What an amazing time to get to know the Mac. For years these elegantly
designed computers have been a model of simplicity and virus-free
stability. But that’s never stopped Apple from making these machines even
harder to resist by applying stunning changes.
Consider Apple’s seismic embrace of Intel a few years ago. It means you,
Mr. or Ms. Computer Buyer, can have your cake and eat it too. (I love a good
cliché when I need it.) You can benefit from what remains the best marriage
in personal computing (the blessed union between Mac hardware and Mac
software), but you no longer have to ditch the Microsoft Windows–based
software you currently use out of habit, due to business obligations, or
because you don’t know any better.
Indeed, this book is partially targeted at Windows vets who are at least thinking
about defecting to the Mac. It is also squarely aimed at people who are
new to computers — and the Internet — period. And though this is primarily
a book for beginners, I trust people who have already dabbled with computers
in general and Macs in particular will find it useful.
