New to Mac with a MacBook Pro 13 M2

[Mesmerize._]

Hello guys, new here and new to the Mac world. Not a new Apple user as I always had the iPhone since the first iPhone 2g when I was a kiddo.
Today my windows laptop died thanks to a malware (I have no clue on how that thing reached my pc) but...it happened.
In a local store I did find a Mb Pro 13 M2 with a good 250 euro discount. I decided to buy it because I really like the vintage design. I have some questions for you:
- do I need any particular anti virus software?
- was it a good purchase? it seems really fast and I'm enjoying the Touch Bar. I don't know when a M3 version will be released. Consider that I'm a teacher so I do not need any particular "horsepower"
- Any suggestion to improve battery life? Is it possible to monitor and eventually set fan speed?

Thank you very much in advance for the support

 

[jazz1]

Hello guys, new here and new to the Mac world. Not a new Apple user as I always had the iPhone since the first iPhone 2g when I was a kiddo.
Today my windows laptop died thanks to a malware (I have no clue on how that thing reached my pc) but...it happened.
In a local store I did find a Mb Pro 13 M2 with a good 250 euro discount. I decided to buy it because I really like the vintage design. I have some questions for you:
- do I need any particular anti virus software?
- was it a good purchase? it seems really fast and I'm enjoying the Touch Bar. I don't know when a M3 version will be released. Consider that I'm a teacher so I do not need any particular "horsepower"
- Any suggestion to improve battery life? Is it possible to monitor and eventually set fan speed?

Thank you very much in advance for the support

Well I can recommend Clean-My-Mac utility. Note, there will be many naysayers reference Clean-My-Mac. But I’ve use it on my familes Macs with great success. It also has built-in Malware protection. I also use Nord VPN.

 

[Algus]

You can control fan speed with third party apps. I have an app called TG Pro that I like a lot. Although I'm on an MBA now so the fan control component of TG Pro doesn't get much use anymore lol

There isn't really a bad Mac in Apple's lineup right now. The M1 machines were replaced by the M2 machines but the M1 CPU is still a very good CPU for most people and Apple still sells several M1 machines new as lower cost options. The 13'' MacBook Pro doesn't get a lot of love compared to the Air or the 14''/16'' Pro but it is by no means a bad computer. It's also the only computer with the Touch Bar so if that is a feature you like or that looks interesting to you, the 13'' Pro is the computer you will want to have.

I don't use antivirus software on my Mac so instead I will refer you to this Macworld article that will give you some options to think about:

Best Antivirus for Mac 2024: Top Security Software Compared

14 of the best antivirus packages and security suites for protecting your Mac from viruses and malware, reviewed and ranked by our expert editors.

www.macworld.com

 

[Mesmerize._]

Thank you very much.
After a week I can definitely say that I've never, never, never had such a long lasting battery in a device. It is impossible to kill the battery in a day, especially if power saving is on.

 

[davvid97]

Controlling fan speed should not be your concern, as for battery life I can recommend Aldente, I have my limit set to 80% all the time as I use my laptop primary on the charger. I also do not use any anti-virus nor clean my Mac apps, vpn optionally.