SlashNOT

Matthew writes: “I’d been thinking about switching for a long time–since high school really. I’d played around a little with Macintoshes back then. I actually lived with a Mac IIx when I was in the Navy, and I’ve had a G4 Cube in my closet for a few years.”

“But there was a lot of pressure back then to keep your machine preferences to yourself, so I never joined any Mac users groups or even really knew any other Mac users. I got used to using a PC. I told myself that I was just like everyone else, even though I knew, deep down inside, that I was different. But I work in Information Technology. I don’t know if people really understand how much social stigma is associated with Macs in the business world of IT. So yeah, I hid it.”

“After a few recent bad experiences with PCs I found myself wandering into an Apple store. I looked at a 17″ powerbook, and I just took a deep breath and I bought it!”

“Most everyone has been so supportive! But, like all Mac users, I have had a few friends take it personally, and my Mother totally doesn’t understand Macintoshes. She says she’s okay with whatever machine I want to use, but I can tell she’s just saying that because she thinks she has to. My close friends told me that they knew all along that I was a Mac user and were just waiting for me to figure it out. Frankly, it’s a lot easier now that being a Mac user is cool again.”