Norton AntiVirus Dual Protection for Mac

Norton AntiVirus Dual Protection for Mac

Norton AntiVirus Dual Protection for Mac is designed for Mac users who routinely dual boot into Windows or who run Windows in a virtual environment on their Intel-based Mac. Given that Norton AntiVirus 11.0 for Mac seems more geared to protecting Windows users from malware relayed through a Mac, one has to wonder if it's not a bit of overkill to offer both together. Wouldn't one or the other do a perfectly adequate job on their own?

Tough to Justify Price

Norton AntiVirus Dual Protection for Mac is a rebranded copy of Norton AntiVirus 11.0 for Mac and Norton AntiVirus 2008 for Windows. Norton AntiVirus 11.0 for Mac supports Mac OS X version 10.4.10 or higher and Norton AntiVirus 2008 supports Windows Vista (Home/Business/Ultimate), Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Home/Pro) and Windows XP Media Center. The two products purchased separately would be $50 and $40 USD respectively; sold together, Norton AntiVirus Dual Protection for Mac retails for about $70 USD.

The pricing begs the question as to why Symantec's Mac products are more expensive than their equivalent Windows versions. Norton AntiVirus 2008 offers more protection and far more features than Norton AntiVirus 11.0 for Mac, and yet Norton AntiVirus 11.0 for Mac costs $10 more than its better endowed cousin.

If you boot to Windows and Mac OS X about equally, Norton AntiVirus Dual Protection for Mac might be a cost effective means to secure both. But if you tend to favor one OS far more than the other, you may want to purchase a dedicated product specifically for that operating system and save a few dollars by installing a free antivirus scanner on the other.