The Mac Decision

Michelle and I stopped by the Apple Store at Lenox to check out the new MacBooks. We played around with Pages most of the time. Next to us an excited lady was showing her husband how great the new (black) MacBook is. Next to her an older woman was experimenting with Safari and learning about Mail.app. We all kept messing with our respective computers for about 15 minutes. When Michelle and I discovered Photo Booth, a guy standing nearby stopped and asked Wow, are those effects included too!?.

The point is these stores have made computing stylish and cool again. You can tell from the lines that form outside--kids, teens, the elderly--right before the store opens every morning. It's kind of creepy.

Anyway, Michelle liked the MacBook about as much as I did. The wider screen and super-crisp display are great. And with Core Duo processing power that in no way lacks in comparison to the PC-based competition, my fears of immediate obsolescence are gone.

Of course, the upcoming Boot Camp also plays a role in this possible transition. Even if Michelle were to split her hard drive evenly between Windows and OS X, she'd have exactly as much space as my Dell laptop. It's seriously like two computers in one.

Price is something to consider. The laptop is about $400 more expensive than a Mac Mini, which could utilize our existing keyboard, monitor, and mouse. Then again, ordering the laptop by September guarantees a free Nano.

Decisions...