I built my first PC in 1998 when I saved up my money from a summer job and bought all the parts at a local computer expo. Back then a new desktop would run you about $2000 from a store. I paid just over $1000 for mine buying it in pieces and assembling myself. It had a DVD rom and as a result was also my first DVD player.

I remember when Steve Jobs came back to Apple and I remember the release on the first iMac. Damn those were sexy at the time. Still are to some degree. I wanted a mac really bad back then, but I could never afford it. At some point in my early twenties I was able to buy an indigo blue imac for $700. But I I didn’t have it for very long because I decided instead to sell it and buy a video camera. At the time that was more important because I identified as an indie filmmaker. Ans while it would have been great to have the camera and the imac to edit on, I didn’t have the money for both. I could edit on my PC, so the camera was more important at the time. So sold it and bought a Canon XL1 video camera.

Years later I bought a domain name for $8 and resold for $1000. I also got a $1000 bonus at work and with it I bought a brand new macbook. My first ever brand new fully assembled computer bought from a store. But times got bad pretty quick and within a few weeks I ended up returning it because I needed to use the money elsewhere. Always seems to be my lot in life that when i get a little extra spending money and think I’m free and clear, something pops up that requires it to be spent on something other than what I would like to spend it on.

Eventually I was able to buy a used macbook and got to keep it for about 7 months before deciding it was time to upgrade. I had gotten it off of ebay and it was pretty beaten up to start with. I ended up selling it locally for more than I bought it for. So basically I got to use it for 7 months free of charge. But just as I was about to buy a new one, something again came up and the money had to go elsewhere.

I now use an aluminum unibody macbook I actually got from my girlfriend. She bought it for school a couple years ago and ultimately didn’t end up caring for it as much as she had hoped. She used it mostly as a desktop and wanted to play games and there weren’t a ton of games for it back then. I had just built a brand new PC desktop for myself that was really nice and we got to talking. I said something about how I would love to eventually get a macbook and would turn in my new PC I had just finished building that day for one if given the chance. She asked me if I was serious and then offered to trade me. So we traded. She got a brand new freshly built quad core desktop and I got her unibody dual core macbook. It was a good trade sicne she wasn’t going to take her macbook anywhere I wanted a desktop for games. I needed a mobile computer because I was starting to meet with my partner to build SocialMore.

It’s now been over a year I’ve had this macbook and I feel like I have been a mac user for far longer. This machine is staying with me come hell or high water. Whereas before I always had a desktop PC to fall back on, this macbook is and has been my only computer for the last year or so. I love it. I cherish it. But being a late 2008 model it is starting to show its age a little now. I’d love a new macbook pro. But I’m happy to keep using this one for another year or two. it’s such a great little machine. Plus now I have a wireless keyboard and trackpad for it and installed Lion on it not that long ago.

Personally I hate these mac versus PC debates where people get so strung up on their preference. I especially dislike the PC fanboy’s who have to talk crap about mac users as if we’re all stuck up hipsters with overpriced overhyped machine who go to starbucks and pull out our macbook just to show off. As if it’s some status symbol. I’ve never felt that way. I just love my computer and I’ve never been happier with a computer as I have been with this one. It’s just fun to use and works great for me. But I do realize they aren’t for everyone. Which is why variety is great.