"10 apps every new Mac user needs"

I would rephrase this to "10 apps every new Mac user should be aware of". None of these applications are actually essential and the benefits of installing them only are only realised if you have a use for them. Take, for example, Transmission. If you don't download BitTorrent files, why on earth would you want to install Transmission?

If all the video that you encounter online is in QuickTime format then, sure, you don't need Flip4Mac or Perian and therefore you don't need to install it. However, I think the chances that you find yourself not needing them are slim and no one particularly wants to have to install additional software to watch content so it is best to have the software already installed.

An entertaining posting, even more so than John's.

@daytripper

Maybe you should shut up. Who the hell wants to carry around something heavy when there are other options? If this is the only computer that has the necessary power, well, then that's fine. I remember laptops when they came in enclosures like suitcases and weighed a lot - perhaps you'd be happy with something like that.

With all due respect, if gaming is your thing then you should never consider a Mac. Gaming isn't my thing which is why I use a Mac. Windows just angers me and I'm not paying good money to get annoyed.

A business executive wouldn't buy something like this because it is simply too big and heavy for day-to-day travel. These days, 13" models seem to be pretty popular since they get the job done and don't take up much space. Besides, this hardly screams "business", does it? Rather, this screams "I'm bunking off and playing video games", which isn't the message you want to communicate.

No one cares what you would do...

Why should you even have to?

To be honest, this probably is better than a current MBP and it is something that I'd consider if I was interesting in going back to Windows (that's not going to happen, incidentally). But you have to consider why Apple doesn't have an i7 processor in the current MBP models. The reason is that they are currently too hot to fit inside the machine. Hang around until next year when Intel produces i7 processors to go in thin-n-light computers.

One thing that I will note is that you should never buy based on specifications alone. For example, I have a 3-year old MBP that runs rings around a new Dell Latitude that, on paper, has better specifications than the Mac. The best thing to do is to get hands-on with what you are thinking of buying and see if it lives up to your expectations.

@N900

With all due respect, you're not the quickest of cats, are you? Let's try and put this in simple terms:

* The Windows experience is controlled by Microsoft and whoever manufactured your computer; Microsoft has little control over what the manufacturer does.

* The Mac experience is controlled by Apple and only Apple.

Whether you like Apple or the Mac at all is rather immaterial at this point (I'm going to go out on a limb at this point and say that you don't like it). The important point is that a Mac doesn't come with crapware installed on it because Apple doesn't allow it. In contrast, Microsoft can't control the rubbish that is installed on a new Windows PC. This is the ailment of Windows - you are beholden to the manufacturer and whoever they have signed contracts with unless you particularly enjoy reformatting your computer.

Occasionally, people make a good point that doesn't agree with what you think. Just accept this and learn from it.