What If Apple…

As many of you know, my views towards Macintosh computers have changed over the last year or so. This started with the purchase of an iBook laptop for Amanda and noting the ease of configuration and use. At that point, it had been years since I had used a Mac and even gave it much thought, but I was hooked.

The recent noise in the Mac field is of course the iPod digital music player. I am excited to say that Amanda has surprised me for my birthday this year with a brand new 4th generation iPod. I’ve loaded it up with music and once again, I’m hooked on a Mac product. Apple wasn’t kidding when they said they wanted you to be able to access any song with just a few button clicks. Most of all though, the shuffle feature for the thousands of songs I’ve loaded on it means that I’m hearing songs that I haven’t heard in years and I’m always guessing what will be next. As Stephen Page of the Barenaked Ladies has expressed in the past, the iPod is the number one radio station in the world right now. I can go weeks without having to hear the same song twice and the variety is based on music that I enjoy.

I will have more in the coming weeks about my experiences with my new iPod. Many people have often wondered if Apple had made some different choices back in the mid-80′s if the computer industry would be drastically different today. More specifically, would Microsoft have turned into the computer giants they currently are. This article on Daring Fireball is a good read for speculation about what may have happened. It’s a great essay and well worth taking a look if you get a chance.