Last week, staff writer and long-time Windows user Malcolm Owen returned to Mac following a five-year absence. Back to the Mac is a series of posts where he charts his progress in introducing Apple to his working environment once again. In this first installment, Malcolm talks about why he is making the change, and his Mac acquisition.Hello, I am Malcolm, and I have an admission to make: Up until recently, I was not a Mac user. That recently changed, but before I go into that, I have some explaining to do.
Yes, I know that there is a deep sense of irony in working for two sites, one of which focused on Apple, without owning any Apple products at all -- neither Mac nor iOS -- but that has not been a problem at all. Predominantly, I work on the
Electronista side, where non-Apple hardware and software dominate, but sometimes the news stretches into
MacNN territory. While reporting on the affairs of Apple and connected products can easily be accomplished without owning any of said items, it does limit my reporting ability to that of an outsider looking in, rather than a user who has a deeper understanding of the entire ecosystem.
Getting an
iPad, an
iPhone, or a Mac would certainly aid with the understanding of the Apple ecosystem, though it also helps with something one of my predecessors said. A while ago, Jon Fingas (now of
Engadget) talked about how he wanted to be the "technology equivalent of Switzerland," using a variety of ecosystems instead of sticking to just one -- and that's something I've tried to emulate. While I have a self-built gaming PC running Windows, a Dell notebook also on Windows, an Android smartphone, and a Nexus 7 (that currently serves as the most expensive alarm clock I have ever owned since it was updated to Android Lollipop), Apple products were noticeably absent.
This lack of OS X and iOS isn't from any animosity towards the company. Far from it: for a five-year period from July 2006, I used a MacBook. My archived order receipt from the Apple Store shows it had a 13.3-inch display, an Intel Core Duo clocked at 1.83GHz, 1GB of RAM, and a gargantuan 60GB hard disk. I loved the MacBook throughout my ownership of it, using it as my primary music device and as a secondary Internet device to look things up while I played
World of Warcraft. When it eventually died, I didn't rush out and buy a replacement, as I simply couldn't afford such an extravagance. I still wanted to get back on the Mac saddle, but just failed to find the right combination of a gap in my setup, and available funds.
Receipt for my first MacBook, 2006
Recently, after discussions with some family members, it was agreed that I should return to using Apple products in some way, in order to help with my job. I would finally be getting a Mac again: cue deliberations over what would be the ideal Mac to get.
The
Mac Pro was out of the question immediately, as I doubt it would be used to its fullest capacity. While a
MacBook Air or a
MacBook Pro would bring me closer to the setup I had before, I would not only be spending more money than other options, but also would be replacing a (Windows) notebook that could have a few more years left in it, so that wasn't advisable. Get an
iMac? I already roll with a two-screen desktop, and though I've tried three screens before, it was more distracting than helpful.
The only real choice left was the Mac mini, which -- thanks to its overall cost compared to the other Mac options, and its simple potential integration into my computing setup -- was ideal. I could easily switch back to the gaming PC by changing the source on the monitors, and using another keyboard and mouse. Separating out my work to the Mac, and keeping entertainment items on the PC would likely also help with work in the long run.
With that settled, the next question was: which
Mac mini? The base 1.4GHz model was attractive on price alone, but this would be a system I would have to live with for years without being able to upgrade its internals, so that was struck out. The middle
2.6GHz option was faster, had double the RAM and hard drive space, and though it's a bit of a jump up in price from the bottom, the benefits gained from the lowest to the middle at that cost outweighed the benefits between the middle tier and the highest. Sure, the Fusion Drive was a useful addition from a performance standpoint, but that -- combined with the extra 200MHz processing power -- just wasn't that justifiable for someone on a budget.
One cold morning before work, the journey to pick up a Mac mini began. Rather than go to a major retailer, I went to an Apple reseller, since the trip to an actual Apple store would involve a four-hour, 170-mile round trip to the Welsh capital. Why not order it online, you may ask? The answer: I work from home, so I'll take any excuse to leave the house.
The store in question,
Stormfront, is best described as minimalist. Resembling an art gallery more than a retailer, it follows the Apple Store trend of having a glass front, products on tables ready to try out, and staff wearing blue t-shirts. Certainly a different experience to one you'd expect to receive when walking into Currys PC World.
While kids were playing around with the iPads on a central pair of tables, a staff member politely asked if we needed help, before quickly dashing behind the counter area, and returning with a smaller-than-expected box containing the Mac mini. Since I also really needed to get another keyboard, as my existing one was on its last legs, the
Apple Keyboard was acquired at the same time, while an iWires Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter was also added for the second monitor.
The purchase
After paying for the technology haul and retreating through the freezing wind to the car, I was dropped back at base in time to start work. Unfortunately, I had to wait a few hours before I had the chance to set up and reacquaint myself with Mac, a prospect that made the wait feel even longer.
Next time: Unboxing, the initial setup, and the reintroduction to OS X.
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