that switched ...

I am an Apple and PC developer. I use both for geophysics. I continue to use the Mac and PC heavily. You do not need to 'switch' if you have a working Mac. Keep it also. There were a few years when I shunned PCs, but came back with Windows 10. I can accomplish my tasks with a PC just as well as with the Mac, but I enjoy the PC more, especially with Surface devices.

I like apples and oranges.
I like pizza and burgers.
They have different benefits.
I don't need to exclude either one.
What is best changes with my needs.

Regarding viruses, Windows Defender under Windows 10 is excellent. I am hyper-sensitive about malware and key loggers, etc. I use Malwarebytes.com as my only additional defense. Works perfectly.

Hope this helps.

 

[Megoapesnut]

I am an avid Mac user and have been for 30 years. My typical comment to people asking is that PC stands for Piece of Crap or Problem Computer (depending on your mood). MAC is Most Awesome Computer. However, I have been using a Surface Book for 9 months now (and taking quite a bit of grief over it). I have to confirm what Niterider4 stated that it has been my experience that Macs just WORK. I work in a graphic design firm as the IT guy, photographer, jack of all trades. The IT support needed for the Macs is almost nil. They just do what we want them to do with no problems. The PCees are a totally different story. However, I REALLY like the hardware of the Surface Books. I use mine for note taking, email and general web browsing in laptop mode with occasional forays into Photoshop for simple stuff. I turn the tablet around for book reading (the base makes a great kickstand) and a bit of drawing and other tablet stuff. I like that I have a full OS on the unit although I really wish it wasn't Windows. I have not had many of the problems others have had but I am not using it for any heavy duty stuff. If I have heavy Photoshop work or video editing, that is all done on my Mac Pro. I really wish Apple would have a similar unit but I am happy with the Surface Book for what I use it for. I do run across some occasional buggy crap like the pen not working or the trackpad acting buggy or overall bugginess with general tasks (stuff I do not experience on any of my Macs) but it's fairly minor and worth the trade off for the hardware that works better for me with the tasks I use it for. Don't know if that helps but that's my take for what it is worth.