Should I get a Mac?

Should my next personal computer be an Apple Mac?

Sure, there are all sorts of technical pros and cons for why you should consider a Mac versus a PC, but I was just starting to think about how to think about 2008 as a fresh new year and trying to come up with a list of little things I could change in my life that may have a big impact. Switching from a PC to a Mac seems to be one of those ideas to consider.

Do not get me wrong, I am not at this point seriously considering going out and buying a Mac for myself for Christmas, but at least it is an interesting intellectual exercise.

To me, the important question is what ways might the use of a Mac impact or influence or change the way that I think or change what I think about in a way that is truly dramatic and will make a big difference in my life in the coming year? I do not have a proposed answer to that question yet, but that is the question I will contemplate. Maybe some insightful readers will share their own answers and experiences.

My current view is that I can do most of what I want to do on a PC (browse the web, send and receive email, blog, etc.) The real question is whether a Mac would somehow provide a whole new level of capability and inspiration that would enable and assist me in rising to a whole new level of performance.

I do have the simple answer: Who knows?

Maybe I'll wander into the local Apple retail store here in downtown Bellevue, WA and ask their sales staff that question, or a variant: I am reasonably happy with Windows and my Toshiba notebook computer... how might a Mac change my life? If I am happy with Windows and Office and Internet Explorer, what will the Mac add to my life?

Will I be a better blogger with a Mac?

Will I write better email with a Mac?

Will a Mac help me search the Internet more effectively and produce more insightful results?

Will a Mac help me stay up on the news more effectively?

-- Jack Krupansky