My History with Computers and Apple

I got my first computer for Christmas back in 1994 when I was ten. It was an Intel 386 - 66 MHz or something along those lines. It came with Windows 3.1 and had about 400MBs of space on it. It was used for some basic games like Minesweeper and Solitaire, as well as games to be installed like Keen 4 (and 2 and 3 later on once I figured out how to copy floppy discs from friends). We also got a CD-Rom Encyclopedia disc that had a lot of stuff on it. At that time, CDs were new to me too. (It was the same time I got my first CD and CD-player).

In 1998, we got the internet for the first time. The modem that came with this computer was a 14.4k dial-up. It didn't matter how slow the internet was, just that we had the world at our fingertips. A little bit at a time.

In 2000, I got a brand new computer. A Pentium III. This one was amazing because it had a CD-Burner in it, had 12GB of space, was something like 500 MHz and had Windows 2000, perhaps. Again, it was a PC but by this time I had taught myself the ins and outs of how to run it, how to install things, fix things, even computer hardware. It was also with this new advancement that I was able to start discovering new music through mp3 downloading. Of course, that resulted in the huge ongoing anti-mp3 in the music industry that they took far too long to respond with in coming up with ways around it, instead focusing their efforts on lawsuits and scare tactics. But that's a whole other topic.

Going back to my elementary school days, perhaps Grade 2 or 3, my school was equipped with four computers. They were these huge clunkers that seemed definitely behind the times when compared to my first PC. These computers used huge floppy discs and if I remember correctly, were MacIntosh. When looking back after being acquainted with my PC, they were ugly creatures. My next interaction with a MacIntosh wouldn't come again until my first or second year at Dalhousie when we had to participate in Psychology experiments and questionnaires in the computer labs where they used MacIntoshes. These were slightly better looking on the outside but I remember the operating system looking so primitive and dull. I didn't like the mouse, I didn't like how everything was set up. I just didn't understand why anybody would prefer using a Mac over the wonderfully organized, easy-to-use and colourful PC.

I owned my first Mac product in 2005 when I got an iPod for Christmas. I think it might have been the First Generation iPod Nano. It was 2GBs and at the time about $300. Despite clearly being an Apple product, it wasn't as monstrous as my experiences with Apple computers so it was nice. But at the time, a 2GB iPod was about the same as carrying around 3 CD-RWs and my discman which, for whatever reason at the time, I preferred doing. Needless to say, when I accidentally stepped on my iPod Nano six months later, I was saddened but I wasn't terribly upset.

My second iPod was a Fourth Generation iPod Classic with 30GB of space. I got this one for Christmas in 2006 and immediately it became my primary source of music, replacing my discman except for the couple of times it was sent in for repairs. I still have this iPod and it's still my main music device even though the warranty ran out nearly two years ago. The headphone jack broke on it twice but both times it was fixed and the battery replaced at no charge. While I dread the day this wonderful thing crashes on me, I do look forward to my next iPod purchase which will hopefully be one of the remaining 80GB or 160GB iPod Classics.

I now own two Mac computers. One is the original white MacBook that I bought used a few years back. I've actually never had a problem with it despite its hardware being out-of-date for some recent software that I wanted for it and the letter "z" being difficult to use. The other is a gray MacBook Pro that was also used but for whatever reason has come with a ton of problems. Both computers were originally owned by self-identifying Mac-users, perhaps "fanboys" if you will (I hate that concept but that's also another topic for another time), so the idea that they would associate themselves with a bad Apple product is inconceivable. My MacBook Pro has had problems with the SuperDrive (DVD-drive), Monitor flickering, apparently has had the logic-board replaced, the battery replaced and most recently the two internal fans replaced. However, the biggest issue I've had with the MacBook Pro is that I can't reliably use it unless it's plugged in.

Having grown up with desktop computers, I'm used to being stationary with my computer usage. And having a second MacBook allows me the freedom to be free of power cords for a few hours if I need it. However, since my MacBook Pro is a more recent model, has newer software and a much larger hard-drive, it is my primary computer. Not being being to use it without a power cord is nothing short of frustrating. But what's even more frustrating is that I've had this computer looked at no less than five times in the last year by at least five different places and the problem still hasn't been fixed.

It's still under Apple-Care until March 2012. Apple Stores in Montreal, New York City and Boston have looked at it, plus two Apple-certified Mac stores in Halifax. None of them have been able to replicate the problems I've explained. Which I honestly find incredibly hard to believe considering a good portion of the time if I simply remove the power cord, the MacBook Pro completely shuts off. If it doesn't, tapping it, moving it, lifting it, etc, is almost sure to shut it off without warning. It boggles my mind that that particular issue can't be replicated by anyone other than myself but I do have a few videos of it doing this. I've been told that perhaps it's the logic-board but the issue now is that for some reason, there's a dent in the side of the computer that may void that part of the Apple-Care warranty should it be the source of the problem. (regarding the dent, I have no idea where it came from or how it got there but have been told by a few people that it must have received a pretty significant bang to get such a dent... it wasn't me and I seriously doubt it was the previous owner). My issue now is, if it's the logic-board and if the warranty no longer covers it, I still would like to know that it's the source of the problem. However, if the people looking at the computer can't find a problem with it, how do they know what they're looking for or if they should even be looking for something?

And finally, my most recent Apple product has been my iPhone 3GS. I love it! It has added so many conveniences to my everyday life from portable calendar, useful notepad, Angry Birds x3, direct-to-email, Facebook and Twitter apps, and so much more. The smartphone is such an ingenius idea. My qualm with my iPhone is that ever since I upgraded the operating system to the newest version a few months back, it has been incredibly slow. Not as slow as my first PC back in 1994 but compared to how fast either of my MacBooks are to either of my PCs (my 2005 one included), it's a hugely noticeable and frustrating difference.

So that leaves me here now. The end of my long rant. Not a rant against Apple, mind you. Growing up on a PC, I can honestly say that I do prefer Apple computers because of how they run in general, how they run when they crash (one program vs. the entire computer), how things are organized, the ease of searching for files and text within files, the power they have when running multiple programs at once, just the overall speed. I've been won over. But these few issues I've had has made me a little weary about whether I'm 100% devoted or just a casual owner and that there may very likely be something that will be more reliable for me next time I choose to make a major computer or smartphone purchase. Until then, I'll be stuck typing next to the nearest wall-outlet on my flimsy little table fuming over a problem that apparently doesn't exist.