[Last Visible Dog]

Anyone could always program a Mac, since it's the hardware that's proprietary. Although now days most of the stuff in the box (memory, hard drives, etc.) is standard PC hardware, and Apple was the first to push universal connectors like USB and Firewire.

The comment about USB is WRONG! Windows has supported USB since 1998. Apple added USB support for the Mac in 2000.

[sittnick]

The comment about USB is WRONG! Windows has supported USB since 1998. Apple added USB support for the Mac in 2000

The iMac (with USB) came out in 1998. Its use was mandatory, as there were no other ports (except modem phone line and RJ-45 Network). This setup ensured that peripherals running off of USB would be available in short order.

Windows 95 with USB support did not really work too well, and Win98 (first edition) was also glitchy. Grownups in business were using NT 4.0, and that did not support USB at all. Microsoft added USB support in earnest in August 2000 when the much delayed Windows 2000 Pro finally came out.

[antiRepublicrat]

The comment about USB is WRONG! Windows has supported USB since 1998. Apple added USB support for the Mac in 2000.

Wrong, the iMac debuted in early 1998 with USB as its only device connector, while Microsoft's first full USB support (although to be later patched) came out in Windows 98 a month later. But at that time, there was no incentive for PCs to use it since everyone still used the other connectors available. It's no coincidence that most of the early USB devices had colors complimentary to the iMac. I still have one of the first Agfa USB scanners for my PC -- in bondi-blue.

[Swordmaker]

The comment about USB is WRONG! Windows has supported USB since 1998. Apple added USB support for the Mac in 2000.

Bush2000 is WRONG AGAIN!

Apple iMac Bondi Blue - Introduction Date: May 6, 1998

The iMac was criticized by industry pundits because it dropped SCSI, Apple Desk Top Bus (ADB) and the standard Apple Serial ports in favor of universal USB. The only other access ports were Audio, Ethernet and Modem.

[N3WBI3]

Huh in 1998 the blue and white all in one Mac had USB, and in 1999 the G3 blue and white tower had usb and firewire. My mother picked up the blue and white tower in 1999 and just replaced it with an imac.

When my wife (then friend) got an ipod in late 2002 we were amazed that it pluged right into my mothers computer with no problems.

[Swordmaker]

The comment about USB is WRONG! Windows has supported USB since 1998. Apple added USB support for the Mac in 2000.

Oh, in addition, while Windows did offer limited USB support in the last two upgrades of Windows95, they admitted that USB was severely limited and prone to problems. According to Microsoft, USB support was only fully implemented in Windows 98... Released on June 25, 1998... but that it still had problems cooperating with other ports. USB was finally "completely" implemented only in Windows 98 SE released sometime after April of 1999.

Contrast this with a fully functional USB implementation in all new Macs as of May 6, 1998.