Apple Briefs

After four years of using only a laptop, I finally decided to buy a desktop. Yesterday I took advantage of the holiday sale going on right now at MacMall. In typical Apple fashion, the top-line price being offered isn’t that great ($5 off Apple retail). But, the combination of freebies (a printer and Parallels Desktop) and rebates made it a compelling offer.

I chose the 2.4 Ghz / 1GB / 320GB, 20″ iMac. I would love to have the larger screen. It just seems smarter, though, to save the money and buy a second monitor sometime later (the cost to upgrade from a 20″ to a 24″ screen is almost half the cost of a 20″ cinema display).

I still haven’t gotten a shipment notification yet, but I am hopeful that my shiny new toy will arrive in time for Christmas. Of course, by “toy” I mean my “powerful, serious, work computer.” I’ll try to have some fun with it for a few days, though, just to set the right tone.

Update: I got my shipment notification. No word yet on when they are likely to be delivered. It being the week before Christmas, anything is possible.

Update 2: It’s here! I am actually a little surprised it arrived before Christmas. Unfortunately, I am so busy with work that I might not get a chance to open the box before Christmas (and maybe I shouldn’t try – just for the sake of nostalgia).

This site is my attempt to share with the community a little of what I have learned about using Apple Macintosh computers in a law firm (or any small business, for that matter).  I started down this road a little over four years ago, when I bought my first mac – a dual processor G4 PowerMac.  At the time, I couldn’t explain  exactly why I decided to buy a Mac.  I just knew that I was unhappy with my Windows experience.

Now, after years of using Macs, I can tell you exactly why I switched to Mac.  It’s mostly the little things that, taken together, make me significantly more productive on a Mac.  Windows won’t let me change the name of a folder if there is an open window for that folder.  That isn’t a problem on a Mac.  Most Mac programs will even let you change the file name of a file while you are editing it.  Windows won’t let me run Acrobat Reader and Acrobat Pro at the same time.  Why?  I don’t know, but I am sure it probably has to do with DLLs, the System Registry, or something else I don’t have to worry about on a Mac.

What will Apple Briefs have to offer?  Apple Briefs will give you the Mac hardware and software news that is most relevant for law firms and small businesses.  Apple Briefs will also have reviews, tips, and advice on how to use Macs to make your business better.  I already have plenty to write about, but please leave me a note in the comments if there is something you would like to see discussed.