Love these commercials

[Xiahou]

As the family's (and heaven help me, the neighborhood's) "computer guy," I steer people to Macs for one of two reasons:

1. They have serious security needs, or
2. They are likely to break/infect/ruin a normal computer.

Since all modern Macs are built on BSD Unix, the security part is a no-brainer. As an FBI agent said, "If you're going to commit a crime, you should use a Mac."

I can certainly see point 2, but I'm not sure about point 1, especially with the FBI statement afterwards. What do you mean by "security"?

Windows is great, but it needs care, grooming, and 3rd party applications to keep it from getting overrun with spyware and malware. And it's still very easy for a n00bish user to hose the system. Macs take skill and dedication to break.

Definitely true about Windows, but a tinkerer could easily break a Mac too through incompetence. But, in terms of daily, "normal" use, Macs would be tougher to break.

I still disagree on cost. Compared to a PC preloaded with Windows, Macs are still significantly more expensive for comparable systems. Add to that, the cost of an XP license and the difference is even greater. You can get a mid-high end PC for what a low-end Mac costs. For the cost of a low-end PC, you can get an iPod... maybe.

Like you say, if someone is completely computer illiterate, but wants to get online to surf, check email, ect.- Macs are a pretty good choice, because they're less likely to pollute it with spyware/viruses. However, if you want to game, need to run a wide variety of applications, or are very budget conscious, they're not such a good choice.

Here's some funnier Linux ads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-L-0s-7-Z0