So I spent the good part of yesterday with my husband, attempting to get Vista on my Mac. Just typing that kind of makes me feel ill. I mean, it's great that you can put Windows on a Mac, for flexibility, and for people (like me) whose jobs make it impossible to do some things on a Mac platform. But as a Mac convert for the last ten years (and before, really, if you want to be technical... miss those IIes), I couldn't help but feel like a bit of a traitor doing that to Morgaine. She's such a great computer. Sleek, shiny, beautiful, and oh-so-functional. Michael's been using the video editing program, iMovieHD to put together a montage of Liam goodness for the family to see, and it's so easy--and so GOOD. It's not just that Apple gives you a bunch of fun, colorful, funky software--it's that the quality is so great.

So in homage of my favorite computer company, they who have given me five great computers (Bob, Rupert, Cuthbert, Blythe, and Morgaine), I thought I'd compile a list of reasons why you should leave the drudgery of Windows based PCs, and head on over to the world of Mac.

1.) Shiny. Pretty. So, I admit it. I'm an aesthete. I like pretty things. But I bet you if you use the proportions of the spira mirabilis, you'd find that the iMac is the perfect balance of function and beauty. Not to mention the altogether amazing program design. Everything's easy to get to, and makes sense for my little brain. I just don't "get" Windows. I can't ever find anything, and it's just so clunky and ugly. OS X is just... perfect in every way.

2.) GarageBand. I'm a musician. And I spent the better part of the unfortunate time I had to have a Dell, doing all I could in my power to find a program that would let me make music. It's a compulsion I have. But nothing, and I mean nothing (I even bought some software) worked within my budget. It's not like I'm a music exec. Then, noodling around when the first G4s came out, I discovered iLife and GarageBand. It was probably the deciding factor in my life to trash my doleful Dell, and go with the iBook. And what a decision. I've been fruitful, and have flexed my musical muscles like never before! La!

3.) The rest of iLife. Movies, music, DVDs, photographs--if you're a media hound like me, and embarrassingly disorganized, you NEED iLife. It so easy to get things together, to create everything from podcasts, to websites, to DVDs. And you look like a pro to your family, even if you're not.

4.) The Intel chip. So I recently upgraded from an iMac G5 powerPC to the new Intel based version. And HOLY COW. While I was consistently frustrated with the fan noise, and churning I got when I ran big programs like GarageBand before, now it's as quiet as a breeze. I seriously don't hear a thing. It's the only frustration I had before, and now it's gone. It's heaven in a 17" box.

5.) The whole Windows thing. Okay, so personally, it makes me feel very dirty. But I know, for my job as a copywriter, some software STILL isn't written with the ability to work without IE. And I LOATHE IE. I'm a Firefox girl, all the way. But in order to do my job, and not have to purchase an entire other machine--and a PC at that--it's helpful to be able to have the versatility to install windows. Even if it makes me feel like a two-dollar whore.

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