The question inevitably comes up when I meet people and they learn I write about Apple for a living: "So, what's that like?" I usually answer, "It's crazy." There perhaps has never been a more interesting time to write about Apple and its growing impact on the computer, telecommunications, and music worlds. Unfortunately, it also means that I have to witness (and sometimes join) a daily descent into a pit of mudslinging. Their size and degree of organization can be debated, and it's usually overstated. But there is no question that Macintosh users are by far the most passionate advocates...