As for why I prefer the Mac OS to Windows or Linux (I have all three) -- it does what I personally want a computer to do best for now, in my opinion. I'm not a gamer, although I do play a few MMOs and spent several hours today messing around in Team Fortress 2. But I'm a creative type, former professional graphic designer and journalist, musician, video editor, photographer, dabbler in digital art and animation, and I also have experience with UNIX, the C programming language and more. So even though I have Windows, Linux and Mac OS, I spend most of my serious time in Mac OS. I only use Windows for gaming, but an increasing percentage of my serious games are now on Mac OS, such as Portal 2, Team Fortress 2 and so on. As for the cost, it was more expensive than a home-built computer (I've owned one), but I'm satisfied and the hardware quality is excellent. The whole package that Mac OS offers suits me well, even down to the iLife suite. I'm a happy camper.