Mac Daddy

In addition to the arrival of our second son, our family has undergone what in some ways is an even more dramatic and life-changing transformation. After years of using Windows-based computers, we recently purchased a Mac Book.

Yeah, we wanted to ditch the staid image of the glasses-clad, business suit wearing, uptight loser who uses a PC and join the hip, cool, arty Apple crowd. You know, those rebellious Apple users like John Hinderaker?

Actually we went with a Mac laptop because it seems better suited for the type of things that we primarily intend to it use for; photos, video editing, music, watching barnyard animal porn, etc. The integration of the photo, video, and music tools was a major selling point. And part of it was just change for the sake of change. We wanted to see if the Mac really lived up to the hype.

At this point, it's still far too early for a final verdict on the matter. When you haven't used a Mac for many years, it takes a while to figure out how to efficiently get around. It's not as if it's a drastic change from using Windows, but as Jules would say, "It's the little differences." You're so used to doing things in a proscribed manner, taking your visual cues from certain places, and clicking in particular areas that you don't even think about until you're presented with an alternative. The close, minimize, and expand buttons are on the left instead of the right? Crazy.

It will no doubt take some time before we're really able to make use of the features available and decide whether the bang justifies the extra buck. However, some of the benefits of the Mac were apparent literally right out of the box. Most obvious is the aesthetic appeal; clean, smooth, and sleek. It looks great and feels right too. The keyboard is slightly different from what I'm used to, but I like the spacing and touch of the keys.

One thing that Apple has nailed is packaging. From the IPod to the MacBook, they know how to wrap up a pretty package. It was also a pleasant experience to open the box and find the laptop, a couple of components, a few CDs, and a manual. You often get so much crap with the electronics you buy these days that you don't even know what to do with half of it. No such issues with the Mac.

It couldn't have been more than five minutes from the opening of the box to the the first surfing of the 'net either, an experience I've never had with any Windows products. Not set up required. You gotta like that.

Am I ready to convert and join the Apple apostles? Hardly. I still will be using Windows in my work and we will continue use a PC at home as well. But I am much more open to an ecumenical outreach.