This is a long geek post. Just a warning up front for those of you who are busy or just not that into the geekiness!
I’m reaching a point where I’m no longer able to look the other way when it comes to my primary computer’s performance. Don’t get me wrong, I love my MacBook, in spite of the fact that it no longer functions without being plugged in and the fact that a small part of the wrist rest has chipped off. I have one of the first generation black MacBooks with a Core Duo processor. Not Core 2 Duo, the other one. After three years it seems that even my routine 12-18 month computer colonics, where I just wipe everything clean and start from scratch, aren’t cutting it.
I think this situation has a lot to do with my iPhone 3GS as it so happens. It’s fast. Very fast. It switches and flips between functions amazingly well. I can go for weeks without rebooting it and the only time I generally run into errors are with early builds of independent applications which I download from the App Store. I seriously adore my iPhone and it has become in many ways my primary computing device. However, this speed has caused me to become impatient with my laptop. It just isn’t quite fast enough. I must also concede that small part of the problem also has to do with my Internet provider, but even after careful consideration, even Qwest’s hideously lacking service doesn’t quite explain what is going on here.
I need something which just works and moves faster. But that isn’t my only issue. I’m now faced with a moment where I have to take a long, hard look at the form factor of the machine I’m using. I’ve long been a one-machine household. I’ve had my MacBook and that is it. I like the simplicity of this concept. My computer is just that, a computer. It’s not some fixture or installation which is stuck there at all times. I’m not on my computer all the time, so it’s nice to be able to tuck it in a drawer when not in use. That appeals to the minimalist in me. As much as I love technology, I think that it should be easily tucked away and function seamlessly with the act of living.
That being said, I would love to have a larger, more vibrant, and much more accurate display to work with my photos. It’s painful to me to be stuck with inconsistent output from my printer when printing photos as a result of the limited color gamut and accuracy of what is presented on-screen. A nice iMac would be delightful, but at the same time, I think I’m the only one to complain that they are now only available in gargantuan and megamonster sizes.
A new MacBook pro would be nice, but the 13-inch screen is too limiting, though I could just get a larger external display. I would also love a MacBook Air to be able to have an even more slight and effortless mobile computing experience. I don’t need a ton of features, but it is lacking in the processor department which is my current beef with my computer now and would seal the need for a more powerful primary computer.
I’ve enjoyed the one-machine simplicity and I find that the concept of having multiple machines brings in the need for a NAS solution and thus far I’m hard-pressed to find one which really moves me, especially now that the Time Capsule from Apple seems to be emo and can die in sort of data-backup roulette at 18 months for unlucky winners. I’ve been using a very simple machine in my living room for backups as well as Netflix duty, but it’s lone tiny Celeron processor doesn’t like to play nice all the time and is prone to gagging and sputtering. At the same time, I really don’t want to invest much in that machine as I don’t want it to be more than a simple dummy box. I don’t like the idea of using some set-top product not it not playing nice with any particular online outlet.
If money were not an issue, I would be able to very simply solve this problem, even if the solution weren’t as elegant as I would prefer. I would have a MacBook Air for general puttering around the house and writing and stuff, a new 21-inch iMac in the office for heavy lifting and photo editing, and a Mac mini server in the living room for backups and streaming media. But that seems to make it all much more complex and I’m not a fan of that. It’s hard to balance the minimalist and the ubergeek inside of me.
Not to mention that as much as I would love to save my pennies and get a new Mac, I would love new furniture as well. Oh and some new clothes. Or a new lens for my camera. Or a million other things I would just love to have. It’s all so complex and muddled. Anyhow, that is my awful, long, imposing, over-the-top geek dialog on new computers. I don’t see why they can’t just magically be fast and amazing forever. Thats not that much to ask for!