March has taught me a couple of things. Firstly, that being optimistic is pointless, specifically regarding job interviews. And secondly, that taking acquaintances as housemates for an undetermined amount of time is a very bad idea, as acquaintances, as opposed to actual friends, are much more inclined to disregard everything you say to them, and turn your home into a pigsty/crack-den, forcing you to kick them out and hope to never see them again. Lesson learnt.
Also, my iMac, which is about 6 years old, has finally snuffed it, which could not come at a more inappropriate time. The "genius" who took a look at it at the Apple store in Covent Garden informed me that it would be about £200 to get it fixed, and when I told him I couldn't afford it, gave me a rather peculiar look, as if £200 was an extremely small amount of money indeed. And went on to say that a new computer of the same spec would be about £1000. More on that in a second.
So I am torn. On the one hand, I really, really hate PCs, and have no intention of ever owning one. On the other hand, a number of recent situations have led me to change my opinion of said company. Firstly, the iPhone 4 is kind of crap, but this is well-known fact so I feel no need to go into detail, other than to just say it seriously falls short of the competency I have come to expect of Apple products. Secondly, Apple isn't the company it was when I bought my iMac 6 years ago. For starters, my iMac cost about £500, not the £1000 that the guy in the shop stated to me. And the cheapest laptop they do, the tiny little MacBooks, are now pushing £1000 as well. I'm pretty sure they used to be less than half that not so long ago... So I am left with the question, what the fuck?
I became a die-hard Apple fan on the basis that I had a kick-ass computer that was really quite cheap, worked perfectly for 5+ years, and needed no extra crap such as virus protection; to use the cliché phrase, "it just worked". But now, the prices have rocketed, and after the iPhone 4 fiasco, I am sceptical whether apple products are worth the money any more. I certainly don't have, or will have, £1000 to spare any time soon. So I informed the "genius" who declared my computer fucked, that I could just go to Computer Exchange and get one of the same spec for about £400, and certainly wouldn't be buying a brand new one since the prices have bloated in fantastic American fashion since I last checked. I guess, just like many of my friends have stated, Apple has proved itself to be just another heartless capitalist company which is clearly putting profits over substance in recent years. It seems that many of my favourite companies, great when they have a small but devout customer base, are "selling out" for want of a better phrase, and selling to the masses causes them to lose their edge, their value, and ultimately, their appeal. Thus is the world. I can't really see myself using a different type of computer, being so accustomed to Macs at this point, but just under £1000 is money I don't have at this moment in time.
All this said, I still hold that grand Apple user stereotype: smugness. I will probably always look down my nose at Microsoft, because they are just, plain and simple, bottom-line, no arguments, shit. Completely and utterly. Only time will tell, but one thing is certain. Having to use a Microsoft PC at the moment is probably going to force me to take out a loan or something to buy a new Mac before long.
