15 most used applications on Mac OS X

Most of Apple blogs these days MUST feature a "my 10 best ever Mac apps" or something similar. Obviously, this is a trend on Mac blogging scene, so I will chip in with a better one - my 15 most used apps on my glorious iMac.

I initially tried to go for 10, but couldn't squeze out some apps that I deemed to good to miss out on.

1. iTunes
Yes, I am a bit surprised as well. However, once I though about how much time I spend listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks, watching vodcasts and movie trailers, and updating artwork for my library (CoverFlow), iTunes comes on top.
I have been using iTunes since version 4.xx and have enjoyed a steady progression of interface and features available to users. And unlike many other users out there, I love CoverFlow.

2. Safari
It's not perfect - I mean, how on Earth could they forgot to include Sort Bookmarks option. But it works, and works well. Tabs are great, speed is good, sites work even the fancy Flash-based ones or secured bank sites. There are some standout features, such as "Open in tabs", reliable if somewhat simple download manager etc. It's safe too.

3. OmniOutliner
Another application that came with iMac. I've read a few articles about GTD principles (Getting Things Done) that is very popular on Mac platform. I tried a number of those applications, but found them too complicated.
OmniOutliner, while not really intended for GTD tasks, does the job admirably of quickly jotting down your To Do with comments and putting them in right place. It's a great application, easy to use and it gets regular updates that have some nice new templates.

4. VisualHub
What a great application. It converts effortlessly between numerous video formats, including Apple TV and Nintendo Wii for only $23. It utilises drag-and-drop principle, dual core processor power and it gets regular updates.

5. PathFinder
This is what Finder was supposed to look like. Drag and drop container, customisable commands and keyboard shortcuts, tabs... A bit pricey though ($35).

6. iMovie 6 HD
Classic video editing application that comes with every Mac. Offers enough features to make a good video work. Comes with some good templates to get your started and it doesn't go overboard with fancy or silly effects. Rendering time is quite good too.

7. Adium
Great little open source messaging app. Connects to a number of IM networks, including ICQ, AOL, MSN, Yahoo etc. Best features are actually obtained with numerous extras - plenty of icons, sound sets, images, and features such as displaying currently played iTunes song with cover art.
Even using default Tokyo Station sound set makes MSN Messenger users asking where do I get sounds from : )

8. Parallels
Enough already has been said about this application. It rulez.

9. iCal
A great little calendaring application. Nothing too fancy really, but for a typical home user, iCal fits the bill nicely.

10. MS Office
I am mainly using Word and Excel, purely for compatibility with .DOC and .XLS files. Nothing much to say about this suit - it works OK, until you hit more complex stuff, such as a document with a few tables, which slows down things considerably.

11. Keynote
This application is awesome. Now in version 3, it has been nicely refined, which made me ditch PowerPoint. It still reads and writes to PowerPoint nicely, but quality of features, as well as design of built-in templates really make this app for business use a standout.

12. Pages
I am getting used to this application. Perhaps not as polished or user-friendly as Keynote, but it still has some good features and impressive templates to get you started. Wont' replace Word for a while, rather it complements it. I am using it as a light-desktop publishing application.

13. Overflow
While Dock is great, it only works well if not many icons are on it. So, instead of clutering desktop with application icons, Overflow is a clever little shareware that groups applications for easier access. Its dead easy to drag and-drop application icons into Overflow and it helps making Dock neater.

14. OmniGraffle
I've just recently started playing with a trial version of this application. I was looking for a Visio-equivalent on Mac, and I think I found it. Quality of built-in libraries is pretty good, interface is very simple, while speed is great.

15. Preview
I could be accused of cheating, as this is not a stand-alone application. But, its true - Preview does a good job of viewing images, PDF's, selecting areas for saving from screen capture utility (iGrab) and exporting to different format.