The Forbidden Fruit

Conversation my brother and I shared as kids:
ME: "Hey Mike, What would you do if Dad got you your own computer for your birthday?"
MIKE: "I'd LOVE him!"
ME: "Oh yeah? Even if it was a CADO CAT?" (That's the first computer I ever remember my dad working on. I'm not even sure it could run DOS and it used gigantic floppies.)
MIKE: "Well I'd still love him, but not because of that."
ME: "Or what if it was a brand new, top-of-the-line Mac?"
MIKE: "Then I would HATE him and never speak to him again!"

At that point my dad chimes in by explaining that he would never even do that to his worst enemies (if he had any that is) and that voluntarily using any Apple computer was grounds for automatic expulsion from the family. That exact exchanged occurred over 15 years ago, but my dad and brother are still pretty fervently attached to their PCs. And I fully expect to be disowned tomorrow (pause for significant eye-rolling) when my new Macbook Pro laptop is scheduled to arrive.

Here's the deal. Our current laptop has crashed 3 times this year requiring us to box it up and send it back to the manufacturer for repairs. It could be a faulty computer or a glitch in Windows Vista, but either way I'm ready for a change. When talking to people who actually use Macs, everyone loves them. I'm sure that there are some disgruntled Apple customers out there, but I've never personally encountered one. True, there's still a bigger variety of programs that run on PCs but I really only edit photos, surf the net, and type an occasional document on my computer so that's not really an issue for me.

Here's the pros to a Mac that I get. As far as aesthetic design Macs win hands down. They are the Louboutins of computers, but I don't own designer clothes and wouldn't shell out extra cash just so my computer can look pretty (though it is a nice perk). People also rave about an operating system that isn't as easily bogged down, rarely crashes, and is less susceptible to viruses. And I'm not overlooking the fact that all the hardware is designed to work together which is rarely the case in a PC.

I'm a lot more intrigued by what I don't get though. People will list all of the above reasons when I ask why they prefer their Mac, but what it really seems to boil down to is some mystical quality they can't describe. Something to do with convenience and a better overall feel which I admit I don't really understand. I'll let you know whether I decide it can live up to the hype. See you on the dark side.