I
ifpt999
Guest
My favorite thing about owning a Mac is how Apple likes to pretend I don't exist. Literally. I get a good laugh when I go to the Apple home page searching for downloads, apple.com/downloads takes me directly to OSX downloads.
See, I'm the Mac user no one talks about. I use an OS9 machine. And my computer is practically worthless.
I got my G3 PowerBook from work a year and a half ago. The Geniuses at the Apple store downtown (Dallas) tell me I can't really upgrade to OSX because my computer can't support it. When I owned a PC, I would ask questions like, "Do I just need to buy more ram?" or "Will a brand new processor work?" This is far too complicated and expensive when you own a Mac.
So I find myself in this very peculiar position. Apple wants me so badly to upgrade to OSX (and buy another computer), they're willing to make my current machine completely irrelevant to force me to change. What other signal do they send when I read that Safari "Works with all platforms!" and then come to learn it works with all platforms except older Mac platforms. So currently it's as if my computer is in stasis - basically unable to use any programs written after 2002. And the geniuses at the Apple store couldn't even find a spare system disk.
So I'll be switching. And because I don't have money, I'll be switching back to the PII I bought in 1998. Because I put Windows 2000 on it, I think I should be able to download and use Safari (thank you Apple for making your program cross-platform compatible!). And there are so many every-day grievances with the Mac that I won't miss. Two buttons on my PC mouse sure does seem like an upgrade. I'll be able to change file extensions without downloading a shareware program and reading a manual. And I won't even lose much mobility. Sure my laptop can go anywhere, but the 30-second battery life makes for a short leash.
I will miss something, though. Many of my PC using friends think I'm a bit cooler for owning a Mac. I've always known better. There's really nothing cool about paying more money for a machine that the manufacturer conspires to make obsolete after three years. It's not cool - it's a money pit.
See, I'm the Mac user no one talks about. I use an OS9 machine. And my computer is practically worthless.
I got my G3 PowerBook from work a year and a half ago. The Geniuses at the Apple store downtown (Dallas) tell me I can't really upgrade to OSX because my computer can't support it. When I owned a PC, I would ask questions like, "Do I just need to buy more ram?" or "Will a brand new processor work?" This is far too complicated and expensive when you own a Mac.
So I find myself in this very peculiar position. Apple wants me so badly to upgrade to OSX (and buy another computer), they're willing to make my current machine completely irrelevant to force me to change. What other signal do they send when I read that Safari "Works with all platforms!" and then come to learn it works with all platforms except older Mac platforms. So currently it's as if my computer is in stasis - basically unable to use any programs written after 2002. And the geniuses at the Apple store couldn't even find a spare system disk.
So I'll be switching. And because I don't have money, I'll be switching back to the PII I bought in 1998. Because I put Windows 2000 on it, I think I should be able to download and use Safari (thank you Apple for making your program cross-platform compatible!). And there are so many every-day grievances with the Mac that I won't miss. Two buttons on my PC mouse sure does seem like an upgrade. I'll be able to change file extensions without downloading a shareware program and reading a manual. And I won't even lose much mobility. Sure my laptop can go anywhere, but the 30-second battery life makes for a short leash.
I will miss something, though. Many of my PC using friends think I'm a bit cooler for owning a Mac. I've always known better. There's really nothing cool about paying more money for a machine that the manufacturer conspires to make obsolete after three years. It's not cool - it's a money pit.