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Microsoft should fire their marketing department and hire the department over at Apple that makes up some of the stuff we see in Mac vs. Windows. This is not a tech site where we talk about gadgets all day nor do I claim to be an editor at CNET.com but as a webmaster and everyday computer user I feel my thoughts on this issue may concern many in a similar situation. Many of us have thought of making the switch lately with the disappointment of Vista and the rising popularity of iPod’s. I have liberal friends who praise Mac up and down and was one of them were the first people to buy an iPod. I also used Macintosh computers on newspaper and yearbook staff in high school so I have been curious to become that cool person again with an Apple.

The claims you hear from most Apple computer users is that their computers are somehow faster than an IBM cloned Windows computer. Faster than my Sony Vaio? Yes, I love speed in cars and anything that can get me where I want without wasting time and energy. A fast computer, fast internet access, and fast cars come at the top of my list.

Let me just say first of all I have learned many lessons from this experiment. The first is that when you want to return anything Apple you cannot. Apple flatters itself in the fact you cannot return their products. I found that their mouse called the “mighty mouse” is the slowest and heaviest mouse I have used in years. I called MacMall.com to return the product and they said Apple has a rule that says you cannot return their products. Why does Microsoft have a bad name? At least they let you return their peripherals if you dislike them.

The liberal movement to use Apples and Macs to go up against the all-mighty corporate Microsoft is something that attracted me to this computer as well. In buying this computer and all the peripherals I have learned that Apple is more hassle and big brother than it misleads the public to think (especially with the AT&T - Apple - Disney pact). Apple is good at advertising and Microsoft sucks at it. The marketing department at Mr. Softy should be fired because they should be putting out the fires instead of just laying there taking the stabs from Apple.

One of the things I found with Apple is that you cannot buy this “much faster” computer. That is one of the biggest myths. Apples do NOT run faster than Microsoft windows computers from what I have seen. I actually found it slower with more irritating spinning wheels which were annoying after awhile. The memory upgrades seem to be higher on Sony and Dell computers than on Mac’s I found on Apple.com and MacMall.com.

When you use a Windows computer you can turn off the security alerts. Most people do not realize this. Turn the annoying alerts off so you can access programs and it is hassle free. When you use a Mac you cannot turn off the annoying license pop-ups that come up EVERY time you install something.

When you try to use the mouse you cannot use the right click at first. I had to go into preferences to turn on the right click. Another annoying thing was trying to resize screens. I could not for the life of me figure out how to increase or decrease the windows. I finally emailed my brother and he said to go down to the BOTTOM of the window and there you have a small area you can click to expand. This was not convenient compared to MS Windows where you can easily click on any of the sides of the window.

We may all be disappointed with Windows Vista but the Mac is really not that much better at this point. I will most likely go back to using Windows XP Professional or Media Center.

Some benefits of the Mac that you cannot as easily find with the Windows based computers are just a few that do not motivate me to switch. One is the Genius bar located in malls and in some cities where you can ask questions or attend classes to learn to use their products better. Another major thing I love is the Bluetooth integrated in the computer but it only seems to work with the mouse and keyboard that are Apple branded that I have seen so far. The Logitech laser mouse for notebooks that I installed has its own Bluetooth USB signal I had to plug-in. I will also praise the fact the Mac synched with my Palm Treo easily via Bluetooth compared to the hassle I had with Windows and their Bluetooth sync.

All in all I was not that impressed with Mac mainly because I am spoiled with my Vaio. They are beautiful to look at but I can be a liberal carrying Sony Vaio Elite instead. As long as we are happy with our computer then its best just to stick with the solution you are used to. We all should aim to have the best computer that processes things the fastest to get things done. Time is money and the more money we make we can give to good causes.

Oh one more thing… The Safari browser is supposed to be three times faster than other browsers? Why do they dare make this claim? Firefox works better for me.

Will I purchase an iPhone when they are supposed to come out on June 29^th? Yes, I will order that online from Apple’s website or walk into an AT&T Store. I will have to change from Sprint but I will just keep my Treo on Sprint a few months just to see if I feel this same way about the iPhone. I may decide to have the iPhone a few days and be done with that product as well.

I watched the Republican Debate on CNN last nite. It was rather entertaining. I love how Giuliani came back at McCain about him reading the 400 page immigration reform but I was really impressed by the Texan Ron Paul. Senator Sam Brownback was just horrible— he was asked the most moral question and his answer was “pro-life.” I mean come on you jerk what about the war going on and violence and shootings on campuses! Brownback is clueless. He needs to learn to be more like Ron Paul from Texas who can differentiate church and state.

There was an entertaining moment when Giuliani was asked about abortion and then lightning struck a few times and you could not hear what he was saying… some of the candidates stepped away from him it was funny. He finally got it out and he had a good response.

I can deal with Mitt Romney, Giuliani, and Ron Paul but not Brownback (Kansas) or Gov. Mike Huckabee (Arkansas). I thought Mitt Romney defended his faith well but Huckabee was very defensive sounding. I am so sick of faith being mixed into politics. I certainly do not think a preacher can run our country.

It is too bad Arnold could not be up there — then it would have been even better. Thompson will probably ride his Law and Order straight to the nomination

You can tell by watching Ron Paul speak that he is more sincere than McCain and Mayor 9-11. McCain is two-faced and will tell you anything. That is why he was boo’ed at a few university audiences and he deserved it. He is a good BS’er though. If Ron Paul wins the nomination I may vote Republican. Ron Paul is the only Republican that I like. The others drip with insincerity and ignorance.

TheStreet.com was quoted saying “All of the candidates danced around the question. Only Rep. Ron Paul of Texas called the war a mistake.”

Ron Paul was also on Bill Maher’s HBO season finale saying what a lot of us have been saying since 9/11—that it was gitback for the Gulf War’s “blasphemies”—the Muslims considered it blasphemy to put “infidels”, especially women infidels in camo, within a stone’s throw of their holiest places during the first Gulf War. I mean, when Muslims make their pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, they do it prayerfully and with cleansing rituals and extreme respect…for them, it’s the journey of a lifetime, something they do to honor God. And here’s these American soldiers, including women soldiers, just tromping around like they owned the place. Pissed them off a lot and Bin Laden used that outrage.

It’s hard to come up with an American parallel that would illustrate how they must have felt about it…most Americans don’t get universally emotional about any one thing that much.

Paul’s saying it is kind of like Nixon going to China—only a Republican could get away with it. If a Democrat said that, he or she would be gone.