It's a Good Time to be Alive...and Mac User!

Indeed. Despite all the upheaval that has been experienced by Apple Computer the past few years, in many ways there's never been a more exciting time to be a Macintosh user. Below is my list of reasons:

Software availability. Since the Mac was introduced onto the computer scene in 1984, there's never been a wider array of software and hardware configurations than today.

The PC-loving press would like you to think otherwise, but think about it. What software title, major or otherwise, do you need to run on a Macintosh that doesn't? For those who must run specialized types of PC-only software for business or other purposes, I unashamedly tell them to buy a PC. However, if you want to buy your software at Wal-Mart, buy a PC for goodness sake!

Mac are fast and getting faster. The Macintosh I having sitting on my desk in my home office is the fastest Mac I have ever owned...and it's a Power Mac 6100! I know there are lots of faster machines out there, but the old 6100 is super fast if considered from a historical Mac perspective.

That doesn't mean that I wouldn't enjoy a faster Mac. In fact, I'm looking at the new G3 upgrade cards that are hitting the market as I write.

And don't forget the machines that Cupertino is pumping out now are nothing short of awesome...nearly twice as fast as anything Wintel has available!

Macs have never been more compatible. Macs are undoubtedly the most compatible personal computers on the planet. Try running Macintosh applications on a PC. DOS and Windows emulators have been out for the platform for years, while Mac emulators are only now appearing for the Wintel platform.

Macs are fun. Mac users have a more enjoyable computing experience, hands down. It's the fun factor that originally attracted me to the Mac platform in the first place. Pretty pictures. Understandable. Straight forward. Every program behaves the same way. The list goes on and on.

Macs work. When I go to turn on my Mac, I experience very few surprises. When a surprise pops up, I can usually fix it myself. You still cannot say this about the Wintel machines.

Macs use innovative technology. Time after time, the powers that be at Apple Computer have bet the store by going with unproved or non-standard technologies -- for better or worse. Successes include QuickTime. Failures are too many to mention. The computer industry needs companies like Apple that take chances and go against the odds.

Creative professionals use Macs. Quoting from a recent edition of Mac Today magazine: "Creative professionals use Macintosh." Period.

Anyone can own a PC. It takes guts to own a Mac. The Macintosh isn't a platform for weenies. If you're the kind of person who needs someone to constantly affirm your choice of computer, stay away from the Mac! You fool! Remember the saying, "No one ever lost their job buying IBM (in the 90s, insert Windows/Intel)."

Schools use Macs. Every day my 7-year-old son sits in a classroom with a Mac sitting in the corner and a Mac lab located down the hall. I want him to have the same quality experience at home.

Bill Gates does not use a Mac - as far as we know. Now, I'm sure Bill is a great guy, but I don't think anyone -- particularly a guy who writes software -- ought to be out for total world domination. I have talk to people every week who know only "The Microsoft Solution." I would like to think they're are other creative folk out there writing creative software...and not just Microsoft. Also, Intel isn't the only chip manufacturer in the world, either. I say, "As far as we know," because would you build a multi-million dollar house and depend solely on Wintel technology?

Enough said.