tweaking someones Windows laptop. God it’s painful to use, it’s really hard after 12 mths of Apple serendipity
Logging in to Windows already hurts after only 3 months of Apple and applications such as Twitterific, Coversutra and all the other bling for Mac. Let’s forget the super work orientated applications.
So I went1 to the Apple store in the Manchester Arndale Center for the first time2.
Loaded with cash.
Plastic cash.
I had lots of plans.
Although the conversion to Mac OS X came with several problems, and certainly missed Windows (network) features, I had decided over the last days to refocus on video… and now wanted some decent equipment. The MacBook is fun, cool and easy to carry around… but lacks in power. So I was going to get a MBP. Updated or not.
And a 2.8Ghz iMac as well.
And a new phone. Funnily enough I broke the screen of my shitty LG Shine yesterday afternoon and now I needed a new phone too.
Only two models made it past my initial internet quest: the iPhone3 and the Samsung U900 Black4.
But I needed more. Since I already have sold the Dell notebook, I wasn’t going to feel bad about buying some superfluous stuff for everything and decided I wanted some stuff.
All these items are available over the Apple store and since the Arndale Center store one of the less than 10 shops in the UK is, i expected them to have everything obviously. Even the iPhone.
I already had decided I couldn’t be bothered by offering the Carphone Warehouse or O2 the commission and would buy everything from Apple directly. In person. Physically.
Not online.
I made an error.
Contrarily to most switchers, when I arrived at the Apple Store and a salesmen jumped at me, even before I had enjoyed 30 seconds of time to browse, I did not as to speak to a Genius. No, I knew what I wanted and Google had helped me with all the other stuff last days.
Suffocated as I felt, I first asked for an iPod touch case. ‘We’re sold out, but here’s a store card and feel free to ring us to check if we have new ones in stock. We’ll gladly put one aside for you.’
Dumb ass, I thought. There are no official iPod touch cases yet, other than the Socks, but whatevah.
My next question was a harder one. I wanted a Toslink wire to connect any device, mainly the soon to be bought MBP with my kick ass stereo.
Why have a Mac and only enjoy sound over crappy built-in speakers?
Again I was confronted with the same answer: ‘We’re sold out.’
Luckily I had drunk MY kool-aid before I went to the Arndale Center and lassively I answered ‘No worries, I’ll order them online.’
I honestly was starting to doubt the so raved about Apple service. Especially when after walking and browsing some in this Ikea designed store puristic designed store, with way too many people in it, I found my Toslink cable and also the MiniDVI to DVI-D adapter I had asked for in between grumbling teeth.
At a totally different spot than where the interim employee with the Faster Than Shadow Apple Store Card MoveTM looked.
Of the 3 people who read here, luckily there’s no one who doesn’t know that I’m a bitchTM, so I guess you all can imagine my appetite for more Apple stuff was gone. Even the iPhone appetite6.
End result? I left the store with a Leopard install pack, a Toslink connector which fits every MP3 device, except the iPod touch, the iSkin protector I wanted, the iNcase sleeve in Khaki because obviously no black one was available, my wanted MiniDVI to DVI-D connector and iPhone socks.
The iPhone, iMac and MBP? Maybe I’ll get some next week when I’m in the Arndale Center again, but today the awesome customer service killed my mood to splash money.
Even if it were only an interim employer, just there because of the launch of the iPhone… the Apple Store is that big and has that many items that I knew where everything was within 20 minutes.
I’ve done it again… Mark all as read. And deleted a bunch of feeds. And at the same time added a bunch of personal blogs again.
The why is simple. I had to play, play with the newest gadget. But most of all because I’m sick of blogging about blogging and bloggers blogging about bloggers. Some days of reflexion confirmed what I already knew: blogging about blogging just isn’t my cup of cappuccino1. It will mean a return to tech blogging.
And that MacBook is damn sexy.
Hasn’t fried my eggs once yet, but I could imagine getting used to it. Actually I haven’t used any of the Windows computers anymore since Friday2. I discovered right-click for Mac already and even connected my Logitech Bluetooth mouse3.
Adium4 is sexy, the built-in iSight sucks, just as much as .Mac does and window focus after Vista is annoying. I loved the auto hover focus, now I forget to click and start tying always.
My dock is full already and everything I need is installed. Even Remote Desktop for Mac.
Looking forward to go to the local Mac store5 soon and grab the new alu wireless keyboard, the mini-DVI adapter6, a bunch of cases and last but not least Leopard.
On another note: of course it wasn’t going to take long before the iPod Touch was jailbroken. It took me four long days to resist the temptation.
This is my last Mac/Apple post here7, future ones will be at the Apple Files Blog, but I first need to finish my design there. Cutline free. Now if only the [delete] button would work as [delete] and not [backspace].
Update: Can’t believe I had to figure this out all on my own, but [delete] is [fn] + [delete]. The keyboard delete is [backspace]. This obviously also is valid for the new wireless alu keyboard.
