Students urged to buy Macs

One columnist is suggesting that students purchase a Mac rather than a PC before heading off to school. "Unless you have a compelling reason not to go with a Mac, an Apple laptop or desktop offers the best combination of features, ease of use, and value," said Stephen H. Wildstrom of BusinessWeek. "While I have been a Mac fan for years, I have never felt strongly enough to make the Mac a default recommendation." Things have changed, according to the columnist, as Apple's Mac OS X operating system and its bundled applications have steadily improved, even as Microsoft Windows seems "stuck in a rut." Apple's decision to adopt Intel-based chips in its new systems removed the performance gap that once existed between Macs and PCs, and the company's Boot Camp software allows Mac users to run Windows XP natively on their new hardware.

Filed under: Apple