Mac vs. Windows…

I’m a long-time Mac user. In fact, I was using Apple computers (Apple II) long before the PC blasted onto the scene. I fell in love with the first Macintosh I saw, the little vanilla box with the black and white screen that played this really silly Alice in Wonderland game…and not much else.

(In fact, I saw the first demo of a Mac at the West Coast Computer Faire many, many years ago, and heard the now-infamous wizards-behind-the-curtain who were running the REAL demo on an Apple Lisa because the Mac wasn’t working…but that’s another story.)

I sold my PowerMacs when I went to work for Intel; seemed faintly treacherous to own a competitor’s product.

Now, I’ll tell you that I can operate in three environments–PC, Mac, and Unix (now Linux) but truthfully, I’m in Windows about 95% of the time. It’s where I live.

So naturally, when I developed a pressing need to buy a laptop computer, I headed straight for the Macs.

Huh?

Yup. I’m in love with the little beasties. The Mac was built for my favorite things, i.e., computer graphics, photography, animation, and video. Windows is just a wannabe in the creative world, and not having Mac poked a serious hole in my serenity. (And they have the best ads around)

The MacBookPro is one seriously nice machine. I’ve played and played with them in the store, researched what people are saying about them online, the nice folks at warmglass.com, my favorite online chat group, are so enthusiastic I nearly hit the buy button right then.

I’m consulting (happily) now, and I need a mobile computer to take to client locations. I need wireless, I need power for graphics and Web development work, I need great video…and I’d really like it to be purty…5 years of Intel and you, too, will hate smudgy black ThinkPads.

I’d loaned my only laptop, a slimline lavender Gateway, to my niece when she started college, and it lasted exactly two months. Gateway’s (non-existent) support knocked them out of the running for my new laptop. Lenovo (makers of the former IBM ThinkPad) makes a nice computer but I ran through seven of them in five years at Intel and had I stayed there another three months I would have made that eight. The support I’ve gotten lately from Dell meant my only real Windows choices were HP, Compaq, Sony, or Toshiba.

I need a laptop, and by damn, I need a MacBookPro. This is a serious jones, folks.

Word from techie friends, the PC reviews world (which I take with a grain of salt, knowing how most of these guys test), and general online concensus is that the new Mac’s Windows emulation mode is stellar. I can run Windows and Mac OSes on the same machine, in parallel. I get my beloved Mac for graphics, Windows for my business clients, and everybody’s happy.

I carefully researched the best prices, compiled my choices (Apple Store for a refurbished MacBookPro at about 20% off list, load up on memory from an offbrand vendor, buy the software at a discount), got to the “submit order” button on three different websites…and froze.

Good thing I did.

At the last minute I couldn’t decide between the Mac “glossy” and “matte” screens. Visited the local Mac Store, not too far from my house, to compare them.

Fell into a nice technical chat with the salesperson (who actually KNEW what he was talking about, I was stunned). He pointed out that the glossy screen was actually oversaturated, which would be a problem for color accuracy…so matte it was.

Then he said, “When were you planning to buy this?” (Oh, in the next minute or three…)

“Well…you do know that Apple’s probably bringing out new MacBookPros at the Paris Expo, right? They’ll probably be more efficient, a bit more power…you might want to wait. In any case, if new ones come out the price is going to drop on the one you’re looking at now.”

So…I thanked him, drove home, and dove into the Web. Sure enough, rumors of a new MacBookPro are all over the place, set to debut on September 16. (I must be slipping)

That’s two weeks away. I guess I can wait that long. Sniff, sniff.

If you find me hunched in front of The Apple Store, shivering, don’t worry. Just lead me to the MacBookPro, put my hand on the trackpad and say, “here’s your Mac.”

I’ll be right as rain in no time.

Update: Additional investigation has uncovered more problems with the current MBP’s battery and wireless networking than I care to get into. Another reason to wait. Now all I have to do is explain to my client why I’m traveling sans laptop. (me. without a computer for 5 days. me.)

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