My First Mac

Macs in a Class of Their Own

Greg N. Weinstein - 2000.10.23

Until I went to college in 1989, my only computers were an Atari 400 and 800XL. I had never really used a PC, and I had only limited experience with Apple IIs. I had always been curious about Macs, but my parents didn't want to spend that much on a computer. (They used the Ataris, too, when they needed a computer.)

When I left for my freshman year at the University of Alabama, my father got me a 286. I didn't have a whole lot of choice as to what computer I got, but I often went to the school's computer store in the basement of the math department and played with the Macs they had for sale. Mostly they were Classics and Mac IIs. I liked the sounds and desktop patterns, which weren't part of the 286 experience. I eventually received various 386s as gifts, but never got a Mac because they were "too expensive" and "no one uses them."

Blackbird Finally I graduated and traded in my 486/66 PC for a used PowerBook 520c. Even with only 4 MB of RAM, I enjoyed it far more than any computer I had used. I bought plenty of software for it, downloaded even more, upgraded to 20 MB RAM, and then installed a PowerPC 100 MHz card. I got a 1.3 GB MO drive because the 230 MB hard drive was just not cutting it for me.

When the iMacs came out, I sold my 520c to put money towards a 266 MHz Grape iMac. It's still my main computer today, but I am eyeing the G4 towers and the Cube - or an iBook once my income allows it. I bought a PowerBook 170, only to have it stolen from me less than a year later. Between my fiancé and myself, we also have a Centris 610, a PowerBook 150, a IIsi, and a 512k Mac.

At work I have to use a PC, and I don't enjoy it. I think Macs are in a class of their own, and hope the platform continues for years to come. I will always choose them.

Join us on Facebook!

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Go to the My First Mac index.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay

Advertise

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.