New New Mac

As I mentioned yesterday, my wife and I purchased a new iMac on Sunday. On Tuesday, Apple came out with a line of new iMacs consisting of better machines for less money. I appreciate the fact that there is a transition period between old and new product, but I felt slightly jilted that Apple neglected to tell me about the pending change, which obviously would have affected my purchase schedule.

But the Apple store was very good about exchanging the machine, though I did have to eat a ten percent “restocking” fee (even though they’re not actually going to restock the computer). I had suggested that Apple simply incentivize me to keep the old machine, but that proposal was dismissed. However, now I’m glad that we actually did the upgrade; as good as Sunday’s machine was, Tuesday’s machine is a lot better. Now you can get a larger screen, bigger hard drive, and more and better RAM for less money. This again demonstrates the phenomenal success of the ongoing computer revolution.

The upshot for readers is that now is a great time to buy an iMac. These powerful, all-included machines start at $1200. That’s less than what the Amiga sold for back in 1985 with its 256K of memory and floppy disk drive (never mind inflation). I did love my Amiga, but in retrospect is seems like a child’s toy. Amazing.

Incidentally, last night we watched Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse (Fox) online. The third episode, “Stage Fright,” is especially well written and performed. If you haven’t started watching the series, you’re missing out. I remember the days when I strung a cable from the phone jack to my fancy new modem so I could chat with the locals. Now I’m watching “television” on my computer over a cable line. Again, amazing.

As easy as it is to get bummed out by the economic recession and the federal shenanigans, the advance of computers serves as a reminder of the magnificent productive force of the capitalist system, even one hampered by increasing political controls. We live in a glorious age. It makes you wonder what would be possible in a free, unfettered economy, doesn’t it?