Macs Are Back, PCs Power Up: Either Way, You Win

By Greg Lindsay

Could it be that the mantra of last year and the year before--"Faster. Cheaper"--is this year's mantra too? You bet it is. In fact, lightning-quick machines for less than $1,000 have become so common that the issue is no longer productivity but entertainment and the push for real simplicity--the long coming of computers that are as easy to use as household appliances. The best computers at the turn of the millennium combine solid fundamentals (a fast processor, a roomy hard disk and a great screen) with a choice selection of new technologies, like rewritable CD-ROM drives, DVD-ROM and digital video editing. DV cameras can output footage to PCs through a single, fast cable called FireWire from Apple and i.LINK from Sony, the two companies that integrate DV editing into their machines. The trick, of course, is to determine which of the new technologies you need or just have to have. No matter what you decide, the compromise won't be about the speed to run a spreadsheet or get on the Web. It will be about that new machine two months from now that's faster, cheaper and, finally, even easy to use.

TIPS: WHAT COMES WITH THE PACKAGE

THE DRIVE'S THE THING Don't settle for less than a DVD-ROM, which can play your old CDs as well as dvd movies. Consider a built-in rewritable CD-ROM drive. It's great for making your own music discs and storing digital photos.

LOOK FOR BUNDLES Many of the leading PC makers are throwing in everything from printers to MP3 players. Signing up with a Web service provider, also bundled in many deals, can knock hundreds off your PC's cost--but you're locked into that service for several years.

--By Greg Lindsay