Importing raw images

Question

I recently shot some photos in RAW format. When I connected my camera to my computer, the preview images look identical to what I shot. Once the import has completed, the color of the photo becomes de-saturated. It basically over rides my in camera settings. Is there a way to prevent this?
Camera:
Canon Rebel T1i
set to shoot in RGB (however, once the image is imported, the image file shows that is was shot as Adobe RGB 1998)
I have tried importing through aperture, image capture, and iPhoto. I get the same result each time.
Thanks

Answer 1

"RAW" describes a family of proprietary sensor data formats.  None of them are image formats.  RAW files cannot be displayed.
The process of creating an image-format file from a RAW file is called conversion.  Cameras that save JPGs do this conversion themselves.  Some cameras also, or alternatively, save the RAW file and make it available to the user.
The JPG files have several disadvantages compared to RAW.  They have been compressed using a lossy algorithm.  They are 8-bit.  The WB is baked in.  All you camera settings are baked in.
The first image you see in Aperture is the Preview.  If this was created in-camera, it will be the JPG file converted from RAW and with all of your settings applied.  Meanwhile, Aperture will convert the RAW Master and create an image to display.  This is the unsaturated image you eventually see.
The choice of whether to use the in-camera JPG or the RAW file is up to you.  You can import both, as a "RAW+JPEG pairs".
Aperture is designed to provide a complete non-destructive RAW workflow.  What many users do is shoot RAW and save as Adjustment Presets groups of adjustments similar to whatever in-camera settings they prefer.  In this way, they can easily mimic the camera-created "look" of the photograph, but still have very wide latitude in processing/developing each digital negative (=RAW file) in other ways.