About a month ago, I put in a request at my bank to convert 1000 from a 60-day access account into cheque form, and send it to me. The reason, I want a PowerBook. I’d like one for Uni and I put aside the money for buying a notebook computer years ago. I never bought one before and I’ve been flirting with the idea on and off ever since.

The relevance of the month and the 60-days is this: Whenever I toy with the idea of getting a notebook machine I ponder it until the indecisiveness gets too much. Then I just stop thinking about it. This time, I’m already pretty certain that I want one, so I’ve decided to move the money as a ‘decision incentive’. Jo will testify that 1000 is probably a realistic number for encouraging a decision from me.

I’ve decided that if I get one, I want an Apple Mac; probably the 12” PowerBook flavour. This is a good start, because unlike the Windows PC market, Apple don’t tell you what new specs are coming soon, so you’ve got less “if I wait until next month I can have…” issues. Once Apple launch a product, you know it’s good to go for around 6 months to a year before they update it again. It’s how they work. It would hurt if you bought the old model a day before the new one comes out, of course, but that’s what rumour sites are there to avert.

The 60 days works like this. The first 30 I’ve spend contemplating vaguely by myself. Mum knew about the money and maybe I told Jo in passing… but you get my point. This month has been subjecting myself to “will I really use it and why” type questions. With around a month until the money becomes available, now is the time to start asking other people.

Here’s the result of personal deliberating.

Do I really need it?

Need? Probably not in its strictest sense. However, I’m a web designer. Access to Safari would be a huge benefit (though not worth the cost in itself). If I get one, I will take it to lectures (hence wanting the 12” model) and be able to travel with it on the long journeys from Manchester to see friends an family. Not a “need”, but a very big plus, especially given that it’s final year and I’ll have lots of work to do.

Can I afford it?

The money was put aside ages ago for a purpose like this, so yes

Why not buy a cheaper PC?

The battery life on a 12” PB is very good indeed, they certainly consume less than a PC. Then there’s the fact that my limited exposure to Apple’s Mac OS X over the past few months has made me go “wow” too many times not to desire one.

Is now a good time to buy? Why not wait until I get to Uni?

Because I’m an impatient bastard.

Software wise, Apple have just revised the iLife suite and the operating system itself.

Apple’s only major forthcoming upgrade to the PowerBook line – the introduction of the super-awesome G5 processor – is not likely to happen until next year. Even then, no-one knows what hit on power consumption that will entail. Then, the advantage of added raw speed in a notebook machine is relatively mute. The current G4 line is fast, plenty fast enough. My PC hasn’t been upgraded for over a year and wont be likely to get one either. In fact, the only real fear is that getting one Mac would make me hate my PC so much as to need to need an Apple desktop as well. That would be costly.

That’s about it. It comes out as a pretty resounding “yes”. Now, tell me that I’m wrong.