Justin Thorn

While it is true that Apple computers have a percentage of cult fanatics this kind of obsessive following is not the norm. Besides there are many other companies and products out there who probably have a percentage of obsessive fans. BMW, Bose, Harley Davidson, etc… When it gets right down to it though the main reason these companies are in business is because they make great products. Some might even argue they are at the top of their market. Perhaps not in overall market share but in quality and customer satisfaction. Apple is one of those companies.

Believe it or not even though they only have less than 5% of the world’s computer population they are now the fifth largest computer maker in the US. Above Toshiba in sixth and chasing the heels of fourth place IBM. Leaving Dell, HP, and Gateway in the top three slots. Just this past fiscal quarter from Christmas through March Apple has experienced a 70% growth from a year ago. They sold over 1 million Macintosh computers and well over 5 million iPods this past quarter. There is no sign of this upward trend stopping anytime soon. The iPod helped make Apple a household name. Now people are becoming increasingly aware that Microsoft Windows and the PC World isnt the best game in town. There is a better way.

Just this week my roomate has decided he has had enough of his PC. He sold it and plans to use the money to buy a new Apple computer. He is still deciding between the Mac Mini and the iMac. My stepbrother’s next new machine will be sporting the Apple logo once his PC is retired. Both my parents have considered making the switch. After seeing my iMac last Christmas even my grandma wants one and she doesnt know how to use a PC. Shopping for one is very easy since you only have a few models to choose from. Unlike the confusing mess of the thousands of unnecessary PC choices out there. Call me biased if you choose to but I’m honestly just saying in the 21st century Apple is a better way to compute. No viruses, spyware, trojans, crashes, etc. You just plug it in and it just works. Think of them as an appliance, that is how reliable they are.

Shopping for a Mac.

The eMac and Mac Mini make great starter systems for new users.

The iMac is a great mid-level users computer.

For the power user who money isn’t an object there is the Power Mac.

If you treasure portability and laptops are more your style there are two to choose from. For the average user an iBook will be plenty. If you need more power there is the aptly named PowerBook.

The new Tiger operating system easily blows Microsoft WindowsXP out of the water. Not to mention each new Mac computer comes bundled with it and the creative multimedia suite known as iLife.

Oh yes it still runs Microsoft Office and plays nicely with all other Windows machines on the network as well as opens all standard Windows file types. You don’t have to worry about compatibility issues or lack of software. There are over 10,000 applications for the Mac. Hope this helps eliminate any false stereotypes or rumors about what an Apple computer does.