>… but to be honest, Apple isn’t much better.

Not from a usability perspective – I wouldn’t DREAM of going back to the Dark Side – but the personal interactive experience is a bit naff.

1.
Bought a PowerBook back in 2005 and just loved it.

Then figured that I’d take the plunge and move over entirely. No real problems, but there are 2 programs that Mac doesn’t have an equivalent for:

• Money (and PLEASE don’t suggest Quicken – they only support 2 currencies and I regularly work with 6 or 7)

• CD Trustee which has the best media databasing program around and there – believe me – IS no Mac equivalent.

I’d been running them under Virtual PC (which is as slow as a wet week) but I’ve heard rumours that the new MacMini is going to be Intel-based and the gurus reckon that I’ll probably be able to run XP on it natively.

Call up the Apple Hotline:

“No, the new Intel MacMini won’t be on the market for AT LEAST a year”

Order the PowerPC version and a week later – A WEEK LATER – they release the Intel machine.

Will they take it back?
Of course they won’t.

Even if they lied to me?
Even if they lied to me.

2.
The iSight disappears from the market just as I’m about to buy it.

Prices now run at $500 at Amazon so I talk to George in one of the Apple Stores in New England.
I’ve done a bit of research and I know that a webcam needs to be FireWire-enabled to work with iMovie (which is what I want to use it for)

George (not his real name) brings out a USB webcam that I KNOW doesn’t work.

“Oh, but it’ll DEFINITELY work with Leopard”
“Actually, I think you’re wrong. Are you SURE it’ll work with iMovie?
“Well, pretty sure…” and then we do some more talking and research and Fred finds out that it WON’T work after all and the conversation turns to the weather and how do I like it in New England

Go figure.

(Didn’t want to say “I told you so” but I told him so…)

3
Decide to upgrade to Leopard and ask – a different store this time – one of their people if there are any known issues with Virtual PC or general constraints.

“None that I’m aware of”
Bullshit detectors go off the dial

I indicate that I’d like a bit more assurance than that, he looks at the packaging and says “Well, your G4 PowerBook’s gonna work just fine, according to this…”
So I do some more research in-store on the Web, determine it looks OK and go to buy it.

4
“Can I please see a photo ID”
“Why’s that”
“I can’t sell you anything without a photo ID. That’s our policy”

And here’s me, having just spent a shit load of money on credit cards up and down the coast and never having been asked once for ID , and Apple wants ID for an $129 item?

“You can pay cash”
“I think I’ll take the iPhone too, then”
“Ah, you can’t pay cash for the iPhone….”