MIKESTOPFORTH

A while back I got a mail from the very lovely Jacqui Uitzinger of Apple IMC in response to a Citizen column I wrote about my obsession with my iPod (yeah I’m so mainstream – stick it). In it she asked whether I’d consider switching to a Mac notebook (been a PC user all my life) if she organised one for me.

Hold on… let me think now… YES. Kudos to Jacqui up front (you’ll meet her at the Geek Dinner if you’re coming) for identifying a customer evangelist and taking action. You see, although I’m an avid iPod fan I’ve never migrated to Mac simply out of fear of the unknown – an odd perception that plagues so many people like me who aren’t techies and loathe the idea of looking stupid so simply don’t bother to adventure into new spaces.

However, with the recent move to include Intel chips into Macs excuses not to switch have been harder and harder to come by. As much as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my sturdy ThinkPad there’s no denying that Mac notebook are debaucherously sexy. They are nothing short of a design phenomenon (except, apparently, for the new matt black MacBook with Rich…! tells me marks terribly).

So you’ll understand then that an opportunity to try out a Mac without having to fork out cash and risk disappointment was pretty darn appealing. Needless to say when the call came from Jacqui to pick up a shiny 17″ MacBook Pro I was at Apple IMC in a flash. The poor marketing dude was still installing Office when I arrived. Not that I’d asked for it, but I appreciated the gesture.

Now allow me to digress for a moment. Those of you who know me well, know that I’m not the greatest driver ever. I think I’m pretty slick, but there’s the small matter of the thousand other commuters on the road every day that just get in the way of my progress. Add to that my obsession with gadgets – iPods, PSP’s, phones and notebooks – and the fact that I am often using all of them simultaneously while navigating the N3 in rush hour, and you’ve got one risky candidate.

Picture me zooming back home with shiny new MacBook on the passenger seat. I’m simply unable to resist taking a peak at it’s metallic perfection and while doing so, fail to realise that the traffic has stopped dead in it’s tracks. I look up – eek – stand on the ol’ ABS. Screeeeech.
Manage to slow down enough to the point where I simply bump the oke in front of me in his Polo. Quite funny actually, as I wouldn’ve done more damage had I climbed out and kicked the bumper of the other car. So we pull over, he was really cool and seemed to understand how much of an idiot I was, exchange business cards, and off I go. Ha ha. Fortunately in all this MacBook escapes completely unscathed.

Back to the point. The migration to Mac so far has been painless. I am simultaneously trying to get all my work web-based (including my calendar which means getting it to synch with my Nokia 6680 which is proving to be quite a challenge) but the idea is that in future switching machines / platforms can be seamless provided I always have decent connectivity. Here’s me placing my faith in Telkom (now there’s a scary thought).

OS X (the Mac operating system) is fantastic. It’s intuitive, sleek and easy to figure out. The learning curve is not nearly what I thought it was (and to be honest we kinda forget how quickly we learn new things). I just haven’t quite got used to not having a right click on my mouse but that will come. Thanks to Jacqui and Apple IMC for the chance to play with one of their flagship toys.

Pete I still love the origami version though :)

Oh and if you followed the link to the Citizen column I’m glad you had a good laugh. I do what I can to make your day that little bit brighter…

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