Whitney and I have an iMac G5, Macbook, iPods, and an iPhone. 99.99% of the time we have been happy with all, until this week (either well informed personal choices, or victims of cunning marketing targeting our demographic...I honestly tend to lean towards the latter.... what do I know about computers I just want to be cool and they know that)
I updated my 2g phone with the new 2.0 software, and instead of a slicker more functional device I now have what I affectionally refer to as a DellPhone. Most apps crash, texting works sporadically, and sometimes the thing simply freezes and then refuses to reboot, sometimes for hours. As soon as we got back from vacation I had to restore the phone, and it seems to be working ok, at least for the time being.
My MacBook burned through its first hard drive after only 18 months, just long enough for it to no longer be under warranty. Fortunately all data was backed up, and a faster hard drive with more memory was cheap and easy to install myself. Ultimately what could have been a disaster was just an excuse to upgrade.
Finally, today, after 3 years, our iMac G5 refused to start up. This one was a bit sticky because we could have lost a lot of stuff since I had not backed up the computer in over 6 months. Fortunately the issue was not with the hard drive, and the install disc for the OS X software has a feature called Archive and Install where all previous data on the hard drive is safely protected while the software is reinstalled. This took a couple of hours but it seems that we should be back on track...backing up will of course be the first order of business if in fact we do have a working computer.
The moral of all of this madness....Macs are computers. Computers are temperamental, finicky and prone to breaking. Fixing a Mac is intuitive and does not require a degree from Cal Tech. Despite the benefits of owning a Mac, it is imperative that one also own an external drive with gobs of memory and that one incorporates the life saving discipline of regularly backing up thier data into the hustle and bustle of daily life.
3 comments:
AAAAANNDEEEEEEE!!!! (picture Mr Wilson from Dennis the Menace) You've become the proverbial rain cloud on my parade of Mac-ownership aspiration. Can't I pretend I never read this post and go back to blindly assuming that even the Mac pitcured in your post still runs better than my current HP? Can I?
I love you
Sounds to me like you need to watch the Story of Stuff-if you haven't yet. Pay special attention to the "Perceived obsolescence & Planned obsolescence" section.
Smiles,
Maya
Mike I love you too.
The Archive & Install on my iMac failed. So I went online and made an appointment at the genius bar @ knox/henderson. Despite lines out the door for new iPhone purchases, I got really good care.
FOR FREE!!!!! The genius re-installed my OS 10.4 and talked through a number of scenarios that could have possibly caused the issue I was having. Now the computer works as good as ever, and I am still completely sold that buying a Mac is the best move you can possibly make. (being cool is a bonus)
Post a Comment