I’ve upgraded Macs a few times now, and the process can’t be simpler. The migration app may take some time to copy everything over, but the result is a one-step process where my new machine’s environment is exactly the same as my old one. Having done more than my share of Windows migrations, there is simply no comparison. The only pain in moving to my oh-so-beautiful unibody MacBook Pro was buying another cable (Firewire 800 to Firewire 400) because of the chronic port changes from model to model.
I also finally upgraded my Airport Extreme to a 1 terabyte Time Capsule earlier this week and had the same experience. My dread of resetting network passwords on all my devices never materialized. When I started the installation wizard, it asked me if I was adding the Time Capsule to my network or replacing my Airport Extreme. After configuring some of the special features of the Time Capsule, it seemlessly replaced my Airport Extreme. Everything network-aware continued to function without a hiccup. It felt magical.
Of course Apple can only provide experience like this when you buy into their monoculture. That’s generally a bad thing in my book, but it’s hard to resist a new Apple device when I know that migration/incorporation into my existing technocology will be so seamless. For now, I’m ready for another helping of the Kool Aid. Mmm.