There have been some grumblings recently that the sale rate of new desktop and laptop computers has slowed. Some reports are suggesting that more and more consumers are making due with their existing machines, and instead spending their financial resources of devices like MP3 players and smart phones. It’s not that they don’t use personal computers anymore, it’s just that they don’t see enough of a technology advantage to justify the expense of an upgrade. This news might not come as a surprise to many of you; the days of “new” PCs going obsolete in six months are over – at least, for now. Yet despite this trend, there’s a very good chance that your new laptop or desktop is desperately behind the technology curve – even if you just bought it last week. And if you’re in the adult Internet development business, it makes sense to stay on top of the technology game and take advantage of the best of modern computing.Don’t panic. There’s an easy way to check if your computer is technologically retarded. Just start up your machine, or reboot if it’s already running – if the words “Microsoft” and “Windows” appear during the startup, you’ve got a problem. If you also see the word “Vista” then, sorry to tell you, you’ve got a technological emergency on your hands.

Not long ago, I might have argued that if you want to build adult websites, you have to bite the bullet and get used to a Windows-based PC. At one time it seemed that sites built on a Macintosh, for example, didn’t always look the same to PC surfers (the vast majority of Web surfers) as they did to their Macintosh designers. That was a serious problem – you can’t build what you think is a great looking website only to find it has serious display issues you can’t see, but more than 90% of its visitors can. There was also an issue of software – too many vital applications that just weren’t available for the Macintosh. There were some really good reasons to stick with a PC.

But times change.

For whatever reason, the return of Steve Jobs to Apple Computers has done wonders for the company and the products that it’s producing. Most webmasters will find that the applications they need to run an online business are readily available for the Macintosh – and in some cases, work better than their PC counterparts. But I wouldn’t argue that you should invest in a Macintosh just for the sake of better applications. The biggest advantages are elsewhere.

First, the Macintosh experience is designed to limit the “learning curve” so you can spend less time trying to figure out how to use and maintain your machine, and more time being productive. No doubt Apple has a significant advantage by controlling both the hardware and the operating system – and they use this advantage to provide a better computing experience. When you work in a technology driven industry like ours, a lot of time is spent upgrading your knowledge. Time spent learning how to use your operating system, trying to make your software work correctly again, or trying to figure out why your machine gets slower every day, is time you can’t spend building websites, making business contacts and marketing your latest solo girl.

Second, security has been an issue with PCs. Since the majority of computer users can be found on Windows-based machines, hackers tend to target their efforts in that direction. The threat posed by computer viruses is somewhat enhanced for adult Web developers, since certain parts of the globe are notorious for trying to attach malicious code to adult websites. Investing in a Macintosh might make more sense than investing in security software for your PC. No solution is perfect, but at the end of the day, it’s all about lowering your risk.

Third, price is no longer an issue. At one point, Macintosh hardware was significantly more expensive than PC hardware. Today, prices for Macs are competitive. Entry-level Macintosh desktop machines can be had for just over $500, with mid-level machines around 1k and high-end machines less than 3k. You can also pick up a very capable Mac laptop for around 1.5k, not a bad price. When you consider that your computer is the single most important tool you have in this business, investing on this level for a good machine is a no-brainer.

Fourth, mobility is just easier on a Mac. A lot of adult Webmasters find that travel is part of the game. Whether it’s to attend tradeshows, meet with clients, party with industry peers, shoot content on location, whatever, often there’s a need to move – and to take the Internet with you. If you like to use a desktop at the office and a laptop on the road, going all Macintosh makes this experience a lot easier. For about $100 per year, you can get a .Mac account and use it to automatically synch important data between your machines. Things like your address book and calendar entries, email, and browser bookmarks, for instance. You can also use your .Mac account’s “iDisk” to store your work files – any files you store on your iDisk will be automatically uploaded to Apple’s remote servers, and then made available to your other Mac machines (for instance, your laptop), provided they have Internet access. Once you set all this up (takes just a few minutes), there’s nothing left to do – synchronization occurs automatically. When you need to make that trip to Cybernet Expo, just grab your laptop and go – all your data and files from your desktop will be ready for you when you boot it up in your hotel room, provided you’re connected to the Internet. Remember, the less time you spend transferring files back and forth, synchronizing email and bookmarks and contact lists, the more time can spend trying to make more money.

Fifth, the iPhone is for real – and the experience is much better when you use it in connection with a Macintosh. For the longest time I’ve heard the drums beating for mobile adult content. And for the longest time, I didn’t “get it.” Who would want to use their cell phone for watching porn? Well, with the recent arrival of smart phones – the Apple iPhone leading the pack – I get it now. The iPhone isn’t just a neat phone, it’s really more like a small pocket computer. It handles email and web browsing beautifully for a device of that size. Managing your contact and calendar data is also better on an iPhone. It also handles media extremely well – everything from music and pictures to, yup, high quality video. And, when you’re in range of a wireless network access point – for example, in your home office or at the local coffee shop – your iPhone can use that wireless connection rather than cell service to browse the Net and check email faster. In fact, this device is so useful that I already consider it an indispensable component of my office. You can use an iPhone with a PC of course, but when you use it with your Macintosh, the experience is that much better. The iPhone also interacts extremely well with standard Macintosh applications, including iPhoto, iCal, Mail and Address Book. All of which are extremely useful when running an online business.

I almost hate to mention this, but with the newest Macintosh machines being Intel-based, it’s now possible to load Microsoft Windows on a Mac. My own experience with Windows, especially Vista, has been pretty negative — so I haven’t found any reason to take advantage of this little feature. But if there are one or two PC applications that you just can’t live without, your Mac can be set to dual boot. In other words, you can decide at boot up whether you want to run the Mac’s own operating system, OS X, or Microsoft Windows.

I own no stock in Apple Computers. I think the “PC Guy” is funnier than the “Mac Guy.” Not long ago, I used PCs exclusively. I have no reason to argue on behalf of the Macintosh other than my own personal experiences with both Macintosh machines and Windows-based PCs. Every user’s needs are different, and you might very well have a really good reason to stick with our PC that simply does not apply to me and my own situation. But if you’re just hanging on to your PC existence because you didn’t know better, which I think applies to a lot of adult webmasters, well, now you’re informed. Maybe it’s time to give Bill Gates the “boot” now, so you don’t have to give his machine the “reboot” in a few hours.