After reading this in-depth argument-ending review of Tiger (thanks for the pointer, wjv), I'm wondering where to sign up (and how to finance a Powerbook).

Despite humour to the otherwise, I've always been a fan of OS X's technology, and it seems Apple has the right people working for them to evolve OS X over four years, and to Tiger in eighteen months.

By the time I can afford a decent Mac laptop (I've given up on primary personal computers that aren't laptops, I think), I should have a good argument why I'm less harsh on OS X's proprietary bits.

But it seems an increasingly safe bet for places where my preference for Open Source software isn't universal. Perhaps the Mini will capture some corporate markets where thin-client technology isn't appropriate. And solve the problem of the boss's constantly-troublesome Windows laptop infected with new spyware every few weeks as he visits new companies for meetings or (*shudder*) dials out onto the Internet.

Also, suddenly the Mini's specs don't seem likely to be an issue after reading the sorts of thinking that goes into utilising the highish-end video cards for standard desktop requirements.

The Mac platform still needs a little something though before it can explode further, at least here. Perhaps the iPod and Apple accessories are the something in other countries, but here most people favour poor-quality good-enoughs over fashionable, high-quality, "process-ergonomic" accessories.