Well, the bank account wasn't looking too bad and, since I've spent a number of recent days uploading photos to Facebook, I'm hitting the "rolling beachball of death" way too often on my now-antiquated, lampshade-base iMac. I was told it'll be tricky (plus over $500) to get the memory upgraded sufficiently to take the latest operating system upgrade. And even then, no promises.
So... a laptop was becoming an essential requirement. It'll be able to handle all the new capabilities, and the iMac can take up the slack on simpler things. I may even take the even older PowerMac dinosaur into school/work and stick a few games on it for the students - we are a PC-only school. (Ick.)
Simultaneously, my first mobile phone is on its last legs; my original phone plan ran out last month, so I went for a double act today; I have a few days to master the laptop, before I collect the iPhone next week.
I also got a new scanner/printer, and the new-fangled "Time Capsule", which allows care-free full back-ups. Yippee.
When you enter the big Apple Store (in the CBD) intending to buy, they sign you up for "personal shopping" experience. I was booked in for two appointments: the laptop purchase, which I could do immediately, and the iPhone purchase, and I elected to make the iPhone appointment for next Thursday. It would be too bamboozling to buy too much hardware at once!
Now I have time, theoretically, to investigate the various plans available, and to find out how many ID points I'll need, since I don't drive and my passport has expired, and I can never prove who I am - even to post a parcel overseas - these days.
I'll probably buy the iPhone outright, but at the Apple Store they have an upstairs area where all the providers (Telstra, Optus, etc) are available to help you switch into a new plan when you buy the phone.
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3 comments:
Hmm. You think the purchase of a new Mac will protect you from the 'rolling beachball of death'? Sorry Therin, I'm here to tell you that even on my highly specced Quad core MacPro I bought at work (I'm a web developer these days) to escape the clutches of MicroShyt's Vista of Doom, I frequently find myself helplessly staring at the inscrutable rotating beachball. I usually take a toilet break or coffee break, as it rarely rolls for less than a minute or so. There is much to commend the Mac platform, but I really wish Linux would fully surface and wipe away all the proprietary opposition. Ubuntu is close but, alas, still no cigar. Yet.
iPhone? I'd rather have an iPod touch. Most of the fun and no bloated contract... A phone is a phone is a phone is a phone...
:-)
Hehehe. The poor ol' lampshade-based iMac is about five years old already and it is being overwhelmed by beachballs!
Now I just have to work out what I did wrong connecting the new printer to the Time Capsule/Wi-Fi...
Ian,
At the moment Optus have the best all round iPhone packages. Don't get any less than a 500mb data package a month or you'll get stung with a huge bill from any carrier. You may also consider if you are buying it outright to pay the extra money and get the phone unlocked, so you can shift carriers once out of contract.
Also, check this site out forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-threads.cfm?f=128.
Your Borgish Friend.
Anony Moose
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