Advice to Students: Pack a Mac (Business Week)

[LeftCoast]

Interesting article. It's nice to see more and more people realizing how great Macs are!

Apple's software has improved, but Windows has been stuck in a rut

In a few months, nearly 3 million freshmen will head off to college. Included in the gear most of them lug along will be a computer, often brand new. This year I have some advice for the college-bound: 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.

While I have been a Mac fan for years, I have never felt strongly enough to make the Mac a default recommendation. But things have changed. Mac software, both the OS X operating system and the applications such as iPhoto and GarageBand bundled with it, have gotten steadily better, while Windows seems stuck in a rut.

Meanwhile, new Mac hardware based on Intel (INTC) processors has erased the performance gap between Macs and products from Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell (DELL), and others in the Windows camp. The move to Intel also lets Macs run most Windows programs, either by rebooting using Apple's (AAPL) Boot Camp software, or right on the Mac desktop using Parallels Workstation, a program I described in my May 1 column.

More of the article can be read here