Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- So, now that Windows 7 is finally out, it’s time to ask the question: Should you switch to a Mac?

The answer is, probably not. Microsoft Corp.’s new operating system provides no compelling reason for users to move to the Mac; as I and others have written, it’s a vast improvement over its ill-fated predecessor, Windows Vista. And changing computers -- let alone software platforms -- is always a hassle.

Still, some of you are probably contemplating the move anyway. Brian Marshall, an analyst at Broadpoint AmTech Inc., has concluded that Apple Inc.’s Mac sales tend to increase after Microsoft introduces a new OS, going back to Windows 98.

And as good as Windows 7 seems to be, the Mac continues to beat it in ease of use, security and that ineffable quality we’ll call, for lack of a better term, elegance. Apple, of course, does its best to encourage such thinking in its long- running “I’m a Mac” ad campaign.

So if you are going to ignore my sound advice and make the leap anyway, here is some good news: There are a lot of tools and options available to ease the way. Look, it may still be a hassle, but it can be done.

The first decision to make is whether you just need to migrate your documents, photos and other files, or will actually have to run Windows programs on your Mac. The Mac versions of popular Windows programs -- notably Microsoft Office -- generally open files created by their PC counterparts with a minimum of fuss.

Moving E-Mail

One exception to that rule is if you have a lot of e-mail messages you need to take with you. There’s no simple way to transfer messages from Microsoft Outlook to Apple’s Mail program. While it’s somewhat easier to move to Outlook’s equivalent in Office for the Mac, called Entourage, even that isn’t directly compatible. And Microsoft has already disclosed plans to replace Entourage with a Mac version of Outlook in the version of Office expected next year.

If you are buying your computer from one of Apple’s retail stores, there’s an easy answer to moving your files: Bring in your Windows computer, and an employee will do it for you. If you don’t have access to Apple’s experts, the process will be a bit more involved.

External Drive

If you have an external hard drive, you can copy your Windows files to it, then connect it to the Mac and drag them to their new home. (This, by the way, isn’t very far removed from the method Microsoft recommends for users upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7.) You can also move files over a network, or via a direct cable connection. A program called Move2Mac ($39.95, from Detto Technologies) can help with transferring your Web bookmarks, calendar and address books, as well as converting e- mail.

You have a few options if you need to continue running Windows programs, as opposed to just moving your files. Current Macs use Intel Corp. chips, which also power many PCs, and every Mac comes with a utility called Boot Camp that allows you to install a copy of Windows on a separate part of the hard drive.

When starting your Mac, you can decide whether to run Windows or the Mac operating system, the current version of which is called OS X Snow Leopard. (By the way, that’s “X” in the Roman numeral sense, though even some Mac-heads refer to it as if it were the 24th letter of the alphabet.)

Back and Forth

Boot Camp’s downside is that you can’t share data or move back and forth between the Mac and Windows environments. For that, you need either VMWare Fusion ($79.99, from VMWare Inc.) or Parallels Desktop ($79.99, from Parallels Inc.).

These programs each create a virtual PC in a window on your Mac. You can either install a new copy of Windows, or use them to clone an existing Windows computer onto your Mac -- copying the operating system and programs as well as files. And both offer modes that let you hide Windows and run individual programs from your Mac desktop.

If you don’t actually need a full Windows computer, just the ability to run some programs, and are feeling adventurous, you could instead try CrossOver ($39.95 from CodeWeavers Inc.). Based on an open-source technology called Wine, CrossOver runs Windows programs in the Mac environment without needing Windows itself.

Be warned: Not all programs have been tested to see if they’ll run under CrossOver, and the company leaves a lot up to its user community to monitor and disseminate compatibility information. That may not appeal to a normal computer user, who cares less about the technical underpinnings and is mostly concerned with simply making sure things work with a minimum of aggravation.

Then again, if you were that concerned about avoiding all aggravation, you might not be switching in the first place. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

(Rich Jaroslovsky is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)

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To contact the writer of this column: Rich Jaroslovsky in New York at rjaroslovsky@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 29, 2009 21:00 EDT