Having a quiet computer is an important thing for many Mac and PC users alike. Fortunately for Apple, no one besides that company has figured out how to actually make one that is truly quiet. Even more fortunate for Apple, Walt Mossberg, the technology voice of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), knows that Macs are quiet, and isnit afraid to say so. Mr. Mossberg writes a tech column for the WSJ that sometimes includes a Q&A installment. In this weekis Q&A, a reader asked "When I turn off my Windows computer, I heave a huge sigh of relief as the fan stops whirring. Itis gotten to the point where I actually canit use my machine without my stress level soaring."
Mr. Mossberg answers with:
PCs really are noisy, but I donit know of any mass-market maker other than Apple that sells an off-the-shelf system without a fan or which is otherwise specifically designed for quiet operation.
[...]
Appleis iMac and G4 Cube were specifically designed without a fan and are much quieter than any Windows machine Iive used. Given the health risks of the higher stress levels you report, Iid strongly suggest you buy one of these Macs, even though you might have to replace some of your peripheral hardware.
Thatis an unequivocal endorsement for the Mac as not only being quiet, but actually being the only quiet computer! There is more in Mr. Mossbergis response that we did not quote, and we recommend you check it out.