Chad Things

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: