If all of those studies are to be believed, there are plenty of benefits to being a Mac user instead a PC user: increased productivity, quicker return on investment, higher sense of satisfaction, all that stuff. Of course, Mac users don't need fancy studies to tell us that computing with a Mac is just plain fun, as well. But in recent months it's looked like we Mac users might be in danger of losing one of the most important benefits of all-- that whole techno-rebel image. C'mon, admit it-- there's a certain pride in choosing a platform that only one person in fifteen or twenty is actually using, especially when the press kept saying that Apple would be out of business in no time flat. It may not qualify you for a role in the upcoming sequel to "Easy Rider," but hey, it's a modern rebellion nonetheless. We gotta take what we can get, right? So that's why, even though we've all been happy about Apple's comeback, we at AtAT are just a little nervous that as the Mac becomes a more and more "acceptable" computer choice, it might lose its counterculture panache. After all, we're used to being the runner throwing the hammer through that screen that all the clones are watching.

But apparently there's no reason to worry anytime soon; recent indications show that the Mac still isn't considered a "real" computer in many circles. Certainly Macs have a long road to travel before they're welcomed in most large enterprise environments. And while the best-selling iMac has made great strides in increasing Apple's acceptibility in the home, there are still signs that there's a long way to go yet. For instance, what about PC World Magazine's recent article listing their picks for the "Top 10 Home PCs"? The article was written after the holiday buying quarter, during which the iMac was the number one selling computer in both retail stores and via mail order-- over 800,000 were sold from the middle of August through the end of the year. And yet PC World apparently felt that the iMac wasn't even worth including in the 33 systems they reviewed in their article-- or even mentioning-- let alone placing in their top ten list.

Whew! Relieved? As long as close-minded and behind-the-times publications like PC World are around, we won't have to worry about the Mac becoming too accepted or losing its rebellious je ne sais quois. It's like a great weight has been lifted from our shoulders. So fire up Steppenwolf, cut off your sleeves to reveal your "Born to Mac" tattoo, and rev up that Finder-- you're a rebel, and you'll never ever be any good...