Surprise! Mossberg's notebook buyers guide recommends Macs

The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg has changed the focus of his twice-a-year computer buyer's guides from desktop PCs to notebooks because portables have been outselling desktops since May 2004.

In his recent installment (which focuses on "mainstream, nontechnical consumers" and not "heavy gamers, video producers or corporate buyers") he recommends a Mac over a PC.

Windows vs. Mac: This is the eternal question. In my view, Apple's Leopard operating system is faster, better and far less prone to malicious software than Microsoft's Vista operating system. And the Mac laptops also come with better built-in software. The $1,099 MacBook is a solid, fairly priced machine, and the $1,999 MacBook Pro is even better. Both also can run Windows.

The guide isn't a complete endorsement of Macs though, in it Mossberg notes that "Windows laptops are often less expensive, tend to have a greater variety of ports and slots, and come in more styles and sizes."