I keep my computers for a long time. The desktop machine I’m still working on is a Dell Dimension 4100 which I bought in 2001. It’s worked fine for years but now there’s no more space on it, the processor is slow and I need lots more RAM. I was too busy to shop for a new computer but now that I’m in between projects, the timing is right. I want something fast, a lot of RAM and room to expand. I’d like to do some basic video editing down the road so the machine has to be loaded enough to last me a while.
I’m a slow decision maker when it comes to spending money, especially mine. It took me weeks to decide that my next computer should be a laptop. You see, I mostly work from home but I’d like to be able to move around the house and take my computer to occasional meetings. Ideally, I’d like to get a laptop below 6 lbs. We have an iBook at home, which is slightly below 5lbs and I always get shoulder pain when I need to drag it around. I’m planning on buying a 20″ monitor so that I don’t have to stare at a small screen all day when I’m at home.
So I had decided to buy a laptop. Now I only needed to decide on a brand… A lot of my smart friends have Apple branded laptops so I figured there had to be something more than the hip factor there – or at least I hoped so because those damn machines are expensive. (Hey, I drive a Toyota Corolla so obviously I don’t define my cool factor on the machines I use.)
I went to see the Macbooks when they came out but for some reason they left me rather cold. I just didn’t like the feel of them. They felt like toys. Could be the keyboard. Could be the all white look, which reminds me too much of our old iBook. I wasn’t too keen on the black one either. Plus, when I load the Macbook with all the power, space and RAM I want, it ends up costing me around 2700$. That’s a lot of money for a machine I don’t love.
I thought I’d splurge for a Macbook Pro, even though I find them way too expensive, but like a lot of people, I’m waiting and waiting for Apple to upgrade them and it’s not happening. As the Cult of Mac blog explains:
« We are comparing silicon to silicon here, and it’s embarrassing that I can configure a Dell Inspiron E1705.25 or whatever to include a 2.16Ghz Core2 Duo, fully trick it out with ram and storage and still have it come in for the same price as a 15.4″ MacBook Pro. Not because the price is so close, but because the Dell machine is a full generation in hardware ahead. What on earth is the hold-up? There’s barely a reason to switch to Intel if it doesn’t mean moving the notebook line into comparable speed with what’s on the desktop. »
There’s no need to tell me that the switch to the Intel Core 2 Duo is not such a huge upgrade in speed and that I shouldn’t wait if I need a computer now. I know all of that. I also know that the week after I buy one of their laptops, Apple will come up with a much improved model for a lower price. It happened with my iPod. I know it’s silly and it’s just a matter of perception, but still, it’s frustrating. Everybody says that they’ll come up with new laptops in a few months but I don’t want to wait until January to buy a new machine.
So like a lot of people also waiting for Apple, I might forget about switching and I might stick with a Windows machine. This baby looks pretty good to me and experts seem to agree. It’s faster than a Macbook or even a Macbook Pro for much less money. I’ll still have some money left to buy an external 20″ monitor and a wireless keyboard and mouse.
I really thought for a while that 2006 was the year I was going to give Apple another try (I had a 512K Mac back in 1988). But I’m losing my patience. Oh well.
