As I am a technology journalist I perhaps should not admit this, but until recently,
I had been using the same beaten-up old laptop since my university years. It was perfectly capable of running the few simple applications I needed it to.

I did, however, realise that I looked something of an oddball as I sat in conference rooms full of reporters and delegates tapping away on the latest flashy devices.

Among that throng of laptop-wielding business users and journalists I had spotted a discernable shift in hardware use­ - more of them were turning up to industry events with MacBooks.

To me, Apple's sleek line of gadgets exudes a sense of the trendy and cool, but are they serious business machines?

I have always had a few doubts about buying a Mac. They seemed overpriced, some software applications are not Mac compatible, and from my limited use of Macs, I know that they take a bit of getting used to after a PC.

But I have overcome these quibbles, thanks to a recent visit to a duty free shop when suddenly price became less of an issue.

The compatibility problem has been more or less put to bed too, with utilities such as Parallels desktop for Mac and VMware's Fusion for Mac, which allow Windows applications to be used on the Mac desktop.

My first reactions to using my Mac should resonate well with those who have also made a relatively abrupt switch from using a PC. It is fair to say that my learning curve was rather steep.

The lack of a Start button, an inability to right-click using the trackpad, even maximising windows all threw me at first.

I was similarly flummoxed when it came to programs freezing. The trusty Ctrl-Alt-Del short cut has no effect. Instead, I had to learn about the marvels of the Force Quit function.

None of these quirks is a fundamental flaw and I have quickly grown accustomed to the new user interface.

But I was also lucky enough to have a bit of holiday time to get used to the system. I certainly would not advise any large group of business users to make the switch without undertaking proper familiarisation training first.

More comment at From The Newsdesk