apple

iWork '09
$79.00
We have a Mac environment for our company art department. One Mac has had Office 2004 on it for quite some time, but mine has had nothing but text edit. I used Google Docs for the longest time but it was getting annoying when dealing with Powerpoint files. I bought iWork and it has not disappointed. Although it only has the equivalents for Powerpoint, Word and Excel it is enough for me. My favorite feature is the ability to save the file as a Microsoft file for any PC users you send it to so there is no issue with compatibility. For 70 some dollars you really can't beat it. My only draw back would be if you like using entourage in Microsoft office then there is no equivalent in this package. Good buy (and you can do a try before you buy thing on Apple's site).

Apple Keyboard Kit
$49.99
My youngest daughter ruined the keyboard on my wife's Imac by spilling a whole can of Dr. Pepper on it, so a replacement was required. We decided to try something other than the standard keyboard that comes with the Imac. This keyboard has a lower profile and a nice feel to the keys as well as being easier to clean. So far it has been a great replacement.

Apple iMac MB950LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop
$1,199.00
I have twenty years of Microsoft PC experience, OK so I was a slow learner. Ten years ago I bought my first Mac. Over those ten years I rode the Mac technology wave into the future by upgrading when it made sense, or after a quantum leap in tech or design changes that made me envious.
I won't go into my hatred for Microsoft, but I will tell you that my life has changed since I went to Mac. Learning Windows took years, mainly what to do when bad things happened, but also following the convoluted logic involved in operating windows. Repairs mostly were beyond my ability to deal with and service was expensive.
With Apple computers there is about a one week learning experience, but You can do it without reading the manual, it's that user friendly.
I have owned five different Macs, all but one was in perfect condition when I replaced it for a more advanced model, to my surprise was the way they held resale value. Each used mac I sold went for a surprising amount of money so the investment is good as compared with a three year old PC which are sold at pawn shops for pennies on the dollar and usually have hidden issues.
Macs are not 100% perfect, but they come close. In ten years I had one hard drive failure, it was recent on my 2007 imac so for 99.00 I installed a WD caviar black one terabyte drive that I installed in thirty minutes by following a you tube video on how it was done. My 2007 imac starts in under twenty seconds and has never glitched or locked up. it will run with the wind, and though I don't run very graphic intensive programs I have every reason to believe it will fare well. There are Macs made for that kind of intensive work but 90% of us will never need that level of machine. I run my iMac eighteen hours a day, share it with my children and never worry about failures.

On to my new 21.5 inch iMac. I considered the 27 inch model but sitting in front of it at the store I don't need that much screen, it seemed too much, a space problem requiring changes to my desk and honestly you don't really need anything so big when you sit two feet from it.

The advances in technology, the best available quality components ( as opposed to PC's lowest bidder policy) gives great reliability, and worry free years of use make the Macs a sound investment, and the longevity that make PC manufactures cringe. Both companies started in the same basement with truly brilliant minds, the separation was a godsend, you see competition is good for the consumer and the advancement in technology.

The clear results are that over the years one company built an affordable PC that appealed to the masses, while the other insisted that quality, craftsmanship, and reliability would outlast the short term gains of an inferior product. Apples plans were long term, and word of mouth, along with a superior product has finally come out into the light, and even many PC owners are now making the switch. Apple was always ahead of its time, but the time has come, the time is now. The success of the iPod, and the domination of the iPhone are very clear road signs telling the market what Apple has been doing, what their equipment is about, and it is changing the market.

My new iMac is everything I had hoped for and more, and when governments, business, and the people at home learn how far superior the Mac is compared to the PC, well.. I'm going to be buying Apple stock.

Microsoft is in major damage control mode, the commercials are the proof of that if the PC itself is not enough proof in itself.
Windows 7, while an improvement over Vista, is still a buggy patch job on an inferior product.

Apple is gaining new converts and the word is spreading, the numbers don't lie. As those numbers rise the cost for Apple computers will fall. This is the beginning of a snowball effect that Microsoft doesn't have a hope of slowing, and over the next two or three years we will see Microsoft in desperate attempts to stop the losses by redesigning their entire product line and hardware requirements by third party PC manufacturers.

I love my new iMac, and highly recommend to those sitting on the fence considering a new computer to do your homework, visit an Apple seller and sit down for an hour with one of these new machines before buying into an "Edsel" (Microsoft PC) type product. It's a big purchase, think it through, and don't let your inexperience with the Mac scare you, you'll be up and running before you figure out how to set up an e-mail account on windows 7.

On a budget? The Mac mini is an amazing computer, and you can use your PC's monitor. I think they cost around 599, so don't let money be the issue.

Apple iMac MB953LL/A 27-Inch Desktop
$1,999.00
Featuring brilliant LED-backlit 21.5 widescreen display in a edge-to-edge glass design and seamless all aluminum enclosure. The iMac, is the fastest ever with Intel Core 2 Duo processors starting at 3.06 GHz. Storage is never an issue with the iMac, this unit features a 500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA hard drive. The iMac ships with a wireless keyboard and the wireless Magic Mouse, the worlds first mouse with Multi-Touch technology. 21.5 iMac - 3.06GHz/1TB HD plus ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics with 512MB Apple Wireless Keyboard Magic Mouse Cleaning cloth Power cord Install/restore DVDs Printed and electronic documentation