No. None.

There are some things you can do or allow to be done automatically...scripts, they call them...but I've never done them in 19 months and I'm still running as fast and clean as the first day out of the box. Specifically no defrags, no ad or bug prevention. Macs don't even have a registry.

There are occasional software updates as with any OS or ap. I've always found them to be easy/fast no-brainers.

Actually, what you're talking about is what drove me from PC after more than 15 years -- and I was, in fact, driven. If Windows just worked without all these hassles, I never would have left. After these 19 months of peace and freedom, I'll never return.

Also, I upgraded to Leopard a few weeks ago. Works fine. In particular, Time Machine is a feature that should be built into every OS sold.

For more info about PC vs. Mac you might be interested in this free forum site: http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/

Suggest "switcher's hangout". I've found lots of good info and nobody holds back.

Thanks. I'm thinking of going to the dark side.

You'll love it and you'll never go back.

I just took a long look at switcher's forum and a few others over there. Lots of threads to look at!

There seems to be a fairly sizable learning curve for Mac's, too. Not to mention an awful lot of tweaking as folks add app's. I have to say that I wasn't reassured after reading all that stuff. It seemed like Mac folks go through similar configuring and conflict resolution issues for new app's, though I had the added discomfort of not understanding Mac lingo.

Sorry, but that's the initial reaction.

This might just a bit off topic, but now I recall my first iPod experience last year. It was painful for me to properly set up iTunes on the PC for my two nieces (with their TWO iPods). I didn't find it intuitive by a long shot. Does anyone know what I mean by this example? Sure, if one knows not to attempt it as a novice (two iPods on same computer), one can avoid a big headache. But how was I supposed to know that? And I was diligent with the literature, too. Strike one for Apple and their "it just works" on that one. I was pulling my hair out.

So I'm not so sure about all this. Sorry. (Maybe Mac folks are more patient and optimistic?)

If you're anywhere close to an Apple Store, go there. All of their machines are up and running all the time and you can play with them. Bring some of your own data along on a CD or flash drive drive and have them show you how a Mac would work with it.

In short, don't believe me or anyone. Get on a Mac and see for yourself. I think you'll find the "learning curve" very short and very smooth -- and the machine doesn't fight you while you're doing it. For your iPod, I think you'll be flat-out astonished at how brainlessly easy it is.

Homebound I think you are expecting a little too much perhaps. Computers are incredible machines be they PC or Mac. The boundaries are limited only by the imagination of the individual user. You simply have to start slowly and work your way along with the aspects that appeal to you. No other consumer device has ever come close to offering the variety that a computer does.

Of course there are issues like Spam and viruses. Those are there because ingenious folks found a way to create them and put them there. Others offer ways to stop the junk. Those are all the uber geeks, we mere mortals can do considerably less.

Of course there are learning curves for the various applications we can use. Some are simple while others can be very intense. Frustration is the biggest enemy of the computer I believe, and I have been VERY frustrated at times :-)

Good points.

I'm just trying to determine if a Mac investment will really improve my situation, or if it will be more of the same (but different). Sometimes it feels like asking someone who's discovered a new religion or diet- of course it's better!

And maybe it's my misperception, but Mac folks seem more apt to upgrade not so much for practicality, but because they just appreciate a unique blend tech and design. I have an acquaintance that always seems to have a new Mac every year or so, and lots of other gadgets. When I ask why he got it, it's always because it has more of this and now you can do that, etc. but it seems that it's not so much about needing it. Anyway, that's a good thing, I suppose.

Practically speaking, it seems confirmed to me that sluggishness and "hanging" are less of an issue (I think) than PC's. Perhaps avoiding viruses, too. And perhaps managing large image collections (though I'm not sure). But as for getting application upgrades, add-on's, etc. to operate correctly, that effort sounds similar to using any computer.

Our local Apple store always has a waiting list to talk to the gurus. Perhaps one day I'll wait around for my turn and chat.

Your Apple Store also has regularly scheduled free introductory sessions on various topics. You can just walk in and watch, ask questions, etc. with other newbies. I did a lot of that before I bought.

All mfgs have all kinds of new toys to buy all the time. No getting away from that. For myself, I didn't care a whit about that....still don't. All I wanted was to get away from bugs, viruses, adware, de-frags, registry-cleanings and all the other maintenance crappola I had to do with Windows that was aggravating the heck out of me and burning my time. Keep in mind all the programs -- free or not -- that deal with those issues have to be updated regularly, too. I am most pleased to have learned I was, indeed, able to leave all that nonsense behind.

I kept my previous PC side-by-side on my desk at first because I was so paranoid. In under an hour of the box arriving at the door, I was up, running, and on-line with the new iMac having had zero previous experience other than at the store. Within days I was using the iMac exclusively. After two weeks of no PC use, I packed it up and put it away. In 19 months, I've had none of the problems I was seeking to avoid by abandoning PC. Stories like mine are pretty common. And I'm no techie.

Your the only one that knows whether or not a Mac would solve your own problems. That's why I encourage people to take advantage of the store's introductory sessions and their up-and-running displays if they are able. You need to form your own opinions. Maybe you'll find Mac isn't for you. The time will still have been well-spent.

All I can say is the iMac changed my computer-life. I'm not religious about it. I just like my gizmos to do what they're supposed to and not fight me and not break. The iMac is the first computer I've ever owned that does.

Getting opinions is fine but a test drive is the best way to determine what's best for you...as has been said by others.. but don't be fooled into thinking that Mac is
without it's faults.
"It Just Works" Just isn't so.
That's why there is a MaxFixIt site.

I briefly tried some Mac's in Best Buy. What's up with the mouse? (white with a little dot in the center, and grey buttons on the sides). While it looks great, it hardly seemed ergonomically user-friendly to me. It was terrible. The human body does not normally lay the hand down flat. Just me?

I'm going with a new iMac after January's MacWorld Expo. If you want to look, here are a couple of sites I've found useful:

http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/

http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

I too am sick of spending half my computer time doing maintenance! Apple makes both the hardware and the software, so if something goes wrong, there is no finger-pointing. Do your research, hit the store and try it out. By the way, any $6 USB mouse will work on an iMac, so don't fret the mouse too much. Good luck on whatever you decide! If you stay PC, my one advice would be to find one with XP Pro and NOT Vista! After a few hours with that nightmare you will be pulling your hair out.
kcred

homebound....

Almost everyone I know is particular about their mouse. Personally, I'm quite enthralled with Apple's, but I know many others think it's awful. Use whatever one you want. They all work. The little dot in the center scrolls. Pushing it brings up widgets. Squeezing the side buttons separates and makes visible all open windows. Squeezing again goes back to single window. All functions adjustable.

abr4xii.....

You are correct. Macs are just machines after all. They break. Nor is their software perfect. All I can say is they break less often than PC's and their OS is far less buggy. In my personal case, my iMac has "just worked" for 19 months straight. Solid and simple from the beginning...including recent upgrade to Leopard OS. All of the Windows hassles I sought to leave behind have, indeed, been left behind. The difference has been quite wonderful for me. Service/support has been exemplary from time-to-time when I can't figure something out.

As I said, I'm not religious about it. I just like a machine that works all the time without constant maintenance chores. My iMac does that. It is the first machine I've ever owned that does. I'm not techie enough to know why. I am consumer enough to appreciate the difference.