Notes from Above Ground (for a change): Macintosh evangelism at thirty thousand feet over Santa Barbara.
I just had a remarkable conversation with a young Japanese woman (a girl, actually) sitting next to me on the flight from SFO to LAX, the first leg of my journey home after Macworld 2007 Expo. She saw me editing pictures and writing photo captions in iPhoto, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and Text Edit using my G4 PowerBook. Her name was Yurie, or similar. She’s lived in Los Angeles for four years, and had been to Japan on her annual visit. I wasn’t taking notes or recording our exchange, so here’s a rough approximation of how it went.
“How long does the battery last on your Macintosh laptop? It’s a Macintosh, isn’t it?”
“About four hours, depending upon what I’m doing. Sometimes more and sometimes less. Yes, it’s called a Macintosh PowerBook.”
“Can you play DVD? A whole movie on one battery charge?”
“Yes, easily. I don’t travel with any DVDs, but I know people who do it all the time.”
“I’m thinking about getting a new computer. My laptop is five years old, and I need to keep it plugged in.”
“Get yourself a white MacBook. They’re not very expensive, are easy to use, and have a good battery.”
“What’s that thing around your neck?”
“It’s a USB flash drive. I use it to make a copy of what I’m working on, in case the computer has a problem while I’m traveling.”
“Can you do everything on your Macintosh I can do on my Windows laptop?”
“Yes, and more. Apple gives you some great software for free when you buy the computer. And you don’t need to worry about viruses.”
“No viruses! How long will it take me to learn how to use a Macintosh?”
“You’re young and smart. You’ll be comfortable within a week, and you’ll learn quickly after that. You can take free training classes at any Apple store. Do you know that nice one in The Grove, in Los Angeles.”
“Yes. I live near The Grove. I walk past the Apple store all the time. I’ve never been inside.”
“Ha! It’s a great store and the people there are very helpful. Spend as much time as you want asking questions and trying the computers. There may be somebody there who speaks Japanese and can talk with you in your own language.”
“Japanese? That would be very nice. Easier for me than in English. Where should I buy it? Will I get a better price on the Internet?”
“Maybe, but Apple computers have the same prices world wide. Some Internet sites, such as Amazon, offer a slight discount, with no shipping or sales tax, to save you a few dollars.”
“No shipping or tax? I’ve never used Amazon. That sounds like a smart idea.”
“If you have a problem with your computer from Amazon within the first month, they’ll send you a new one for free.”
“What’s that sleeve you use to cover it?”
“It’s from Case-Mate.net. Nice company with high quality, affordable computer covers.”
“Can I learn Photoshop at the Apple stores, in those free lessons?”
“Go to The Grove and get their schedule. They have several different free classes on Apple software each day. You can spend hours there, with no cost. For only a hundred dollars per year, you can take one weekly lesson on any topic you choose, such as Photoshop. It’s called ProCare, but they’ll tell you about that when you go to the store.”
“Do you have an iPod?”
“Yes, right there in that fanny pack.”
“You can watch movies on an iPod, can’t you? I only have a Shuffle.”
“Save your money for your new MacBook, and don’t worry about watching movies on an iPod for now.”
“Which model of Macintosh laptop did you say I should get?”
“MacBook.”
“How much does it cost?”
“Eleven hundred dollars for the lowest model, and thirteen hundred dollars for the better one. That’s what I recommend, because with the thirteen hundred dollar MacBook you can burn DVDs, while you can only watch them on the cheaper computer. That’s really worth the extra expense.”
“I’ll go to The Grove and talk to them.”
“Send me an email when you get your MacBook and tell me what you think of it. Here’s my business card.”
“MyMac.com? Is this your company?”
“It’s where I write articles and do podcasts.”
“Is that where you work?”
“My job is teaching people how to use computers, mostly Macintosh.”
“You work as a Macintosh teacher?”
“Yes. In Arizona. Nice talking with you. Have fun with your new MacBook.”
“Thanks for telling me so much. Bye.”
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