The first month: Things I’ve learned about owning a Mac
January 23rd, 2008It’s been just roughly a month since I bought my Mac and officially became part of The Dark Side—Or, as my father would call it, the lonely and caffeinated club.
So far, so good. I haven’t brought my Mac anywhere near a trendy coffee shop, and amazingly enough, my social life has remained as fabulous as ever—But I have picked up a couple things in the last thirty-some days, and I’m here to impart my newfound knowledge.
Behold, things I have learned about owning a mac, in no particular order:
- Amazingly, the world doesn’t actually explode with just one mouse button.
- You will take your Macbook Pro out in public and people will stare at your laptop like it’s a masterpiece. Which, when sitting beside a circa 2000 Dell laptop, it is.
- The uncontrollable desire to babble about your new Macbook Pro will eventually go away… for some. (So yes Maddox, even mac users can “shut the fuck up”.)
- Babyproofing your new Macbook Pro is a good idea. A very good idea.
- You can own a Mac and still crack jokes about Macs. Like, “Did you hear that they hosted this year’s Macworld convention in San Francisco? Fancy that, Apple choosing the gay capital of the USA as their host city! Nooooobody saw that one coming… *snicker snicker*”
- Owning a mac does not shed any more insight into the inner workings of an Apple fanboy’s twisted mind. You do not suddenly own a mac and think to yourself, “Wow, I think I’ll start batting for the other team today!”, nor do you touch your MBP’s smooth, hard finish for the very first time and suddenly lose your mind. (I know, I didn’t see that one coming either.)
In addition to those points, this last month has marked the discovery of something profound. It may be borderline heresy, but it’s huge. And profound. And bursting with wisdom. Apple fanboys, listen closely…
It’s just a computer.
It’s not a way of life, or a lifestyle it itself. Owning a Mac doesn’t make you more creative, more “artistic”, suddenly “cool”, or more fruity - It’s just a computer, and exactly what you make of it.
I got my Mac about three weeks ago, and it’s true: it might be a really, really awesome computer, but it doesn’t really change your life in any major way.
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:47 pmHurrah for Macs, but I agree, they’re a computer, not like, a lifestyle! :O
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:43 pmWow! A single-button mouse isn’t the end of the world? I always thought it would be. Still a little hard to believe. Maybe it’s about getting used to it…
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 pmI agree, I love Macs but not so much that it’ll turn into a “life-style.” But they are SO sexy though, I’m jealous!
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:40 pmIt’s just a computer, indeed, indeed! At this point I just want a laptop, ANY laptop. I don’t buy my parents’ don’t-worry-we’ll-get-you-one-in-a-few-months-for-university talk.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:51 pmI used Macs at University and also used them back in college, they take a bit of getting used to but I think I still prefer using a PC.
January 24th, 2008 at 1:26 amGo forth and share your wisdom with the rest of the mac nutters, who think that by owning a mac they are somehow a better species :p
January 24th, 2008 at 2:33 amAMEN!!!! I love this post Chanel, I love how you wrote everything that is needed to be said by Mac owners. It’s not a lifestyle or an “I’m better than you” thing, it’s just a preference, a matter of which you like better. :)
January 24th, 2008 at 2:59 amI like the Mac design, they are by far the computers with best design. So I would want a Mac for that reason only.. :)
January 24th, 2008 at 4:19 amI’m glad to hear from a Mac user that it is just a computer, there are so many people who live and breathe for apple and I find it kinda… sad… :p
We use Macs at school and I love them. They are really great for Multimedia and Graphic Design work. That being said, while I’d love to get one, the price tag is still a bit much for me. They’re good, but not good enough to go into debt for. :)
I like the mouse where you can squeeze the sides together and the screen shows ALL the windows and programs you have open simultaneously so you can easily find what you were working with before if using multiple programs. It’s rather nifty.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:20 amThe only reason I do not buy a Mac is because I can’t play Ragnarok Online on one. Otherwise I would own an iBook.
January 24th, 2008 at 10:02 amWell I guess I have a lot to look forward to when I purchase a Mac.
January 24th, 2008 at 12:45 pmI love macs :) My first two computers were iMacs. As soon as my current laptop dies, I am totally getting a mac :D :D
January 25th, 2008 at 10:04 amI have always wanted a Mac but only because I hear that they are some of the best computers out there. I don’t think it is a lifestyle. It’s just a really good computer and that’s it.
January 25th, 2008 at 2:50 pm1. True, but good thing you can do that double-finger-tap thing and still get a right-click.
2. That’s because people’s clunky HP/Dell/Compaq/Toshibas look like shit compared to a MBP. Those companies’ designers couldn’t design themselves out of a cardboard box.
3. It’s more effective to give people straight-up explanations of why it’s a better laptop when they ask because they’re intrigued, rather than to babble without solicitation.
4. Indeed. Pics of mine coming soon. :-D
5. MacWorld has always been held in SF.
6. True Apple fanboys are logic invalids. Stay away from them, or you will smash things in rage.
Now tell us what you’ve learned about OS X itself.
February 4th, 2008 at 1:14 pm