My Apple Experiences

Since the news broke yesterday about Steve Jobs' passing, I have been reflecting about how truly amazing the gifts are that he gave to the world. This led me to think about my first experiences with a Steve Jobs created device.

As I'm sure many others first time is similar, my first time using an Apple product was in elementary school, playing Oregon Trail. It was 3rd grade for me, roughly 1990, and I'm not even sure which model of Mac it was, but every classroom had a Mac computer... this was my first experience with any computer, actually.

Around 1992, our family got it's first computer, which was a Windows PC (well actually, DOS to start out,) I always wanted another Mac like we used in school, but they were too expensive.

Throughout the rest of my time in school I worked with mostly Macs until Jr. High, which was filled with mostly PCs (this was roughly 1994.) They did have a few Macs in the computer lab, but due to the PCs lower price scheme, Windows machines were obviously dominate in many school districts.

I graduated in 2000 and started going to college in 2001. I remember late 2001, one of my friends who was deep into Apple products started raving about a little thing called an iPod. This was around the time when Napster was at it's peak, so digital music was becoming 'the next big thing.' He got one the second he was able to and loved showing it off. I found it pretty cool, but it would only work with Apple computers and it was expensive, so I simply looked at it as one of those high-tech, high priced items that were a luxury I would probably never get a chance to take part in.

It wasn't until early 2003 that I finally jumped on board the iPod craze, when it got it's first redesign with the scroll wheel and ff/rw/play/pause buttons right under the screen. I was hooked. In fact, this one single product made me fall head over heels with Apple and in 2004 I got my very first iMac (The iLamp.)

From 2003 up to 2008, I had purchased 6 different iPods (mostly because I was clumsy and kept dropping them,) Besides the iPod I got in 2003 I also got the 1st majorly redesigned iPod with only the scroll wheel, I got the 4th generation (which was pretty much the same,) I got the black video iPod, I got the iPod Shuffle Clip and in 2008 I bought a first generation iPod Touch from a friend who upgraded to the iPhone.

Speaking of the iPhone... the minute I saw it, I wanted it, but it was far too expensive and wasn't a necessity, so I had to hold off, but the second I got an iPod Touch, it was only a matter of my current phone's contract to run out before I was going to absolutely get an iPhone.

October 2009 was when my phone's contract ran out and that exact day (Columbus Day,) I went to the AT&T Store and got myself a brand new iPhone 3GS. I sold the iPod Touch to a friend, and haven't gotten an iPod since then... the iPhone has become my iPod. Next Friday, I will be getting the iPhone 4S, and my next computer purchase will more than likely be a MacBook or an iMac.

I have also gotten an iPad when it came out, an iPad 2 when it came out this year and last Christmas I got an AppleTV (all of these are already highly chronicled in this blog, and I love them all.)