For so many times it has been proven how good things do come to those wait... in life, in love, and everything under the sun... and computers are no exception.

Last year, I blogged (see http://chenmeixi.multiply.com/journal/item/1) that I wanted a Mac. Or that I needed a real serious upgrade to my almost obsolete single-core PC rig. Being the Windows power user that I've become for a decade or more (since 5th grade, that was in 1993? Yikes!), the Mac dream remained a dream... It was another dimension really. But a year and 3 days later, the dream did come true. Although not in a sci-fi alien abduction kinda thing I anticipated.

A blast from the past...



They say "once you go Mac, you never go back" and I can't believe I'm really saying this, although it's cliché to say, "What took me so long to switch!?" Well, I do actually know why! DUH! Because I was financially-challenged and in fact, I still am now especially after I bought the iMac. But I have my ways. I'm a workaholic, you know! Of note, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth and FYI, there isn't any family wealth to be inherited. But I do manage to live a comfortable life. Quite content with just this really, but I wouldn't mind if money would grow on trees. Then again, if we were to dream... we ought to dream BIG! After all, dreams can come true. Meet my 24" Maki.








I'd like to think of Charlie as a genie for granting me this wish. You gotta love Digital Walker! And shoutouts to the wonderful people at PhilMug for putting up with me and being there to answer my questions when I made the switch! ^_^

So labor of love, hopes, and dreams -- this only brings to mind, Sailor Moon!


This is my current desktop. ^^,

Why Mac? I can state a thousand reasons, no, a million reasons even! It will probably take a year or more to blog it all out. Bottomline: It's a Mac. Self-explanatory! Okay, let me try again. Why should you ditch your PC and switch to a Mac? This subject is one of those subjects in the IT world that can raise strong passions. And according to Apple, if you spend more time trying to get your computer to work and less time doing what you want, it’s time to get a Mac. Because Apple makes both the software and the hardware, everything works together, just as it should. That’s why people who get a Mac love a Mac. And why you will, too. Is that enough to convince you? No? Hmmm... Maybe it's time you check out the PC vs. Mac videos? They load fast! GO! What are you waiting for? There's a whole bunch of them that might just convince you! http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

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PC and Mac.. and ME! HAHAHAHA!



On second thought, to make this blog worth the read, maybe I should just give you my first impressions when I got Maki. This isn't a paid ad, okay!? And pardon me if I don't get to list down other amazingly cool features of a Mac. So forgive me, fanboys. I'm just enumerating the things I have observed and realized and finally believe in now that I have switched! Tee hee!

• No viruses. No spywares. No malwares. How's that for security? I read that Mac OS X is built on UNIX, which is synonymous with stability.  Windows, on the other hand is synonymous with the blue screen of death.
  
• Alas, I got Windows. Yup! I have Windows installed INSIDE my Mac! Take that PC! Tee hee. What do I need Windows for? Work, unfortunately. Some really old voice file format (.dss) don't seem to work with Mac. If anyone out there could give me a codec that actually runs with Express Scribe for Mac, I will love you forever. Hehe.

• Start up and shutdown times are lighting fast. You know how it works with the iPod Touch. It's the same thing. No more waiting time. Unbelievable! Until now... ^_^
  
• Browsing is super fast with Safari and even with Firefox. 100 notifications in Facebook? Absolutely no worries... open them all in the tabs and it won't even crash! :D How's that for stability?
  
• Amazing speed and even installing programs/applications is a breeze... Just drag and drop. That's it! It's installed! Actually, everything is like DRAG N DROP with Mac.. even my Lola can use my Maki! And my mom was greatly impressed by the speed it took to switch programs, open them, and close them. She was like, "Mao na'y computer!" (Now that's a computer!)
  
• Watching movies on a widescreen? You must be insane not to enjoy that!
• Beautiful, beautiful apps available. The iLife '09 is a wonder! Even Photoshop, MS Word, and all the messengers look so pretty inside the Mac. There's really a difference. Now this is the part where Windows should have wooed me with. When I use the PC in our dining room, I hate to admit it, but I just have to roll my eyes and say, "Gawd, it's ugly." (Even though I had FlyakiteOSX installed in it.) Bleh =P
• I get to finish work fast, meaning cut the time in half to increase productivity and output, because of its ease of use and blazing quick turbo speed computing! Okay, I still procrastinate from time to time... ^_^ Tao, lang po... I still get distracted, you know.
  
• How about looks? Track back 2 bullets. Of course, Mac is a thing of beauty. If you like minimalistic and simple designs, it's gonna be love at first sight! But I gotta be conscious with my hands now, I don't wanna get all the white keys smudged.
  
• Plug N Play anything. That's right. No drivers needed. It just works.
  
• Wireless N. 'Nuff said.
• Spotlight is new Search! I'm amazed at how easy it is to find anything. I have a tendency to be a scatterbrain and forget what folders I save files to. So enter Spotlight... just type in a keyword and EVERYTHING, as in ANYTHING, that relates to it shows up! And it doesn't even take a blink to show you results! I am sooo happy with this feature. Saves me so much time when looking for files.
• Then there's the dashboard, the Exposé, the list goes on...
  

Those are just the highlights on what made me switch. If you care, you might wanna READ THIS for even more OS X goodness! The FAQ is in here.

To tell you the truth, it took me a week to get familiar and deal with the learning curve. It's been a month now since I got Maki, and I think I know by now how the Terminal works. Hey, I'm a fast learner when I'm genuinely interested in something.

Okay, this is a certified convert blogging. I was dead, now I'm reborn. Mac is LIFE! Learn it. Live it. Love it. 

⋆✌㋡ღ⋆ ia\m/^_^\m/ai 陳美西