AppleWorks: (Same as OfficeWorks - Word Processor, Spreadsheet, & Graphics Programs) AppleWorks does open, read & write MS Word files as well as most Excel files. If your word processing and spreadsheet needs are very simple, AppleWorks will more than serve your purpose but if you're used to MS Office (like us also :-), you will want to get Mac MS office - just follow the link towards on the recommended hardware & software page.

GarageBand: A world class music creation software for budding musicians - letting you "play" and record several hundred different instruments. Several musicians have created an entire album in GarageBand!

IChatAV: Linked to AOL’s AIM (Instant Messaging), you can IM anyone in the world … but that’s just the start – add the Apple isight and with a broadband connection – you have free video messaging to anyone on planet Earth anywhere with no additional costs or phone charges!

iMovie: An amazingly robust but amazingly easy to use video editor. For those from the PC world who have heard the hype and have had to put with PC video editors - iMovie will recognize virtually all firewire camcorders - roll your tape to where you want to start . Click IMPORT and you can see it importing right there. Each 9 minutes (or so) is broken into a "clip." You drag those clips down to the editing window. You can delete what you want, add effects (about 50 included - you can download or buy others), add music or still photos by just dragging them in - you can export back to your camcorder, you can export back to your camcorder, the web, as a quicktime movie or straight to DVD using iDVD.

iDVD: Is another amazing application that has no equal on the PC even for thousands of dollars! You can create elaborate (or simple) DVD’s by just clicking and dragging files.

iPhoto: A simple concept that can cost you hundred of dollars to buy the same for the PC – hook up your digital camera, it unloads each photo automatically to iPhoto. You get a resizable thumbnail of each photo that you can resize from tiny to full size. You can print out index prints, adjust colors or send it to the web or make a slide show with music by just clicking and dragging!

iTunes: You probably already know it as the easiest and best music jukebox and online music store - as you can already download it for the Mac & PC for free (and included with every ipod).

Mail: A full-featured email program.

Safari: A great web browser with built in pop-up blocker, tabbed browsing and no spyware!

In addition you also get: Quicken 2005 for Mac, World Book 2005 Edition, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, games & other great utility applications.

You can read all about the Mac software in greater detail at Apple.com - Software.