Today I was wondering how cool I am. Are my clothes cool? How about my hairstyle? Do I hang out with dorks? And, how long will my computer be cool?
I remember the day when my family bought our first computer. It came in the form of a tiny gray box with a six inch by six inch black and white screen on one side. It was labeled “Macintosh Classic.”
Beauty, precision, and simplicity were its key attributes. It was the coolest computer in my neighborhood. I would spend entire days playing SimCity or RoboWars on the tiny machine.
As the years rolled on our tiny Mac became less and less cool. My friends were playing new better games on their IBMs. I was especially jealous of those who went online using Prodigy or AOL.
Macs were no longer cool.
I begged my parents for a new computer, but my coolness just wasn’t one of their priorities. I remember a girl I liked asked me what my AIM screen name was. I wasn’t online so I had none. That girl never talked to me again. My Mac was destroying my social life.
A few years later my parents finally came to their senses and brought home a large green box. The box contained a strange computer of the likes I had never seen. It was bright green and transparent—it was an Imac.
Coolness returned to my computing!
Soon, my computer was once again the envy of the neighborhood. Sure the neighbors had a wider selection of games to choose from, but I was plenty content playing great games like StarCraft. Also, my Imac never broke. I never got a virus. None of friends could make that claim.
What seemed like hours later, my computer coolness departed.
Just like everything, my Imac slowly went out of style. I was going to college and needed a new computer, so I got a Gateway laptop. I figured I would need to use software that just couldn’t run on an Apple.
I thought my computer would be cool again, but it never really was. Through the time I had that damn lap top it was being repaired more than I was using it. And every time they needed to repair it, they sent t across the country only to be returned to me six long weeks later. I struggled with that damn computer for all four years of college. I missed having a computer I could count on.
After graduation, I went to work at my first “real” job and started saving money. When my bank account was full enough, I purchased a brand new MacBook Pro. I love that computer! In the two years I‘ve had it, it has only broke once and Apple fixed it for free and in one day (And the only reason it broke was because I spilled a glass of water on it).
Although I feel I have a cool computer now, I’m wondering how long it will stay that way. I’m very certain that my little MacBook, will soon be as uncool and antiquated as our old Macintosh Classic.
PS- I do realize blogging about computers is about the most uncool thing to do possible.
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