Conversion

One year ago, I stubbornly refused to acknowledge that the laptop, the stalwart white steed that bore be through my undergraduate years and was my companion to many a coffee shop here and abroad, was not really worth saving.

I saved it anyway.  At the time, I had killed the battery through neglect.  In contrast to my shiny new desktop, the now lumbering laptop, incapable of running Chrome, was far less compelling.  After returning from a coffee shop, the stalwart steed would remain in my bag and I would switch to working on my more ergonomic desktop (though my chair is nothing if not un-ergonomic).  With all that time running but not off, I drained the battery of any residual charge and turned my laptop into a portable desktop, functional but always in need of being plugged in.  I replaced the battery for much less than the cost of a new device of any kind and trudged through a year and a half of grad school without an easily tote-able device beside my Nook, which only worked to load some types of documents.

Things seemed generally fine until I started a new job this fall that requires me to work from anywhere between 1 and 4 different locations.  Without an easily movable device, much of my work became extremely segmented and I could not functionally work without packing 20 pounds of notebooks and electronics into a backpack.  When I discovered my faithful laptop had become too old to use Skype as anything other than a chat service, I realized it was time.

I had researched netbooks, chromebooks, tablets, and low-end laptops and found nothing in an acceptable price range than offered the portability and utility that I wanted.  A year ago I had heard whispers about Microsoft's Surface device, I had even seen a few in the wild, but the reviews were bad and I was discouraged.  But, while watching Doctor Who with a friend, I saw a commercial for this year's iteration.  I was intrigued.  In a moment of confusion, we decided to venture over to Best Buy and ask an actual human some questions and discovered that it was in fact as shiny as the commercial made it sound.

I hate to admit it, but I was loath to leave the Apple family.  My desktop, laptop, and phone all share genetic material, but Apple simply did not offer what I wanted in any format at any affordable price.  So I thought.  I researched; I asked friends questions and came to Christmas morning knowing precisely what I hoped my mother would help me acquire.

Sometimes I feel outrageous in my gadgetry, but I do not acquire new technology lightly.  I would have dragged out the life of my phone far longer if I hadn't smashed the screen and will likely still use my laptop for file storage/backup purposes.  But, for portability and travel/work/fun, I am delighted to have a new shiny toy. 

So here's to you, Microsoft, for making something of great utility at a very reasonable price point and endearing yourself to an Mac-lover.  Cheers.  Let's hope this is the beginning of a good relationship.