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My First Mac
A Lesson Well Learned
Robert McQuistion - February 2002
I am 22 years old. Back in high school - when I was 15 years old - the first GUI system I used was Macintosh LC 520 or 550. I started to love Macintosh computers; they are great and user-friendly. I really liked it better than my old Tandy 1000 HX (sort of an IBM PCjr clone) that had Personal Deskmate 2 (a GUI system for Tandy computers).
I never heard or used Windows at that time. I wished I could buy myself a Macintosh. I really enjoyed Mac computers for word processing and "playing" games (educational games, really).
When when I moved to Colorado and went to a new school, I was surprise that they had a Windows 3.1 PC. I thought all schools had Macs, because every school I went before high school had Macs instead of PCs.
I wondered why they had Windows 3.1.
Anyway, I used it but never liked Windows 3.1. I still wondered why they had PCs instead of Macs.
When I graduated from high school, my grandfather gave me a Windows 95 PC as a graduation gift School. I was disappointed....
I didn't have the heart to hurt my grandfather's feelings, so I accepted his gift. Forced to use Windows 95. (I thought I would be free from the Windows world after I finished school. Well not yet.)
So I thought, "Why not use Windows 95 so I can use the Internet to look for Macs." So I looked for one for almost two years. Then I decided that I should go to the Mac store.
There I saw the beautiful colorful iMacs starting at $999.99. The blueberry iMac looked so much more beautiful than the others, so I checked to see what kind of computer this was - a 350 MHz iMac with 64 RAM and a 6 GB hard drive.
So I bought a Blueberry iMac 350. I really was happy that I got my own first iMac.
Lessons Learned
I've learned from a mistake I made: I stupidly sold my favorite iMac.
I wasn't proud of what I had done. Getting rid of my Mac?
Then I bought a brand new Windows 98 PC. I wasn't happy with what kind of computer I had gotten and what I had done, so I decided that I would look for an old Mac. (No choice - I am not rich anymore. Forced to buy old computer.) I looked for one and found a Power Macintosh 8100/80 on eBay.
I love Macs more than Windows computers, so I shall never go back to Windows ever again. (Unless Apple goes out of business or stops making Macs - I hope that won't ever happen!)
Lesson learned: Never ever sell your favorite computer.
Share the story of your first Mac experience by emailing with "My First Mac" as your subject.
Recent My First Mac articles
- Thanks for the IBM PC, Dad, 01.09. Dad, thanks for bringing home that first IBM PC way back in 1981.
- Overclocking a Mac mini Got Me Hooked on Souping Up Macs, 09.04. Stories of hot rodding iBooks, G3 iMacs, and PCI Power Macs on the cheap.
- Mac LC III Still a Most Useful Machine, 07.30. A love affair that will last as long as they make Macs began with a used LC III in 1997, and it's still being used today.
- Hooked on Macs, new and old, 07.15. Starting with an old Quadra in 2000, Royal left behind Windows and began acquiring his own stable of Macs.
- More in the My First Mac index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: iMac Core Duo, Jan. 2006 - The first Intel-based iMacs ran at 1.83-2.0 GHz, came with 17" and 20" displays.
- Group of the Day: Mac Pro List is for those using a Mac Pro.
- November 22 in LEM history: 99: Gradebooks - 00: Leveraging Apple design - Quadra 630 to Power Mac 5200 - 02: Laptop or desktop? - 04: SuperDuper: Quick, easy, efficient backup - Cross-platform programming for the rest of us - 05: Mac video surveillance on the cheap - Which OS is best for my vintage Mac? - No 'best browser' for the Mac - Sorry state of browsers for classic Macs - 06: Core 2 means cooler running 'Books - 2.0 GHz G4 upgrade
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Apple's Tablet an End Run Beyond Netbooks, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 11.20. Whatever Apple has planned will leverage existing technologies while going beyond what its competitors can offer.
- i5 iMac Benchmarked, Mac mini 'Shouldn't Be Overlooked', Twitter Client for Classic Mac OS, and More, Mac News Review, 11.20. Also why Apple leaves the low end to others, 10.6.2 fixes video playback problem in 27" iMac, 3D Leopard and Snow Leopard performance, and more.
- Apple #4 in Reliability, Apple Tablet a Gadget for All?, HP's i7 Notebook Outdoes Mac Rivals, and More, The 'Book Review, 11.20. Also Flash 10.1 improves video on Hackintosh netbooks, thin-and-light notebooks impress, Windows XP finally on the way out, and more.
- NASA Chemical Sensor for iPhone, Smartphone Death Match, iPhone Earrings, and More, Ian R Campbell, 11.20. Also mobile phone dangers, new apps, GPS solution for iPod touch, new iPod and iPhone cases, and more.
- Replacing the Hard Drive in a Clamshell iBook, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 11.19. Yes, it is one of the most difficult Apple notebooks to disassemble and reassemble, but a 10 GB hard drive just will not do.
- IBM Model F: A Great Old Keyboard with an Outdated Layout, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 11.19. Although it used a different technology than the revered IBM Model M keyboard, the Model F was a great keyboard in its own right.
- Soft Touch Keyboards, Wireless Mouse Options, Loving SeaMonkey 2, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 11.18. Also the future of browsing with PowerPC Macs and the multiple mouse input bug introduced with OS X 10.5.8.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
- Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
- Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.17. Used 1.83 GHz, $750; 2.16, $800; 2.33, $900; refurb 2.4, $1,299; 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,899; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
- Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.17. Used 400 MHz, $50; 933 MHz, $80; 500 dual, $60; 867 dual, $90; 1 GHz dual, $150; 1.25 GHz dual, $225; 1.42 GHz, $499.
- Best Mac OS X 10.5 Deals, 11.17. "Leopard" upgrade, $80; single user license, $135; 5 users, $173; Mac Box Set, 5 users, $230; Server, 10 users, $340; unlimited, $850. Shipping included.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 11.16. Used 1.42 GHz G4 mini, $379; 1.66 GHz Core Solo, $419; 2.0 Core 2, $450; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $769; Server, $990.
- Best iBook G4 Deals, 11.16. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $210; 1.33 GHz, $298; 14" 1.33 GHz, $398; 1.42 GHz, $479; SuperDrive, $498.
- Best iPod shuffle Deals, 11.16. Used 1 GB, $35; 4 GB, $65; refurb 1 GB, $39; 2 GB, $59; new 2 GB, $55, 4 GB, $75. New and refurb prices include shipping.
- More deals in our archive.
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ramseeker
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