It’s been a big month for Mac users. First the iPad sold 1 million units, just weeks after its April release. Then Valve released Steam for the Mac with a sizable number of games already ported and ready through Steamplay. Now Apple is killing the smarmy “I’m a Mac” ads.

It’s funny. The “I’m a Mac” ads have focused around the Mac being able to do what PCs can, better than PCs. Now, with Steam available on the Mac, Apple’s fancy white box is starting to get a respectable game library. Yes, many PC games have been ported to the Mac over the years, but Steam is the first real push to put games on the Mac across the board. Valve’s fully behind it, and since Steam is one of the biggest online game stores on the Internet, many other publishers/developers have a strong incentive to make their games available on both PC and Mac.

Digital distribution has made incredible strides over the last few years, and for PC users it’s been a no-brainer. Steam, Direct2Drive, and GOG.com all offer hundreds of games both recent and retro, often bundled or discounted far below retail prices, all available without getting up from your chair. PC game sections in retail stores have shrunk to the point that they’re nearly vestigial, and if you want to buy a Mac game from a retail outlet, you better hope there’s an Apple store within driving distance. Steam’s release on the Mac opens up a virtually untapped market segment to developers of all sizes. Finally, there’s both a real reason and an economically viable avenue to release Mac ports of PC games.

Besides Steam and Mac ports of PC games, Apple’s portable devices have been steadily growing in gaming legitimacy. Both the iPhone and iPad have surprisingly compelling libraries of games available over the iTunes App Store. They aren’t just shallow-as-paper web game ports, either; everything from Final Fantasy to Civilization to Sam and Max has made its way onto Apple gadgets. The iP-words haven’t reached the point where they offer serious competition to the DS or PSP, but they’re getting there.

Apple’s products are finally embracing their potential as legitimate gaming platforms just as they’ve started to shrug off their insufferable hipster ad campaigns. Macs are no longer antagonistic to PCs, they’re simply viable alternatives. iPhones are no longer smartphones with crappy cell phone games, they’re surprisingly flexible devices with a huge selection of titles. This could be the beginning of a new age of Apple gamers.

Unless you want to play a Flash game on an iPad. Then you’re still screwed.