After months of putting it off, I finally went 100% Mac in late August. I’m happy to report that I did, indeed, survive the “great migration,” and I’m loving the all-Mac experience.
In fact, I can honestly say that I’m now a Mac believer. And I’ll NEVER go back to PC again!
Here’s why I decided to make the switch, why I put it off for so long, and the lesson I learned about wealthy freelancing…
A few years ago, when I started to hear all the Mac hype out there, I just wasn’t buying it. I didn’t “get” all the Bill Gates hatred — the anti-Windows rants. My laptop ran fine (or so I thought). And software is a complex thing, so I could understand why Microsoft was so busy all the time trying to plug security holes.
Fast-forward a year or so. Suddenly I’m not as complacent. Trojans, viruses, the constant Blue Screen of Death, software hanging
These were now weekly occurrences.
Badly wounded by my ever-growing PC problems, I began to pay more attention to what the Apple crowd was saying. I even took a stroll to the local Apple store (something I never did because it felt too “cultish” for me). The shopping mall was nearly empty. But the Apple store was busting at the seams!
Even more surprising was that this fervent enthusiasm was happening at the height of a deep recession (Lehman Brothers had JUST collapsed!).
Considering the fact that a Mac costs two to three times more than a basic Windows laptop, that was a good enough reason to take a closer look.
Two months later, I finally gave in and bought a MacBook Pro. It took me a few months to work up the courage to migrate all my files over to the Mac. But I finally did it.
Yes, there were some hiccups. Yes, I bitched and moaned for a week. And yes, there are some things I still believe Windows does better than Mac (not many; just one or two).
But I can honestly say that I’m impressed with my Mac. I’m impressed with Apple and the simplicity of its software and user interface. I’m impressed with the quality of its products (I bought an iPhone a couple of months ago as well).
I love the fact that my Mac boots within 1 minute…and shuts down within 10 seconds. It runs fast. It’s efficient in every way. And I’m not having to install critical security updates 17 times a day.
But the most important lesson has been the shift in my attitude since making the switch.
I’ve realized that my computer is the most important physical asset in my business. So to constantly get the clients, projects, income and lifestyle I want — to be the wealthy freelancer I want to be — I need to invest in the best, most reliable equipment I can possibly afford.
Will it cost more upfront? You bet. But over a one- or two-year period, those extra dollars will save me an enormous amount of time and frustration. And that, my friends, I now realize is worth a LOT to me.
What about you? What’s your worst Windows horror story? If you went to Mac after years on PC, why did you do it?
And how has investing in better, more reliable equipment made you a more effective, productive and happier freelancer?
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
My Story is the same my first mac mini spent 2 years in the closet,
I bought it because, I wanted to try it and because the package of the Mac Mini looked cool.
At the time i was playing around with linux and making my own embedded version, the goal was to run Linux on the Mac mini in my car as an onboard Media Center/GPS/engine monitoring.
That did not work well so I started to play with OS X, and got hooked. I thought to myself, wow, the hype is real, it does “Just Work”
12 years of programming on the PC/Windows and just before the frustration drove me to give up programming and move one to something else I thought, Why don’t I try this mac thing. 5 Years on a mac and you would have to cut off my legs for me not to run away from a Windows/.Net programming job, and then again.
I don’t remember the last time I had to reboot the machines other than for the occasional Updates.
Im the proud owner of MacPro, MacBook, MacMini, AppleTV and iPhone.
Is that good enough of a switch you think?
Regards.
I am disturbingly attached to Apple Products.
I switched after nearly losing a 275 page novel I had just finished my senior year of college (had to hire a data recovery guy to get it back… then again, it’s now sitting on a shelf so I might feel better if had an excuse for not having it published).
Now I do all of my writing and work on my Macbook Pro (and back everything up on an external hard-drive). There’s nothing I miss about my old PC.
Yes, PC is better at somethings, but nothing that I need.
The best part of my Mac is how quickly it works. If you’ve placed an hourly rate on what your time is worth, then you can easily justify buying a $2500 computer after a few months of PC reboots and frequent updates.
Plus, how much do you have to spend on software every year to get a PC to actually do anything useful?
Congratulations on making the quality switch Ed!
Like you, I’ve always thought Apple was hyped up. Why switch? Old habits die hard as they say.
(My cheeky accountant told me I could have bought 3 PCs. Hmm, quality, not quantity I say.)
I used to view a Mac user as someone who just didn’t have technical aptitude or simply didn’t want to take the initiative to solve a technical problem when they probably could.
But as my last – of several – PCs I built started to show increasingly more signs of terminal illness, those views faded. I started to see the productivity value around the corner in switching to a Mac. And those Mac users before me were probably much more productive.
Back in February after returning from a vacation to Peurto Rico, I noticed that the motherboard was definitely not receiving a whole lot of electrons through her circuits. She lived a good life. And “had some work done” along the way.
As a last ditch effort to eek out another week or two of life, I took a trip over to the local warehouse store for PC geeks, in search of a power supply. No problem.
I picked up and installed a new power supply as I’d done before. Then came, as they say, “The moment of Truth.”
Nothing. Silence. (From my lifeless computer anyway.)
I went back to the store to find that this new power supply checks out fine.
Just lovely!
The guys there were great to refund the power supply with no restocking fee. (Same day.) So I walked out with a $26 USB/IDE Transfer cable that gave me temporary access to my hard drive contents with my wife’s laptop as the surrogate CPU provider.
That was painful. Not unlike walking around with body parts in hand.
Then I placed my order for my iMac at the Apple Store online.
And thanks to Pete Savage’s answers to a few of my transition questions, giving me his testimonial to go for it, I’m glad I did. Easy switch.
For several months now, the sound of silence in my office is a peaceful one. My iMac is so quiet I can’t even hear it just steps away from my desk. If musical inspiration is missing, iTunes always comes through.
Not only that, I’ve found high quality software for CRM and invoicing, which comes highly recommended by Apple.
And recently I scooped up a great deal on an iPod. Love it too.
So yes, I’m much more productive because I can concentrate on my clients and marketing my business. Not on blue screens and downtime.
But I have to admit, without PCs failing, I wouldn’t have had several years in the IT industry. So it’s a feather in my cap that I developed valuable IT knowledge and problem solving skills that complements my sales and marketing background.
My software and tech clients appreciate that.
Cheers.
Sandro and Kevin – Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. Frankly, I’m amazed at how many tech-savvy people have switched to Mac. You guys are proof of that. I’m not very technical, but when someone who knows their stuff switches and then falls in love, I take notice! Kevin – I was sweating hear reading about your last PC’s painfully slow death. Ouch!
Henry – “Disturbingly attached??” That’s hilarious, dude!! I think I’m quickly approaching that level of attachment. You bring up a good point about all the “little” time savings adding up. As freelancers, we need to consider these little interruptions and make better decisions. Towards the end, I was wasting so much time rebooting and troubleshooting problems — time I couldn’t devote to billable work. And just recently, I spent nearly 3 hours on the phone with Geek Squad trying to get a Trojan off my wife’s PC. That time is worth a lot to any freelancer!
Kevin – Forgot to ask you, what CRM and invoicing programs have you settled on? I’m curious. Starting to look at both areas.
Welcome to the world of Mac users! Warning: we tend to become Mac fanatics
I’ve been a Mac user for maybe 5 years and could never understand it when PC users asked about software to turn their word documents into PDF. Huh? It’s 2 clicks in a Mac.
Of course, you’ll get (if you haven’t already) iWork, Transmit and Screenflow?
Ih here, just fall into this place by a link from google reader …
I’m not gonna tell you my worst Microsoft horror story, but my worst Apple horror story : The day I installed iTunes for my fresh bought iPod.
I show to the apple software wich folders was holding my music, and then, I heard some screaming, and all of the songs, all of the albums, almost everything was upside down … 20 gigabytes of music upside down …
It was 5 years ago, and i’m still shaking when I think back about that day … it was snowing outside and it was just before dinner …
So hey, easy on MS, apple can suck too
Ed,
Check out Daylite for your CRM and Billings for invoicing. Go to http://www.marketcircle.com for both.
Daylite keeps contacts. But it also keeps track of every call and integrates with Mail to keep a record for all those follow up emails or using the Launch Email Technique. You can schedule your time and a whole lot more.
I haven’t done a DM campaign since installing it, so while I’m creating a new list right now I’m adding names to Daylite as well as an Excel document. As we know, Jigsaw and many other directory sites cater to the PC market so it’s better to have a backup plan than none.
You’ll find it can be used on the iPhone too, if you have one.
Billings lets you create invoices and receipts. You can program in your specific tax rates etc. Billings is only about 50 bucks, but even less in the U.S. It shows invoices you haven’t been paid for etc. Nobody likes that, so it reminds us.
Why not check out a free trial of each?
Sorry, but I have never experienced the “Trojans, viruses, the constant Blue Screen of Death, software hanging” on a weekly basis in the last several years of working with several Windows PCs.
Trojans and viruses? I’ve maybe had trouble once or twice, but nothing serious.
I don’t think I’ve seen the BSoD more than two or three times since I ditched Windows 98, and those times were on XP. I wasn’t an early adopter of Vista (because some of the software I depend on wasn’t compatible right out of the chute), but when I did make that move, I didn’t have any trouble. And Windows 7 has been smooth sailing as well.
Does Windows frustrate me? Sometimes, but not often.
I dunno; I hear other people ranting about the problems they have, and I don’t doubt them. But I just haven’t experienced that agony.
I’ve always used PC and still do. But my designers all use Mac. I asked them about this once and they said Macs crash and have their own issues, despite the popular myth that they’re perfect computers. Also, new computers always go really fast, even PCs.
Then again, unlike Ed, I have always been a bit technical and have taken precautions to avoid serious problems. Spam blockers, Norton Internet Security, online backup with Carbonite, Firefox instead of Explorer, OpenOffice instead of Word, Thunderbird for email, etc.
I’m not an anti-Mac luddite, I’ve just never had a good reason to switch. Though I think since Mac is not the massive target that PCs are for spammers and hackers, and since Macs are highly user-friendly for certain users, they’re probably a good choice for simplicity.
I bought an Apple laptop in 2000 (before they were MacBooks) and it was the only computer in a household of four. I used it when I was teaching and finally had to replace it in late 2008. During that time the only problems I had were the power cord, and eventually, the battery. It never crashed or froze or had a virus–maybe we were doing simple computing. My husband learned to use the internet with that computer and never used a PC. When he had to use a PC at work he was completely flummoxed and came home to ask me, “Why? Why would anybody buy a PC when they could buy a Mac?”
We never had to make a switch, and I am grateful for that. Now, my daughter is getting ready to go to college next year, and I wish I could afford to buy her a MacBook, but it looks like she is going to have to start with a PC. Even those of us who are diehard Mac fans are forced to purchase PCs sometimes.
Ed, Thanks for sharing your Mac experience. The Blue Screen of Death appears more often than I care for. I am wasting valuable time trying to make my system work, frequent crashes, windows updates, slow-loading program, just not cutting it.
I am tech-savvy and in the past successfully did my own repairs.My frustration level is reaching boiling point.I have an important project to complete this weekend and I can’t tell my client my computer doesn’t work. Yet, I am thinking it’s time to go Mac.
I’ve had my problems with PCs, but I really despise Microsoft for their b2b practices…
For example, my father’s company (a architectural woodworking firm) bought a $40,000 package from Microsoft with firewalls, integrated servers… and a bunch of other terms that sound technical and important.
The system breaks down about once a month. His company pays about $80,000 a year having a Microsoft Specialist come in and repair it. That doesn’t take into account the costs of down time and lost business when the firewall OBLITERATES an entire weekend’s worth of incoming email (happened more than once).
Since Apple has no real business solutions and linux isn’t all that user friendly, most business is pretty much stuck with MS products that *almost* do what you pay for.
At least Apple is holding their feet to the fire on the personal computing side of their business.
So while Mac makes my work life simpler and more productive, I also buy Mac to spite Microsoft (for the sake of my family grudge).
I must say I have had forbidden switching thoughts about the Mac as well, but what keeps turning me back is the fact that there is so much software I use that is only available on Windows machines. Over the years I have found a lot cool little applications and tools that work perfectly on a Windows machine and do specific tasks I need, but aren’t even available in a Mac version.
I determined I could probably not make a perfect switch so I stand out in the rain and admire all of you Mac users inside by the warm fire
Lexi – Not sure about iWork and Transmit, but I just looked up Screenflow and it definitely sounds like something I can use! Thanks for the tip.
Roy – What I meant was that I would experience at least one of those weekly. Mostly the Blue Screen of Death and software hanging for no reason. And of course, I just loved to reboot, since it took about 5 minutes to shut down and 10 minutes to power up. I realize this was due to having corrupt registry files. But the thought of reinstalling Windows and starting from scratch just wasn’t appealing.
Dean – I agree. There are many things PC users can do to reduce their risk. I tried most of them. But I was on XP and didn’t want to go to Vista. So when my machine reached turned 3 years old, I figured I’d have to deal with change regardless: Vista or Mac. Both sounded painful, so I went with Mac.
Ed,
Welcome to the right side of the Force! I was in the creative services in the corporate sector for years forced to make things work in the Windows environment. I was an early adapter to Mac for my home office and so could compare the experiences side by side. I’ve been running my own custom publishing business now from my little G4 Power Mac for nearly 10 years. Other than having my Mac guy come do a clean up every year or so, I have had no down time whatsoever do to computer problems. Love that. I just ‘upgraded’ to a MacBook Pro at Thanksgiving. Imagine a computer running your entire business for nearly a decade with nothing more than a few updates along the way. That’s why Mac people seem a little ‘cultish’ to the Windows world – we know what it’s like to have a tool that just works.
I love that you mention being techy. There are different types of techys. There are people who like to tinker with the innards of their computer cobbling stuff together to try and make them work and then there are craftsmen who want technological tools to do their job. I think that’s the difference with Mac people. We just want to use a cool tool that lets us do what we do best. We don’t want to have to mess with the tool itself. I love gadgets, but only when they work.
Thanks for your post, Ed. I think more people will be moving over when they see the advantages.
Cheers
Welcome to Mac. There’s simply no comparison. For the average user, Mac is the most user-friendly, easygoing and relaible system out there. I occasionally have to work on a client’s PC machine or programs, and it kills me. Mac is just superior. That’s it. Period.
Man, this is a great discussion! Keep in mind that I was once very suspicious of the whole Apple movement. I tend to be somewhat of a contrarian, so when I see so many flocking to Apple and bashing Windows, I was convinced that I was some kind of anti-Bill-Gates movement based purely on emotion. I told myself that I’d never be a part of that. Then, I realized it was much more than that. It was, to a great degree, a product quality and performance issue.
Now…I have a question for the Mac crowd. Why are the Apple stores always so crowded? It’s not just people buying or at the Genius bar. I’d say most customers are just playing around with the gadgets. Which really puzzles me, because there’s really not that much you can do with an iPod that’s not yours. Or a MacBook that doesn’t have your stuff in it. Kind of a waste of time (IMO) to tinker with this stuff.
Honestly, I’m stumped! I’m not trying to make fun of anyone here. Just curious as to why the Apple store is such a popular playground.
Hi again Ed,
The Apple store ‘thing’ is really about community and fun. Kind of like social media or twitter. We really just love to see what’s new and see how others are using it. I run an association for communication professionals that’s made up mostly of writers, designers and photographers and about 90% of our members are Mac based. They’re active in the local users’ group and really just enjoy learning new cool things that they can do with their computers. I know it sounds a little crazy but it’s kind of a life style thing. Also, Mac stores are not really about ’selling’ – they’re about ‘playing’, so the pressure point is not there. As you can see with this thread, we love to share our experiences with out ‘tools’ (mine has become almost a partner in my business). Jump in – it’s fun and surprisingly refreshing.
Barbara – That makes sense; thanks for sharing. Apple has done an incredible job of creating a community of very excited and loyal customers. Where Microsoft is more about the need to get the work done, Apple is more about getting the work done…but doing it in style and having fun while you do it.
I began my relationship with my iMac two years and 3 days ago. It was the best computer decision I have ever made. In two years, my iMac has frozen up twice. TWICE!!! The PC running XP I threw to the curb was giving me the BSoD or hanging up in the middle of something at least twice a day. Very time consuming to constantly run scans and reboot. Ugh. I don’t miss those days at all.
My daughter has a PC for her educational software. It isn’t hooked up to the internet and is basically bare bones. I still have to restart that stupid thing once a day. My daughter is only four – but she knows when the PC needs to be restarted and it was the first thing she learned to do other than click “next” or “play”.
I will NEVER go back to PC. For my purposes, iMac is PERFECT. You couldn’t PAY me to have a PC as my primary computer – I work from home and speed and reliability is essential.
When I have had questions (not problems – just questions!), I set up a time and Apple calls ME! LOVE IT!! The genius bar has helped this newbie tremendously!!!
I love my iMac. It’s running as fast and as well as it did the day I plugged it in and fired ‘er up.
The biggest learning curve for me was closing windows from the left corner instead of the right one, fortunately, I was able to overcome that mountain pretty quickly.
Ed,
I had the same experience once I bought my iPhone. I resisted a smart phone for years. I didn’t need to be “connected” 24/7. But one of my clients, a marketing VP, said I really needed an iPhone.
Like you, I walked into a PACKED Apple store — while the rest of the mall was empty.
I “got” the iPhone and the whole Apple experience within 24 hours. I can’t believe how easy it is to use. I love the intuitive interface. I love how it just works and how I can sync it to Gmail and the Google apps I use.
I am hooked — and my next computer will definitely be a Mac.
This thread is a great example of excellent marketing, isn’t it. Apple has created a great set of products that are uber cool, they provide fun and really good customer service and then just let their customers talk for them. Who cares if the product is more expensive?
Dianna – Welcome to the club, sister! Hey, I can tell you’ll be a huge Mac fan once you come over to this side. I know many PC people talk about the big investment they’ve made in PC software and how that’s kept you from going Mac. Not sure if you feel the same way. But honestly, if you do make the switch, you’ll make up for that investment very quickly in increased productivity and reduced stress. Trust me!
Barbara – You’re so right! I’m not the type of consumer who talks about all the product he likes (certainly not the “maven” type Malcom Gladwell describes in “Tipping Point”). Apple has become one of the first brands I’ve publicly praised. They’ve totally earned my respect and admiration in just a few months. Enough to get me talking about them in this forum!
Thanks for your comments, ladies!
I really don’t know where all the hype about Macs and hatred towards Windows is coming from…
I’ve been using PCs/Windows for years now, and have never, ever experienced any major issues to the point where I was getting frustrated with my PC. And I’m not even a tech geek.
If that ever occurs, it’s usually because you bought a sub-par laptop or PC with some shady/cheap components in it. If you only spent a few more bucks and bought a machine with quality parts in it, enough memory, faster hard drive and better processor, you wouldn’t have any of those issues.
If you stopped installing every piece of software that landed in your inbox as a suggestion from whoever, exercised some due diligence (don’t do stupid stuff like go installing trojans offered by some shady websites), you’d never have those problems to begin with. But yea, I understand, it’s easier to shift responsibility for your own actions onto a piece of hardware that can’t refute it and slap it back to you.
Again, you get what you pay for.
And I still don’t see why anyone would pay twice as much for a Mac (laptop or standalone machine) when they can get the similar performance out of a PC counterpart… aside from a really nice operating system, which I gotta give kudos to Mac/Apple.
I am just not switching yet from a PC, as I find the Mac “community” (developers and some users) so beehive follower oriented and closed minded that they can’t even bother to see outside of Mac sometime. Why are all their plugs, cables, mice different and cannot be used with anything else but compatible Apple products? Sure, there’s innovation there, but I find that there isn’t much freedom when it comes to choosing hardware you want to use, software you want to play with, etc… unfortunately.
Jason – Regarding this comment:
“If you stopped installing every piece of software that landed in your inbox as a suggestion from whoever, exercised some due diligence (don’t do stupid stuff like go installing trojans offered by some shady websites), you’d never have those problems to begin with. But yea, I understand, it’s easier to shift responsibility for your own actions onto a piece of hardware that can’t refute it and slap it back to you.”
I’m all about taking full responsibility for your actions and decisions. But I’m also NOT one of these guys that installs everything my friends and family suggest. In fact, I had become militant years ago about installing new software. Ran a bare-bones machine. And had both antivirus AND anti-malware software (Webroot Spysweeper) installed. Not only that, but I was very diligent about installing software patches as soon as they came out, no matter how insignificant they would seem.
Yet even after building what seemed to be a fortress with strategically placed surveillance and defensive positions… I kept having problems.
Eventually, I gave up and decided to go to a platform that doesn’t require a ridiculous amount of horsepower — or full-blown military capabilities — just to run and maintain a bare-bones setup.
I still have great respect for Gates, Ballmer and Microsoft. What they’ve been able to build is remarkable. Just not willing to buy their products anymore.
I ran across this site while doing a search on Google. I am in IT. I have both Mac’s and PC’s. I have various professional certifications on both…that are current.
Windows XP was old in 2004 at 3 years old. Microsoft had internal problems/politics, they grew to big to fast ect… and what eventually became Vista in Jan of 2007 was supposed to come out in late 2003 early 2004. It was nothing like the early prototypes, Vista was a rushed re-write and so it was a buggy OS with good intentions.
Because of the massive market share of Windows (still at 92% today) Windows is a target for malware developers. Malware today is all about making money by making a XP user think they have a virus. Or just plain stealing info for identity theft. XP lacked modern security because Vista was so behind. Mac’s got this security in various version of OS X and still has it today. Vista got it as well and its even more secure with Windows 7. Technically, under the hood Windows 7 is more secure today than Snow Leopard is. Example, if you buy a Windows 7 PC today, the “firewall” is turned on. If you buy a Mac today the “firewall” is off by default. Also the firewall in Windows 7 is way better. XP never even had a firewall until it was later added with SP2.
Today I think Snow Leopard and Windows 7 overall are about even in security. Snow Leopard slightly less but because of their market share there is not any real malware out there for them….so its equal.
As a IT tech I moved to all Mac’s at my house in December of 2006. XP was old, insecure and lacked many features that OS X Tiger had at the time. I had been beta testing Vista and while it had some improvements, especially in security it was buggy, slow, lacked hardware support and needed a really fast computer to just perform OK. I still used Windows every day at work. The Mac for me was a vast improvement and its focus on consumer needs were fulfilled by software like iLife etc. I started to see an uptick of Mac’s at work, in places there never were before around then end of 2007, so I had to support them and integrate them into the Windows business world and have done so since then.
Today in May of 2010 I have had 4 years of both consumer and business experience with Mac’s and I am moving back to Windows. Mostly because Windows 7 is that good.
My experience is that if properly maintained neither has an advantage. I have seen plenty of broken Mac’s, overheating problems on many early Macbooks, issues with other components like wireless not working until Apple finally patches it etc. However no more or no less than a PC from say Dell or HP.
On the surface Apple has beautiful designs. Their current Macbook Unibody line is pure engineering excellence. However under the hood, they use the EXACT same parts as many PC vendors. Apple does not make CPU’s or RAM, or Hard drives, nor does Dell or HP. Apple does tend to go with the faster components and beacuse their product line is so slim all of their models tend to have the best performing hardware. Example are simple things like Mac’s have Wireless N which is the fastest wireless on all of their computers. Dell has it too but only on their more expensive models, with Wireless G on the cheaper models.
You will pay a premium for that good looking hardware. If you want a warranty that lasts longer than 1 year you will pay for Apple Care. However Dell and HP have the same thing. So does Bestubuy. All in all the hardware and its power/reliability is the same.
The biggest negative for Mac users is software. In almost every area, there is a Windows version that is better, sometimes multiple Windows versions. I have used Quicken for years, from back in the DOS days. Quicken on Windows is great, a fantastic product. Quicken on a Mac is horrible, and the alternatives for Quicken on the Mac are worse. I know many Mac users that “Boot Camp” into Windows or keep a PC around, just for Quicken for Windows. I also use Office, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Access a lot. While there is a a Microsoft Office for the Mac, and iWork in the end they are both inferior to the Windows version and if you use those products a lot you will notice it pretty quick. About the only place I can say a Mac has a software advantage is in high mid-high end Video software with Final Cut, which is used by lots of movies studios. Also someone said save a word doc as a PDF….there have been free 3rd party tools on the Windows side to do this for many years. Print2PDF is one of the good ones. Also since Office 2007 its been built into Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook on the PC.
Another worry some trend I see from Apple is its massive focus on mobile devices. When was the last time you saw a Mac commercial that was not one of those I am PC/Mac? I mean a Mac ad that talks about what the Mac is good for, like SO many you see for the iPhone and iPad. In this last financial quarter the iPhone/iTunes division made more money that the Mac division. The iPad will only increase this gap. Right now there is no word on the next version of Mac OS, or iLife or iWork…..all we hear is iPhone/iPad.
My recommendation is if you are still on XP….Please get off of it ASAP, its a malware target. Move to either a Mac with Snow Leopard or a PC with Windows 7….both are really great.
Enjoy your Mac, its a fun group to hang around.