Ode to Apple
It’s a fact: I am, indeed, an electronic menace.
While in Cancun, Ebony, my dear, sweet, little MacBook just ceased to function. Out of nowhere, upon turning her on, I would get a “forbidden” sign. While I waited to take her to the Apple Service center, I tried to diagnose her myself… and hoped against hope that I was wrong. But I called it — RIP, hard drive. Kernel damage to the drive, as well as damage, somehow to the actual physical HD. Data not recoverable. 
As my luck would have it, the Apple warranty ran out in July 2009. And the distributor’s warranty? In November. Plus, Apple Mexico? Not as friendly as Apple USA. Yeah… I couldn’t break her just three months earlier. I do believe it was my fault, tempting fate. I had just told George, not a week earlier, “We’ll see what breaks NOW!” Ask and ye shall receive!
Instead of replacing the hard drive for another overpriced one and keeping a computer for another couple of years which would be obsolete pretty soon (poor thing was already chugging along with its limited RAM), we opted to bite the bullet and purchase a new computer.
I know a lot of people think Apple is overpriced and just a company that people like for its caché… but after using Linux for a few years and then making the switch to Apple, I never want a Windows OS again. EVER. Apple is simple, sleek, and to the point. No bells and whistles, just a straight-forward interface without a million layers and complications. It’s the Chanel of computer nerdery. And for the specs I selected, it would have cost the same (or more!) to purchase a PC.
MacBook Pro 15″, how I love thee.
I love re-installing all my programs (or “Applications”) on Snow Leopard. Download, drag and drop, you’re done. No waiting 5 hours. No clicking through 500 options. You don’t want that program? Delete from Apps! No millions of secret hidden files.
I’m definitely a Mac. 
A-freakin-men! I love my Mac, too, and will never go back to PCs. I have to say, though, that I’m glad I have the PC experience as I do, since they’re so widely used in most office settings (and sadly, law firms are no different), but I’m still holding out for the chance that they might all convert, too.
I don’t think PCs are without merit: to be sure, there are many more programs for PCs than for Macs, and I appreciate that. When I have had to use CAT tools on Mac or Linux, I’ve had to jump through hoops and it’s kind of been a pain, but, eh. And I know there are plenty of positives when it comes to them (that I simply do not see… hahaha). I know a lot of people, for example, my mom, don’t switch to Mac because they fear the learning curve, but it seriously only took me a couple days (granted, I had the Linux experience). It’s just a matter of getting used to menus and task bars that are different.
George was the first one in his building (the OSB) to request (and get) a Mac for work. A few people since, in the past year, have gotten one. So slowly but surely, people realize there are other options. I won’t say BETTER ones, because it’s a matter of taste, but I like that people realize they have other choices.
I have to say, though, that what I loved the most with my MacBook was that when they upgraded the OS to Snow Leopard it cost me TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS to get a new OS as opposed to the HUNDREDS it would have cost someone to migrate from XP to Vista to Windows 7. Just sayin’!