Mar 03 2008
I have a new iMac with additional ram installed, so the spinning beach ball was not something I expected to see very often. But in fact, often is exactly the word that describes how much I saw that cute little ball. Continue Reading »
Jan 15 2008
It’s 8:25 AM, EST. Just 3-1/2 more hours until the keynote speech begins…and the Apple store is closed.
I’ll have a small browser window open, with the MacWorld.com live update page refreshing on it. I’m working on a project this morning, but that doesn’t mean I can’t glance at a page every now and then, right?
It’s always interesting to see what new product will be announced - and in past years I have always felt more than just a little twinge of excitement and anticipation.
On August 10th, I drove to the nearest Apple store, convinced that I was going to purchase a Mac Mini, because I didn’t “need more than that.” That resolve lasted approximately 5 seconds, once I entered the Apple store. 5 seconds is how long it took me to walk to the iMac section - where Apple’s brand new aluminum version practically glowed with a heavenly light. The screen was gorgeous. The colors rich and saturated, even under the harsh fluorescent lights. It looked me straight in the eye and said “You’ve got enough money to pay for me, why are you even thinking about the baby over there?”
It was crazy - I could almost feel a switch flipping on in my brain. The switch that begins the process of buying the iMac instead of the Mac Mini. The mini’s switch was flicked off like THAT!
Note to Apple - You may want to think about adding some nice white rubber plastic silicone wooden wheels to the bottom of those boxes - along with a handle for pulling it. Just like a nice (nicer) version of a wheeled suitcase. The Apple store I went to is on the 2nd floor of a large mall, and my SUV was parked waaaaayyyyyy out on the fringes of the front parking area. I am not tall enough to carry an iMac box without bending my arm at the elbow to allow it to clear the ground. I am 5’3” tall. That trek to the parking lot was excruciatingly slow. I stopped and let my arm rest so many times. The muscles burned. My back hurt. I just wanted to get that thing in the truck and get myself home. WHy don’t they advise you to bring a wheeled luggage carrier with you. You know the kind I mean? Like this…
I decided one thing that day. The next time I buy a computer, I am going to mail-order it. Forget the luggage carrier. Straight from Apple it comes. My UPS delivery guy will pull into my driveway and bring it right to my doorstep. I can ask him to place it just inside the door, and I’ll open it right there.
Shortly after that, I bought an iPod Nano. I was replacing a Shuffle, which I used while walking/running each day. I think the Nano is adorable. And I have actually watched 3 episodes of “Saving Grace” on it, during various waiting room sessions. It really comes in handy for something like that.
But for my daily outdoor exercise, you know I still prefer the Shuffle. I like the fact that it is so small. I like the heavy-duty clip that is built into it - I clip it to my waistband, under my jacket where it is close to my body. The Nano is too big for that. And although I have looked at the sports armbands, they just wouldn’t do it. On my daily walks, I can encounter 10 degree temperatures with wind-chills lower than that. The dog and I walk in any kind of weather, except freezing rain or ice storms. The iPod Nano didn’t like 20 degree weather. The click wheel stopped working one day, when it got too cold. That’s when I realized that the Shuffle was best for northern outdoor activities.