1. Interfacing: A quantitative analysis reveals that, relative to Wintel computers (computers designed with Intel-type chips and running the MS Windows operating system), the Macintosh offers superior interfacing ergonomics: the Mac OS's interface features a more transparent working environment via logical consistency with fewer levels of abstraction (i.e. fewer levels of additional thinking imposed upon the user which cause unnecessary interference with creative and productive processes) and via allowing for more fluid interaction requiring fewer mouse/trackpad manipulations when executing identical operations as Windows. Greater responsiveness is built into the Mac's visual interface (see for example how mouse responsiveness is built in to the Mac OS) that give the Mac its distinctive snappy, direct feel. Application developers adhere to this same Macintosh standard of logical consistency and ergonomics, relative to their Wintel counterparts, further decreasing learning curves and interfacing abstractions for the Mac user. The Mac's superior ergonomics extend to the one-button mouse, which allows for greater individual variability in manipulation (i.e. comfort), allows the user to vary positions over long sessions, constitutes a simplicity especially advantageous for laptop users, and is yet another example of the Mac requiring less of the user. Right-clicking Wintel-type comands can be comfortably executed by holding down the one-button mouse and selecting from a pop-up window which appears on the screen. (This is also an important advantage for young school children, who find it far more difficult to manipulate a two-button Wintel-style mouse.)
As Windows represents a relatively unsuited technology attempting to emulate the Mac OS, Windows' system elements are many times more numerous and interdependent (an error in an application is more likely to affect other applications and system elements, which in turn can affect others, and so on) making it exponentially not only more error-prone but with exponentially more wide-ranging and more widely destructive problems requiring a commensurate level of difficulty in troubleshooting and time-consuming tedium (the Mac system can be reinstalled in a matter of minutes for example, without the necessity of reinstalling applications as well), further aggravated by the necessity of the troublehooter to interpret Windows' non-english interfacing.
There are almost always fewer steps involved in installing Mac versions of applications.
The Mac OS's hardware interconnectivity is yet another advantage to the user, as hooking up peripherals requires fewer steps with lower probability of conflict or error.
The simplicity, elegance, transparency, and power of the Mac's interface is a major advantage to the user, which explains why studies conlude Mac users are more productive and know how to accomplish more with a computer than their Wintel counterparts. This also explains why Windows has spawned huge tech support, training, and maintenance industries (a sector dwarfing even computer manufacturing and sales) to support it. Tragically, this same sector serves to enhance the market dominance of the Wintel platform.
2. Despite popular misinformation, all major software categories are well-represented on the Macintosh platform, with plenty of competition among app developers. Occasionally there's a lag for major brands porting an app to the Mac, but the reverse happens as well (Adobe products for example). There are many more gaming titles available for PC however.
3. Macs can run Windows 95, 98, 2000, and NT and Linux all within a window on the Mac desktop with VirtualPC or other similar programs, giving the Macintosh access to all Windows software, although one may encounter the occasional hardware communication limitation (dongles, parallel ports, etc.), VPC integrates nicely with your Mac's network socket, IP address, printers, etc. (See "If you need Windows, get it on your Mac for cheap.")
4. There are Mac versions of Microsoft software (Explorer, Office, Excel, Powerpoint and more, some of which were produced for the Mac first and then ported into Windows versions). In many ways the Mac versions are superior to the Wintel versions.
5. New Macs utilize cutting edge hardware technologies such as G3/G4 RISC chips, chips that are faster per megahertz than Intel Pentium chips or AMD chips, as well as much smaller and requiring only a fraction of the power (big advantages for Apple laptops in terms of battery life and screen brightness). The major speed bottleneck for most users is the internet connection, where Apple wireless technologies really shine), Firewire, USB, USB 2.0, and offer faster (11 megabits per second) wireless internet (check out Airport).
6. Dual platform networks including Macs prove more cost effective than eliminating or phasing out Macs.
7. Macintosh virus worries are relatively nil.
8. All Macs include an incredibly powerful tool called AppleScript. (With Applescript one can record and playback-- and thus automate--repetitive tasks.)
9. New Macs provide free access to iTools net-based services such as private/public file storage, web hosting, email forwarding, etc.
10. New Macs include the Sherlock search and price-comparison application.
11. The most recent versions of the MacOS, especially OS 9.04, are extremely stable. Any instability is almost always due to inadequate memory, an extremely easy (relatively speaking) problem to solve by either adding more ram or adjusting applications' memory preferences.
12. Macs can read and write PC files and disks, although Apple has phased out the stock inclusion of floppy drives.
13. Macs did not have the Y2K design flaw and thus did not contribute to the squandering of hundreds of billions of dollars of the world's resources their Wintel counterparts did (nor the trillions in light of all the limitations imposed comprehensively by Wintel production and use).
14. Macs hold their value and productive life far longer than Wintel computers.
15. Mac OS X, a UNIX based operating system, is here.
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