wanted.

WANTED: A Technical Upgrade

Yikes! I’ve been missing awhile it seems, and this time I have an excuse. A good one. I was suffering from technical difficulties.



At the risk of hurting my dear iBook G4’s feelings, I need a new computer. Don’t get me wrong, I love G4. She knows it. I fawned over her endlessly when she arrived from China 4 years ago. I cleaned her pristine white keys, and wrapped her gently in her neoprene sleeve for safe travel. I even tear up and pace the room when she “plays dead,” which is what she did all last week. Two visits to the Apple store later, she is diagnosed with Power Management issues. My Mac Genius is hoping the problem will be solved with a new power cord, but I have had a glimpse of life without G4. It isn’t pretty. Thus, the need for a technical upgrade!




Firstly, back-up is imperative (or so I’ve been told by the Apple folks). I began by backing up my photos online with Photobucket. I would miss my photos the most should *gasp* G4 finally bite the dust. This external hard drive is the next step. It will hold more than I would ever really need: music, documents, photos, the whole shebang! I’m not a music hoarder (I actually like my local radio station), but I think I would miss my vintage collection of Backstreet Boys tunes – so on the hard drive they go!

After I’ve backed up, it’s time to think practically about replacement. This is a big investment, and made even more daunting by the fact that technology advances so quickly. I like to buy things that will last a LONG time (case in point: my iPod mini – can we say black and white screen?), and I tend to not upgrade until absolutely necessary. This doesn’t mean that I don’t lust after the latest gadgets. In short, it means I’m cheap.



What would I buy if cost were not an issue? A 17 inch MacBook Pro. Let’s face it, I’m not making movies or designing (many) graphics. But I would like the fancy built-in camera, and the jump from a 12 inch to 17 inch would do wonders for all of the TV I’m watching online. And imagine how shiny it would be!

In short, if you hear that Apple is handing out MacBooks to the not-so-needy, sign me up! In the mean time, G4 and I will just power through.