One of the largest things that i dislike on macs is sacrifying ergonomics because of the design. For example, the mouse with scroll - sure, it looks monolitic and cool, but it ain't as comfortable to hold as my logitech mouse + scroll wheel is a pain in the backside to use. And while on the mouse topic, does anyone remember the round G3 mouse?

Moving on, the iMac (the version before the current aluminium one. Sure, i can get used to power switch on the backside, but the usb ports on the back!? no thank you. And before you point me to the keyboard USB ports, they're nice and all, but try putting a usb stick in them - not enough voltage? too bad. So, someone will finally point me to a USB hub - but if i'm a mac user, i hate additional cables! And i hope the macbook air has more than one usb port(i haven't seen more than one) - sometimes all 4 usb ports on my laptops are occupied, so i find highly unpractical being limited to only one.

 1. Exposé "hot corners" can be disabled in the system preferences.

2. Menu Bar-> Window-> select the one you want. A bit less convenient but still works.

3. command + ~ to switch through windows.

4. Bottom right corner of screen, click and drag to resize a window. It can take up the whole screen. 

5. WHAT is wrong with System Preferences? Seems much better organized than the control panel to me. 

 I'll definitely agree that Apple doesn't have the best track record with mice.

I've used flash drives  with my ancient eMac keyboard countless times. I assume they also work with the newer models.

 The MacBook air is designed for people constantly on the go that are highly dependent on wireless internet and don't mind sacrificing power for portability- if someone wants a get a mac laptop and use 4 USB ports at once, they would probably get a MacBook Pro.

Sometimes Apple does sacrifice ergonomics for design, as is the case with their mice. They are optional, however, so that's not a big issue for me. When it comes to their laptops, my own experience is that the ergonomics are actually better than the PC laptops I have used and/or seen. The slot loading DVD drive is easier to use, all the connectors are on the sides of the laptop, the magnetic power connector is ingenious, the keyboard is really good, the displays are among the best, the power switch is placed well, the trackpad is years ahead of PC trackpads I've seen. Sure, you don't get a second built-in button on the trackpad, but it's not terribly inconvinient to press crtl+button if you need the second button which, consequently, is a bit less frequent on OS X than on Windows. And you can scroll with 2 fingers, and with the new multi-touch trackpads you can do even more.

I haven't owned or really used iMacs or MacPros, so I can't comment on them. But no product is flawless, not even PC.

@Sam Yikin

The "problem" with MacBook Pro and 4 USB ports is that there are only 2, at least on my 15" one.

Oh man, I hate the Imac's and their placement of ports. It's cool that there is a rounded base for the computer and a moving monitor or the entire computer is directly behind the monitor, but it gets a little annoying when the computers are chained on the desk and you have to really do some work to plug in your USB flash drive to do some graphic design.

Also, the way to get around the keyboard USB ports is to use an MP3 flash drive since they use a battery to power up. Unless I took the battery out, I don't believe I ever got the 'low voltage' warning when I used my MP3 player to store my data. Still, it's not really a good use of a battery when I could be using that same AAA battery to listen to my music while walking to class.

@ sam yikin, oh come one, resizing by dragging the corner? what is this? windows 3.11?
yes i know you can disable expose, bad thing is i have to disable it every fricking time, because the video lab macs are shared by students or restored to a previous state after restarting, so i have to do that every time, it gets a bit annoying.

besides apple +tab doesnt scroll through your messenger windows, or through your word documents, only to the program itself , and as i like having the conversations big (YES I DRAG THE FRICKING CORNER ON EVERYONE OF THEM, IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME, it would be better to have say... a maximizing button and every new window comes maximized...) as i like them big its a big hassle to get the windows i want quickly. that wouldnt be so bad if it had a second mouse button to do it from the dock without using the ctrl key, because you now im lying back on the chair and either i have to press the key by leaving my comfort position or i have to wait a lot for the context menu to pop up.

They have second mouse click and scrolling wheels standard now? wow, it was about time, they were like 20 years late to the party. Too bad all macs before the new model dont come with that and those are the macs everywhere.

As for the preferences... it might be organized but it lacks options and customization in many areas.

And for all of you who tell me I have to get used to them... its not happening I usually make a comparison between macs and pcs, macs are like point and click cameras, easy to use in a consumer level, but pcs are like slrs, you can adapt them to your nedds exchange lenses and customize all the settings on "manual", because most of the time you want to have the decisions and not the guy thought that would be the best way for everyone.

By the way the way the mouse works, is horrible, the cord usually gets beneath the thing and you cant fricking click i it gets frustrating to have to rearrange yourself every 5 minutes for that... and thats because the whole thing is the button and not a button on the top...

Oh and dont get me the youre a beginner mac user, i have used them for over 400 hours on my video projects, you know editing can take a lot, and it can take more if youre not comfortable with the system... its a shame final cut pro is so damn good, i wouldnt have to mess with inferior computers was it not for that software.

So, let me get this straight: it's a problem of the OS that other users turn on a feature that you don't like? And speaking of lack of options: how are your hot corners in Windows? The thing is, you think they are a nuisance because you're not accustomed to using hot corners, perhaps because you like all your windows to take up all of the screen. I know, I was like that when I was using Windows. But guess what? OS X is built around a different philosophy, and when you start on it, you get used to it. Just like you have gotten used to the Windows way.

I disagree with you about the point and click vs. slr -comparison. OS X is, on the whole, about just as versatile as Windows, and you can customize things a lot if you want. or mobile use, it's far superior to XP at least and, from what I've seen, also Vista. Two things where OS X shines in my experience are the Network profiles, and using external displays: I take my laptop around a few locations, and have different network settings in different places. In XP, I'd have to manually change the settings each time (or use a 3rd party program for different profiles), in OS X I just change the location. And for the external displays, I plug one in and if I've used it previously, OS X usually remembers the settings automatically without any extra work, and even if I have to change the settings, it's easily done via system prefererences > displays > detect displays. Works like magic for me, and is miles easier than doing the same thing in XP.

In any case, both OS'es have their strengths and weaknesses due to slightly different design philosophies. If you stick to one, it's going to be much easier than switching back and forth between the two. But if you're going to present criticism, it would help you you actually know both systems. You can switch through programs using Command+Tab in OS X, and through open windows in a program via Command+< or from the Window menu, so your point is slightly moot. You may argue that the Windows way of having all open windows in the same list is better, but that's a different matter and debatable as it fills up the task bar in no time (not to mention the Alt+Tab list). I, for example, like to have around 6 to 10 different programs open at any one time, and in addition to that a number of documents/windows open in some programs, so the total number of open windows can easily top 15 in my use. In XP, that would mean a crammed taskbar and tabbing through unnecessary windows when  want to just switch between programs. For my use, the OS X way is better.