iPhone

[lars573]

Yes PC gamming.

Also the i denoted Apple, and the image of who uses an Apple product, that Apple has spent millions crafting. Then there is the PC vs. MAC commercials that give rise to a homicidal rage in me that terrifies small children and animals. I going assume that Banquo had you know real reasons for using MAC. Other than being lured in by slick advertising. Also the type of people whom I was decrying do exist. One of the collumists in the local indie news paper devoted her space one week to venting about the abuse she takes from fellow journalists and co-workers over her using a laptop PC instead of an iBook. I know you want proof but this collum is 1-2 years old, I doubt I could find it.

[Banquo's Ghost]

I going assume that Banquo had you know real reasons for using MAC. Other than being lured in by slick advertising.

Well, I can't disregard that I may have been influenced by marketing, as Apple do this well.

But I have had a Mac for some while now. I particularly like the interface of OSX and find it easy to work with. Some features such as Exposé and the new Dashboard have become so second nature that I struggle with Windows, dumbly pressing the F10 key and expecting my "windows" to sort themselves.

My MacBook Pro has a gorgeous screen and for me as a writer, a lovely feel to the keyboard. Again, there might be better laptop keyboards out there, but I haven't found them - not that I do an exhaustive search, because I'm a creature of habit - until Apple lets me down, I'm unlikely to give them the push, in the same way I'm unlikely to give up Earl Grey tea.

I'm a sucker for the light-sensitive keyboard and screen adjustment. I like to write in the semi-dark and having a lit keyboard and dimmed screen just makes me feel in the groove. I like iChat and the conferencing video feature that lets me speak with friends and colleagues, particularly my editor and publishers, who also have Macs (surprise!) and so it all makes things nice and seamless.

I like the iLife suite - it's very intuitive for me, integrates all the things I want to do with media very nicely and it came free with the MacBook.

I particularly like that I can have all these things and now with Intel Macs, I can have a Windows partition and play TW games. So I'm not at all anti-Microsoft - indeed I use the MS Office for Mac suite too. Windows is very useful for some tasks and some useful applications are only available for the dominant platform. I do resent having to install all the protective measures necessary to secure a Win machine though, but for the limited connection the partition has to the 'net, I at least don't have to buy these.

Like Lemur said, I choose tools for the job. I like the design of Apple Macs and they suit me. I can't deny that I like it when people come up and ask me what computer I have - I'd probably feel the same way if I was lucky enough to own a Ferrari. If Apple screws up, I'd be happy to look at a Sony Vaio for example, of which I had one when they were first launched. Or whatever did the job.

I like my iPod for the same reasons - good design and an intuitive interface. The market penetration of iPods must mean Apple is doing something right, because good marketing doesn't sell a bad product past the first generation. I would look forward to an iPhone simply because the reputation Apple has built up with me makes me think it would be a good choice.

I'm not a techie, I like to have things just work. In my experience, Apple products do this, thought I know this is not true for some, especially in the early days of the Intel change.

What can I say? I like them.

I've bought Saabs for the last few years as my work car for the same reasons.

[Lemur]

I'm not a techie, I like to have things just work. In my experience, Apple products do this, thought I know this is not true for some, especially in the early days of the Intel change.

To quote another geek friend (long-time Unix admin, used to run Playboy's online store, now builds PDA interfaces for databases, so no talk about how he isn't a "real" geek), when I asked him why he had switched to an OS X laptop: "Hey, you have no idea what it's like to have a Unix laptop that just works."

I don't get angry at Apple for marketing themselves as though they were a luxury German high-speed vibrator. It's their right to market themselves however they like. But as long as they're making interesting technology that does useful things, I'll keep my eye on them.