10 Reasons You Should Consider a Macintosh for Your Next Computer Purchase

Most people considered Apple a fruity fringe company that only made computers for creative types until the iPod debuted, but the MP3 player's explosion into market dominance has changed that perception by putting a piece of Apple in everybody's hand and given people a fresh introduction to the Apple philosophy that technology doesn't have to be so technical. In fact, Macintosh sales are already on the rise.

No blue screens of death
There's nothing more aggravating than to have your work interrupted by a nice big blue screen of death filled with all sorts of techno-jargon errors like 'memory exception error,' especially if you haven't saved in several minutes. We've all had that moment-- even Bill Gates once had a PC blue screen during a press conference. I am convinced that there is a secret algorithm that picks the absolute worst possible time to crash because I know that I have heard my PC snicker right before it dies. Blue screens still happen too frequently in Windows. Admittedly, every computer will crash at some point. Mac OS X is no exception with its spinning beach ball of terror, but at least it isn't nearly as rude. And with some patience, you can usually save your data.

It accessorizes your iPod
Nobody will stop as they get on the train and ask you if that is a Compaq or Dell. I mean they are just PCs-- and all they have the same hardware and software, just a different logo on the front. But a Mac has a distinctive look that stands out. Who says that you have to hide your computer underneath your desk? A Mac looks great on top of your desk and goes with your iPod.

It boots up faster
This may not sound like much, but why wait several minutes for Windows to boot up. You just want to get your work done. We've all gotten used to the routine of starting the computer up, driving down to Starbucks and then hoping it's finished the startup virus scan by the time that you get back home. Many people never turn off their computer because they know that Scotty could restart the warp drive on the Enterprise faster than they can reboot their Windows computer. Techie types out there tout boot optimization programs, but I just don't see why a fast boot up is something that you have to get all technical and work for. It should be standard and you shouldn't be ashamed to expect it.

No Vista
Vista looks great. It almost looks like a Mac, but it is big, bulky and still incompatible with most everything. Dell even started offering Windows XP again on its home computers because of the Vista Issues.

Photo Booth
Did your brother drop his kids off at your doorstep and ask you to babysit? Now you are scrambling to come up with something to keep them entertained. Photo Booth is the answer! Apple will tell you about its iLife suite of applications and how easy the programs are to use and Apple would be right. iMovie HD, iPhoto, iDVD and Garage Band are great applications that come free with any new Macintosh, But they have missed the real jewel that comes with your new Mac -- Photo Booth. It is the coolest little program that mimics a Photo Booth at a mall or fair and it is addicting. Not only can you take picture after picture and see the progression of the photo shoot, but you can apply several cool effects like X-Ray, Fish Eye, and Comic Book. And best of all it doesn't cost a buck. This little app has entertained my kids for hours at a time and I have gotten some great shots for the photo album that are sure to embarrass the kids some time after they reach adulthood.

Get Geeky
There's Unix underneath the hood of Mac OS X and that means there's a whole other world of programs that can be accessed from the Mac OS X command prompt called Terminal. For instance, ever wonder what day of the week Christmas will fall on in the year 3000, Just open up terminal and type: cal 12 3000. I must confess that I once used cal to figure exactly when my anniversary is. I knew it was on a Saturday!

But seriously, Linux and Unix systems alike are starting to find a bigger place in the business and consumer space. More and more appliances like DVRs and cell phones are based upon Linux and Mac OS X is part of that great heritage.

Better Security
Because the masses buy Windows-based personal computers, hackers and virus writers focus their attention on Windows. They want the maximum amount of destruction with a single attack. Just as militaries don't bomb sparsely populated areas, hackers aren't concerned with the about 10 percent market share that Apple has because they want the maximum amount of destruction with every line of code.

I know your next response, every operating system has vulnerabilities, but Apple releases a security update six or seven times a year rather than four or five times a month for Microsoft. So thinking different has its advantages. Of course, if everybody reading this article follows my advice and buys a Mac, then there may be a few more Mac hackers out there.

No Plug and Play
Adding an expansion card to a Windows computer was absolutely miserable before Plug and Play and it has gotten only slightly better. Plug and Play was supposed to be a magical technology that automatically recognized upgrades and installed drivers for you, but what we got was Plug and Pray. Sometimes it works great and then sometimes, well, it just doesn't work. But why mess with it? Apple sells you the software and the hardware so it just works together. No extra drivers needed. Reinstall Mac OS X if you like and all of your peripherals are working.

This may sound like a novel concept, but it really isn't. Would you think about installing Playstation OS on your clone game console? No, you just want to play games. The open nature of Microsoft made computers more compatible in the early days, but there are only a few PC manufacturers left, so consumers have lost much of their choice in buying PC hardware. For most people, the choice is between Dell, Hewlett Packard and Compaq. Ironically, HP and Compaq are now the same company. With Apple, there is no argument between your computer manufacturer and operating system provider over whose fault it is that things crash because they control both hardware and software.

A cleaner, easier to use Operating System
The Mac OS X user interface is simpler to understand and easier to use. Want proof? Microsoft has been copying Mac's interface for years. Vista is just the latest installment with its Aero interface. Windows itself was a response to the introduction of the Mac. Years ago, Apple even sued Microsoft over patent infringements, but Apple essentially lost because the court decided that you could only patent code, not a User Interface.

You will spend less time setting up and troubleshooting your computer and more time doing the things that you bought a computer for in the first place. Einstein once said that things should be as simple as possible, but not simpler and Apple follows that theory. An average user should not know need to know what a DLL file is, much less that it is missing. Apple undoubtedly plans to up the interface ante of coolness with it's impending release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

After using a Mac for a few days, you will see that the iPod's simple interface was not so revolutionary, but rather inherited from Mac OS X.

You can still run Windows
Now that Apple has moved to the Intel platform, Apple offers Boot Camp. Although it is still a public beta, Boot Camp seamlessly allows you to buy your own copy of Windows and install it into a separate part of your hard drive. You can reboot your Mac into Windows and then you can run any Windows application that you want to.

If you don't want to take the time reboot, then you can buy an emulator (VMware Fusion or Parallels) that will allow you to run Windows inside a virtual computer while your Mac OS X is still running in the background. In fact, you can minimize your virtual Windows computer to the dock (task bar for you new Windows converts) and run your Macintosh applications. An emulator program will even let you run any linux distribution like Ubuntu or Red Hat.

In all reality, more and more of the things that we do are moving to the Internet, and it really doesn't matter what operating system you use as long as you have a decent web browser. Apple has invested heavily into the development of its web browser, Safari, to ensure that you have a good web experience. Additionally, Mozilla also maintains Firefox for Mac OS X, so compatibility on the Internet is not much of a problem these days.

You have more choices than ever before in what type of computer that you run on your desk, so why not get a cool computer that looks great on your desk, gives you fewer problems, and accessorizes your iPod.