Is
it Friday already? Here's what I'm thinking heading into this
fine weekend:
More
Power(Book)
to me: You
know, my Titanium PowerBook hasn't even arrived yet, and
I'm already planning my first road trip with it. Yep, I'm
liking this decision more and more. There's no internet connection
where I'll be staying, so we'll see just how far I get sitting
on the bench outside the Apple Store at the local mall, tapping
into the store's wireless signal to keep the site updated,
before mall security gets after me.
MUG
me, I'm dreaming: The
upcoming online
MUG meeting is shaping up to be our most
worthwhile yet, and I'm getting more and more excited about
it as May 3rd approaches. Special guests, free stuff, what
more could you want? Well, actually, we're working on incorporating
even more goodness into the meeting, and we'll let you know
as things progress. See you there.
My
response, Moore or less: Charles
Moore of AppleLinks picked up on my article where I announced
my intention to buy an eMac, and, apparently not aware that
I'd since decided to go with a Titanium, tried to steer
me toward a laptop in his column yesterday. My response to
Charles:
Thanks for
your advice regarding my "desktop vs. laptop
conundrum" but I feel I must speak up in defense of the
eMac. Having been the master of more than forty eMacs back in
my school technology specialist days, I can tell you that their
display is neither "blurry" nor "flickery" (by
CRT standards at least,) and is in fact (by far) the best CRT
I've ever laid eyes upon. Sure, almost anyone would prefer an
LCD, but it's not always in the budget. There seem to be quite
a few myths surrounding the eMac, which range from the factually
inaccurate to the downright bizarre. I think that there are quite
a few people out there who have talked themselves out of an eMac
unnecessarily. Sometimes I think that these myths are propagated
by those who are trying to talk themselves into buying something
more extravagant.
As far as
laptops, although the price gap has closed quite a bit in a
remarkably short period of time, I still feel that when you
choose a laptop over a desktop, you're still paying more money
for less specs. For that reason I think that a laptop is "the
logical Mac" only for those who A) have any desire to take
their computer around the house with them, or B) have any desire
to take their laptop with them when they leave the house. While
the number of people who feel they can benefit from a laptop
is clearly growing (as demonstrated by the sales numbers), I
still know quite a few users who have no use for either A or
B above, so for them, something like an eMac is perfect. If you
don't ever intend to move the computer from where it's sitting,
fifty-five pound isn't really an issue, and buying a laptop merely
caused you to break the bank for no reason.
As far as
screen resolution, I honestly don't know how you manage to
get anything accomplished on an 800x600 screen. I'm struggling
mightily to fit apps such as Keynote and Dreamweaver on my
current 1024x768 screen! Presumably you get the award for "most
efficient use of screen space."
Lastly, you'll probably enjoy knowing that at the last possible
minute, I changed my mind and went ahead and bought a used Titanium
PowerBook instead of a new eMac, for roughly the same price.
I certainly gave up a lot for the sake of gaining portability
(considerable speed gap, no SuperDrive, it's a used machine,
etc.), but at least I got my 1280x854 resolution out of the deal.
I actually changed my mind in favor of the PowerBook before I
read your rationale for doing so, but feel free to take credit
if you wish. :)
Dan
Knight of Low End Mac also wrote to suggest that I consider
the "new 15 inch PowerBook
G4/1.33 GHz built-to-order with a SuperDrive for $2,199 --
$300 less than the 12-13% faster 1.5 GHz model." He's
right; it's a good idea. And he spells
out why in recent
column. Too bad it's way out of my current price range.
The
fun thing about announcing your intentions on something like
this is that you get to hear from everybody. I was half-expecting
to get an email from Steve Jobs himself, recommending that
I "buy the most expensive one"...
Heads
up, educators: Mac-using
educators reading this, give
me a shout this weekend, if
you can. I've got something up my sleeve that might interest
you, and I'm looking both for cohorts and for opinions. Some
of you will be interested in the former; it seems everyone's
good at the latter.
Move
to this: Congratulations
goes out to billpalmer.net contributing writer Seth Dimbert,
who has recently launched his own Mac-related website, Mac
Move. Be sure to check it out!
Another
day, another lawsuit: Apple's
being sued again, this time over patent infringement. And
get this -- Apple is one of thirty-one companies listed as
defendants. Talk about your blind stab in the dark, looking
to snare nuisance money from cash-rich companies. Wake me
when it's over.
All
for one...: The
question has been asked a number of times lately: "What can
I do to support billpalmer.net, beyond making inappropriately
large cash donations?" Well, the answer is simple enough:
anytime you're going to buy anything (and I mean anything)
from Amazon, just come to this site, find the "Shop Amazon"
link at the bottom of the right sidebar, click on it and
it'll take you to Amazon.com, and then make your purchase.
Costs you nothing, benefits this site. Just in case you're
lacking motivation to look all the way over to the right
sidebar, here's
the link.
And
finally: Have a good weekend, folks. And let's just
hope that the Miami Dolphins pick up some new talent
in this weekend's NFL Draft, eh?
