Switching to a Mac

I got my first PC in 1982, though it wasn’t a PC as we now think of them.

After years of learning on Apple IIIe machines, mainframes, and various DOS and Windows-based machines, I got my first Windows 3.x machine in 1993. I kept up and got better, eventually evolving my profession into PC and Mac support, both hardware and software.

When my Dell Inspiron 8200 died in late 2007, I needed a new machine, and fast. It needed to run Windows XP for my current contracting work. I could not get a non-Mac Windows XP machine fast. Downgrading without penalty to XP wasn’t readily apparent or available at that time from Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba or a brand at Fry’s. In all cases, downgrading from Vista to XP would void some or all of my support from the manufacturer.

Looking at a Windows world without support broadened my search.

Because of my on-going dissatisfaction with the traditional Wintel combination, most acutely with the quality of Dell and Lenovo hardware, I began considering a Mac. I’d had a bumpy ride with Dell, at times nightmarish, but ultimately it resolved itself to mediocre. I put various clients on various machines, including what I considered (and read) were the best: Dell and Lenovo. My customers who chose Lenovo were the least dissatisfied. The customers who chose eMachines and other big-box brands like Compaq and HP hated their machines. So did I, since my business is based on customer satisfaction.

I know non-Mac PCs. I know Windows. I decided to switch. This blog is my story.