I can’t believe it’s been almost 6 years since I last went through the process of buying a computer. It was actually a little over 6 years ago when the thought of buying an Apple computer first crossed my mind. At the time this blog was just in its infancy and I documented my analysis in a few posts using the term “Apples vs. Oranges” one, two, and three. In this case, Apples was a reference to an Apple computer and Oranges was a reference to Windows based computers. Well, the time has come for me to go through that analysis again. Although I’m 99% sure to buy another Apple computer, I still might to do an analysis of a couple of Windows computers, just to see what the difference is these days compared to 2006.

Prior to purchasing the Apple MacBook Pro I had owned a few Windows computers, each only lasting a few years before I was ready to throw it out the window with frustration. I would go on to deal with the aggravation for up to a year before finally buying a new one. Well, after almost 6 years I can’t say I’m extremely frustrated with the MacBook Pro, especially after upgrading the RAM and hard drive during the past couple of years. However, some buttons have been causing grief lately, specifically the space bar and mouse button. The space bar doesn’t always work, so I find myself going back to add spaces between what should have been separate words. I thought this might be due to something stuck underneath the space bar, but that turned out to be wrong after taking apart the computer and using compressed air to blow it all out. In addition, the left side of the mouse button doesn’t seem to work anymore, which is the part I tend to use the most.

I’ve been going through various thoughts about my next computer during the past couple of weeks. Do I stick to a 15” MacBook Pro, which will go for about $2,600? Or, do I go smaller with a 13”, which will go for about $1,700? Another option is the Mac Mini, which will go for about $1,250. The thought behind getting the Mini is that I’ve become quite accustomed to using the iPad for most tasks. The primary uses for the standard computer is a central repository for all of my music, photos, and general documents, using Windows/Boot Camp to update Quicken, and to accomplish tasks that are just easier with a standard computer. Manipulating photos (i.e., cropping), something I do before uploading photos to the blog, is something I’m able to do with the iPad, but it’s just easier and quicker with a standard computer. With Pages and Numbers installed on my iPad, I’m able to create and update documents and spreadsheets at my heart’s content. So, if I only need a standard computer for those limited reasons, do I really need one that is portable? Also, the thought has crossed my mind about buying a Bluetooth keyboard for the iPad, which will make it easier to write longer blog posts, making the standard computer less needed. I may actually do this sooner rather than later to test out how much I can reasonable use the iPad. And spreading out the expense between a new computer early in the year and a new iPad later in the year will definitely take pressure off the wallet.

Anyway, those are my thoughts right now and chances are, knowing how I can analyze the death out of this kind of thing, my thoughts will probably change many times before settling down to buy my next computer.