Hello Richard,
Agree with you Apple make stunningly good machines. I was alway anti Apple until I was force by the company I then worked for to use Apple I quickly became a convert I have found that every program I run on PC is available on Mac or with a Mac OS equivalent. They are expensive but the longevity is outstanding and the service brilliant. A recent example my Macbook Pro laptop, 10 years old developed a fault, (my doing). Telephoned Apple booked an appointment for the following day at the local Apple store for 4pm by 4.30 I was on my way home, problem resolved free of charge. No other manufacturer would offer that degree of service on a ten year old machine.
As far as being spied on I think we can eliminate some of the risks ourselves never allow cookies and don’t visit suspect sites and avoid Facebook, Google etc.
I run Mozilla Firefox, duck a go,for searching and Thunderbird for e-mails never had problem. I also use these on my PC. The only Google products I do use is Google Earth, but then only when the occasional Apple maps is insufficient. I use both systems, PC and OS, they both have a place in my home.
Best wishes stay safe. alf.