The Thrill Is Gone

I just bought a new computer -- which is one reason it's been so long since my last 'blog post. Usually I buy a new computer when the old one breaks, but this time I decided to replace the old one while it's still functional. So now I have a spiffy new MacBook.

And I'm disappointed.

In the past, buying a new computer has meant new capabilities. The new machines could do stuff the old ones couldn't. There was new software. New little widgets and applications which were interesting and useful. New music shoveled into the iTunes folder. Having a new machine made new games available.

Not this time. This time feels like a step backward. The OSX operating system doesn't support most of my old software. I'm going to have to spend time tediously converting old documents to some format which the new word processor can read. All the custom fonts I liked no longer work. My games don't work.

I keep asking myself: why do they do this?

When I buy a new blender I don't have to get a whole new shelf of cookbooks because it won't make my old dishes. When I buy a new car I don't have to buy a new kind of fuel. When I get new shoes I don't have to buy new socks or have my feet surgically altered.

Apple Computers has always been the "cool kid" in the industry. They get praised for their attention to elegant design. But this isn't elegant at all. It fails the fundamental test of any new technology: "Does it work better?" Backwards-compatibility should be the first consideration of any new software design. 

I think that's ultimately what I find so bothersome. It's not the obvious venality ("Buy our cool new operating system! Now buy all new software!") so much as the stupidity. The inelegance. 

For much of my life personal computers have been a technology which empowers, which expands our capacities and our reach. I don't get that feeling any more. This computer is constraining me and annoying me. It's not letting me do what I want.

Do you hear that, Mr. Cook? Mr. Levinson? Sir Jonathan Ive? You're not helping me. Stop making software which makes all my old files obsolete. Make buying a new computer exciting again.

Comments

[Kairam]

Mac's backwards compatibility works with Macs. Changing platforms are always tiresome. Maybe you can call the softwares' developers and get the compatible versions or enter many of the Mac forums to get a software that could convert all formats. I can call some friends and ask for the latest versions if you like. It's been some time since I've dealt with things like this.

[Kairam]

A good converter program is mac link plus.

Best.