Why I'm Switching from Windows to the Mac

I've been using personal computers all my adult life. I was even a beta tester for Windows 286. That's right, way back in the days when Apple was the only ones with a graphical user interface (GUI), Microsoft, the reigning champion of MS-DOS, decided to give the GUI a try. The result was Windows 286. In truth it was nothing more than a GUI that rode on top of MS-DOS, and it did a pretty poor job of it. There weren't any Windows applications at all, just DOS programs that you might or might not get to work under Windows 286. Back then, Lotus 1-2-3 was the leading spreadsheet, and WordPerfect was the reigning word processing software. Neither needed a GUI - they both worked perfectly with keyboard commands.

As the years went by, I worked with every version of Microsoft Windows ever released. Back then, I was so optimistic about the future of personal computers. Like most PC users, I panned the Apple as nothing more than an expensive toy, right along with Commodore and Atari. For me, it was MS Windows or nothing. I was working in IT, recommending and using nothing but MS Windows based systems. I was convinced that we would quickly see the day when we could give commands to our PC with nothing more than a verbal command. We could ask any question, and our PC (with a wide selection of voices to choose from) would give us the answer. Just like on the TV series "Star Trek".

But as the years kept going by and the various versions of MS Windows came and went, I began to become skeptical. Each upgrade seemed to cause more headaches than they solved. Every single version I have ever tried has, at one time or another, crashed and burned. I've lost data due to these crashes. There are never good explanations as to what caused them to crash. It would simply reboot itself or give you the "blue screen of death" which I challenge anyone to make any sense of. I've long since given up on ever getting any support from Microsoft. Yet still, I held out hope. I bought faster, more powerful computers. I upgraded them to make them even faster and more powerful. Then I would hand off the old PC to someone else and buy myself a brand-new top of the line PC. Brand new, out of the box, with a pre-installed version of Windows, I was able to make the PC crash without much effort. Then there are the multitude of viruses and security holes that seem to plague Windows. Sometimes it seems like Microsoft releases a new security update every week. Apple's products are nearly immune to these viruses and malware.

Still, I stuck with Microsoft. Everyone knows that the MS Windows world offers a vast amount of software to choose from, while the Apple had only a few. PC users would complain that Apple's computers were designed so that regular people would never be able to pop them open and swap out parts or upgrade them on their own. Worst of all, everyone knows that Apples are more expensive. A lot more expensive. So I passed on the Macintosh and all that was Apple.

I even passed on the now famous iPod, assuming that MP3 players designed to work with any PC and numerous software players had to be better than the iPod. That was a huge mistake on my part. If I could turn back time, I would have an iPod instead of what I bought for almost the same amount of money.

Then one day, I noticed an eBay offering. A near mint condition 12 inch PowerBook G4, with upgraded RAM and hard drive. I was completely surprised when my low bid won that auction, and even more surprised when that PowerBook arrived, in the original packaging, and looking like it had never been used. I was ecstatic! Of course, this laptop was made prior to Apple jumping over to the Intel chips, but I figured it would give me something to tinker with, and a first hand look at how Mac OS X (ten) really worked. So I tinkered and played and explored. Guess what I discovered? That little PowerBook could do everything my PC could do, and then some. It has never once crashed on me, or given me any problems. Connecting it to my home network was a breeze. I still have trouble with an older Windows based laptop that doesn't want to play nice on my network. This coming from what is considered an out of date model, with the release of Apple's new line of Intel processor based Macs. The selection of software is much larger than I expected, and most of the primary Windows applications are now available in Mac versions too. The Mac loads the OS much faster than Windows, and it runs programs perfectly well for me. I can't even imagine what the new , even faster ones are like.

Apple's iLife software suite is fantastic, and Microsoft offers nothing even close to it. The iLife suite comes with the Mac, allowing you to design web sites, create your own podcast, edit a movie and burn it to DVD, organize your digital photo album, and even make music with GarageBand. Sure, you can put together your own suite of Windows applications to get the same functionality, but iLife is just so easy to understand and use, with a consistent user interface across the board. Updates and upgrades are presented automatically, and install easily with minimum fuss. Mac OS X is miles ahead of Windows XP Professional that I use now. Microsoft plans to release their latest version of Windows, "Windows Vista" early in 2007. But as a Windows user, I am completely under-whelmed by what it promises. As far as I can tell, they are simply playing catch-up with Apple. Where's the innovation? What about security? What about sexy female (or male) voices answering our every need while we give commands by voice? Okay, so neither company offers that yet. But if anyone is going to do it, I have to put my money on Apple as being the first ones to accomplish it.

My current PC is relatively new, with a Pentium D, lots of RAM and hard disk space, and other little gadgets. But already I have questions about whether it will even run Windows Vista. The Intel based Macs can now run Windows and Windows applications. Why can't I run Mac OS X on my PC if I choose? Since it appears that my PC is rapidly becoming obsolete, and Vista doesn't offer me a lot of incentive to stick around, I have come to a decision. My next PC will be from Apple. Sorry lads, but I'm jumping ship too!