I'm not sure I've ever read a computer column so utterly and completely divorced from the reality I inhabit.

The single most significant reason for almost everyone I know not to buy a Mac is not the price but that the software we need to use, and most especially the games we want to play, are not available for the Mac.

I don't know anyone who has ever resold a computer, we upgrade them component by component (something that, although this could have changed, never used to be an option with Macs) until we hit a plateau point where a new system is needed, at which point the old system is generally repurposed.

that makes it so cool, and a downright pleasant experience to be involved with.

And I thought after five different upgrades Steve and Cupertino would have lifted the experience of using OS X to a more 3D-level of usage somehow, but they haven't as of yet. Leopard is more polished and smooth than Puma, but nothing that real catches my attention is added to that Aqua experience. Cupertino is sort of scrapping the barrel trying to find things to add and evolve each subsequent upgrade into becoming something worthy of an upgrade.

Say you read it here at Salon.com first, and you may want to keep it to yourself, to think about and make a million dollars with: robotics, computer cognition. Virgin territory. Everything else in the personal computer market is saturated, glutted, and even the robber barons in the Justice Department want some of the Microsoft booty, now.

that Macs are for girls:

"I've never heard a Windows user say they love their PC."

That someone can stand in wonder that people don't have a deep, personal bond with a pile of circuitry and metal is why Mac users tend not to be taken terribly seriously. When "which flavor do I get? I kind of like grape!" became foremost in the Mac shopper's mind, all was lost.

There's nothing wrong with the machines. Apple's industrial design is legendary, and the machines tend to be put together a bit more solidly (for twice the money, they'd better be). And if you can control which hardware is used (and charge a ludicrous premium for taking that choice away from consumers), you can spend a lot more energy making sure the system works end-to-end with that hardware.

That's a believable model for building a set of computers. The other model is to make everything interchangeable and hope that the 2000 different organizations building drivers and whatnot all work in perfect harmony. Chaotic, but that's capitalism for you.

It's the latter that's driven price drops all over the marketplace, a price drop which Apple is only too happy to exploit. You people don't think they make their own, special "Apple" disk drives, do you?

I'm not arguing that PCs are a better value. In fact, If you actually read my original letter, I argue that they aren't really a better value for most users who aren't willing to use the slow $500 PCs. I'm arguing that PCs are just plain better than Macs for most users, irregardless of price or value.

To me, its the Windows operating system that has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. The dramatic improvement from Windows 95 or 98 to Vista has made the idea of switching from PC to Mac because the Windows operating system is unstable, unsecure, and buggy obsolete. Macs used to have the better OS, by far. That's not true any more.

Furthermore, even if the Windows OS isn't quite as good as Mac OS, there are plenty of other reasons to choose Windows over Mac (see my original letter).

Most PC users understand these points. That's why they buy PC instead of Mac.

Stop trying to tell me that I (and every PC user out there) just doesn't understand that Macs are wonderful. You are like a recently converted born-again Christian trying to explain to the rest of the world that if we just understood the "good news," we'd want to be born again too. No matter how many times you politely tell them no, they just wont leave you alone. They can't believe that you've both heard their message and that you reject it.

I know what Macs are like. I prefer a PC and I have good reasons to do so, as do most other PC users. End of story.

Not me - but a friend who's used them for 20 years.

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You know, it's not the resale value issue (though that's something I had never considered.)

It's that your time is valuable. The Mac is plug 'n play - start using it instantly. The interface is intuitive, easy to understand. There's always several ways to do a given thing, so it fits users' habits. Installing software and ugrading software is simple, not a dreaded chore. Last but not least, how much do PC folks suffer from viruses and spyware? It's a major headache at times. And tech help is expensive!! And you have to be without your computer while people like [my husband] clean the gunk out of it regularly running new high-end anti-viral stuff. He has several such clients.

The author's point about the Mac being a Ford, not a BMW, is well-put. My Mac's as solid and reliable as my wheelbarrow. I virtually cannot crash it; I can open everything, and it barely slows down. It's a dependable, easy-to-use workhorse. And that's how an essential machine ought to be! Apple got that right.

With every new Windows OS or iteration thereof, you feel dread. Like a "gougee." In 22 years of personal computing, I have gone through just THREE Macs. How much time and stress do you figure that's saved me in total? The lack of headaches are worth it. I used to be pretty PC-savvy - a "power user." Not anymore! Now I just want easy-to-follow instructions, dead-easy use, and dependable performance. And for my personal software to not become obsolete every frickin year. Thank you, Apple.

PS: For what it's worth... apropos "usability" issues, back in April when Apple's iPhone was coming out in June, I told [my husband] "Look how easy it is! I have a feeling this is going to really catch on. Let's buy Apple stock." We put thousand$$ in at $94 per share. Yesterday? $190.