Alternative to Windows: Apple Mac

For those of you who don't mind spending some money to get out-of-this-world quality, the Apple Mac is an excellent Windows alternative. Apple is renown for their fabulous industrial designs exemplified by such products as the iPod audio player and the gorgeous flat-panel Cinema Displays. Their computer products, including the majestic Power Mac workstations, the awfully cute Mac mini, the PowerBook portables and the stunning iMac, are no exceptions.

Apple hardware exhibits extraordinary fit and finish, whereas Dell hardware feels cheap by comparison. And Apple software is incredibly easy and fun to use! This website tells no lies...

http://www.apple.com/ca/switch/

Although you may think you have to pay an arm and a leg for such luxurious computing, a comparison of the fully decked out iMac with an equivalent model Windows PC from Dell shows that the price difference is neglibile. In Canada, as of December 25, 2005...

Apple iMac G5
20" Widescreen LCD display (great for movies!)
1 GB memory
250 GB hard disk
DVD burner
ATI X600 graphics (great for gaming!)
Wireless networking, including Bluetooth (Look, Ma, no wires!)
Built-in iSight webcam (great for videoconferencing!)
Operating System: OS X
$2,119

Dell Dimension 5150
20" Widescreen LCD display
1 GB memory
250 GB hard disk
DVD burner
ATI X600 graphics
Wireless networking (NO Bluetooth available)
Logitech Fusion webcam
Operating System: Windows XP Professional Edition
$2,116

As you can see, there is practically no difference in price, but the iMac is a far more attractive product. The iMac is sleek, streamlined and compact with a very small footprint.

In exploring the Apple Mac as a Windows alternative, we have to look at the advantages of the OS X Operating System. First, OS X is a very safe and secure platform. OS X is based on the near-mythical BSD Unix Operating System. For those who aren't familiar with Unix, it is a venerable platform that has been at the heart of nearly all high-end workstations. Unix has also been the foundation for server computers since, well, forever it seems. In other words, Unix is an industrial strength Operating System!

For the same reason that Linux is safe from viruses, Unix users have little to worry about securitywise. Windows is a far more attractive target for hackers and virus writers. Also, Unix and Linux (which is a Unix-lookalike) are inherently more difficult to breach than Windows.

Second, OS X has arguably the best-looking desktop interface in the world. It is easy to use and powerfully simple. Anything you want to do with the Mac, you can do with no fuss and no complicated series of steps - things "just work."

Third, the best Windows applications are usually available for the Mac, too. If yours isn't, there is almost certainly a perfectly good alternative. Thousands of applications are available for OS X.

Microsoft Office is a case in point! (Who would've thunk that the Microsoft overlords would support the Apple Mac computer?!) Some people believe that the Mac version of Office is actually better than the Windows version!

The Apple Mac and OS X are a wonderful alternative to Windows. I became a Mac convert last year when I purchased a 20" iMac G5. One year later, I am still supremely happy with it!