My First Mac
A Lesson Well Learned
Robert McQuistion - February 2002
I am 22 years old. Back in high school - when I was 15 years old - the first GUI system I used was Macintosh LC 520 or 550. I started to love Macintosh computers; they are great and user-friendly. I really liked it better than my old Tandy 1000 HX (sort of an IBM PCjr clone) that had Personal Deskmate 2 (a GUI system for Tandy computers).
I never heard or used Windows at that time. I wished I could buy myself a Macintosh. I really enjoyed Mac computers for word processing and "playing" games (educational games, really).
When when I moved to Colorado and went to a new school, I was surprise that they had a Windows 3.1 PC. I thought all schools had Macs, because every school I went before high school had Macs instead of PCs.
I wondered why they had Windows 3.1.
Anyway, I used it but never liked Windows 3.1. I still wondered why they had PCs instead of Macs.
When I graduated from high school, my grandfather gave me a Windows 95 PC as a graduation gift School. I was disappointed....
I didn't have the heart to hurt my grandfather's feelings, so I accepted his gift. Forced to use Windows 95. (I thought I would be free from the Windows world after I finished school. Well not yet.)
So I thought, "Why not use Windows 95 so I can use the Internet to look for Macs." So I looked for one for almost two years. Then I decided that I should go to the Mac store.
There I saw the beautiful colorful iMacs starting at $999.99. The blueberry iMac looked so much more beautiful than the others, so I checked to see what kind of computer this was - a 350 MHz iMac with 64 RAM and a 6 GB hard drive.
So I bought a Blueberry iMac 350. I really was happy that I got my own first iMac.
Lessons Learned
I've learned from a mistake I made: I stupidly sold my favorite iMac.
I wasn't proud of what I had done. Getting rid of my Mac?
Then I bought a brand new Windows 98 PC. I wasn't happy with what kind of computer I had gotten and what I had done, so I decided that I would look for an old Mac. (No choice - I am not rich anymore. Forced to buy old computer.) I looked for one and found a Power Macintosh 8100/80 on eBay.
I love Macs more than Windows computers, so I shall never go back to Windows ever again. (Unless Apple goes out of business or stops making Macs - I hope that won't ever happen!)
Lesson learned: Never ever sell your favorite computer.
Share the story of your first Mac experience by emailing with "My First Mac" as your subject.
Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Recent My First Mac articles
- A Second Spring for PowerPC Macs, 2011.09.28. Apple has abandoned the Classic Mac OS, PowerPC Macs, and PowerPC software, but that doesn't have to mean an end for new development.
- Flash, YouTube, and .docx File Conversion for Mac OS 9, 2011.04.05. Although Adobe and Microsoft dropped OS 9 support years ago, there are workarounds for viewing YouTube videos and using Word documents.
- Thanks for the IBM PC, Dad, 2009.01.09. Dad, thanks for bringing home that first IBM PC way back in 1981.
- More in the My First Mac index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Macintosh Portable, introduced 1989.09.20. The nearly 16 lb. behemoth was innovative but not a smashing success.
- February 13 in LEM history: 01: Layoffs may hurt Mac market - 02: Unix for the Mac - Rage against the Macintosh - 03: Options to move data from PCs to Macs - 04: Low cost RAM for older 'Books - 06: Apple, IBM, and Intel - 07: Picking the right cheap computer, new or used - 08: I needed to find an older Mac
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Fix Home Button Delay, Tablet the Ultimate Mobile PC, iPad Notebook a Possibility, and More, iOS News Review, 2012.02.10. Also using your iPad at work, two photo editors, a new iPad text editor, Macally's magnetic iPad 2 stand, and more.
- White MacBook Goes End-of-Life, Logitech Touch Mouse Supports Gestures, Firmware Updates, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.02.10. Also MacBook Air better than any Ultrabook, docks for MacBook Pro models, Intel offers improved SSDs, and more.
- Mac and iOS Browsers: Options Galore, Freeware Forum, 2012.02.10. Safari is adequate on Mac and great on iOS, but the range of good alternatives is stunning. LEM writers share their favorites.
- Apple's Support Lead Shipping, Smartphones Outsell PCs, OS X Ported to ARM by Intern, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.02.10. Also the power of Tex-Edit Plus, Google and Twitter are already censoring the Web, Snow Leopard Security Update, and more.
- LogMeIn: Remote Screen Sharing for the Rest of Us, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2012.02.09. Configuring the Mac's built-in screen sharing to work over the Internet can be difficult or impossible. LogMeIn makes it easy.
- 15 Years Ago Motorola Unveiled the PowerPC G3, Low End Mac Round Table, 2012.02.06. The G3 processor was optimized for real world Mac software and made a big leap forward in efficiency.
- Don't Kill Caps Lock, Learning to Love the iOS Keyboard, and an Adaptive iPad Keyboard, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2012.02.06. The Caps Lock key has a useful function, the iPad's keyboard really is useful, and checking out an adaptive keyboard for the iPad.
- More links in our archive.

