I've had to call Apple's technical support three times (over a 2 year time span). Not once has my phone call been answered within 5 minutes.

Try 20 to 30 minutes. Each time.

Regardless, I'm with the "get a mac" camp.

you can also visit an apple genius at an apple store and get free tech support, apple care or not. however, if the mac needs repair and is not under warranty or apple care, then the repair (not the visit) will cost money.

open the folder, select all (command-a) and tap the space bar. when the quick look window appears, click the play button or if you prefer, step through the images one by one. you can also click the full screen button or move and resize the quick look window. this works with movies as well as photos, along with various other file types such as pdf, text, excel, etc.

assuming apple mail, drag the image into a mail message and at the bottom of the window is a popup menu to resize the image. there is no need to use iphoto, but iphoto can also export an image directly to mail in various sizes. the resize is done on the fly so there's no need to have duplicate images in multiple sizes.

the mac has a zoom button, not a maximize button and they're not the same. the function of the zoom button is under the apps control, not the operating system (the app just gets a zoom message), and it usually resizes the window to best show its content. having a window be full screen, particularly on a 24-30" monitor, is wasteful of screen space.

macs do not cost twice the money for a similar configuration. prices are fairly close when specs are matched (which they are often not).

[Sarcasm]Buy a PC. Otherwise looking at this thread, there won't be many machines running an MS operating system soon. Do you really want your software managed by the iTunes App Store or coming via Software Updates?

It's becoming a MonApplely.
[/Sarcasm]

I'm beginning to wonder what else is happening in the computing world these days. I bought a TiBook when OSX was first released for my personal use. I wanted to get away from the personal computing mono-culture and back to thinking of computers as tools and creative outlets for problem solving.

I stayed with a "Mac for home use" and "Thinkpad for work" for years until ~18 months ago when I bought an Air. I wouldn't have done it if they'd given me something reasonably small. But the T61 I got threw me over the edge. I bought a 1st Gen MBA and haven't looked back.

I have great respect for MACs but I prefer my pc for what I do. Sure, pc's take it on the nose but then they have a much, much larger base to serve which I'm sure if that was the case, Apple would be no different....

I've been running windows 7 beta now as a server and it has been rock solid going on 4 months now...which, I think this will be a winner for the pc world....

in the end, do what makes you happy...i build computers for friends and you can get the stability out of the pc platform that you get with MACs, just usually not out of the box

I dipped my toe into water of MacWorld 8 months ago and I'm perfectly happy with my decision. So, sitting at my white MacBook with wireless Mighty Mouse.... Things I like:

- Apple wouldn't lower themselves to providing hardware that isn't up to their software (so yes, it can be expensive)
- As a result, the whole experience tends to be very slick compared to the bargain basement laptops I would have gone for in the past
- It really does "just work" but underlying flexibility, if you need it, isn't always well exposed
- Only one piece of software has ever insisted on starting itself up at startup on my MacBook, and that was by Microsoft (and I just add to edit my user to stop it happening)
- It boots up in the same time as it did the day I bought it
- I like the Me service (mail/calender/online storage and so on, nicely integrated with OSX
- When I have lots of windows open, the dock in conjunction with spaces makes life easy.

Now.... The Mac vs PC question? I think Microsoft have a right to be a little aggrieved. Windows XP is a perfectly usable and stable piece of software. Little wrong with it IMO, other than perhaps it does slow down a great deal over time as you add applications (so, it's higher maintenance).

I wasn't impressed with Vista but I understand that Windows 7 does a lot to catch up with OSX (complete with a dock type thing). Also, with a PC, you *can* buy bargain basement hardware and get pretty good use from it (just be prepared for delays if you run more than a couple of applications).

A huge advantage for the PC (for me at least) is still my experience with the platform..... Need to set up a secure web server with web applications accessing a MySQL database? I can do that for no cost other than my time. It's the sort of thing I've just not yet looked into with my MacBook (Work? I have to use a cr@ppy Dell laptop for work).

Show me mac laptops in the $400-800 range. I'd love to see those.

The cheapest one I see is $999 for a MacBook with these specs:
* 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
* 160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
* Keyboard (English) / User's Guide
* SuperDrive 8x (DVD�R DL/DVD�RW/CD-RW)

The comparable Dell Inspiron 13.3" config is $800. Not double, but 25% more.

i would love to see those too, but apple doesn't have a product in every category at every price point. in particular, they don't have any netbooks at all, at least not yet (there have been a few hints that something is coming though).

comparing the two, i see that the macbook has 1066 mhz memory versus 800 on the dell, an nvidia 9400m gpu versus an intel x3100, dvi out instead of vga, gigabit ethernet instead of 100 base-t, 6 pin firewire versus 4 pin (can't use bus-powered hard drives with 4 pin firewire) and a multi-touch trackpad. os x is comparable to vista ultimate but the dell comes with vista home premium. on the other hand, the dell has a larger hard drive.

http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html

so while the dell may be a little cheaper, it's also not exactly the same specs either.

I don't get it - why the back and forth?

Buy a Mac, get VmFusion or Parallels installed with WinXP or whatever at time of purchase and enjoy the best of two worlds. The family will luv the Mac and Dad can bang his head with Win OS

Fair, though finding the exact same specs from any two vendors is rather difficult. I thought it was pretty darn close.

And there is still nothing in the Mac product line less than $999. That is a reasonable consideration. There are LOTS of options on the Wintel side in that price range. At the upper end the price-points match more closely, but when you're at the upper end the pricing game is rather different.

I found two that are very comparable and a lot cheaper:

http://www.frys.com/product/5810793?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

$650: double the Ram (expandable up to 8gb), double the Hard Drive, bigger screen, integrated card reader, HDMI and VGA out, 3USB plus eSATA, lightscribe dvd drive

that should make up for the slightly lower processor speed and the lower FSB and even the non-gigabit network card, even if you don't count that it is 35% cheaper.


Operating System Genuine Windows Vista� Home Premium 64-Bitwith Service Pack 1
Processor Intel� Core�2 Duo Processor T6400
Processor Speed 2.00 GHz
Processor Cache 2 MB L2 Cache
Bus Speed 800MHz FSB
Memory 4096MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Max supported =8192MB
Accessible Memory Slots 2
Video Graphics Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD (shared) with up to 1759MB total available graphics memory
Hard Drive 320GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
Finish and Features HP Intersect Imprint finish & HP Webcam with integrated digital microphone
Multimedia Drive LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD?R/RW with Double Layer Support
Display 14.1" Diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
Wireless Option Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN
Digital Media 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader* for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
Fax/Modem High speed 56k modem
Audio SRS Premium Sound
Keyboard 101-key compatible & 1 Quick Launch Button
Pointing Device Touch Pad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical scroll Up/Down pad
PC Card Slots 1 ExpressCard/54 Slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
External Notebook Ports
3 Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0, 4th port shared with eSATA
2 Headphone out
1 microphone-in
HDMI
1 VGA (15-pin)
eSATA + USB 2.0
1 RJ-11 (modem)
1 RJ -45 (LAN)
1 notebook expansion port 3
1 Consumer IR (Remote Receiver)


The other is here:
http://www.frys.com/product/5892903?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

$479, That's less than half!

3gb instead of 2 for the mac, double the HD, bigger screen, card reader, PC card slot.

Both come with FREE UPGRADE to W7.

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista� Home Premium with Service Pack 1
Processor Intel� Pentium� T4200 Processor
Processor Speed 2.00 GHz
Processor Cache 1 MB L2 Cache
Bus Speed 800MHz FSB
Memory 3072MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Max supported =4GB
Accessible Memory Slots 2
Video Graphics Intel� Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M with up to 1759MB of Intel� Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0 supporting Microsoft� DirectX� 10
Hard Drive 320GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
Finish and Features Acer MediaTouch Console
Multimedia Drive 8X DVD-+R/RW with Double Layer Support
Display 14.1" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite� Widescreen Display TFT LCD (1280 x 800)
Network Card Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
Wireless Option 802.11b/g/Draft-N WiFi CERTIFIED
Digital Media 5-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader (Secure Digital� (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick� (MS), Memory Stick PRO� (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card� (xD)
Fax/Modem 56K ITU V.92 with PTT Approval Fax/Modem
Audio Two Built-in Stereo Speakers

PC Card Slots 1 ExpressCard/54 Slot
External Notebook Ports
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
Headphone out
microphone-in
VGA (15-pin)
RJ-11 (modem)
RJ -45 (LAN)

As posted in several threads, Macs have a longer useful life than Windows PCs. Buy used. You'll get the same performance, etc., that you'd get with a bargain PC.

There is a large third group: those who are required to use Windows for work, therefore are familiar with it, and therefore use it at home as well.

Personally: I have a PhD in an offshoot of computer science from a fairly well-known engineering school in Cambridge, Mass.; have been a Unix trainer; currently teach (among other things) Access, which requires Windows; and otherwise have fairly decent tech-geek cred. When I have a choice, I use a Mac. It's much better integrated. My time, when I charge for it, is too valuable for me to waste screwing around with Windows - which I'm quite able to do at any necessary level. It's just not a productive use of my time when I have a choice. (When I'm not being paid for my time, it's even more valuable. Why would I waste it trying to get an OS to do what I think it should, when another OS is happy to do that from the get-go?)

Even if you buy a new Mac, and even if you accept the position that it's more expensive than a comparable non-Apple computer would be (arguable anywhere above the lowest price level, which involves compromises many won't accept), you'll come out ahead if you factor in the value of your time over the years you'll use any new computer you get.

The same can be done (though not legally) with most PC's...

Mac fans keep saying that, but I don't see it in the real world. I'm still using a 7 year old Dell Inspiron 8200 with Win XP, for example.

they are close, but as you can see, the macbook beats the dell in a number of specs so it's not too surprising it costs a little more.

mac mini, $599 new.