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I have been recommending Apple Macintosh computers to friends and family for about 4 years now.Apple has really taken off, even more than I thought a few years ago.I knew people would start buying more Mac’s, but I never thought they would be selling so many.Why does anyone buy PC’s any more that only run Windows?I recently talked to a friend who runs their business on a Windows PC, and told him it made better sense to buy a Mac, because he could always run his Windows apps in a virtual machine if needed.Or, find a native Mac application for running his business.I also broke down the costs to maintain a Windows PC, which is a legitimate cost.Many Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) study’s have been performed comparing Mac OS X to Windows, and the Mac always comes out on top.What you may pay extra for up front with a Mac, you will be putting back into that Windows machine in the coming year.Mostly in LOST TIME!!People tend to ignore this very important aspect of owning a computer.Consumer reports recently did a study, and concluded that 1/3 of all Windows users would become infected with a virus, trojan horse, spyware or other malware.The percentage sky rockets for beginner users.That is a fairly high percentage.If your system gets infected, how much business will you lose?Did you think of that cost when you purchased that Windows PC?What about the annual cost to maintain a subscription for anti-virus?

Also, are you qualified to troubleshoot, and diagnose computer problems? I work with both Windows and Mac’s at work, and very rarely have to support a Mac user. Windows users need almost constant support in one way or another. So why do people continue to say that Mac’s are more expensive? When you run the numbers, and costs, the Mac always comes out on top. Go ahead, and do a Google search for it, and you will see. Run your own numbers. Steve Jobs himself said that he would never sell “junk” to consumers. Thank you, Steve! And to all the folks thinking that they will save a few hundred bucks, make sure you put that money away, because you will need it someday. Most likely when you really need your machine to be working, and you will be down, and probably not only lose that money you “saved” buying the Windows machine, but you will also lose out on the ability to do business on your computer, and that loss may really add up, especially if you do not have an IT department to solve your problem. You can also kiss your system goodbye for a few days, while you bring it in to a repair shop, and have them repair it. So, I then ask you, was it worth the couple hundred you saved?

My friend did buy a Mac, and couldn’t be happier. When he asked what anti-virus to buy, I said “what anti-virus?” Mac’s don’t get viruses, and even if a virus was emailed to you, or installed by a rogue website, the Mac would just ignore it! So, you will in fact, be ahead after 2-3 years if you run a Mac – your TCO is lower than a Windows PC.

So, my advice is still the same: get a Mac! You get what you pay for! Don’t just look at the numbers, because there is always hidden costs. A smart business man will realize this, and make the right choice. And never, never ever, let some clown working at Best Buy, Circuit City or where ever try and talk you into buying a Windows PC. Those guys have quota’s to make, and could care less about your business, as long as they get their numbers. Also, go ahead and do a Google search for what extended warranty program is the best in the business, and actually recommended.. Yup. Apple.

Don’t make a bad decision, based on just the price you pay at the checkout line. Be smart and think about the big picture. You are in business to make money, aren’t you?

I am taking google.com up on some free hosting of pictures. The slideshow works much like Apple’s dotmac account. Google gives much more space for free, and with a Picasa plugin for iPhoto, uploading and updates are easy.

Checkout this site for the latest pix:

http://picasaweb.google.com/bgarlock