Myth 1: Everyone uses Windows.

Fact: If you're an accountant, you're most likely surrounded by beige Wintel boxes. But if you work in nearly every creative field, you most likely use a Mac. Like in graphic arts, advertising and publishing. Or in Hollywood. Or in science-based industries like biotech. Or in education, where half of the computers are Apples. Or if you are President of the United States (our two most recent presidents, a Democrat and a Republican, both use Macs). Even 25% of America's lawyers use Macs. In all, over 25 million people use Macs in their homes, offices and schools every day.

Myth 2: Macs don't work with PCs.

Fact: Simply untrue. Every day millions of documents, emails and instant messages are sent between Macs and PCs. Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations exchanged. Emails delivered and instant messages shuttled back and forth. This isn't news because it happens silently, daily, with no fanfare. That's because all Macs are designed to work seamlessly with PCs and connect into PC networks to easily access files and folders. The rest of the world should get along so well. Contrary to popular belief, Mac and Windows get along perfectly together. They run the same software. They talk to each other. It's a small world after all.

Myth 3: The software I need isn't available for Macs.

Fact: There are over 15,000 applications available for the Mac, in every category imaginable. Productivity programs from Microsoft Office to FileMaker. Design programs from Photoshop to Maya. Filmmaking tools from Final Cut Pro to After Effects. Finance programs from Quicken to MYOB. And games from The Sims to Tony Hawk. But if you do encounter that rare program which isn't available for Mac, you can still run it right on your Mac using Virtual PC. Still think there's something you're missing? Go to apple.com and check for yourself. We promise not to say, "we told you so."

Myth 4: Macs don't run Microsoft Office.

Fact: Quite the opposite. Not only does a brand new version of Microsoft Office run on the Mac, but &emdash; and this is according to the company that made it &emdash; Office v.X for Mac OS X is actually better than its Windows cousin, with features available only on the Mac. Microsoft Office documents are fully compatible between Mac and Windows. So when you create an Excel spreadsheet or a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation on a Mac, you can send it to someone with a PC and it will open perfectly. And vice versa.

Myth 5: Windows has caught up with the Mac.

Fact: It can't be denied that Microsoft has made a good business out of copying the innovative Mac OS. And, truth be told, Windows XP is their best effort to date. But Mac OS X has sent them back to the drawing boards. Particularly with respect to graphics, everything digital (like music, movies and photography), ease of use and elegance. In other words, all the things that make a stateof- the-art operating system, well, state-of-the-art. And we're not the only ones who think so. Consider critics like the Detroit Free Press, who recently proclaimed: "The new OS X for Mac runs circles around Windows XP." Or ZDNet's David Coursey, who praises Mac OS X as "The nicest operating system I've ever seen."

Myth 6: Macs are far easier to use than PCs.

Guilty as charged.