Mac vs. PC, round 8,843,297.547

I know, I know, who really gives a rat’s posterior region about this debate anymore? PCs have their die-hard fans, Macs have their (probably more dedicated) die-hard fans, and never the twain shall meet. So who cares?

Not even me. Not really. I used Macs a very long time ago but switched in the early ’90s when the future forecast for Apple was pretty grim. I’ve been a mostly happy (though fairly often frustrated) PC user ever since. Probably about five machines’ worth of hardware over the years and several Microsoft operating systems, the most recent being the incredibly craptacular Windows Vista.

I won’t be moving to Windows 7. Thanks, but no. I’m tired of the near-constant updates rammed down my throat that drag my two-year-old PC to a crawl, the awful system explorer design, the frustratingly terrible Office 2007 layout, and more. Plus, I really want to start using Scrivener for my writing, which is available only on a Mac.

Yes, I know, Macs are a closed system with exactly one hardware vendor (Apple), and you pay a fairly hefty premium for the privilege. I’m okay with that. My wife’s a graphic designer who uses a MacBook Pro and when I compare her system to my Dell laptop and HP desktop, I’m usually green with envy on her near-instant start-up times and cool (yes, I’m a gadget freak and like things that are cool, like the remote control to my over-the-top front projection home theater system) system user interface. There are times when paying a premium is perfectly acceptable.

I also directly own a fair amount of Apple stock, so I should do my part to support the product line.

I’m not trying to change minds here. PCs are great for lots of things. They’ve been great to me over the years. But more and more the headaches are outweighing the benefits. I was a Mac user once. The next time I upgrade, it’s going to be a Mac.

Then the question will be: desktop of MacBook?