Why buy a Mac?

There are hundreds of reasons why those who own a Mac never look back. Here are the top ten:

1 It’s easy to use.

Mac is easier and faster to set up than a PC. You simply unpack your new Apple and plug it in, insert the software CD, click on the installer, and off you go. Yes, it really is that simple. And further down the line, when you want to add something new to your dream machine - an iPod, digital camera or camcorder - the same plug-and-play procedure applies. As for the award-winning applications, let’s just say Mac’s streamlined approach will never make you take two steps, where one will do.

2 It makes perfect pictures and home movies.

Plug in your camera and your Mac makes picture-editing a cinch. It will import, edit, share and organise your photos at the click of a few keys.

And it’s not just amateur snappers who love their Apples: professional photographers choose to download and edit their pictures on a Mac.

Mac is also the first choice for budding Alfred Hitchcock’s or Quentin Tarantino’s. It provides an in-built editing suite, special effects and cinema in one package, allowing you to do everything from record your own masterpiece to burn it to DVD.

3 It’s reliable

Sorry, but never again will you be able to use the excuse "my computer crashed" for missing a deadline. Everyone knows that Macs rarely crash. They always start up - Beautifully. This is because Apple makes everything from motherboard to mouse the way it wants, to its spec and with its own components. And you can rely on Apple to do the right thing, not the cheap thing

4 It looks good

It may sound superficial but if there is one thing that differentiates Mac users from the PC masses, it’s looks. The perfect union of function and form, Apple computers are way ahead of the field in terms of design, style and beauty, thanks to apple’s legendary industrial designer Jonathan Ive. Grey, dull and corporate are words that do not exist in the Mac-user’s world. Instead, Apple computers share the same elegant looks as the super-cool iPod.

5 It loves to travel

Buy a Mac and you become part of a very special club. On trains, planes and in airport lounges, you will spot other Mac owners working away on their iBooks or PowerBooks (possibly reinventing the world as we know it.) The Mac iBook and the PowerBook are indisputably, the two most appealing laptops on the planet. Plus Mac OS X Tiger (see below) allows you to connect easily from anywhere you care to roam.

6 It’s less prone to viruses and spyware.

Apple’s hardware is the best in the business. The Mac OS X operating system has remained largely immune to the the virus and spyware problems that plague PC users. More than 8,000 viruses exist for the PC, while the Mac has succumbed to less than 50 viruses in its history.

7 It’s the choice for internet users.

Your Mac can get you on-line in minutes. And that’s not all. It comes with other in-built features to facilitate fast surfing, including Safari, Mail, .Mac, iChat and Airport, for wireless connection. Also, a large percentage of pages on the web were created on Apples. Enough said?

8 It makes music.

If you love your iPod, chances are you’ll love your Mac computer even more passionately. There’s a lot more to it than iTunes: Mac lets you make music too. Whether you?re recording a Top Ten hit or burning a CD, Mac is the first choice of professional DJ’s and recording artists.

 

9 It’s the best for graphics and colour:

Mac is the best computer for graphic design and colour work. Indeed, desktop publishing was created on the Mac. The world’s leading magazines use Macs exclusively for page layout and design.

10 Apple Tiger leaves Windows XP in the dust.

Apple Tiger, the latest version of Apple’s excellent Mac Os X operating system, which will be free on all new Macs (and cost £85 for existing users) offers unbeatable features for locating and organising files. It includes an application called "Spotlight" which speedily locates almost any file, even if it is hidden among tens of thousands of other files.

Apple Tiger also features a new "dashboard" for useful little programs - calculator, dictionary, calendar, electronic yellow pages - that you might want to access quickly and frequently.

Experts have described it as "the most advanced personal computer operating system on the market."