The Apple Cult

In my last post I mentioned my new Mac Mini and I wanted to discuss its provenance and my thought upon the entire Apple computing empire. I will be moving and starting a new job in the fall, and I needed to figure out my home and work computing needs, desires, and a plan.

Currently- or rather, as of a week ago- I have a desktop I built myself that is dual-boot Windows XP and a Debian Linux distribution from 5 years ago. I haven't turned it on in 8 months. I have an old Dell Latitude laptop from college that i haven't turned on in 3 years. I also have a "One Laptop per Child" $200 laptop that my sister has taken with her to Rwanda. At work I have a new Dell desktop with a dual monitor display running Scientific Linux. And I use an 3-year-old IBM ThinkPad that is dual-boot windows XP and Ubuntu Linux.

I knew I would need something of my own that was more usable when I moved, and I would have to choose a computer that my new job would provide for me. Of course for years I have wanted a Mac, but couldn't justify the costs to myself. If I got myself a nice laptop, I drool over the MacBook Air, I could then have a nice desktop for work and make my personal laptop my work and travel laptop also. If I got myself a netbook (friends were liking the Asus EEE PC) then I would probably still want a laptop for work. (Even better than a netbook would be a tablet net book, like the Crunchpad or something similar that rumors say Apple is developing.) Meanwhile, if I did go with a MacBook for my work laptop, I would hate to waste the time getting used to it and figuring out how I wanted things organized since I haven't worked with one extensively before.

So it was over happy hour that I was talking to some colleagues and they reminded me of the mac mini and informed me that the previous models were on sale at Microcenter. So I got one, and can connect it to peripherals I already own. I can use it in my bedroom since it is small and quiet. It is delightful to watch netflix streaming, hulu and DVDs on, because my laptop has a terrible video card, and an even worse linux video driver. I do want to be able to type from bed though and so I've bought an older mac wireless keyboard off eBay. The new ones are just too thin for my taste. (Oh, and I got a Epson scanner/printer/copier/photo printer for $40 as part of the deal too)

So I will request a MacBook for my work computer, and when I have the money and can determine my desire, I can get a netbook or tablet or Mac Air.

And a year ago, when my cellphone broke and I decided to get a Pay-As-You-Go phone since it would be temporary and I could later get a smartphone, I will of course want an iPhone. For a long time I pretended to consider the Palm, Blackberry or Android phones, but really my heart was always with the iPhone. Of course, if I had stuck entirely with Linux systems the Android phone would possibly make more sense, but once one starts down the Apple route, it is so easy to let Apple manage one's life. (And heck, then I wouldn't need a new iPod when my iPod nano goes the way of my old 4th generation click wheel iPod.)

But the one hesitation I have left is the fear of becoming one of Apple cult members. I don't want to be stuck touting their virtues to everyone else. I don't want the apple stickers on all of my Nalgene bottles (but one might be ok) I cannot take the position of some friends who go for cheap options and then argue how they can do everything a mac can do, but finding a middle ground is a little difficult. For now, I think the Mac Mini does offer one way. I don't have a pretty monitor, or cool speakers, or even a 'Mighty Mouse', but what I do have have makes me very happy.

Update: NYTimes review of the new iPhone - I think I really will need one at the end of the summer!