Apple iMac fall 2009 (Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06Hz, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, 21.5 in)

Pros: Fast startup - Fantastic display - Preinstalled developer tools, iLife suite, and other software is a great bonus, and they work seamlessly - Finder interface is so easy to use, and is feature rich - Graphics - OS X Snow Leopard - Well, everything.

Cons: The fact that they would allow you to put Microsoft Windows onto the system - I couldn't bear to taint the iMac with it.

Summary: Due to a mishap, I had to replace the family's MS Windows based laptop. I bought an MS Windows 7 based PC for the children and a 21.5 iMac running Snow Leopard for myself.

That was my biggest mistake. I thought I was saving money by buying a PC for the kids.

I should have bought 2 iMacs instead. I had never used an iMac before. Now I doubt that I will ever want to go back to a Windows PC.

There are a few things that come standard on Windows 7 that aren't included in Snow Leopard such as the games and the Paint program, but I think that what comes on the Snow Leopard that is not included in Windows 7 such as the iLife suite is much better.

The software that comes standard and preinstalled is worth mentioning: iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, Garage Band, iWeb, Front Row, Time Machine ... just to mention a few - they are all fantastic programs and they all work together seamlessly.

I took the iMac out of the box, plugged it into the power and turned it on. After the initial pairing of the wireless keyboard and wireless mouse - all of 10 seconds, the computer was ready to use.

The Dock is a great interface. The Finder is well thought out and is easily navigable and customisable.

I bought an external hard drive for backup. It was so easy to configure and partition for the kids PC and for the iMac. And backing up is so easy using Time Machine; you don't have to do a thing. It was easy to setup, and it keeps hourly backups for the previous 24 hrs, then daily backups for the past month, then weekly backups for all previous months. If you need to, it is so easy to access the backups to whatever date you wish. The oldest backups are deleted when the disk becomes full.

I don't play graphically intensive games, so I don't know how that would compare with a Windows 7 PC.

They say there is more software for the PC, but I don't find that a problem since the ones like File Maker and Adobe CS5 and a lot of other software is made available for both platforms, and there are ample programs available for the iMac. However, if choice is what one desires, then maybe the Windows 7 is the way to go.

I have had the iMac for about three months now, and so far I have no problems with it. Nor for that matter with the PC. Both are working well.

I have had no complaints or problems with the Windows 7 PC, but if I had to buy another computer, it definitely would be am iMac, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who asks.