Apple
I’ve finally gone Apple. Ever since i was a kid and my dad worked for IBM, i’ve always been into computers, but some how resisted Apple. First DOS, then OS/2 (i really loved), then NT 4.0, and finally XP. But I’ve never really liked microsoft, and when OS X was released, i started getting excited, mainly because it has BSD underneath (i know how to hack with that), but also because it finally had enough applications that i no longer needed windows for anything. This last one is key - every consumer will have at least one application they love and will tolerate crap as long as they can still have that killer app.
First apple purchase was the 60GB iPod Video. My old mp3 player died, and i wanted a new one with a big drive and quality sound - this fit the bill with a great screen for photos and videos as bonus.
Then I drooled at the powerbook for a while and finally broke down and bought the 15″ one (standard except 1GB RAM) on 12/28/05. It arrived Jan 3, and i loved it ever since i opened it. I’ve been around computers my whole life, always buying lots of gadgets, but i never thought i’d be so happy about a laptop. The whole experience is done right - from the sleek laptop body and backlit keyboard to the vivid screen colors to how easy it was to be up and running. I won’t go much into it, because i have to return it - what you say? read on.
Then today, 1/10/06, Apple officially announced the new intel-based laptops - MacBook Pro. It was not unexpected, there are several reasons apple went intel (price, DRM, etc), but i decided i wanted the better performance that steve jobs professes. I called apple, and luckily i was on day 13 of my 12/28 purchase and still fell under the 14-day refund policy. Hurray!!!. So i got a RMA to return that and then immediately went and purchased the MacBook Pro online (but it won’t ship till February, sigh).
Here’s some key differences if you’re considering an apple laptop:
| 15″ Powerbook: | 15″ MacBook Pro: |
| Same on both: Gig ethernet, DVD-R drive, USB, Firewire, digital audio in/out, | |
DUDE! this is like a wet dream come true! can’t want to hear more stories around your adventures with this thing - i’m jealous! awesome to see the rumors come alive - i kept checkin apple sites to see what was gonna happen at MacWorld yesterday and to wake up to your story rocks! looks like all your xp (ahem, no pun intended) at Intel will surely pay off now!
I *heart* my 12″ pbook ever since I got it last yr in March. I’ve built a webapp all in php, mysql and running on apache. Also, installation of mysql and phpMyAdmin was super easy and so is istallation for most mac apps. It’s unix in a sexy package. I’m currently using my pbook creating geekrules podcast episodes on Garageband 2. (I’ll be getting GR 3 shortly) My next project is building a dashboard widget using XCode.
I also love the built-in bluetooth and the airport extreme card. I sync my iCal and address book with my cell phone via bluetooth. My next gadget is to build myself a 300 GB external drive, since my pbook’s 60 GB is wimpy…and a 30 min garageband file is like 300 MB!!!
Anyhow, my iPod is 3rd gen. The battery is almost kaput. One would think it would a lame excuse to get the video or the nano…nope. I’m waiting for them to make a cell phone/ipod. It’s coming…soon. I hope. Apple recently filed trademarks hinting at it. Meanwhile I’ll walk around with obsolete gadgets.
after days and days of combin the desert…i *finally* found a good down to earth (ie. no zdnet, macworld marketing crap) review of your new toy:
http://www.unsanity.org/archives/000445.php
personally, the remote would have been f*cking awesome when i was stayin my dorm-like studio last year - this dude has clearly never been to Thailand - u see all kinds of peeps proppin up their laptops at the end of the bedside and give it a whirl!
so glad you’ve finally gone Apple! You’ll never go back! And I’m sure the extra week will be worth the wait for the upgraded macbook: it’ll be a fast machine…