Introducing the Newest Member of the Sprague Lab!

So this is us tonight:

*This photo was taken at an earlier date. But the smiles are the same. ;)

Well. It kinda went down like this. We have been trying to decide how to replace our OLD (oh man, I mean OLD) laptop, not loving Windows Vista, not loving the lappy options out there right now, but basically using our clunky old-man machine for a paperweight, especially after upgrading our wireless internet.

So we went to the Apple store today, so Jared could look at upgrading his iPhone. 16 GB. GPS. Tons faster. What’s not to love. But we were warned by the Apple guy that it might not be so easy to switch from the old iPhone to the new, and all of a sudden, Jared, who had been wandering around the store while I played with the kids at those GENIUS kid-computers with the squishy ball-chairs, says, “What can you tell me about the laptops?”

Well, a short walk over to check out the sexiness (which I have seen lots of times, having been friends and associates with Ali and all her Mac gadgetry for awhile - and Molly, and Shell, and well, freaking EVERYONE, right?), and Jared asks a few questions about being able to install and dual-boot Linux, and could we put in 4 GB of RAM, and suddenly (after we thought about it over Chick-fil-a in the food court), we are the proud parents of this:

I have been laughing like a madwoman for about an hour now. I know! Jessica Sprague is a MAC owner!! Holy crap!

I really, truly never thought I “got” the Mac mystique. I rolled my eyes at everyone who (with that gleam of fanaticism in their eye) would tell me how EASY it is to use, how BEAUTIFUL the graphics are, how SMOOTHLY it runs, and etc. and etc.

But given the real trouble right now finding a really solid laptop to replace our Old Grandpa laptop, and having a real need to see how things run on Safari/Mac for our business, and seeing how excited Jared was, the logical side of me said, “Okay.”

And the aesthetic side of me is doing backflips and cartwheels and squealing and running around in circles.

Now don’t worry - I am not replacing my hand-built mega-WindowsXP-monster quad-core with 4 GB of RAM and dual monitors anytime soon as my main machine - BUT don’t be surprised if you see me carrying the Sexy Machine with me at an event, if I can pry it away from Jared for long enough :D. And I am looking forward to being able to truly answer Mac questions instead of pawning them off on Molly.

So only one thing remains. Okay, two. We need a name, and we need a case.

Help us Name the New MacBook!

He arrives next week, so we’ll need a name for him. We’d love your help!

We’ve always named all of our machines after Tolkien characters. Right now we have our file server, whose name is Durin (and the main file share is Moria - ha!). My computer is named Shadowfax, since it’s the fastest one Jared has ever built. Jared’s main computer is Beren, and our Vista laptop is Luthien. So in keeping with the tradition, we’d like to give the new compy a Tolkien name. :D

Whichever name gets the most votes, will be the new name for the new compy! Thanks for casting a vote! :D

Update on Friday, July 25, 2008 at 11:13AM by Jessica

Seth asked about specs:

We got the 15-inch, 2.5 GHz, 4GB RAM, 250 GB hard drive (all of our data is stored on Durin, the file server), anti-glare display. We ordered it through the Apple web site, because we had 2 kids at the Apple store and no stroller, and didn’t want to wait for them to put the extra 2GB RAM while we waited. So now we wait for a week for them to ship it to us. :D

Comments

[LivE]

FREAKY, Jes! Totally. Just last night, hubby and I were discussing my need to replace my dino-laptop with a new one, and I said I didn't want Vista. So he said... then let's get you a Mac. I've been holding out so long, thinking along your exact same lines... but what excuse do I give now? :P (And yep, maclappy or not, never giving up on my super souped-up Windows desktop either!) How freaky can parallel worlds get, right? :D

[Peggy]

Congratulations! I was a skeptic about changing from my PC to a Mac a little more than a year ago, but now I love it. It's perfect for digi scrapping. Mac really is easier to learn and operate and has so many cool features and software built in and it all works together! I bought a wireless Logitech mouse with a right click and it works great! Never thought I would say it, but I'm now an official Machead and loving it. Enjoy!

[Jessica]

How about Gollum??

[Shayla Trimble]

We've been Maclovers at our house for a few years now and I will NEVER go back! When you decide your dual-monitors aren't getting the real love they require, you can buy a cable to hook them up to your Mac laptop and they will be much happier when displaying the Mac-goodness. :-) Have fun!

[Suzette]

I'll keep watching to see how your transition goes. I've never tried a Mac, but everyone who has them says they're the best. You may convince many of us to convert, so you might want to talk to Apple about getting a commission. :D

[Heather]

well - our computer blew up on Monday. Fortunately it will be resurrected with a new power supply box. Unfortunately I have no reason to buy a new computer. I grew up on a Mac and would love to return to that world. I've only heard good things about Mac's lately.

[MN (OR) Carol]

HeHE! Wow,very cool! I hope ypu like it!

[Amy L]

Jess, this totally cracks me up. So which computer does Jared use to play his man game ;-)?

[Joan]

My DH bought his first MACBook a couple of weeks ago and loves it. I don't know if I would love it as he so gratiously "gave" me what was already my laptop to use when he got the MAC! LOL

My plan is to let him learn all about it and then I'll go get my very own.

[Denise]

Hi, I just wanted to say I found where to make comments....

[Wendy]

Yeah, Jessica! I'm so excited you bought a Mac. I just got mine about a month ago and am totally loving it. Still trying to figure things out but it really is amazing. Well, your purchase just validated mine! Gotta love that!

I can't wait to take the Shoebox organization class. Hey, maybe you'll be taking it too, lol!

Have fun!

[Joanie]

Good for you... I know you will love your Mac... everyone does! I also love the fact that, hands-down, baby Mac will be Pippin. Guess we all know who our favorite Tolkien character is!

[Laser]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Mac. You will never regret moving up to this system. At first you might think you are missing some "just must have" apps but you will soon see the Mac already does what before you needed to add these "must have" apps. Soon your old standby will be collecting dust as you find the power your little laptop actually has.

Looking forward to hearing about your experience as you play with your new baby.

[Kelleigh]

Congrats on the new purchase! LOVE the Mac. Love it!

[wendy]

i love that you name your technology. my cell phone is metisse (the former one was matilda cause she was old and slow) and we call my husband's gps "lola".

and before i scrolled down to see the poll (i voted for pippen btw) the first thought i had was gandalf. when i was a kid. i had an apple IIe and i played a game called wizardry. i'm so dating myself here... and my team had 6 men on it. 3 were LOTR (more likely hobbit for me back then) characters. Frodo and Bilbo were two of my warriors and Gandalf was my wizard (duh)

man....great flashback! thanks jes!

[Sheryl in Connecticut]

I'm SO jealous. I've been wanting ANY Mac for awhile, but it's the laptop or my son's college tuition...hmmmm??? I would suggest Gandolf for the name simply because it will be your own wizard! I would love to hear your opinion about Macs vs. PCs. The big debate!

[Monica Humphrey]

I voted for Pippen. I think thats the coolest name. Congrats on the new addition to the family.

[Christine]

Just wanted to say congratulations, and know that some of us holdouts are still fighting the evil Apple empire. Still rockin' XP and proud of it!

[Kari Holt]

Didn't take long after our "sexy" talk in Chicago for you to make that baby yours ... now all I have to do is convince my husband that I need one, too!! Congrats on your new addition - looks like it will fit in perfectly with your crew :)

[Jackie]

Welcome to the club!!! :-) I have an iMac since last November and I have never regretted it...not for one minute!!! :-)

[Sari]

Heh. You are SO gonna end up replacing that XP machine with another Mac! :P Enjoy!!

[michelle]

No freakin way! i am super excited for you!!! you two are gonna LOVE That baby!!!! and the service at the apple store ROCKS!!!!! i'm so happy for you! feel like i should send a shower gift!!!! lol! enjoy my friend!!! <3 shell

[falwyn]

Our network names are Amon Lhaw, Amon Hen, and the network itself is called Palantiri. Hee hee hee.

[Janice Ponte]

Just heard about the Mac. We have been there for soooo long, they still called them IBooks. Wish you much happiness. We still have to use the "devilish things"(PCs) at work. So much easier to work with. Be watching for Mac tips. Not all the old ones worked. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

[Shannon]

Yeah! I have been waiting to get one too - low on cash, but I think I will get a Mac too. I have always been a PC girl, but I am moving on I guess. :)