My first foray into the Mac Universe

I type this entry as a new man. A changed man. A MAC man.

Yes, with all the hype, word-of-mouth praise, and Warren Cheswick commercials, I finally gave-in to the latest minority fad and purchased a Macbook. And a Macbook PRO at that.

My journey to the center of the Mac Universe has been long and storied, from many friends and reliable tech-experts ranting and raving on the evils of PC and the glories of going Mac. With such overwhelming positivity (or negativity...depending on which side of the fence you're on), I fully expected to be underwhelmed, even with the newest revelation fresh on my mind, a glowing endorsement of the pro model from Dr. Bob Stewart, the Associate Director of the journalism program I'll be attending in fall.

Yet, I can't help but be impressed by the stunning power and aesthetics of the unit. First off, it looks great. The 15.4 inch screen is brilliant, as photos, video, and even this basic, droll-white blog shine with glossy brilliance. The silver aluminum casing is wicked cool, and the keyboard--the no. 1 issue I've always had with laptops--is full sized and fluid. Even the touchpad--the no. 2 issue I've always had with laptops--is large and responsive, though I've already ordered a bluetooth mouse.

The performance of this powerhouse, though, is the true jewel of going mac. Sure, other laptops, such as the HP Pavilion, have their own power merits, but as a lifelong PC owner, I already know that the Macbook Pro has awarded me a greater level of multi-tasking than I previously thought possible.

This was patently apparent from the first night I had with it. See, I'm a music junkie, a fact that many people are aware of. At this point in my musical voyage, I have roughly 14,200 songs on my iPod. Naturally, I wanted to transfer every single one of those songs to my new Mac, which would prove NO problem whatsoever. And I'm not even exaggerating. As I transferred a good 14,400 music files from one computer to another (a long, convoluted process that is not worth repeating), the Mac did not slow down one bit. I was free to surf the web, download various programs, and watch as much internet porn as my juices craved.

In short, this silver beaut is a technological powerhouse, and as I type this message with the Al Green masterpiece "I'm Glad Your Mine" droning in the background, my Mac seems to be communicating with me: "I know I'll never let you down!"