Apple's iMac and Lion

I took delivery of my new iMac this past week. It surely is a thing of beauty. There have been a whole lot of changes between my old operating system and Lion. It's going to be awhile before I have everything set up the way I want it and there are some software issues that need sorting out with my photo editing software. But, once I've got it put together it's going to be awesome.

One of the first things I found out was my Microsoft Word program was too old to work with iMacs Lion.  At first I thought "Drat! I have to shell out for a whole new program." A quick call to Applecare and I learned I could go to the App Store and for $19.95 buy what they call a "Page". It's the word processing equivalent of Word. You can also buy the equivalent of Power Point and Excel for $19.95 each. They are watered down versions but more than adequate for my needs. I also learned about iCloud and how I can share my documents with my iPad. This means I can take my iPad anywhere, write when I am inspired and then put it on my desktop. The two will work seamlessly. So cool!

At this point I need to say something about Applecare. Despite the fact I have been using computers for over thirty years I don't really know much about them. I was never really interested in computers. I was only interested in what they could do for me. As a result I am still pretty much of a neophyte with regard to many things operational.

So far I have called Applecare three times. On each occasion the representative has been courteous, knowledgeable and most importantly, patient. I have received a survey questionnaire for each call and responded to all of them with 10's for every question. I don't get any Brownie points for doing so. It's just how I feel.

I switched to Mac in 2007. I had been a PC user for 28 years prior to that. I started in the dark days of DOS when all you got when you turned on your computer was a blank screen with a blinking cursor. In those days, Apple was considered a kookie cult only for nerds. I was reluctant to make the change but theatrical photographer and friend, Michal Daniel, insisted I must because Apple graphics are the industry standard. With great trepidation I did.

There was a learning curve involved with that transition to be sure but not as much as I thought there would be. And I can only say that it was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made. Windows and PC's are simply junk in comparison. My Macs never crash, never get viruses, are so intuitive and simple to use and the graphics are beautiful, a photographers dream. Truly a must for serious artists. Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about Mac and Apple as a whole.

A fine legacy Steve Jobs left behind. The world truly is a better place for him having been in it.

And, that's all I have to say about Apple and Macs except, if you don't own one you are a masochist! :)

©Kinsey Barnard

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