For the same reason, Levine also buys quite a lot of shareware. "I don't always need it," he said. "I just want to support the author. It's just worth supporting."

Like all Apple collectors, Levine identifies strongly with Mac culture; the T-shirts and luggage tags broadcast his association.

"It's more than just a computer, it's a community," he said. "For many Mac people, I think it has a religious feeling to it. For a lot of people who are not comfortable with religion, it provides a community and a common heritage. I think Mac users have a certain common way of thinking, a way of doing things, a certain mindset.

"People say they are a Buddhist or a Catholic," he added. "We say we're Mac users, and that means we have similar values."