Ever since I started college, I've been "planning" on getting a Mac, but it just hasn't worked out so far. Every time I get close to pulling the trigger on a iBook, MacBook, PowerBook or MacBook Pro I seem to talk myself out of it. There are many reasons why I hold back. First and foremost is the financial aspects of buying a Mac. It is more expensive to acquire Mac hardware (the so-called "Apple Tax"). Another reason is application availability. I can't run AutoCAD, MicroStation, or most other design apps I use on Mac OS X. Applications like Microsoft Office, Firefox and Adium/iChat are there in Mac OS X, so my basic computer needs are met. The third and probably smallest reason is a fear of the unknown. I've used OS X a little bit of and on at school or on a friend's computer. I hope that I'll be just as much or more productive on a Mac, but I can't prove it.
All the reasons that I am stating except for cost are going away because of hardware emulation via Parallels or the availability of Windows natively on the Mac Hardware with Bootcamp. I see more of this convergence coming in the future. I believe that the increased relevance of Linux on the desktop is actually helping the Mac become more mainstream as well. Application developers are discovering that cross-platform availability is a very attractive selling point for much of their audience.
