The Sorry State of Macs in New Zealand

A very good day to all of you who had to wait such a long time for a new column by that annoying Mac UK writer to arise. Things have changed in the last couple of weeks, as I have exchanged my place of professional undertakings from the centre of society's breakdown, East London, to the haven of the happy, port of the prosperous: New Zealand.

Yes, your Mac UK column is now coming from a little town on the South Island, and I can tell you, if a country ever needed some Mac evangelism, it is definitely NZ. I will not venture forward into my favourite subject of Apple retail again, as there's no hope left here. If you think that getting Apple related goods was hard in the UK, just don't come down here. That's all I will say. Full-stop. Nothing more. Nada.

Anyway, since being down here I have so far seen one Apple computer, and that was an old LC II standing around forlornly (but very appropriately) in a retirement home. It was still being used to print out staff notices.

The only Mac that is regular in view of the public is Lex Luthor's TiBook in that amazingly bland rip-off of the Superman books, Smallville, and the odd iMac appearing in imported UK sitcoms. But apart from that, no sightings whatsoeve - not even in commercials. Apple probably has given up on New Zealand as a market, as too many farmers are probably still hacking away at their 386 PCs and don't plan to exchange them in the next 30 years.

Oh well, enough moaning.

As you were all able to see from the interview with Ian Betteridge, people working in the industry are more hopeful than ever about Apple's prospects, and the good old Stevester certainly looks like he has another couple of years in front of him as our demi-god at the top of Apple, which is (I guess) a good thing.

OS X certainly seems to come along nicely (apart from its appalling lack of speed on G3 machines) as the number of nifty little applications is growing. Adobe and the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit, as the dinosaurs of application design, have given us their firm commitment to the good cause, so nobody has to fear that the will be left with a six year old copy of Photoshop like me (just can't afford a regular update).

Which leaves us just with the question of what to call this column now. Mac UK is as geographically incorrect as you can get, so I ask you kindly to come up with a suggestion. The winner will be named in this very column, and I'll be damned if I won't throw a Low End Mac T-shirt in as well.

Have a great spring.