I've been assimilated. I have trod the Apple lane and been converted surprisingly quickly. I didn't want to be converted. I was perfectly happy with PC. I didn't see why I should spend more money to get less computer and then have my new less computer not be compatible with websites and programs, etc. (It really isn't less computer.)

Here's the Mac experience thus far: open the computer, plug it in, it works. That's it. The darn thing works, right out of the box, without a lot of wrangling. We have the MacBook and an iMac. They both work, they both set up the network, they go online, they get their updates (the first time you turn them on), they're done. No configuring needed. No fighting with DSL. When I changed to DSL, I had to put BellSouth's stupid software on my PC. When I set up the iMac, we plugged the DSL in and it worked. No software needed. And then we set up the Airport Base Station. No software (other than what came with the base station). It just frickin' works. I still can't get over it.

My Mac doesn't have lots of little icons for junk software I don't want either. No free AOL trials, no Quicken teasers, no junk that sits there and can't be gotten rid of. I can't stress that enough — NO JUNK.

If I had to use one word to sum up these two computers, it'd be CLEAN. They're clean, they work, and they make sense. The learning curve is slight, though PC does some things better in my opinion (usability things primarily, which might be things I just have to figure out and set preferences for with the Mac).

It's true that not every website will work with Mac. I just went to Amazon.com and saw their new unboxed thing for downloading television shows. Turns out they only support Windows, which disappointed me since one of the reasons I held out against Apple was this very issue of not being able to do things I might want to do. But if I really want to watch these shows from Amazon, both my computers will run Windows. So even switching from Windows is no longer an issue because I can still have it if I want it.

Money wise, Apple still isn't cheap. They are less expensive than they used to be in comparison to PC though. My MacBook was 1099, and I still had to pay 149 for Microsoft Office (have to have Word). If you want to run Windows on your Mac, you have to buy it. It's 299. Apple also sells various programs, such as iLife and iWork, that you may want. The computers come with cool stuff already though. iTunes, iChat, iMovie, iPhoto, and who knows what else (still exploring). Safari is okay, but Firefox is better (and free). The free widgets are awesome. You could download a million of those.

Back when my PC crashed in February, Mac wasn't an option to me. Expense was a big part of that. I didn't want to spend so much on a new computer, and fortunately PC recovered anyway. But my hubby's been campaigning for months, especially since we needed a new desktop and since my laptop has been having more glitches (keyboard losing power to certain keys, IE locking up, bluescreen). He insists that the Unix platform on which Apple is built is more stable and more secure. So I finally gave in.

I did not expect to be so comfortable so fast. Another plus on the MacBook is the battery life. When I got my PC, I bought a Centrino laptop because I wanted extended battery life. The most I ever got was right under 3 hours. This Mac has gone around 5 hours before I plugged it in. It didn't give me a warning, but I just decided I better plug it in. I suppose I could take it to the limit and see how far it will go, but I was impressed that it would last 5 hours.

For people who like to play with their computers, who like to tinker with things and change things, maybe a Windows PC is better. I don't know. But if you want to plug the computer in and not think twice about it, then maybe Apple is the way to go. As someone used to tell me, “You will be assimilated.” Yeah, I guess I have been. Darn it. Now if only I wasn't so comfortable with that fact…..