Once you throw in iLife (which is included free with all new Macs, so it's more-or-less like the included applications), the bundled software suite on the Mac is an impressive collection of applications.

5. Drag-and-drop install: Although more complicated applications often run via an installer, I love being able to install most applications with a simple drag-and-drop. Sometimes this simplicity , but I love it.

6. Built-in PDF support: After eight years, I take this for granted...until I'm using Windows and realize that you can't, by default, convert anything you want into a PDF without jumping through some hoops. I use this feature daily, saving Web pages and documents in a format that I know I'll be able to look at for years to come--even if the application that created the PDF is long gone.

7. System-wide keystroke capture: No, I'm not talking about some sort of spyware or malware that records your passwords and sends them on to third parties. Instead, I'm talking about the ability for top-level programs to trap your keystrokes, and then do useful and interesting things with them. Programs such as , , , and are great examples of what you can do by trapping keystrokes. Sure, this was possible in OS 9, but it was seemingly more complex, and certainly more prone to cause system errors.

8. 512 pixel icons: In order for Leopard's Cover Flow view to display crisp icons at larger sizes, OS X now supports in size. To put that size in perspective, the first Mac's screen was only 512x342 pixels! Browsing a folder full of these large icons in Cover Flow mode is a joy, and you can really see the detail work that went into creating the icons. Sure, they don't have much impact on my day-to-day work, but they're gorgeous and, I think, reflect an attention to detail across the entire OS.