My First Mac

In August 2006, at the age of 16, I purchased my first Mac during a summer job as a dishwasher. Thankfully, my parents agreed to help fund the purchase. Before that, I always had a PC at home due to my dad's work in computer distribution. My parents believed in developing my computer skills, and so I remember having a PC in my bedroom since kindergarten.

Picture of the author posing with a 20-inch iMac box on a kitchen table

In the mid-2000s, the iPod caught my interest, leading me to explore Apple's products. I remember visiting a family friend who owned an iMac G5. It was without a doubt the best computer I had ever seen. The sleek design and rich operating system convinced me to switch to the Mac.

After a summer of hard work spent in the back of a restaurant, I was finally able to afford my first Mac: a 20-inch iMac. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of computing. It was such a joy to use compared to my crappy hand-me-down Pentium III where I was limited to three Firefox tabs (or two when Winamp was playing audio). Mac OS X's attention to detail was unmatched. Everything was fast, approachable and fun.

Picture of a 20-inch iMac's back sitting on a desk

I've now been a Mac user for most of my life. It's my ultimate joy machine. I've never had as much fun using computers as I do when using a Mac. Whether I'm browsing the web in Safari, listening to music or developing software, using a Mac always feels great and pleasurable. The potential for creation, discovery and entertainment seems endless. I hope I can continue to use a Mac for many decades to come.