Is it time to swap your Mac for a Windows laptop?

Over a decade ago Alex Hern switched from PC to Mac and never looked back. But the new MacBook Pro's very expensive so could he finally be tempted to switch again?

I've been an Apple user for over a decade, ever since I picked up a refurbished 17in PowerBook back in 2005 to replace my ailing Windows XP box. But last month, after Apple announced its most expensive new MacBook Pros in almost 15 years, I reconsidered my decision for the first time and, for the past few weeks, I've been back on a Windows PC.

I wasn't always a Mac user. My first three computers were PCs, although the house I grew up in had an ailing, hated Power Mac Performa. My reasons for switching in my teens were fairly simple: I'd been playing fewer and fewer PC games, and spending increasing amounts of time using my computer to manage the music library linked to my iPod. I was one of those switchers, surprised by the elegance of Apple's music player and convinced to take the plunge into their full desktop operating system.