Mom's New iMac

Wow. Just wow.


I've always thought the thing was stunning, but until you unbox one and set it up, you can't fully appreciate the construction of the machine.

I've been telling both my Mom and Dad that the iMac was their next computer for probably around 6 months ago. Mom needs a simpler computing experience with better photo and video support now that grandkids are rolling in. Dad is an anti-clutter guy who despises cables and appreciates well designed items and excellent customer service. It was a match made.

One night this week after getting dinner with my folks, Dad mentioned, hey, we talked about the computer at dinner, can we go see it somewhere? Turns out we were about 5 minutes from the Galleria Mall where there's a small Apple Store.

In the door, straight to a 24' iMac. After 15 minutes with the sales person (She did most the talking, I swear) Dad went for it. Quite possibly her easiest sale of the day. =)

This is truly the first computer I've seen my parents buy that they were happy about instead of intimidated and continually asking questions like 'how do we work this' or 'are you going to set this up for us.'

Its only been a couple of days, but so far, so good. The only real problem we've had was getting therir HP Laserjet 1020 to work. There's no driver for Mac OSX unfortunately. After a little bit of trial, error and several google searches, I was able to get it up and running with a different HP driver.

Next up:
-Latest MS Office from UB
-Time Machine backups, possibly via a Time Capsule base station
-Airport Express to make the printer wireless (maybe just get a wireless printer?)
-Go paperless with a Fujitsu Snapscan double sided scanner w/ OCR

I want a Mac.

Yepp, it's true. I want to convert to the dark side. For the last year or two, anytime anyone asked me "Hey Bill, what computer should I buy?" the answer was simple: A Mac.

Okay, it was a little more complex than that. Some folks have no choice. I've got friends in Psych and Engineering classes that need to use SPSS SAS. To the best of my knowledge there's no Mac alternative. And honestly, I don't want to do the research to figure it out. Actually, telling people to get a Mac is a blow off answer of sorts; I no longer want to want to be tech support for everyone that knows me!

The most shining example (in my mind): My brother needed a new laptop about 6 months ago. I recommended a Mac. We visited the Apple Store, he asked his questions and was comfortable making the switch. I can count on one hand how many times he's called me since that day.

We all know the general appeals of a Mac. It's pretty, dead simple, intuitive and operates as advertised. Personally, I'm interested because it's pretty and every time I load up lifehacker, there's some little piece of software that I'd love to be running. Seems like Mac developers take a lot more time paying attention to the usability of their applications, just they way Papa Jobsey does. I'm down with that.

So why haven't I bought one already? It's tough to justify a computer purchase when you've got all the firepower you "need." I feel like I'd get a significant gain with managing all those new age hippie technologies like digital photos, video and maybe even blog posts. ;) And really, maybe I will make pick one up after I buy a the new digital SLR I've got my eye on. Still, it's a tough justification.

When I do buy a Mac, I'll probably replace my desktop with a slick, powerful iMac. It'll keep my desk tidy and probably will be a nice looking decoration for my home. My laptop is a bit of a different story. Currently, I have a Lenovo Thinkpad x60s. It's hands down the most solidly built laptop I've ever laid my hands on. One of my favorite features is the Verizon Wireless EV-DO built in card which lets me connect to the Internet wherever my cell phone can make a call. The x60s is smaller, has more battery life and stays connected better than any Mac laptop in the store. It goes anywhere and everywhere with ease and keeps me connected. In general, I don't see myself replacing it until there's a serious next generation data competitor out there. See WiMax. On a Mac note, the whole Apple experience would have to knock my socks off for me to ditch my precious Thinkpad.