early 90's: First family computer...a 286 PC. I missed the Apple II's, but I eventually got used to it...I liked DOS...I made pretty prompts, and marveled at the vastness of the 16-color EGA palette.
Troubleshooting...I loved troubleshooting. Optimizing that precious 640k...finding conflicting IRQ's...it was great, geeky fun.
Later on, we got a modem, and the wonderful world of BBS's opened up. Freaky/friendly people, and lots of new graphics apps.
I bought my own 386, and painted it black. So manly.
I met a guy in high school [Eric] that was really pro-Apple. He told me over and over again that Macs were better. I dismissed it. Macs were for weaklings. What self-respecting guy would use a computer that started up with a little smiley-face?
Mid-90's: A freshman in college, I worked in the (yes THE) computer lab. There were mostly Gateway PC's, some freakish Targa graphics machines, and three Macs. I generally ignored everything but the PC's.
The Internet finally made it to our little college, and I learned HTML. Sweetwater Sound hired me as a web designer. They were a 95% Mac-based company. Grudgingly, I used a Mac. Right around this time, Windows 95 came out. I had it installed on my PC. Looking at Mac OS at work, and Windows 95 at home, it became readily apparent that Mac OS was the real deal, and Windows 95 was the cheap imposter. I realized that my reasons for using a computer had changed...digging into the guts, troubleshooting, tweaking...that was still reasonably fun...but when I grabbed a mouse, I wanted to get something done. An analogy: My black 386 was like your first car...the beater that you did just about everything to. The Mac was your first real car...the one you would trust on a cross-country drive.
I bought a PowerMac 7500 and sold my PC to a friend [Rod].
It was strange, not having all the tools I was used to, but with a nearly untapped college T1, I had access to many replacements.
Late 90's-Present: Years of Mac enjoyment.
It isn't all peaches and cream of course...
As a guy that enjoys playing multiplayer games, it's hard when a hot new game comes out, but there's no Mac version for you...and if there is one, it will be released a year later...and it probably won't have cross-platform multiplayer support. I bought a PC just for the multiplayer games. I really hope Apple gets more serious about games. Getting Microsoft to port DirectPlay would be great.
Also, hardware support can be a big pain...some unique peripheral comes out, chances are good that it won't initially have Mac software, if ever. And Mac-specific hardware can really pound your wallet...the difference in video card prices is dreadful.
The peaches and cream...
Innovation is something a lot of companies claim to do. Apple does a great deal of it. Firewire, Airport, the no-screwdriver case, fanlessness, driving a nail into the coffin of the 1.4" floppy drive, etc. PC users scoff at a feature when it comes out, and then find it in their own machines a year later. Producing both the hardware and the OS, Apple can introduce features quickly. Introducing features on the PC side often requires the cooperation of many companies.
Security is quite nice...when yet another virus blasts through the Microsoft world, or when security hole #245 is discovered in Windows, I'm so very happy I don't have to worry. Wait...well, I guess I do have to worry about my inbox getting filled with virus-laden email. That's about it. I should point out, though, that the lack of virii and holes poked in security is mainly due to the number of Macs...most vandals want to do the most damage possible, so they target the biggest group of computer users.
Apple makes a lot of beautiful hardware...the shiny metal, the simplicity...it's a shallow way to evaluate a computer ("Oooh, shiny, want!"), but there's lots to like inside as well.
Mac OS X is really a joy to use. It's relatively simple and intuitive, but has piles of powerful features for the advanced. With Mac OS X, Apple has replaced the aging "engine" of the car with a much stronger, modern one...it's almost a completely new OS. As with any OS, there are rough spots...but they're tolerable, at least for me.
Anyway...I like Macs...they're neat.
