The problem with the Mac is the perceived lack of support for them, whether in places to purchase software/hardware or to which to take one if it breaks for repair. What does the newbie see in television and print ads? Intel, Gateway, Dell. Regardless of the merits of alternatives to these, the first thing a newbie is going to do is ask for that Pentium 4 processor that they see all the advertisements for. Apple has some cool ads being aired, but they aren't being shown enough. The newbie won't think much about a Mac because they haven't seen the ads, haven't seen them in the stores, haven't seen the magazines from which to get information. In thier mind, they won't consider themn because they see them as not being accessible enough. It certainly hasn't helped that Apple lost it's foothold in the education market. Apple needs to get thier ads out in peoples faces for a start and then work on getting them sold in places other than CompUSA and a handful of hardcore Apple dealers. It's basically the same problem that the Amiga had most of it's exisitence. Jeff