A few weeks back, when I was busy rescuing a client’s Windows box from malware invasions and other ills, I asked him to watch over me as I worked. He had used a Mac for years, but inherited an entry-level Gateway from a relative, and wanted to somehow get it running. It was important that he understand what I had to go through in setting it up.

Now there are some who claim that Windows XP has reached near parity with the Mac OS. How do they come to this conclusion? Well, not by observing the operating system itself and how it works. Sure, there are Control Panels in Windows, which you’d imagine to be the equivalent of Mac OS X’s System Preferences. But not all settings are performed there. You are sometimes forced to click the right mouse button to find additional setup options. If this doesn’t help, there’s always a Wizard, a setup assistant that is supposedly designed to get you up and running. But even the basic process of configuring a network printer may intimidate all but the most experienced users, because you have to make choices as to how your printer is connected, whether via a network or to the computer itself, and you may even have to create a custom port for it to run. And that applies even to a simple Ethernet connection.

If things go awry along the way, as they often do, the help information can be equally obtuse. It’s no wonder PC support people often have a thriving business. If you want to get a closer picture at the situation, listen to any radio show that offers a PC help segment. If you don’t have a local program, check to see whether Kim Komando’s syndicated show is received in your area. The most simple questions about why things don’t work will often result in complex responses that take you through hoops and around obstacles until you are brought to some sort of conclusion. I just wonder whether listeners sit back with notebooks in hand, or just tape the shows to sort things out later on.

In short, doing something under Windows, while sometimes no more complicated than a Mac, will often involve many additional steps. The best way to get a handle on this is to look at the Mac and Windows versions of the same product and see how many steps are involved to get it running. While a software installation may not seem a big deal, hardware is quite another story. From network printers to scanners, unless the drivers are preinstalled on your PC, dependability can go down the tubes. There is supposed to be a plug and play system, but I wouldn’t take bets that it’ll always work.

Now to return to that visit to the client’s home, before checking out his PC, I set up a Wi-Fi access point for him. He really wanted AirPort, but couldn’t get past the price difference, and besides the third party product had more Ethernet ports. As soon as it was connected and switched on, the Power Mac almost immediately recognized his cable modem hookup on the wired network. Turning on Wi-Fi only required a few clearly labeled steps in the access point’s Web-based settings screen. I used WPA security for maximum protection, and he wrote down the password and locked it in a cabinet.

Now his iBook immediately found the network and the encryption scheme. I entered the password and he made his Wi-Fi connection. He was amazed how easy it was. “I guess I could have done this myself,” he smiled.

Things turned from bad to worse on that Gateway box, which was installed in a child’s bedroom at the other end of his house. Yes, he could have lined the walls with cable, but he didn’t want to go through the bother of putting the wires at doorways beneath the carpet. He hoped Wi-Fi would be a quick and easy solution, but things aren’t always that easy under Windows. Once the PC was cured of spyware and virus infections, I shut it down and installed a PCI-based Wi-Fi card. On powering up the PC, the system did detect the new hardware, but there were no compatible native drivers.

I tried to install the software provided with the card, but the Wi-Fi connection wasn’t recognized. So we had to revert to dial-up to download new drivers from the manufacturer’s Web site. It took a couple of uninstalls and several repeated installations for things to settle down. I did get a solid wireless connection, but had to use a less secure encryption method unless I also updated Windows. I tried retrieving all the necessary updates from Microsoft’s Web site, including the critical SP2 upgrade, but the download was frequently interrupted. It took a dozen attempts and a few restarts to get past the download screen and on to the installation screen.

And you thought Mac OS X’s Software Update procedure was troublesome, right? Understand that SP2 is supposed to offer Windows XP users a higher level of security. But if they are forced to undergo this level of torture to get it downloaded, it’s no wonder many simply don’t bother. Now maybe Microsoft can tout high adoption rates among businesses, where IT people are around to shield ordinary mortals from the agony. But the average home user would simply give up and try to cope with what they have.

But don’t think that the complexities and uncertainties of Windows don’t spread to its Mac products. Another client wanted to print about 100 address labels on his Power Mac, using Microsoft Word 2004. Now printing a single label is simple enough, but a complete mailing list requires a mail merge, and that can prove a daunting process for the uninitiated. But what about Entourage? Wouldn’t it make sense for an application that stores contact lists to provide an easy method for printing labels? Maybe to you and me, but not to Microsoft. Sure it can print a phone book in one of several styles, but not mailing labels.

As the client pondered whether he should bother or just use a ball point pen, I took him through a fast tour of Apple’s Address Book. Here printing labels involving nothing more than selecting the individual names or an entire group, choosing the Print command and selecting the style of labels you want. Just make sure the proper media is inserted into your printer’s input tray, and you’re good to go. It was so simple, the client felt embarrassed asking me in the first place.

Of course Microsoft could make just a simple. But that’s not in their DNA.

Related Articles:

• So Where’s the Windows Only Label?
• Will Snow Leopard Arrive with the Snow?
• Can Apple Succeed in the Enterprise Without Compromise?
• Apple Circles the Wagons
• The Apple Hardware Report: Some Things Don’t “Just Work”!

For years, diehard Windows users, and that includes some technology writers, have pronounced Apple dead and buried. It’s not that Apple hasn’t at times contributed to the speculation. But a company that has loads of cash in the bank and shows good profits each quarter isn’t on life support. At the same time, the market share hasn’t been all that exciting. Despite its charms, Apple was long regarded as a boutique brand, and you had to pay extra to join this exclusive club.

With the iPod, it was demonstrated that a slightly higher price isn’t going to put off customers, if you can show a lot of value. The understated elegance and relatively easy user interface have triumphed over competitors that may offer more features and lower prices, but no prestige. Being able to buy something that you can show off with pride counts for a lot; it’s that indefinable “thing” that Apple has down pat, but the competition just doesn’t understand.

It would have been easy to make the Mac mini a small, undistinguished box, such as the LC, the entry-level Mac of the early 1990s. The LC was, for a Mac, relatively inexpensive and definitely didn’t catch your eye. It was just, well, there.

The biggest thing the Steve Jobs regime has brought to Apple is a sense of cool. Style may not be everything, but it sure gets you through the front door, and that’s where the Mac mini may perform miracles. On an objective basis, it has its shortcomings, and since I’ve dwelled on them in detail, there’s no sense in boring you all over again. The published comparisons I’ve seen from skeptical writers demonstrates they just don’t get it. It’s the same argument all over again. Dell and Gateway may produce systems that offer more stuff at a lower price, or maybe not, depending on your point of view. But Michael Dell and his compatriots don’t understand what style means and I don’t think anyone can teach them at this stage in their lives.

You can look at almost any product category and see where the right sense of style wins out. In the automobile business, take a look at two new models, the Chrysler 300 and the Ford Five Hundred. The both compete in the same market. On an objective basis, the Ford has the advantage of more comfortable and spacious accommodations. The Chrysler’s unique retro-modern look is a bit impractical, because the high body panels and short windows can create a claustrophobic feeling for some drivers. But put them side by side and the 300 is striking, the Five Hundred frumpy. You don’t have to guess which model is doing best in the marketplace. The Chrysler owner can proudly show off the new vehicle. The Ford owner? Well, it’s a nice car, quite practical and all, but not much more.

Not that I have anything against practical. But I wouldn’t mind paying a few more hard-earned dollars to buy something that I can look upon with pride. Tell me, honestly, Windows users, do you really want to show off that Dell? Really? No, you usually stick it under the table; out of sight. You might even get some work done if you can stay free of spyware and virus infections for a while.

Now here’s the next part of the equation: I can’t begin to count how many Windows users are totally frustrated at the spate of malware. Till now, it has been difficult to consider alternatives, even though the iPod leads the way. Even if you can show, feature-for-feature, that a Mac is a better value, and certainly has greater longevity, the up-front costs are deal breakers. It’s not just the computer, but the cost of buying new software and, whether you want to admit it or not, there’s a learning curve. Yes, you might be able to accomplish something under Mac OS X in five steps, whereas it’s 15 steps in Windows, but you have to know which steps to follow.

So moving to a new platform, despite potential advantages, isn’t something to take lightly, particularly for business users that have large investments in their existing hardware. On the other hand, the Mac mini makes purchasing a new computer a casual process. Look at the cute little thing, look at the cute box. The first thing I noticed when I saw one was that it makes you want to pick it up and look it over. Maybe Apple has discovered the secret of the pet rock, but whatever it is, the Mac mini has it in spades.

How can you resist? How can the Windows user resist? At the same time, Apple cut the price of its regular keyboard and mouse by $20. What about the display? Come now. You probably have one catching dust in the closest or going unused somewhere, and the monitor that works fine on a Dell will work better on the Mac. Now maybe it seems incongruous for the Dell to display Mac OS X on its screen, but think of the dollars you save. You can always buy that fancy new Apple display later on. No rush.

When it comes to your software investment, Windows users, just what do you need? The Mac mini, like all consumer Macs, comes with a decent package of software that will suit most home users. You have a serviceable email client, a powerful Web browser, plus the famous iLife digital hub applications. For now, AppleWorks is still being offered, and that’s nothing to be ashamed off. Actually, it can do most of the work people use Microsoft Office for, without the huge investment.

If you need Office, think for a second whether you have a student or a teacher in the family. If school-age kids are around, it’s a no brainer. A nephew or niece? No problem. They hang around the house so much you almost regard them as members of your immediate family. This gives you every reason to purchase the Student and Teacher edition of Microsoft Office 2004, which lists for $149 and can be had for about 20% less if you shop around. And, no, Microsoft doesn’t require you to sign a loyalty oath to get this low-cost version, which, by the way, gives you three user licenses. It may not be a solution for the larger business, but for most other users, it’s just the ticket.

Where the Windows person might run into trouble is the vertical market application, the one designed for a specific profession, say for a lawyer or doctor. Here you may be forced to look into a Mac alternative; maybe Virtual PC will suit for occasional use if you must stick with what you have. But if all your personal computers have to run that program, switching to a Mac becomes less practical. The one hope here is that, as Apple’s market share rises, more publishers will be encouraged to put make Mac versions of their specialty products. In fact, a dentist told me the other day that the original authors of DentalMac, discontinued years ago, are back in the game. Sure enough, they have formed a company known as HealthWare, which is the name of the flagship product that’s being developed under Mac OS X’s Cocoa environment. It’s designed to support both dentists and physicians.

So it may well be that former Mac users who deserted the platform after the software they needed migrated to Windows may have reason to return. The iPod opened the door, but the Mac mini may finally close the deal.

Related Articles:

• Guess What: Macs Can Now Apply
• The Apple Beating the Odds Column
• Apple Doesn’t Make Me-Too Products!
• Will Snow Leopard Arrive with the Snow?
• Can Apple Withstand the Recession?

When you witness a Steve Jobs keynote in person, you realize he is a master showman. He could probably sell an air conditioner to an Eskimo and get a grateful thank you in return. While immersed in this famous reality distortion field, all is right with Apple, and every single new product you see is absolutely perfect, free of flaws. When I observe the enthusiastic applause in the press box, it’s very clear that a journalist’s objectivity can be compromised in such a setting.

When you leave the auditorium, however, it’s time for a little dose of reality. Yes, the iPod shuffle and Mac mini will be hot tickets. The latter is cheap enough to be almost a casual purchase, or as casual as buying a personal computer can be. Seeing both in person and doing a little probing, I can assure you the beauty is skin deep, but there are shortcomings you should know about.

Since the iPod shuffle is likely to be far more successful, let’s start with that. At $99 for the 512MB version, it’s a winner in most respects. The simplicity stands out compared to the busy, cluttered interfaces of the competition. At the same time, I question Apple’s assumption that a Flash-based music player is best for playing songs at random, or in sequence, with little or no control over the individual selections. Sure, you can configure a playlist with iTunes, but that doesn’t help when you’re out jogging. What if you decide you just want to hear one song, and only one song? Say you’ve filled the thing to the gills with songs, which is approximately 120 for the cheaper model, and 240 for the $149 1GB version. Uncertainty may be cool, but sometimes you want a little more control, a little more order, and if that’s your bag, the iPod shuffle won’t fill it.

So why didn’t Apple include an LCD display to deliver some of the capabilities of the shuffle’s bigger brothers? Well, an Apple hardware executive is quoted as saying that a number of display motifs were tried, but they just didn’t make the cut. So they ditched the idea, and decided that random was in. Perhaps the ideal situation is to have an iPod shuffle for times when you don’t much care which song is played at any particular time, and a regular iPod when your obsessive compulsive urges take over. Besides, Apple won’t mind it a bit if you bought more than one.

Aside from finding a way to display some information on the iPod shuffle, my other wish echoes the feelings of my favorite Mac critic, David Biedny. It would have been great if Apple made the memory modules removable. That way you can always upgrade as prices for higher capacity chips come down.

But let’s be fair about this. This is only a first generation iPod shuffle I expect to see Apple fine-tune the formula in future revisions. And I have no doubt Apple will sell millions of them, despite the shortcomings.

Now about that Mac mini, again you need to look at the fine print before you commit yourself. First and foremost, it only has one memory slot. That means you are stuck with an extra, unused memory chip if you decide to upgrade to a more reasonable capacity, such as 512MB. Worse, dealer installation is required. Now I suppose power users will soon post detailed instructions, but I’d urge caution, since the Mac mini may be no easier to take apart than an iPod. There are no visible screws or other easily accessible methods to open it easily.

This may, of course, earn dealers a few extra dollars to pop them open. And I suppose many of you will just choose a preconfigured version via Apple’s custom order service, but that makes the mini less of an impulse purchase. You just want to take one home and turn it on. Having to go back to your dealer, or wait for delivery of a custom assembled version, is a real downer. However, I don’t think the lack of the keyboard, mouse and display is a serious shortcoming. Now maybe Apple did that just to keep the cost down, or to keep the shipping box small and cute. But there are plenty of cheap input and display devices around, and if you’ve had Macs and Windows boxes around for a while, I expect you’ll be able to find the right accessories in a closet or some other storage area.

Besides, this will give third parties the chance to come up with specially designed stuff for the Mac mini, from cases to folding keyboards. This cottage industry may not be quite as robust as the one for the iPod, but there are plenty of opportunities about for tiny companies with the right ideas.

Once again, of course, you are dealing with a version 1.0 product. If enough of you clamor for an easier way to install memory, or an extra slot, I suppose Apple will find a way to fulfill your needs in a future version.

But I’m not quite finished yet.

While I haven’t had the chance to thoroughly digest all the information about iWork, it’s clear it is not quite the successor to AppleWorks that it’s presented to be. First of all, there is no database or spreadsheet module. If you’ve built a repository of files using those components, you have to look elsewhere for an upgrade path, or just stick with AppleWorks for now. The Pages application appears to fit more into the category of entry-level page layout software. That’s all well and good, of course, and I can see where many of you will embrace it with enthusiasm. You don’t necessarily need the power of Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress to create neat looking documents. While these high-end applications are essential for professional work, a simple club newsletter or brochure, for example, would be tailor made for Pages.

My final comment is about the fact that all the Expo exhibits were crammed into just the South Hall at Moscone Center, rather than both. On the surface, it would appear there were fewer participants this year, but that’s not so, although I originally felt otherwise.

According to the people at IDG World Expo: “There are 20 more exhibitors this year (280) than last year (260), and these exhibitors rented more square footage than last year. IDG World Expo listened to exhibitor and attendee feedback from 2004 and decided to pack everything in the South Hall this year to enhance the exhibit hall experience. Feedback from attendees about this change has been very positive so far. Many attendees have said to us that this year’s show is more energetic and they bump into things they might not otherwise see. Exhibitors are especially pleased about the change because of the increased traffic.”

I can’t really disagree with the reasoning. I found the whole event easier to navigate and discovered far more interesting product displays than I would have located had both halls been used, as in the past. Sometimes less is really more.

Related Articles:

• Apple Doesn’t Make Me-Too Products!
• About Apple’s Price Matching Policy
• Will Snow Leopard Arrive with the Snow?
• Can Apple Withstand the Recession?
• Can Apple Succeed in the Enterprise Without Compromise?