27 years ago, I bought an Apple II+. That was my first computer, and I have many fond memories of its 16 kilobyte wonder.
When the Macintosh came out in 1984, I really wanted one. Unfortunately, it was several thousand dollars too expensive, and I had already committed to spending several thousand dollars on a Unix based machine. Years went by: I bought an IBM compatible machine for business related reasons, and eventually ended up working almost exclusively with various types of non-Apple technology. Many Windows+Intel machines have taken their place in my home, and hundreds more have served their role in my place of work.
In recent years, I’ve spent an increasing amount of time supporting various Linux systems. I’ve always liked working with various flavours of Unix. And about a year ago, for the first time in quite a while, I bought a system other than a PC to play games- an XBox 360. Around the same time, I spent several weeks debating purchase of a laptop. These various factors have conspired to lead to today, a day that will live on in the annals of my life.
I bought a Macintosh. To be more specific, a MacBook Pro (laptop). I have a number of rationales for this. It fulfils my desire to have a personal laptop, for one thing. It also encourages/permits me to explore a collection of technology that intrigues me: the Mac operating system is Unix-based (BSD), and has a ton of intriguing user interface characterstics.
The last factor that comes to mind is that having another machine allows me to split out one “group” of activities into their own environment. I play games on my home PC, I work on my work laptop…where do I learn? If I try to complete some self study on my home computer, I am prone to interrupting myself to “play”..and similiarly work interrupts me on my work machine. Yeah, there are a lot of less expensive ways to accomplish the same end, but this way I get to accomodate my desire to play with a Macintosh.
So…am I a PC guy, or a Mac guy? Personally, I think I’m just a geek, either way 🙂