Surprise, Surprise …………… Look who’s back. Yes, yes. I know it has been awhile. Actually, it’s been quite awhile. But, after a rather lengthy hiatus, I’m back. My last article was written prior to my departure for China. Since then – well – nothing. I’m not going to go into all of the details. Instead, let’s just say that there has been a lot going on. But in future articles I’ll likely share some of the details.
One of the things contributing to my absence has been the fact that I have recently moved. No, I’m still based in Kansas City – not that kind of move. I have moved from one computer system to another. Way back when computers were in their infancy I was fascinated by the tech. I got my first “computer” which was a Sinclair – go ahead, look that one up – I dare you. It had a whopping 16 K of memory, I had to write my own programs, and it could store data by writing to a cassette tape recorder. How cool is that?
From there I migrated to Apple computers, jumping on board with an Apple II and then a couple of Apple IIe’s. These were “real” computers and served me well – for awhile at least. I enjoyed them but then moved over to the PC. I loved the Windows environment. And I have been there ever since – upgrading through all those various iterations of the Windows operating system.
It was interesting though, even while living in the PC world – my photography interests kept bumping into Apple. Many of my photo buddies kept extolling the virtues of MACs. And all of my photo classes and training seemed to involve working on an Apple system. I kept debating about the possibility of moving over to MAC. What held me back? Moving to an iMac from a PC is NOT Cheap! Apple tends to price it’s products higher than PCs. And then there is the very real expense of all the new software. So…..I waited.
But recently I finally I ran into an issue that forced me to actively confront the issue. I, like untold millions of people, have been running Windows XP for years. It worked for me – did what I wanted it to do. But even a trusted old war horse gets to the point where it needs to be put out to pasture. The time had come to move beyond XP. At that point I discovered there was really no easy way to move beyond XP – there was no easy upgrade path. It could be done, but it was going to be a lot of work.
Cutting to the chase…..I bit the bullet and invested (a very literal use of that word) in a new iMac (actually I got the late 2012 version – before the current “slimmed down version” – and I’m glad I did – more on that in a future article). My new iMac is the 27 inch screen model loaded up with the 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 process and 8 GB ram. I also opted for the upgraded 2 GB video processor.
So let me tell you – moving to an iMac from a PC takes a little getting used to. Things are different in the world of Apple, Mac, iMac etc. There is definitely a learning curve. Things get done – but they get done differently. There’s a new vocabulary / new terms – keyboard shortcuts operate differently … the list goes on…and on….and on. Some things are easier on my iMac, and quite honestly, some are more complicated.
Bottom line – I’m still getting used to my new system. I’m enjoying the challenge, and I can really see the potential for better performance in the photography world. And of course the integration with my iPhone 5 and my iPad is a big plus. But I’m still learning. It’s gonna take awhile. I’m going to reserve judgement as to whether or not this has been a good move for me. I’ll keep you posted.
Moving to an iMac from a PC ……. And Enjoy The Adventure!
Dr. B, The Photo Trekker
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