$1.869

Yes, I’ve taken a bite, and I’m not referring to the Jim Carey movie of the same title.

Tonight, I bought an iMac from the local Apple store.

I’ve been trying hard to figure out where to go on this decision. I knew I wanted a Mac — the photoprocessing capabilities are legendary — but I was having a tough time deciding between a dual G5 workstation or a PowerBook laptop. Then I saw a note about the iMac, took a look, and was sold. It has 512Mb RAM (which I’ll upgrade soon), 250Gb hard drive, 20″ integrated LCD monitor, 2.0Ghz G5 processor, 8x dual-layer DVD burner, USB 2.0, Firewire 400, 10/100/1000-BaseT network, 802.11G network…. all built into a 2″ deep chassis, and all for a great price. The decision became very easy!

Heath, the Mac guy at the Apple Store, gave me a tour, and 30 minutes later, I was walking out of the store with a 25 pound box of Apple. I gotta say though, that the whole Apple culture is waaaaay different from what I’m used to. It seems like a culture and technology bent on creativity, not so much on the gear itself. That’s an appealing change.

Back at home, unpacking was a snap. Keyboard, mouse, power cord, and the unit itself. Plug it in, turn it on, and it begins to configure itself. I answered a couple of questions, configured my e-mail, and inside 15 minutes, I’m on the local network, hitting the internet, and being functional. Man, what an easy experience to deal with! I know I have a learning curve, but I’m excited about it.

Twenty-plus years ago, I can remember Rich Morehouse showing me his Apple II, when I had gone down the TRS-80 path. I was impressed with the Apple, as it seemed to do more than my TRS-80 gear. Now, all these years later, I have my first Apple, and I think I’m gonna love it!