Once upon a time, a chasm separated Windows PCs from Macs and other Apple products. You used one or the other, but very rarely both. But that's not true anymore. The iPod first bridged the gap; its ability to connect to both Macs and Windows PCs was a major reason for its phenomenal success. Then Apple started using Intel chips in Macs, which meant you could actually run Windows programs on a Mac. (And, in some tests, you could do so faster than you could on an equivalent Windows PC.) Today, Core 2 Duo processors power Apple's entire desktop line (Mac Mini, iMac, and Mac Pro) as well as its laptops (MacBook, MacBook Pro, and the super-thin MacBook Air).

The iPod Touchs beautiful design, useful apps, touch screen, and built-in Wi-Fi outweigh minor audio-quality issues. The Touch is certainly an amazing piece of technology. Mobile Safari is the best portable Web browser around, Cover Flow works great on a device with limited storage capacity, and the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store is extremely slick for a first-generation product.