Yes, it may be shameful to write on a Dell how much I want a PowerBook, but alas it is the simple truth. While my 8600 is a good computer and actually operates better than I had anticipated back when I ordered it, just about 1 year ago, it is not a PowerBook. There is no doubt that the PowerBook has had an impact on the design of the Inspiron line of notebooks, as it has impacted every notebook line. If not for the slick lines of the Apple notebook line, notebooks in general would probably still be boxier than they needed to be, focusing only on what they can do and now how they look. Few though take design as far as Apple does.
forgetting for the moment "design," there is the simple fact that I believe the Mac platform to just be better, especially for the creative side. The two areas I enjoy experimenting with are digital photography and digital video. I am still very much a novice at both, but I think from my website you can at least tell that I enjoy working with digital photography, and for those of you that have seen the few movies I put together for friends you know that I enjoy video just as much.
Don't get me wrong, I can do video on photography on my Dell; photography for sure. I have been playing with video on my Dell 8600 recently and the only thing keeping me from doing more is the simple fact I don't have the storage capacity at the moment. That will be something relatively simple to fix though.
The Mac line though, makes doing digital photography and digital video more enjoyable. The full line up of tools that you get with Final Pro Express, far exceed what you get with any of the mid-level video editing programs on the WinTel side of the aisle. Then there are the simple things that come with Mac OS X like iPhoto and iDVD that give the Mac a huge edge over WinTel computers right out of the box.
Going back to design though, a notebook is something that I use all of the time and I want it to look good. It shouldn't be form over function, but form should compliment function. I chose the Dell 8600 because I
was able to add a bit of distinctiveness to it with a selection of covers (a program Dell has since stopped), form does mean something.
The point may be mute though. While our family income is going to jump because of the sale of the house, we still have to save for the wedding and other things that we need to do. While we haven't totally extinguished the idea of getting me a PowerBook and passing my Dell on to Tracy, it is looking less likely.
I have thought about nixing the whole video of the wedding, but I don't think I really want to do that; so I will just have to tackle editing it on this Dell. I will have to do some upgrades, more memory and a huge external drive, but that wouldn't be as expensive as buying a brand new PowerBook. The process will be more difficult, I think, and it won't be as elegant to be sure, but being cost conscious has to be part of being a husband and head of a family. It's not all about me.
The Mac line in general is great, and the PowerBook is fantastic both the 15" and the 17". I love the Macs I had in the past and wish I had never made the jump over to WinTel sometimes. I'm glad I did, or a lot of my jobs would have been more difficult. My personality though does match more the Mac side of things. So here is to hoping that in the near future I will be able to afford a go PowerBooking in style without worrying if doing so will keep me from getting what Courtney and Tracy want. Again, it just isn't about me anymore.