Apple to Apple

Almost exactly a year ago, I got my first taste of Apple – my gorgeous white little Nano which is still being put to excellent use. That was last year’s Christmas present from Zibin. This year, I got an even bigger bite of the Apple pie. A MacBook (the black 2GHz, 120GB hard-drive version with RAM bumped up to 2GB)!

I’ve long been tempted, but the dearth of application software for the Mac OS always kept me at bay. Now that Mac has BootCamp which allows users to install Windows OS on their hardware (so you can boot up either in Mac or Windows and still install/use your Windows applications), and the Intel Core 2 Duo chips inside their oh-so-sexy bodies, the temptation is simply too great to resist. That is, I had planned that my next computer would be Mac, which wasn’t going to happen for a while yet.

But, as fate would have it, Zibin’s 3.5 year old TwinHead laptop is on its last legs. We think it will expire very soon. My trusty also 3 plus year old IBM ThinkPad T-40 is on stand-by in Ithaca, until Zibin can have time to get a new laptop. At least that was the initial plan. But after some twists and turns and computer planning, my lovely hubby thought that I should be the one to get a new laptop. And that it would be my Christmas present!

Due to more unexpected twists (because of Apple’s super efficiency and Purolator’s unfortunate incompetency), I had a big scare. The new computer was scheduled to be delivered between Dec 14 – 19, but it was delivered on Dec 7 instead. And to 222 St. Patrick St instead of 211 St. Patrick where I live. Apple launched a shipping investigation straight away and assured me that I would be sent a replacement if they could not recover the MacBook. (Their reaction time was super, SUPER fast. 15 mins after I sent an email via their website.) But I decided to try and reclaim my new baby personally from the Michener Institute where it was mistakenly delivered to and signed for. Happily, it turned out to be an honest mistake…which is why I can be happily typing this entry on my new computer!

So, is it love at first touch? *smile* I’ll withhold more definitive judgment until I have more time to get acquainted with all that Mac’s Tiger OS has to offer. But so far, what I’ve discovered, I like very much. And I have to say that the Mac OS really has quite a lot of ‘wow’ factors for a newbie. It’s intuitive too, as well as so, so, SO pretty.

In the meantime, I’m just very happy and relieved to be able to do simple tasks like running multiple applications (e.g. MS Word and Web for reference and research) without time-lag and without my applications hanging. (I am referring to the hand-me-down PC from John which I think is almost 5 years old. It doesn’t even have USB 2.0!)

I have only begun my Mac experience, but I’m already beginning to understand why Apple has so many annoyingly cultish, rabid fans. *heh* I haven’t said that much here, but if you want to read about some hard-core PC to Mac converts, check out these 2 reviews:

Thomas Hawk Buys a Mac
A Windows Expert Opts for a Mac Life

If you’re someone who has also been considering making the Mac switch, I’d say these days the ‘cons’ are getting fewer and fewer. But if you can wait longer, you may want to hold off till the new Leopard OS comes out next year. You can check out a preview at Apple’s website.

Yes, it’s still a PC world out there. And Macs don’t come cheap. But with Macs having such an alluring combination of brains and beauty, it was only a matter of time before I went over to the dark side. And who knows, I may be there to stay… *muahahahahhahaaaa*

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Couple weeks back I made a joke that I was waiting to see which of my friends are going to get a 1 carat diamond ring from their boyfriends cos every subsequent engagement ring keeps getting bigger and bigger. (Biggest I know of among immediate friends is 0.7 carat)

Serena and WK teasingly said that maybe it’d be me. And I retorted that if Zibin was going to spend that kind of money on a gift for me, I had plenty of other ideas besides jewellery. *heh* Yah, let’s save on jewellery and flowers or any such mundane gifts… if big bucks are being spent on ‘wants’ rather than ‘needs,’ give me cool kitchen appliances or electronics over diamonds or branded clothes or bags any day. I can do so many more interesting projects that way!

I love my present. Thank you sweetie!!! :D