Celine writes about Macs

[elbert]

Philippine Star lifestyle columnist Celine Lopez featured Macs in today's in her regular column From Coffee to Cocktails.

Yours truly was interviewed and there's a PhilMUG plugging at the end.

Check it out: Think Different by Celine Lopez

I'd like to hear your comments, folks.

Here's the entire article:

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Think different

FROM COFFEE TO COCKTAILS by Celine R. Lopez
The Philippine STAR 09/12/2004

What if you could fit your whole life – all your music, all your photos, all your movies, all your email – in a computer as fun and useful as an iPod? Now you can. Introducing the futuristic iMac G5 in 17- and 20-inch widescreen models. The entire computer, including a G5-based logic board, slot-loading optical drive, hard disk, speakers, and even the power supply – dwells inside the enchanting display. Modern living starts.

The salivating begins as this invitation to take home the world’s thinnest computer, the new iMac G5 posted on their website. This may sound like something coming from the mouth of babes from Stepford to those unfortunate not to make the acquaintance of a Mac. However for those who are currently typing and clicking away at a crystal clear Mac, it’s a wet dream come true.

To all cynics reading this, I’d like to state that first of all that this not one of those press release things. Let’s just say that it’s true. Being a Mac user is one of those cultish Heaven’s Gate things. The kind that would rather drink cyanide Kool Aide than go back to PC ever again. Mac people will get what I mean.

I’ve been a Mac user for five years now. From the moment I laid my eyes on the iMac which resembled a half-sucked Jolly Rancher, I was hooked. First there were the fancy desktop pictures, funny icons, translucent exteriors and all other stylish trappings that the Mac offered which got me and my credit limit.

All my photos, my articles, my music, my shoot schedules, my on-line tabloids, all my sources of superficial happiness are housed in my G4 desktop. All my best friends use Macs and we have started a sort of snobbery against those who still, as we call it, do PC. We are deluded, we are hypnotized and we dream of upgrades when others think of starting families or shifting careers. Going wireless is reason enough to put in a little extra every month. Imagine surfing or buying DVDs in the toilet.

My friend Wendy has a gargantuan 27-inch display in her apartment making reading email and chatting a THX experience. It’s the only reason why I hate her. My friends Chut and DJ are more seasoned Mac users downloading all the necessary software at least once a week, are totally wireless and DJ even houses his laptop in Gucci while Chut prefers the more cultish Porto bags to carry his around. Chut tells me that it’s a waste of my computer’s power for it be used to surf tabloids, blogs and the occasional odd porn site (accidentally!). He just doesn’t know how fast I switch from Page Six to Popbitch to Paris Hilton and friends while I airbrush my flawed holiday pictures to perfection, while chatting with my former neighbor in New York and listening to Lenny Kravitz.

It’s fast becoming a cultural icon of our times, from Sarah Jessica Parker clicking away her conundrums in Sex and the City to Steve Jobs becoming the greatest rock star of all time. Aside from aesthetics Mac users’ loyalty shifts to the visionary Steve Jobs (who by the way is my mother’s neurologist’s next door neighbor, yay!) and his uphill battle against that totalitarian Bill Gates. If Mac is the kingdom, then iPod is the sword that won the empire. True, Mac users are a fraction of the techies that make the world go round. However, like a virus, everyone it touches is hooked forerver. I can’t even remember how it is to do PC nor would I ever want to. I mean they are really so yucky from a fashion point of view.

Even with the promised PC MP3 players that will be launched to nelson the iPod, I don’t get goosebumps. I guess it’s true that once you go Mac you can’t go back!

So how can one make that smooth move to living the Mac life? I asked resident Mac expert, the one we all bugged when we got our Macs, Elbert Cuenca about biting into the apple.

1) How can you move from PC to Mac with ease?

The Mac is actually much easier to use than a PC. It’s important to keep that in mind when switching (that’s the official term when someone moves from PC to Mac – switch, switcher). It’s also key to de-program oneself from the ways of the PC. It’s not all that different when you really think about it, but it’s not the same either. For example, there is no Start button. Everything can be found in the Dock or in cleverly organized folders (i.e. Applications, Documents, Movies, Pictures, etc.). It’s actually easier for a first time user than for one coming from a PC background. After just a few days, it’s easy to find your way around.

2) For whom is the Mac perfect ?

It’s perfect for everyone! I recommend it to anyone who needs to get actual work done. I say that because most of the time spent on a PC is used up trying to figure out how to get things to work. In a Mac, almost anything you plug in just runs. No need to install, reboot, etc. it just works. For example, plug any digital camera in and iPhoto launches. From there, it’s super simple to download and manage digital photos. The applications and the operating systems are much more reliable too. It’s great for students, businessmen and even homemakers.

3) What are cool things can you do with Mac’s to integrate them into everyday life?

The built-in applications allow you to do a lot of the stuff that personal computers are designed for. With iLife (a suite of software bundled with every Mac), you can manage your digital music (iTunes), photos (iPhoto), create real songs (GarageBand), edit movies from a video camera (iMovie) and even create your own DVDs (iDVD). Each and every one of these is easy to use and works flawlessly and elegantly.

If you have a compatible bluetooth phone (Sony Ericsson’s is recommended), you can send and receive text messages with Address Books. iSync also allows you to synchronize your entire phonebook with ease and create a backup on the Internet as well. Even iCal helps you manage your schedules with great ease.

4) What are the misconceptions about using Mac?

a. That it’s hard to learn how to use (quite the opposite!)

b. That it’s incompatible with Windows files

c. That it’s expensive (actually, feature for feature, it’s even cheaper)

5) What is the iPod and how can one use it to its full glory?

The iPod is the Walkman of today. Because it has a built-in hard drive, one can load up anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 songs. The smallest iPod, the iPod Mini, can store enough music for an entire weekend, without repeating a single song. More than just a portable digital music player, it’s a portable jukebox! One iPod will carry more music than a radio station can play in a day or two). The iPod is best for those moments when one wants to "tune-out". Put the earphones on and everything you see becomes one great music video. It’s great for travel as well as the gym.

The iPod can also be used to store computer files as well as display phonebooks and calendars (uploaded from a computer). There are a few games too, for those moments when music isn’t enough to keep you from boredom. (Elbert also provides an extensive range of music to download for new iPod users; just contact him at ElbertCuenca@mac.com).

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For new users check out www.philmug.ph

[assdoc]

The article made coffee after Sunday Mass a lot more satisfying! One of these days, I will check out your music collection Elbert.

[mignac]

You know with all the press Macs are getting, and with our iPod being all the rage, I really can't understand why more people aren't switching? (Last time I heard Mac head make up 5% of the world computing population). But then again, maybe I just live in world where most people I deal with work with Macs.

[alejandro]

It makes me feel good knowing that I'm a mac user and feel kinda sorry for the rest that aren't.

[CooLes]

Elbert, you're the next Guy Kawasaki :beer: