Apple iMac 20 in. (MA589LL/A) Mac Desktop

Until a few months ago, I had nothing but bad experiences with Mac computers. My last foray into the world of iMacs (on a majorly trashed school computer in 2002) ended with me losing a Photoshop project I had worked diligently on for 8 hours due to a system crash. Needless to say, I did not view the Apple company very positively. Being the totally swayable consumer I am, my mind was totally changed last year when I stepped into the Apple Store at the Mall of America and saw all of the new, gorgeous iMacs standing in line…they were just waiting to take me home. Then I saw the price tag. *gulp* $1500 for a new computer was just not in the budget. A few months later, the Qhost virus hit our PC. We got it back up and running, but it was never quite the same again. Despite running 3 different programs simultaneously, the PC was still riddled with spyware. It was time for a change…a fruity, delicious change. We were off to the Apple Store (who cares about budgets, right?)

I'll cut to the chase. I love my iMac. Besides the fact that it makes me feel oh-so-hip and I can now laugh at the commercials where the iMac teases the PC, it is a GREAT computer. Here are my favorite reasons to brag about my iMac to friends and family:

1. BROWSE THE INTERNET SECURELY- Since nobody really bothers to write code for it yet, there is no spyware or viruses for the Mac. There just isn't. And if you download Firefox w/ the Ad-Block plug-in, there aren't ads or pop-ups either. Sweet.

2. iLIFE SUITE- The iMac comes preloaded with the iLife suite of programs. This includes Garage Band (for making music, podcasts, you name it…), iPhoto (for cataloging your pics), iDVD (make professional-looking DVD's w/ animated menus and everything), iTunes (for cataloging all your MP3's and putting them on your iPod) Buying software for the PC which does all this would cost you a ton…and the programs would be nowhere near as user-friendly or of such high quality. The programs all work seamlessly together, so creating media and storing it is a snap.

3. IT LOOKS HOT- Just look at the thing. It's not just a computer…it's a work of art.

4. STORAGE AND MEMORY- Check the details for this product. My husband and I have over 2000 CD's, and so far have loaded about 1000 of them onto the iMac. This has taken up about 40 GB of space out of the 250GB hard drive (we have a 20-inch iMac) That's ridiculously awesome! Since the iMac really doesn't come preloaded with any unnecessary programs like most PC's do, you're not wasting much-needed memory on stuff you're not using. The thing never crashes. Really. The one I used back in school was trashed by about 200 students—that's why it crashed every 5 minutes.

5. iSIGHT- The iMac has a built-in iSight camera. This allows you to take fun pictures for your online profiles with the PhotoBooth application, or you can use it as a webcam for networking or chatting. My husband uses it to PodCast on Stickam, and it works great!

6. OS X- If you're not familiar with the operating system, it's probably going to take a little getting used to. Once you get the hang of it though, it'll make Windows seem archaic. Thankfully, Apple has a great tutorial on their website which will help you get up and going in no time. Great little features like real-time file search that's always present on your screen makes your experience that much better.

7. NAV BAR- All of the programs you use most frequently are in a scrolling nav bar, rather than in icons all over your desktop like Windows. This way, there's no digging for programs…they're all at your fingertips. If there are programs you don't use often, you don't need to put them in the Nav Bar. You can find them in your Finder, just like finding them in "My Computer" in Windows.

8. THE DASHBOARD- clicking down on your mouse scroll button will send you to the dashboard. This is the place where all your widgets live (little programs like a calendar, calculator, forecast, white pages, etc.) This is so handy, as you don't have to go all over the internet looking for information. You can download widgets from the internet to suit your needs (anything from Wikipedia to Simpsons quotes) and customize your dashboard any way you like.

9. AIRPORT & BLUETOOTH- Both wireless internet capability and Bluetooth are built right in. If you've got a wireless network, you can hop right online. With Bluetooth, you can communicate with other Bluetooth enabled devices like cell phones. These capabilities are great for file transfers between devices.

10. HD SCREEN- If you can't afford an HD TV like me, you can still watch your movies in HD or download HD trailers from the internet. If the screen isn't big enough…you can always go for the 24-inch screen instead!

I'm not going to get into all the specs and technical requirements of this computer, as that's all listed in the product Details above. If you're like me and probably don't know what half of that technical junk means, the 10 reasons above ought to give you a pretty good idea of why so many consumers are switching to the Apple line of products right now. If you're not sure yet, I suggest you find your nearest Apple store and go have a chat with one of their customer reps. They are very knowledgeable, and won't look down on your if you're not familiar with Macs yet. In fact, they'll be glad to show you how and why they're superior to your old PC! Most stores offer in-store tutorials or classes, too, so you can always take advantage of that.

If your PC is giving you trouble or you really just want to take advantage of all the digital media out there, this is the computer for you.