Paul Thurrott, one of the more prominent Windows-based writers on the web, has written the story of his buying a Mac Mini for his wife.

"I am, as you might know, one of the more prominent Windows-based writers on the Web. This simple fact makes the notion that I'd buy a Mac for my wife seem like an April Fools joke, I know. But the truth is, I've owned one or more Macs since summer 2005, and I'm a big fan of Mac OS X, albeit one who is perhaps more honest about the system's shortcomings than the typical Mac fanatic," Thurrott writes for Connected Home media.

Thurrott is well known for Mac-bashing in his articles, but true enough, that has dried down significantly as of late. While Thurrott describes the Mac as "viable for a wide range of users, including graphic artists, photographers, and other creative types," he does go on to say that "a truly simple system like the Mac mini is perfect for the mass market, those people who simply need email, Web access, and word processing." Perhaps is most suited for the 'creative types' because they want to focus on the creative process, and they too see the computer as a means to a goal, a tool to be used… Thurrott almost makes it sound like he doesn't actually need to get any work done and is content to just keep the antivirus and spamware software happy.

"The truth is, her computers have always been problematic. And like a typical office worker in any company, she puts up with the small Windows abuses on a regular basis. She's learned to simply reboot when things stop working. She accepts that sometimes printing or network access just don't work for any logical reason. And the constant air turbine-like sound that emanates from her Dell PC? That's just how PCs sound, she thinks," Thurrott writes. "Well, no more."
In the rest of the article, Thurrott details the steps he took to bring his wife's valuable information over, including all her documents, e-mails and contacts, as well as the browser bookmarks.

Far from being an April fools joke, this article marks the beginning of a new age, in which the Mac is receiving a closer look from many of those who scoffed at it, and it is only the beginning. The Macintosh Community welcomes Mrs. Thurrott, and has also reserved Mr. Thurrott a place.