But because Apple makes both the hardware and their software, I could have requested that they return the machine to me in the condition in which they sold it to me'nothing more, nothing less. Everything else, I could have restored from backup. That's single-vendor-theory at its best, and an ace in the hole for those of us who might or might not get excited over iPods but who use Macs as business tools, day in and day out'a userbase that Apple must support regardless of market share, media hype, and stock prices.

Vendors love to yak about 'simplicity,' but stable hardware/software combos with one-year-warranty coverage are about simple as IT gets. For users, it's all about functionality and getting the work done, and when Fortune magazine described OS X as 'a cross between a Porsche and an Abrams tank,' they pretty much nailed it.

Where does Boot Camp fit in? On my machines, it doesn't.