The least preferred approach is to dual boot your machine.  The Intel based Macs (the more recent ones) can run Windows (in fact they can run Windows faster than many PCs).  The software is called Bootcamp (which comes on the Leopard CD).  You’ll also need a copy of Windows.  The advantage of this approach is that you won’t need any new application software, and everything will be on the one machine.  The disadvantage is that you will be cut off from your preferred Mac platform, and won’t be able to run applications from it at the same time.

Another approach is to retain a Windows PC with your software on it, and use a program such as VNC to access it through your preferred desktop.  You should be able to run everything on your Windows PC, but in a separate window.  There may be a slight lag because you will be accessing it though a network connection.  You will not have everything on the one machine either.

You can get the equivalent functionality for many Windows applications in native Mac applications.  Also, there are direct equivalents for many leading Windows applications such as Mathematica, Dreamweaver, Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office.  This is a worthwhile option if you are prepared to reinvest in the new licenses.  The advantage is that the applications are designed from scratch to work on the Mac, and use all the Mac features.

If you are running Excel in Office 2008 for Mac, you should remember that this doesn’t support VBA.  So if you are using someone’s macro driven trading spreadsheet, you will certainly be able to open it and see formulas and cell details, but you won’t be able to run any macros.  If you rely on macros, you may have to continue to use the Windows version of Office.  But how can you do this with a Mac?

The preferred approach is to be able to run Windows in a window on your Mac.  For example, if you are running Mac OS X, you can have your Mac applications running, and see your Windows application in a window, running under Windows. The Windows applications will look and behave exactly the same as before.  Of course, you will also need a copy of Windows.  To do this on a Mac, you’ll need one that has an Intel CPU (a recent Mac), special software from Parallels, and a copy of Windows.

For a Mac, you can use Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0 for around $79.  This is very fast, and you can even run Windows games through it.  There’s another version which includes some extra value applications (including Acronis Disk Director - partition management, Acronis True Image Home - backup Windows system, Kaspersky Internet Security - protecting your Windows VM from viruses and spyware) called Parallels Desktop for Mac Premium.

So you can run the Windows applications you want, and any viruses or spyware will be constrained to the Windows instance on your machine (within a Virtual Machine), without compromising your main system.  Another benefit is Parallels Transporter, which allows you to easily migrate your data from your old Windows PC to your Mac.

In conclusion, using a Mac does not constrain your choices of software.  As well as being able to access the great range of Mac software, you can simultaneously run any Windows software you like, with Parallels Desktop for Mac software, without compromising the integrity of your system of choice.

Overview

Roxio Crunch™ provides the ability for users to convert DV, AVI, MOV, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, DivX, DVD-Video, Video_TS folders and more, for the Apple TVTM, iPod®, and iPhoneTM devices. Users can then automatically add converted video to their iTunes library for easy syncing through a one step batch export option. Users can easily choose between standard and high quality output, or customize quality settings or can maximize video quality and save space by selecting individual video titles and languages.

Features

• Batch video conversion makes it easy to convert all your video in one step
• Custom DVD-Video source options - include only movie and extra content you want
• Select audio track to use for each source DVD-Video title
• Preview DVD-Video titles prior to export
• Custom MPEG-4 and H.264 quality settings
• Capture screen shots of DVD video during preview

File Support Features

• Non-encrypted DVDs, disc images, or valid VIDEO_TS folders
• Convert QuickTime movies, such as MOV and AVI
• Convert popular non-QuickTime video file formats, such as DivX and MPEG-2

Output Options

• Convert video to high quality MPEG-4 or H.264 formats and save hard disk space
• Device optimized video quality presets for iPod®
• Device optimized video quality presets for Apple TV™
• Device optimized video quality presets for iPhone™

System Requirements

• PowerPC G4, G5, or Intel processor
• Apple TVTM, Video iPod® or iPhoneTM
• 256MB RAM
• Mac OS X v10.4.9 or higher ( Windows support found in Roxio Crunch™ for Windows)
• 50 MB of free disk space to install
• Up to 15 GB of temporary free disk space during usage
• QuickTime 7.1.5 or higher
• iTunes 7.1.1 or higherProduct does not copy encrypted or copy protected DVDs.

Roxio Crunch™ is the essential video converter for your Apple TV™, iPod®, and iPhone™: Click Here

Overview

Popcorn® 3 has the ability to enable users to easily backup the entire DVD with all movies, menus, and extras in one step.

The Toast® burning technology supports all commercial DVD formats and ensures high quality copies. It allows users to copy non-encrypted DVDs, disc image files, VIDEO_TS folders from hard disk with complete control including selection of individual video titles and languages, instantly pause CPU-intensive video conversion with one click, convert TiVoToGo™ and EyeTV recordings, DVD-Video, and many other video formats for use with your iPhone, Apple TV, iPod, etc, and providing users with a high quality video preview before undertaking lengthy video conversions.

Also included in this software is the TiVoToGo™ for the Mac, which allows users to watch TiVo recorded shows on the Mac, burn shows to DVD, or automatically convert shows after transfer from TiVo for iPhone, iPod, portable DivX players, and many other devices.

Features

• Burning and Copying Features
• Batch Fit-to-DVD™ lets you queue multiple DVD-Video folders for DVD-9 (dual-layer) to DVD-5 (single-layer) conversion
• Create compilation DVDs with 4 hours of your own video and television shows
• VIDEO_TS Compilation merges multiple DVD-Video folders on a single DVD
• Create custom DVD menus and even use your own picture as the background
• Copy non-encrypted DVDs,* disc images or valid VIDEO_TS folders
• Easily back up the entire disc with all movies, menus, audio and extras
• Preview movies and extras before copying
• Fit-to-DVD™ compression technology fits an entire 9 GB DVD video onto a standard 4.7 GB disc
• Maximize video quality and disc space usage by selecting just the main movie and audio
• Create your own Director’s Cut custom compilation—choose the individual DVD movies, audio and languages you want
• Award-winning Toast burning technology supports all commercial DVD formats and ensures high quality copies

On-the-Go Viewing

• Insert bookmarks to quickly jump through video on your iPhone and iPod without the need for rewind or fast forward
• Convert video for Apple TV with Dolby Surround (Pro Logic II) support
• Batch DVD-Video conversion allows you to queue multiple DVD-Video folders for conversion
• Choose from nearly any video source - QuickTime, DivX, AVI, VOB, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, TiVo recordings, EyeTV recordings, and more
• Convert DVDs, television recordings, and other video files for Apple TV, iPhone, and iPod
• Broad device support includes DVD and video conversion for playback on Xbox 360™, PlayStation® 3, PSP™, BlackBerry® devices, Palm® Treo™, and more
• Save disc space - convert video into compressed formats - DivX, MPEG4, H.264
• Save time and compress multiple video files all at once

TiVoToGo & EyeTV Features

• Exclusive TiVoToGo support for the Mac lets you transfer shows from your TiVo DVR, watch on your Mac, burn to disc, or convert for playback on a portable device
• Choose television series to automatically transfer to your Mac after recording on your TiVo DVR
• Automatically convert video for the portable device of your choice after transfer from your TiVo DVR
• Create DVDs with EyeTV television shows or convert for playback on a portable device

Unique Time Saving Features

• Pause CPU-intensive video conversions to regain control of your Mac and resume when convenient
• Media Browser provides quick access to Movies folder, TiVo and EyeTV recordings, and Spotlight search
• Preview video quality for your selected encoding settings in just seconds
• Quickly create personalized disc labels for printing or LightScribe laser etching
• Turbocharge your H.264 encoding with Elgato’s Turbo.264 video encoding hardware
• Automatically add converted video files to iTunes for syncing with your Apple TV, iPhone, or iPod

System Requirements

• Macintosh computer with PowerPC G4, G5, or Intel® processor
• Mac OS X v10.4.10 or higher
• 300 MB of free disk space to install
• Up to 15 GB of temporary free disk space during usage
• QuickTime 7.1.6 or higher

Optional:

• DVD burner and recording media
• Apple TV™, Video iPod®, or iPhone™
• BlackBerry® device with MPEG-4 video support
• Palm® Treo™ 680, 700p, or 755p with video support
• Xbox 360™, PlayStation® 3, or PSP™
• EyeTV video recorder or Turbo.264 video encoder hardware

* TiVoToGo requires a TiVo® Series2™ or other TiVoToGo compatible DVR connected directly to your Mac or to your home network. This will not work with DIRECTV with TiVo DVRs.

This product does not copy encrypted or copy protected DVDs. USE OF THIS SOFTWARE TO MAKE ILLEGAL COPIES OF MOVIES AND OTHER CONTENT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED

• Supported Formats
  Input formats:
• DVD Disc, disc image file, or VIDEO_TS Folder
• All QuickTime video formats, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AVI, DivX, VOB, EyeTV Recordings, and TiVoToGo transfers

Output formats:

• DVD disc or disc image file
• MPEG-4, H.264, or DivX files

DVD formats:

• Single and multiple movies and extras
• Multi-channel Dolby® Digital audio
• Multi-language audio
• NTSC and PAL video
• 16:9 widescreen and 4:3 fullscreen aspect ratios

Get Roxio Popcorn 3: Click Here

Overview

Norton Confidential provides security against phishing and other identity thefts, in other words it provides you security when you most need it; while shopping or banking online. This software protects your identity from being stolen or being used for fraud and makes your financial transactions secure. It is on the constant lookout for viruses or malware that may affect your security and gets rid of them quickly and quietly.

Features

• Protects your identity while you are shopping or banking online
• Protects your from Phishing websites that can steal identity or conduct frauds using your personal information
• Intercepts Phishing email
• It comes with built in features that safeguards against the exploitation of newly discovered application and system vulnerabilities
• It saves you from yourself and hacking using the Critical file protection which saves from hacking and accidents
• Information Guard helps insure confidential information such as government-issued ID numbers, credit card numbers, and even address and telephone numbers can’t be sent without your permission
• Symantec Setup Assistant helps you enter confidential data and perform other configuration tasks
• It is compatible with other security sofware that you may already be using
• Includes one year of antiphishing and vulnerability protection updates under certain conditions

System Requirements

Mac OS® X version 10.4.6 or higher/Macintosh® system with PowerPC G3/G4/G5 processor or Intel® Core processor

• 256MB of RAM
• 100MB of available hard disk space

Required for all installations

• DVD or CD-ROM drive
• Internet connection required for LiveUpdate™
• Phishing protection requires use of Firefox® browser (included with installation)

Safeguard against online identity theft: Click Here

Overview

TOAST 9 Titanium allows users to catalog and burn files across multiple CD, DVD and Blu-ray discs formatted for both Mac and PC.

It enables users to schedule backups with the new Get Backup application as well as expand the music library by recording streaming audio directly from the Internet.

Using Toast 9’s new audio fingerprinting technology enables identification of songs and tag with titles, artists, album and more. It also enables users to create Director’s Cuts of favorite TV shows and movies; fit 9GB of dual-layer DVD video onto a single standard DVD, use time saving batch DVD-Video compression/conversion, and allows for single click copy of CDs.

Features

Burn Features
Toast 9 improvements to disc burning allow users to save, backup and catalog all your data with ease to Blu-ray, CD, and DVD.

• Data spanning - Allows users to use multiple Blu-ray discs (or DVDs or CDs) to save, catalog and burn all data, music, photos, and more
• Recover and restore files from damaged discs
• Improved backup utility lets users easily schedule sessions to any hard drive or networked device or burn to Blu-ray, DVD or CD discs
• New filters allow you to preselect specific content to save
• New compression minimizes the size of the backup
• Automatically catalogs and tracks the contents of discs making it easy to locate any file on burned discs

Watch Features
Import movies from standard def or AVCHD high def camcorders, or TV shows and movies from TiVo or EyeTV. Author it all to Blu-ray* or DVD discs or even stream video over WiFi for viewing on your iPhone, and more.

• Import AVCHD high-def camcorder footage then burn in HD to inexpensive standard DVDs for playback on any compatible Blu-ray or HD DVD set top box
• Enable users to import high-def video from AVCHD camcorders or high-def TV shows and movies from TiVo or EyeTV and burn them to Blu-ray discs for viewing on any compatible set top box
• Easy to convert non-encrypted DVDs, video files and even VIDEO TS_Folders for use on a wide variety of players including Apple TV, iPhone and video enabled iPods, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, Blackberry and other devices
• Pause encodings to regain control of your Mac and resume when you’re ready
• New, easy to use cropping and trimming tools let users easily remove unwanted segments from TV shows and video files before it’s burned to disc, move to a portable player or stream over the Internet to the iPhone, iPod Touch or any Mac or PC.

Listen Features
Expand users’ music library and create the best sounding mixes for your own use at home, on your iPod or iPhone or for playing on your car’s CD player.

• Toast 9 enables users to record directly from the Internet or from any other source as long as Mac can play it
• Easily identify and tag music tracks recorded from LP, tape or Internet or all those unknown tracks in the library.
• Personal recording assistant- CD Spin Doctor offers great restoration tools for digitizing your LP and tape collection, or any audio playing on your Mac

Share Features
Toast 9 makes it incredibly easy for users to locate, convert, and burn all favorite TiVo and EyeTV shows, music and data to CD, DVD and Blu-ray discs or to devices such as an iPhone or iPod, Apple TV, PSP, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 and many more.

• Roxio Streamer - a new application that allows users to stream video, like your TiVo shows, from your home Mac, to a Wi-Fi connected iPhone, iPod Touch or to any Internet connected Mac or PC.
• Spotlight technology and full support of iLife ‘08 and Apple Aperture libraries makes finding just the right photo, music, video or data file easier than ever
• 15 new menu styles to give DVDs a professional look and feel along with options to customize the background
• Creating photo disc slideshows that play automatically on Macs and PCs to share photos at full resolution.

System Requirements

• Macintosh computer with a PowerPC™ G4, PowerPC G5, or Intel® processor. PowerPC G5 or - Intel processor required for encoding and viewing high definition content
• CD, DVD, Blu-ray, or HD DVD recordable drive
• Mac OS X v10.4.x and Mac OS X v10.5.x
• 600 MB of free disk space to install
• Up to 15 GB of temporary free disk space during usage
• Additional space may be required when working with high definition content
• QuickTime 7.x
• Internet connection required for some functionality
• HD DVD and Blu-ray (BDMV) video authoring functionality requires purchase of the HD/BD plug-in.

Optional:

• Apple TV, Video iPod, or iPhone
• TiVo® Series2™, Series3™, or TiVo HD DVR
• Xbox 360™, PlayStation® 3, or PSP™
• EyeTV video recorder or Turbo.264 video encoder hardware
• Blackberry® device, Palm® Treo™, and other mobile devices with support for MPEG-4 or H.264 video
• Other portable DivX, MPEG-4, or H.264 compliant video player
• Supports all QuickTime and other additional file formats including:

Audio: AAC, AIFF, MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC, and Dolby Digital AC-3

Video: AVCHD, AVI, DV, MOV, MPEG-1/2/4, DivX, XviD, VOB, VIDEO_TS folder, iMovie projects, EyeTV recordings and TiVoToGo transfers

Photo: BMP, GIF, PDF, PSD, PNG, TIFF

Images: ISO, BIN/CUE, IMG, DMG, CDR, NRG

DVDs created with Toast adhere to the official DVD specifications, and are tested with Hollywood standard certification tools to verify DVD player compatibility.

Buy new Toast 9 Titanium for Mac: Click Here

Overview

This software lets you make DVD easily and then transfer them to your portable devices. The advanced software is easy to use and lets you convert, compile and copy to DVD right on your desktop.

Features

• High quality and fast DVD copying which is very easy to use
• Copy 9GB DVDs to 4.7 GB DVD recordable discs
• Easily see the quality of the compressed DVD using the Quality/Compression meter
• Lets you select which movies, subtitles, languages and extras you want to minimize compression
• Copy movies from +VR and -VR discs made with set top recorders to standard DVDs
• Copy DVDs to hard disk as DVD-Video folders (Video_TS) for playback on PC, or to make additional backup copies from folder to disc
• Copy to and from disc image file. Load your disc image as if it was a physical disc using Disc Image Loader, for convenient playback on PC or laptop
• Copy DVD-R DL discs and DVD-ROM (data) content with your DVD-Video copy
• Automatically locate your DVD-Video folders and disc image files, no need to drill down on your hard disk or network
• Copy DVDs to alternate formats – MPEG-2, AVC/H.264, MPEG-4, 3GP, WMV for playback on portable devices
• Copy DVDs to iPod, PSP or Windows Media device, Ipods, IPhones and other mobile formats
• Copy Tivx to DVD, Divx to DVD, IPod to DVD and converts DVD to Tivx and Divx
• Compile movies from different sources and burn it to a DVD format
• Copy HD DVD and Blu Ray data discs

System Requirements

• Windows Vista™ with 1.6 GHz Intel processor, 512 MB RAM or Windows® XP with 500 MHz processor or faster; 128 MB RAM
• 500 MHz Intel®  Pentium III or  equivalent; 128 MB RAM
• 1 GB of free hard disk space for typical installation of all components
• Up to 9 GB available hard disk space   for copying DVD-Video discs
• Up to 9GB hard disk space for copying DVD-Video discs
• 1024×768, 16-bit color graphics card• Internet connection for registration  or product updates
• 16-bit Windows compatible sound card and speakers• QuickTime® 7.0.4 for MP4 video
• DirectX 9 or higher compatible sound card and graphics card
• Windows Media Player 10 or higher
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6
• CD or DVD drive to install the software (for physical good purchase only)

Easy DVD copying; fast video conversion: Click Here

Overview

This is an award winning software which is known for its ease and use and effectiveness. It comes with a range of features that help you protect yourself from threats and optmise performance of your PC by defragmenting your hard drive and cleaning up your Internet clutter. This software is great for people who want a one stop shop to take care of their PCs.

Features

System Requirements

Windows® XP SP2 Home Edition/Professional

• 300MHz or higher processor
• 256MB of RAM (512MB recommended)
• 300MB of available hard disk space

Windows Vista™ Starter/Home Basic/Home Premium/Ultimate

• Must meet the minimum Windows Vista operating system requirements

Required for all installations

• CD-ROM or DVD drive for software distribution on media
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer (minimum version 6.0)
• Super VGA (800×600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor

Email scanning supported for standard POP3 and SMTP compatible email clients.

Supported instant messaging clients for Norton AntiVirus™

• AOL 4.7 or higher
• Yahoo! 5.x or higher
• Microsoft 6.x or higher
• Trillion 3.x or higher

Download Norton SystemWorks: Click Here

Overview

This product comes bundled with a host of features that make the software easy to use while it makes your PC fast and secure. The one-click option means you can easily clean up your system any time you want. It keeps running in the background and protects you as you work on your PC. There is a dashboard view which gives you a good overview of the activities that are taking place.

Features

• One button checkup lets you use your computer at its best speed by cleaning and repairing it at the click of a single button
• The Norton utilities diagnose and fix computer problems quickly
• Norton cleanup removes unwanted Internet clutter, temporary files and other private information about internet activity permanently and quickly
• You can get a good view of the activities that are running using the Process Viewer
• System optimizer lets you control your Windows settings
• It also performs a physical examination of your PC’s hardware to determine stability and performance using the Checkit Diagnostics

System Requirements

Windows® XP SP2 Home Edition/Professional

• 300MHz or higher processor
• 256MB of RAM (512MB recommended)
• 300MB of available hard disk space

Windows Vista™ Starter/Home Basic/Home Premium/Ultimate

• Must meet the minimum Windows Vista operating system requirements

Required for all installations

• CD-ROM or DVD drive for software distribution on media
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer (minimum version 6.0)
• Super VGA (800×600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor

Download Norton SystemWorks Basic: Click Here

Overview

Norton 360 Version 2.0 is powerful, featured packed and silent security software that works quietly in the background and protects you from PC threats. It includes a firewall, anti-malware, automated background scanning, registry clean up, back up to online or local destinations and an integrated online help feature. This product will comprehensively handle your software security needs.

Features

• Provides industry leading security and performance
• Less memory usage with better protection compared to competing products
• Protects personal information while you bank or shop online
• Secures against phishing attacks by conveniently and securely managing user names and passwords
• Blocks fraudulent websites and verifies trusted sites
• Protects your documents, music and photos by providing secure online back up of up to 2 GB
• Lets you monitor your wireless network by giving a view of each device connected to it
• Protects you against malware that is hidden in other Internet downloads
• Performs scans and tune ups in the background, optimising the performance of your PC
• Provides one-click access to online support
• Automatically renews your subscription to keep your software license current
• Optional parental control and anti spam available.

System Requirements

• Operating system: Windows® XP Home/XP Pro/XP Media Center Service Pack 2 or later, Windows Vista®** Home Basic/Home Premium/Ultimate/Business/Starter Edition
• Phishing Protection feature requires Microsoft® Internet Explorer® version 6.0 or later or Firefox® version 2.0 or later
• Email scanning supported for POP3-compatible email clients
• Online backup feature requires high-speed Internet connection

Hardware Requirements

• 300 MHz or faster processor
• 256 MB of RAM minimum
• 300 MB of free hard disk space

Required for all installations

• Standard Web browser
• DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive
• Internet connection

Additional Windows Vista requirements

• Must meet minimum Windows Vista operating system requirements
• Phishing protection feature available only on 32 bit Internet Explorer

Norton 360 Version 2.0 - All-In-One-Security: Click Here to get 10% off normal price.

Overview

This is a tool which is easy to use and designed for people who want to organise their music by collecting them from different sources and having it all in one place. You can copy music from iPod, DVD, internet radio and LPs and then mix and burn a DVD with up to 50 hours of music.

Features

• Send music to discs, iPod, , PSP, mobile phone or MP3/WMA portable player
• Copy music from LPs and Tapes
• Collect music from hard drive or network
• Allows you to trim and clean your audio before recording
• Record analog audio
• Web radio and and music stream recording with Pre-roll functionality
• Create automatic playlists based on seed songs with AutoMix
• Create DVDs with up to 50 hours of music
• Smart navigation by title, artist, album, etc.
• Choose from professional designed high quality menu themes – or make your own
• Rip music from CD or unprotected DVDs and iPods
• Create your own MP3, audio or WMA
• Transfer to MP3 players and mobile phones
• Create mobile phone ringtones
• Create custom labels for your music discs

System Requirements

• Windows Vista™ with 1.6 GHz Intel processor, 512 MB RAM or Windows® XP with 500 MHz processor or faster; 128 MB RAM
• 1 GB of free hard disk space for typical installation of all components
• 1024×768, 16-bit color graphics card
• 16-bit Windows compatible sound card and speakers
• DirectX 9 or higher compatible sound card and graphics card
• Windows Media Player 10 or higher
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher
• CD or DVD drive to install the software (for physical version only)
• Windows Vista™ with 1.6 GHz Intel processor, 512 MB RAM or Windows® XP with 500 MHz processor or faster; 128 MB RAM
• 1 GB of free hard disk space for typical installation of all components
• 1024×768, 16-bit color graphics card
• 16-bit Windows compatible sound card and speakers
• DirectX 9 or higher compatible sound card and graphics card
• Windows Media Player 10 or higher
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher
• CD or DVD drive to install the software (for physical version only)

RecordNow 10 Music Lab Premier - Your music is the soundtrack of your digital life: Click Here