Well that was an odd sound. A strange clicking noise was coming from my Macbook when I closed it one summer afternoon a few months ago. I decided to shut it off and turn it back on, hoping that would rectify the problem. Unfortunately, not only did the clicking noise continue, but instead of starting regularly, my poor laptop only showed a white screen with a flashing caution sign.
After some panicked Googling, I found some disturbing news. My trusty Macbook that I had loved for the past three years was, quite literally, dying. The hard drive was failing, due to nothing more than age and use. The battery was having problems as well, overheating (to the point that the trackpad was burning my fingertips) and not keeping a charge. I had to get a new laptop.
The question I faced was old as history itself: A or B? with Mac being ‘A' and a PC being ‘B.' Had I been a celebrity, I could have imagined company representatives banging down my door, trying to convince me which brand to buy. Instead I had to resort to extensive Internet research to form my decision.
From the outset, my first desire was for another Macbook. I never had many problems with my old one, and many of the programs I used -Aperture, Final Cut- were Mac exclusives. I loved its simplicity, the ease at which it worked and overall feel. Not to mention I was finally used to the "Command" key instead of "Control."
Once my research began, however, my opinions would soon change. The problem with Macs, of course, is that they are astronomically and inexplicably expensive. And even though I loved my Mac, I'm not enough of a fan boy to spend an extra $1000 just to have one. On to the PCs.
My immediate impression was that my choices were far more varied. If I was to get a Macbook Pro, it would have been the lowest level version, limiting me to one model. Now looking at PCs, I had nearly a hundred choices of possibilities, with laptops of all different screen sizes, hard drive space and processor capabilities. I perused websites for hours, narrowing my wants and needs until I had finally found a model I liked.
In the end, I settled on an Acer laptop with a 15" screen, 750 GB hard drive, 4 GB of memory and an Intel i5 processor. I mention these stats because if I was to get a Mac with those same specs, it would have cost me about an extra $500-750. At this point in my life, choosing the less expensive, yet technically equal laptop was not only practical, but smart.
I've been using my PC now for about five months, and I can happily report that I love my new laptop. It's fast, works well and I haven't had any problems with it. I even made a fantastic discovery in the fact that I can use a laptop to play games, something I forgot from using a Mac.
Do I feel bad about changing teams? Not really. Like many other choices that we will face in our lives between two products, in the end we get the same thing. We can debate all we want about pros and cons of Macs and PCs, but the bottom line is they both serve our needs in a sufficient way.
Like the decision between chocolate or vanilla, Prius or Camaro, dog or cat, iPhone or Android, Modern Warfare 3 or Battlefield 3, McDonalds or Burger King, Kindle or Nook, The Simpsons or Family Guy, Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, ultimately, it doesn't matter.
And yet, fan boys will continue to battle each other as long as competition exists, waging a war that no one will ever win. Whatever you decide, just enjoy it and let others enjoy the decisions they made.
Read More
Indiana Department of Health confirms West Nile Virus in Delaware County
By Staff Reports / 13 hours agoThe Indiana Department of Health has confirmed the presence of West Nile Virus (WNV) in mosquitoes in Delaware County, according to a Facebook post.
Late Night Legacy: Ball State’s Letterman Reacts to Colbert Curtain Call
By Ball State Daily / YesterdayBall State alumni and late-night icon David Letterman has finally weighed in on the cancellation of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert", sort of, and by doing it in a way only Letterman would.
Blink and You’ll Miss it: Here is Your CommCenter Catch-Up
By Ball State Daily / YesterdayFall is quickly approaching, and with it comes new opportunities to grow, learn, and connect at Ball State! This week’s highlights include a professional networking session, a faculty workshop on Canvas course templates, and changes coming to student Adobe access. Don’t miss out on what’s happening across campus!
