Florida Coalcracker Chronicles: There is A Mac For That

It's hard to believe that I have been using Apple Computers for 30 years. I first put my hands on an Apple IIe in 1980 - then in 1988 I got my first Mac. Since then - it seems that I am buying a new Mac every year.

I currently own 4 Apples - a MacBook - a MacBook Air - an iPhone - and the new iPad. Each machine has its own personality - each machine has some talents that are excellent and some skills that are just redundant. I obviously do not need 4 computers - but as a retired teacher for 7 years I do not "need " much of anything. Computers have become a very useful hobby for me. They enhance my purchasing skills - and help me in travel - both planning ahead and doing research while on the road.

MacBook

My MacBook is my desktop computer. Yes - it is really a laptop - but since it is the largest and heaviest computer I have - most of the time I use it at home. It is connected to the Internet via a wireless router made by Apple called the Time Capsule. While online I can do computer banking - read a variety of newspapers - watch television using a SlingBox - listen to radio - write stories on my web page - keep financial records - listen to my music collection - view my photo collection - read and write email. Using the program Skype I can make phone calls. Using the iChat program I can video chat with my grandson Jack for free. If I want to operate it without plugging it into an AC outlet - it will run about 3 hours on its battery. I bought this computer on CraigsList for $1000 used a year ago - and it still is under full AppleCare warranty

MacBook Air

The MacBook Air does the same things as my MacBook above - but it is much lighter - skinnier - fits easily into my travel pack - is perfect to use on an airplane. It is a little slower operating than my MacBook but it is a couple years older so its processor speed is lower. Since 99% of the time I am either emailing - writing - or surfing the Internet - the difference in speed barely matters. Again - you can plug it in or operate it on its battery. While it is plugged in - it is recharging the battery. The MacBook Air has a very sleek case and weighs just a couple pounds. Like most of my purchases - I bought it on Craigslist for $700 about 18 months ago - it is has warranty left.

iPhone

Always in my right front pocket is my iPhone. I can make a phone call anywhere in the ATT network. When traveling in Europe - I can buy a chip locally and use it on their phone networks. Besides phone calls - I can receive and send emails - send and receive text messages - surf the net using the Safari program. If I am close to a wifi hub - my service speeds up - but usually I just use the slower ATT network which is on all the time.

The iPhone is able to take pictures and full motion video. You can send video or pictures along with email to anyone. My iPhone allows me to post stories to my web page - including pictures and video. I can send a touchdown video directly from my seat at the stadium to any email address around the world. Apple sells small programs for the iPhone called Apps - over 130,000 of them in total - that you can obtain directly over the phone from the Apple Store. Many of the programs are free - some cost a few dollars. Most of my Apps are free but one of my favorite was a Father's Day present from Lulu last year. That App is called SlingBox and it allows me to watch and tune my home television from anywhere in the world. While traveling through Italy last summer - I was able to watch the local news back in Tallahassee - and anything else on my DirecTv at home.

I could spend days telling you about Apps for my iPhone - as the commercial says - "whatever you want to do - there's an App for that."

The iPhone also serves as a GPS - Global Positioning System.

One pays $30 a month extra- a flat fee over regular cell phone charges to use the Internet on their iPhone.

iPad

My latest and greatest Mac is the iPad. Many folks have scoffed at this "in-between" device. No other company makes anything like it.

First of all it is an inexpensive computer that allows for word processing - drawing - working spreadsheets and databases. It runs all the Apps that are made for the iPhone. You can do almost everything that you can on a "regular" computer.

It has a touch keyboard right on the screen where you can touch type just like using your desktop. In my case - I purchased a dock with a standard keyboard on it - I am not sure why. One can also buy a bluetooth wireless keyboard for it.

The screen is beautiful - great for viewing pictures and watching movies. Many movies and books are available to be purchased form the Apple Store - right over the net - no need to download form your "other computer."

The screen is 100% touch sensitive - you can select items - stretch to make them bigger - flick you finger to turn book pages - and scroll up and down by dragging your finger.

The iPad is the least expensive Mac - mine was $499 retail - I bought it directly from Apple on the first day of release.

You connect to the Internet for free over any free wifi network. Sometimes when walking through a city - I am looking for a free wifi network to use to surf the net. In Chicago recently - many restaurants - like McDonald's - Starbuck's - Denny's - offer free wifi - you do not even have to go inside. Apple has released a version of the iPad that operates over the ATT network - but you pay a monthly fee for that access. Since I am so tight - I do not like the clock running on any service I purchase - so I have been able to live on the "free" network.

Many people remark about the iPad's beautiful color screen - it is so much better reading books on an iPad than a Kindle - that other book reading device. If you can't find enough free reading material in the over 50,000 books online - ready for direct download - you can always purchase best sellers at the App Store for about $10 each.

Many folks have made up their minds about the iPad even before they have seen or tried it. It is not for everyone. But many like it - Apple has sold over 2,000,000 of them in the first 2 months. Every 2.5 minutes - a new App is submitted to Apple. 65% of Apps are free.

Many people remark that you can't make phone calls on the iPad. This is NOT true. Using the program Skype - you can call to any phone for pennies a minute - and to any Skype computer for free. I have tried this - and it has worked well every time.

The iPad really shines when traveling. It has no hard drive to eat up energy - all memory is solid-state - that means things are saved on memory chips. This process uses very little energy - so the iPad gives you an honest 10 hours of service. You can stretch it farther by dimming the screen - and turning some features off. 10 hours is a lot of entertainment - whether you are reading books - listening to music - watching videos - or playing games.

Since I am not a computer game player - I can't comment much about them - except to repeat what some say this is the game machine of the future. One can even operate the game controls simply by tipping the iPad left or right - like a joystick.

I have purchased a wetsuit for my iPad - a sleeve that fits it like a glove made of neopreme.

In the next few months we will be taking trips to South Carolina - Washington - London - France - Australia and Hawaii. My iPad will get a good workout. It is the top thing on my packing list.