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Mac users use Macs because they like Macs. They don’t use Macs because they are artists, musicians, or editors; they use Macs because they like the OS. Can they be a little smug at times? Yes. As can Windows users.

Actually, a lot of Mac users use Macs for the simple reason that the Mac is better for their needs than a Wintel PC. My step-mother is a very good example of this. She just bought an iMac, and I flew out to migrate her work from her PC to the new Mac.

The simple fact is that the Mac is simpler for her to deal with. She can do things on the Mac that she was never able to do on the PC. It just makes more sense to her. I would get calls 4 or 5 times a week to help her solve problems that she was having with her PC, but I have yet to hear anything bad from her about the Mac.

Of course, you'll probably say that she should have learned more about the PC. The problem is that some people are just hardwired differently: That attitude is like saying you should "learn" to be a composer. The simple fact is that she's a graphic artist and since moving to the Mac her productivity has increased about 3 fold.

And I was advising her to upgrade to a new, faster PC. I found a nice one with a 20" wide screen monitor for just over $500. But she paid about $1500 for the iMac (with the extended warranty), and she's glad that she spent the additional thousand dollars. It was worth it for her. And, I suspect, for many other Mac users.

BTW, my favorite part about these threads is when people who know NOTHING about what the users' needs are tell them that they should be using something or another! What a hoot!

Mark

Actually, a lot of Mac users use Macs for the simple reason that the Mac is better for their needs than a Wintel PC.

Hi MarkL, that's pretty much what I meant by people use them 'cause they like them. And even though the boxes can be, well...unique in some cases and elegant in others, it isn't about the box. It's about the OS.

Read up on the history of the Mac and you'll see one consistent element...the OS. Most Mac users would abandon Apple as a hardware provider if they could. Apple knows that. So, they tie the Mac OS to the hardware. It is the OS that sells the hardware, not the other way around.

A preference? Yes. Can I do everything on a PC that I can do on a Mac? Yes. I do it every day. But when I buy a new system (maybe this week) it's going to be a Mac. I can tear down a PC and have. Done the same with Macs. I have no problem with PC's nor with PC users in general. I prefer a Mac. Easier? Hardly. Just different.

I have trained several people on the Mac and believe me it ain't easy for some people. It wasn't until I struggled to get some folks to understand even the most basic concepts that I realized that the Mac is only easier for people who want to learn how to use a Mac. That's my two cents.

Oh, and don't worry that your Mom spent an additional grand on that Mac. She will be able to run that system, just as it is, for ten years, probably more. If she decides to get into some of the more high end uses she'll probably have to upgrade after about ten years but only to keep pace in a processor intensive industry.