 
By John Morris My first real computer was a Mac SE, a compact, all-in-one design that was perfect for a dorm room. But when I joined the working world, it was obvious which way things were going, so I went over to the dark side and never looked back. For years, I've been using and reviewing PC hardware and software. Recently, however, Apple has grabbed my attention again. It seems the company has decided that it needs to do more than preach to the choir--its loyal flock of schoolkids and graphic designers. To really grow, it has to convert people like me.
I listened to music on an iMac tethered to an iPod, shot video on a MiniDV camcorder and edited the results on a PowerBook, played games on an eMac, and test-drove a Power Mac with a 23-inch Cinema display. I was intrigued. To find out whether the switch would pay off for me, I decided to try using a Mac, more specifically an 800MHz PowerBook G4, in place of my regular PCs at work, at home, and on the road. Design differences The first thing you notice about any Mac is the design. Aesthetically, every Apple desktop and notebook is in a whole different league from its Windows counterparts. The PowerBook was a conversation piece on the train home every night; that never happened with my ThinkPad. (Whether this is a plus depends, I guess, on whether you need to get any work done.) But there's more to design than good looks. While the PowerBook is only an inch thick and weighs just 5.4 pounds, putting it in the thin-and-light class, its other dimensions (13.4 inches wide by 9.5 inches deep) are more along the lines of a desktop replacement. And the iBook is really a mainstream or budget notebook. Both rival the sizes and weights of thin-and-light PCs in some respects, but neither matches the portability of an ultralight such as the Dell Latitude X200, IBM ThinkPad X series, or Toshiba Portégé 2000. The PowerBook's keyboard feels almost too big, and I personally think the trackpoint is superior to Apple's touchpad because it lets you keep both hands on the keys. Most of these PC-Mac design differences just take a little getting used to, but they're something to think about before switching. Software surprises Perhaps the biggest concern for most Windows users is software. Nowadays, there is a Mac app for just about any task, but not necessarily a Mac OS X app. Microsoft Office X for Mac is great, and its files are interchangeable with Windows formats, but it doesn't include Outlook. Instead, you get Entourage, a fine POP3/IMAP mail client that won't help much if you use Microsoft Exchange. (You might be able to access mail if your company's servers allow IMAP4.) I downloaded the free Mac Outlook client, but it works only under the Classic Environment, a euphemism for an OS and programs that, as far as I can tell, look virtually identical to the ones I used nearly 15 years ago on my Mac SE. Message boards are full of rumors about a pending version of Outlook for Mac OS X, but come on. Mac OS X has been out for more than a year, and Apple is already on the verge of releasing its second update, code-named Jaguar.
The real cost of switching Finally, there's the price issue. Not long ago, Mac hardware simply cost more, period. That's no longer always the case. For example, the iMac with a 15-inch LCD, 256MB of memory, a 40GB hard drive, and combo CD-RW/DVD costs $1,599. A Dell Dimension 4500 with similar features costs $1,725. But there's a catch: Office XP Professional is included with the Dimension 4500; Office X will add another $359.95 to the price of the iMac (after the $100 rebate when purchased with a new system). Then there's Apple recent announcement at Macworld that it plans to bundle currently free Web services under the name .Mac and charge an annual fee. I have to admit that it was sort of fun watching idealistic Mac users realize that, just like any PC company, Apple is in the business of separating them from their wallets.
John Morris is an executive editor for hardware and software coverage at CNET. Have a question for him? Let us know!
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