Metzcher.com » Macintosh

Carrying Less

Dennis Metzcher — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:37:33 +0000

I've been seriously considering the purchase of a 9-inch Eee PC for one primary reason: it's small. Right now, I have 12-inch iBook that I purchased in 2005. I love the look and feel of the notebook, although it could be a little thinner and weigh a little less. It's not in my budget right now to get a new notebook computer from Apple, and I have a Mac Pro that I purchased in 2007 for any tasks that require serious computing power. I only need a small notebook, and an Eee PC running Linux appeals to me.

I can sort of justify the purchase of the Eee PC. I need to buy a new battery for my iBook, and that's going to cost $130. The cost of the Eee PC is only $300, so the net cost, if I don't get the iBook battery is only $170. Note that you have to assume that I will never use the iBook again, which is highly unlikely, making the purchase of the replacement battery necessary anyway, if only a few months from now when keeping it plugged in all the time annoys me enough (it already does). Okay, so my argument here is a little thin.

I've decided, for now, to hold off on the purchase of the $300 Eee PC, and instead carry less. The biggest problem that I have with carrying a portable computer is the fact that I have an over-the-shoulder bag that carries everything I could possibly need. For one thing, the bag itself is too large. For another, I'm not sure I need to carry two external hard drives, regardless of how small they are. There are other miscellaneous things in the bag that have not seen the light of day in about a year. I simply don't use everything I carry with me.

I have a single-strap backpack-style notebook bag that I replaced pretty early on because it did not allow me to carry everything I thought I needed at the time. I dug this bag out of the closet tonight and decided to reorganize my portable computing equipment, eliminating everything I don't really need to have with me while on-the-go. I've managed to pack the essentials, I think: the iBook, its power block, an ultra-slim 30 GB external drive, some cables, a small mouse, a USB-based Bluetooth adapter, an SD/MMC/MemoryStick combo reader, and my USB-based Sprint mobile broadband card.

Maybe I'll never buy an Eee PC, and the time will soon come, within the next 12-months, when I'll purchase a MacBook Pro from Apple instead. I'm still not totally certain that the only reason I wanted an Eee PC was to lighten my load. I think a good part of me also wanted a new notebook running Linux to play with, and I can hold off on that for now, even if the price tag of $300 is so cheap it feels like a steal.

Forbes: Apple’s Strength Lies in Its Software

Dennis Metzcher — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:02:07 +0000

According to Forbes.com, Apple's biggest strengths lie in its software. [quote=Forbes.com] While great industrial design--whether it's for great cars or great buildings--always attracts gawkers, it's software that makes Apple's (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) proliferating array of machines so comfortable to use on a long-term basis. Apple's best products mix the curb appeal of a Lamborghini with easy-to-drive friendliness of a Honda Accord. [/quote] I couldn't agree more. Whether we are talking about the Mac OS, the iPhone, the iPod, or Apple TV, it's the software that drives me toward Apple's products. The hardware is great, but I'm looking for an amazing user experience. Good just isn't good enough. People interact with software, not hardware, and while my Mac Pro is an impressive (and beautiful) piece of hardware, as is my iPhone, it was the software running on these devices that drove the purchase every time. Other companies just fail to "get" this...or, maybe they do get it, since we see many copycats of Apple's products, both hardware and software. They all seem to fall short, however. The soul just isn't there.

Five Reasons Why Vista Beats Mac OS X (and Why They Are Mostly Wrong)

Dennis Metzcher — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:05:49 +0000

On 8 April 2008, Preston Gralla wrote an article on Computerworld.com making the claim that Windows Vista beats Mac OS X. He provided five items to support his argument. He is mostly wrong.