A Switch To Help Holiday Cheer LastAll Year (NAPSA)—More than % ofall U.S. households are likely to purchase at least one consumer-electronics device this holiday season, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. DVD players top the list for the second yearin a row, and the popularity of digital devices such as digital cameras and camcorders, as well as MP3 players and cell phones, is also expected to be strong. But what is going to keep your favorite gift in December from taking up space in the garage come June? Many consumers have found that the best way to get the most out of their new digital devices is with a Macintosh computer, even if it means they need to make a switch from a Windows-based PC. Why are people making the switch to a Mac? One reason is that many feel Apple is the only personal technology company that understands that as people add digital devices (like digital cameras, MP3 players and phones) to their lives, they need a “hub” to manageall the content. Here’s just one example: You’ve forgotten to go shopping for your mom’s birthday because you’ve spent so much time taking digital photos of your newborn son. If you have a SuperDrive-equipped iMac, which happensto come pre-loaded with Apple’s iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto and iTunes applications, you have everythingit takes to make a very special gift. Just take all the photos from your digital camera, download them into iPhoto where you can edit, organize and store your photos. Pick your favorites and drag them into iMovie, where you can add special effects like laughter and insert clever transitions and titles. Then, using your iTunes music library, you can choose your favorite songs to add to your movie. With Apple’s iDVD application, you can then burn a professional-looking DVD that will play on just about any consumer DVD player. Within hours you’ve cre- Eas) qe PS) 1. Gus? A digital camera becomes more useful when connected to an iMac computer for video editing and DVD creation. ated a full motion video that will make your mother swoon. This combination of ease-of-use and the ability to “wow” friends and family has resulted in a groundswell of people switching from PCs to Macs. In fact, so many people are switching that in June Apple launched a TV ad campaign as part of an even broader company initiative to help people see how easy it is to switch. The TV ads, which feature real people who say in their own words why they’ve started using the Mac, include a variety of people ranging from students and small business owners, to attorneys andpolice officers. Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk even talks about how he uses iMovie, Apple’s desktop video editing application, to make skateboarding moviesof his son. All the excitement around the Mac also has people going to Apple’s newretail stores in droves to check out the new iMac, the stunning iBook notebook computer and iPod—Apple’s awardwinning portable MP3 player. Apple recently reported that 40 percent—almost half—of those who purchased computersat their stores were new to the Mac. Go to www.apple.com/switch, for more reasons to make the switch, and you may find yourself with a lot less dust on yourdigital devices this time next year.
