Computer defector

A few years ago, when my college PC was no longer cool enough, I bought a laptop. I envisioned myself wearing dramatic scarves in darkened coffeeshops, toiling away into the wee hours on the novel that would earn me "The next F. Scott Fitzgerald!" accolades and would make my fortune.

Reality was less dramatic. I mostly used my laptop for internet surfing and the occasional Spider Solitaire game (Minesweeper is difficult without a real mouse). My laptop and I never set foot in a coffeeshop, and I realized my "show, don't tell" writing skills are mediocre at best.

After a couple years, my laptop started displaying the Blue Screen of Death with dangerous frequency, until the dreaded screen made an appearance every time the laptop booted. I made a halfhearted repair effort with Best Buy, a visit so unsatisfactory that I now boycott the store, and then packed the laptop away in a closet with a sigh. I tend to break electronics equipment and decided that it had been only a matter of time before my bad luck combined with Microsoft's similar destructive tendencies ruined my computer.

But we need a reliable home computer, one that I can't kill, and I am considering taking a gamble and buying a Mac.

Mac users and Apple fans would probably jump in and say that a PC is the real gamble, while a Mac is a sure thing. Macs have advanced well beyond PCs in the coolness factor, and more importantly, they have reputations for reliability and virus resistance.

A few years ago, I was strongly anti-Mac. I had to use Macs at a college internship and struggled with a mouse that didn't let me right-click. The Mac user interface was foreign and therefore confusing, but in hindsight, it was actually easy to learn.

I'm not sure why I've changed my mind and am considering giving Macs a try. Maybe I'm not willing to gamble so much with another PC laptop. Maybe I'm ready to try drinking the Apple Kool-Aid that so many other people seem to dig. Maybe Justin Long is a trustworthy-looking guy, and those Mac/PC ads have worked their magic with me.

Whatever the reason, I want a Mac. I love that the computer and monitor are combined into one, and you can buy a wireless keyboard and mouse--a nearly wire-free desktop! And you can get amazingly large screens, which contribute to the awesomeness of the total package.

B is on board with the idea of jumping on the Apple bandwagon, so now we just need to work some budget magic and make it happen.