Monday, October 30, 2006

Sucker for those Mac Ads

Since I've been staring at the blink, blink, blinkity blink of my computer's cursor on the Blogger post page for the past forty five minutes and have yet to make any headway in the creativity department I think I'll ask you, dear internets, a question. I could use your advice.

(Before I do, I just had a thought. Wouldn't it be great if there really were a "Creativity Department" at, say, Target? You pop in to grab some diapers and some inexpensive books and then before you hit the check out you stop in the Creativity Department which, in my mind, is between the invitations and the office supplies. Well, where the heck would you put it?

"Hmm, Creativity is $19.98 today but with this coupon I got in the mail I can get 10% off. Ooh, here's another coupon for Imagination and one for Ingenuity. What the heck, I'll get all three. Then I'll grab some laundry detergent and we'll be on our way.")

Har.

So, the question... My Dell laptop is about to shit the bed (what a horrible image, but fitting) and I need to replace it. It's the cheapest Dell offered since it was all I could afford at the time and to fix it would mean spending more money than it's currently worth. But after dogs stepping on it, Chicky Baby using it as a place to take out her frustrations while banging it with her sippy cup, and cats sleeping on it, my laptop really needs to go.

I'm thinking about waiting until after the holidays for the new Windows OS to come out to buy a new PC but I have to admit that I'm drawn to the Macs. They're just so... Fun. PCs are not fun. But I haven't used a Mac since I was in college which was over, um....

Let's see, carry the one, multiply by 2 and divide by Pi...

Let's just say it was a long time ago. I've been using PCs for a long time and I fear change, but I've heard such wonderful things about Macs that I'm torn (Those new Mac ads? Sucked me right in.). Any advice? Has anyone gone from PC to Mac? Mac users, what do you like about them? And do you have any ideas on how I would pay for this expensive piece of machinery? Pole dancing? Rent out my daughter to people who think they want kids but aren't sure? Sell my dogs for medical research? I'm open to suggestions.

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One more thing. Since I'm not above beating a dead horse here's your reminder to please send me the link to your contribution to Blog Lovefest - Fall '06. I'm thrilled with the outpouring gushy sentiments I've seen so far and I hope you - yeah you, don't think I haven't noticed a lack of affection for some fellow bloggers from your site - will continue to spread the creamy, Nutella flavored love. I'll be posting all the links this Friday.

20 comments:

Kristin said...

Ususally, I love my Mac powerbook, this week I hate (see blog).

Anonymous said...

I only worked on a Mac until I got married and my hubby (the computer geek) only knows PC's...So I had to cross over to the dark side. I miss my Mac.

Cristina said...

I've never owned a Mac but I hear that designers love them. My laptop happens to be a PC and a Dell PC at that so not much help here, sorry!

Major Bedhead said...

I fucking HATE my Mac. Hate. It.

Unless you can afford to buy the top end model, with all the bells and whistles, don't. I've had the motherboard replaced twice on this stupid thing and it hates a couple of the programs that I use regularly, including Kodak Easy Share. I have a friend who's a Mac freak and he swears I got a lemon. It's entirely possible - I seem to be a magnet for lemons, be they computers, cars or first husbands.

I love the look of the Mac and I love that there are no viruses for the Mac, but this one has been nothing but a pain in my sizeable ass.

If you do decide you want one, make sure you talk to someone knowledgable, who isn't going to get all google-eyed and gaga-ish about it. Tell them exactly what you want from a computer and then compare. Get a copy of the Consumer Report that talks about computers and compare the two. They really are two different beasts.

I weouldn't rule out buying another Mac, but I'd make sure I had enough money to get the top end, with massive amounts of memory.

Anonymous said...

I switched from PCs to Macs 3 years ago and will never buy a PC again.

Then again, I have a desktop machine. I love it to death.

It does what I need it to do: surf the internet, organize my pictures and music, keep ALL my old files, connect with my video/digital camera perfectly.

I guess it's different with a laptop. But I highly recommend the desktop.

PS: the people at the mac store will transfer all you files from your PC to the mac.

joker the lurcher said...

has to be a Mac! i use a PC at work and my wonderful Mac at home. i have the one that cranes its neck at you to see what you are doing and it is just brilliant. i have never had a Mac laptop so it may only be the desktops that rock but i would not swop it for anything. i bought it years ago and although it cost a bomb on my credit card i would have got through a couple of PCs and loads of extra software by now. and i can make films and do all sorts of stuff that only high end PCs would do. but that's only my humble opinion...

motherbumper said...

I made the switch this past summer from PC to a new Mac laptop and I really love it. I'm a sucker for the esthetics (ohhhh it looks so super cool and it matches my decor) and the fact that it is fast and very resistant to virus since no one can be bothered to brew a virus for PC and Mac. Not completely resistant but close. Now the only issue is whena program is not native to Mac and then you see some slowness but more and more stuff is being created, making it easier to use the stuff I was familiar with in PC days. I love iTunes, iMovie and iPhoto which are all standard (I think) and are very slick. Sold you on it yet? :)

Lisa said...

I am dying for a new computer. ANY kind. Hope your old one can stay alive until you can get something you LOVE.

Anonymous said...

My Dell laptop is about to shit the bed
And that is why I love you.

I, too, have Mac-envy. Funny, KAATN and I just had this conversation this morning about the difference between the two. It ended with me saying that I'd love one but didn't know if he could handle the switch. To which he countered, "What? As long as there's "Control, Alt, Delete" I'm good."

Yeah, no Mac any time soon around here,

Anonymous said...

My husband is a MAC convert and he LOVES it! Once you get used to a few things that are diff, apparently it's quite lovely.

As for spreading blog love.. I'd love to share my love for Stuntmother...who's an incredibly gifted writer and fellow sassy mommy.. I lover reading her writing.. She has a big heart for her kids while preserving and sharing her brain with us..

I also have a huge crush on mommyhasaheadache but that's so OBVIOUS I didn't feel the need to go into it.

Love,
Rachael

Tracie Nall said...

I'm with Lisa.......just wanting a new computer of any kind preferably free!! :)

Redneck Mommy said...

I'm a Mac lover.

My Mac is my baby. Above all others. Including the hubs and the kids.

I could talk to you intelligently about the Mac vs. PC, but it is just so much more easier to rub my pretty computer and send "Buy A Mac" thoughts your way.

Of course the choice is yours.

Buy a Mac.

All the cool kids are doing it.

MrsFortune said...

DUDE. Get a mac.

Soooooooooooo much easier. The spinning beach ball of death is somehow easier to take than the stupid error messages you get from a PC. PCs just don't make any sense! Macs make sense. I used PCs all my life and then learned some mac applications in grad school, like Iphoto and I movie, and they are SO.MUCH.FUN and so easy and ... oh... oh ... mr. kotter ... get a MAC! Do it. Once you go Mac, you'll never go back.

Unknown said...

We use both Macs and PCs in our home. The mac is a desktop, which I got because the schools all use Macs, and to switch between the machines started causing issues as my kids got older. Now they both use flashdrives to bring their stuff to school and print it out there, but previously it was a mega pain.

For my work and blogging I use a PC desktop because I need a very large monitor and I can't afford the 21" Mac monotor. Macs are really expensive. REALLY expensive. The bottom of the mac Imac line is around 1200$ and you're not guaranteed anything that actually works. If you can't put $2000 into a laptop, then stick with a PC which are markedly cheaper. If you can spring for a top of the line MacBook, then go for it. I love the Mac OS and we absolutely love Garage Band. But most of our software is PC based and it would cost me several thousand more to change from a PC to a Mac due to the software I use. Go Adobe!

SUEB0B said...

My first mac was a Mac Plus with 128 k of RAM. In 1986 or maybe 1987. It was a looong time ago and I got hooked on macs. Now I work on a PC at work and a Mac at home.

The differences I notice - Macs have prettier interfaces. Less crashes. And zero viruses (knock wood). My four year old mac powerbook is way faster than my 1 year old work Dell. On Macs, it is exceedingly easy to type in other languages that have accents etc.

What is better on the PC? Um, nothing. But they are cheaper.

Liv said...

Dude, you're getting a piece of shit. (I think I repeated that to myself for 3 years while I wished that the Dell would disappear.) So, I begged for the iMac G5, gazed upon its beauty and then became confused.

For all the wonderful things that I love about the mac--and they are many, I disagree with people who say that they are so easy to use. It's like anything that you have to become used to. If you've used mac all of your computer literate life then pc seems hard and vice versa. I think Appleworks in about the least intuitive WP program that I've ever encountered. To ease my pc brain into mac, I purchased microsoft office. The other thing is that Safari (the internet browser) is not compatible with all sites...firefox to the rescue!

Okay, I've rambled too long. hth.

Girlplustwo said...

creative marketing can sell us just about anything...i think it's all a crapshoot anyways...but regardless i feel your dilemma...

Sparky Duck said...

Since I dont think Mac's are good for games, I might be investing in one, or more likely, getting one for Mrs Duck. No more Dells ever again!

Lawyer Mama said...

I haven't owned an Apple since, like, 1981, so I'm no help there.

But had to comment on this -

"Before I do, I just had a thought. Wouldn't it be great if there really were a "Creativity Department" at, say, Target? You pop in to grab some diapers and some inexpensive books and then before you hit the check out you stop in the Creativity Department which, in my mind, is between the invitations and the office supplies. Well, where the heck would you put it?"

LOVE IT!

Anonymous said...

my mac powerbook G4 is the best thing that ever happened to me. in a fire, i'd save it, not instead of the children, but as i rushed off to their rooms to grab them. everyone in my house curses their PCs. reboot. reboot. freeze. reboot. freeze. freeze. the mac commercials are right-on.