I have owned a lot of computers over the years. A lot as in some of you reading this haven't even seen as many different computers as I actually have sitting in my basement right now. My first computer (that I can really call "mine" and not just mean it was someone else's but happened to live in my room) was a Windows 3.1 affair from the early '90s that barely ran Commander Keen. I did write a few Basic programs on it, but that relationship was short lived. The computer that made me realize "owns computers" was going to become a key part of my personality was this beautiful beast.
Everyone, this is Sorsha.
That reference is maybe a tad obscure for younger generations, but I'm still not explaining it.
Those of you versed in the science of technological identification may recognize this as a Quicksilver PowerMac G4. If you're especially versed in the identification of Macs, you'll also recognize this as a single processor model from 2002. This computer was purchased for me by my parents during my senior year of high school, and back then it was still capable of running Tiger, the latest version of Mac OS at the time.
This beautiful tower hails from the time before Apple's switch to Intel processors, my personal favorite time period for Apple hardware, and so it's still rocking the PowerPC G4 chip that headlined Apple's push to convince the world that clock speed wasn't everything for more than 5 years. Obviously they got fed up with that argument because they switched to Intel eventually, but the PowerPC years were a formative time for Apple's relationship with their professional users, and it set the stage for future hardware releases.
But really, there's nothing particularly special about this computer beyond the fact that it is, to my eye at least, achingly pretty. This is, still and probably always, the most gorgeous desktop tower ever made. It looked futuristic when it was released, and it still does. For all of the obsession with clean lines and attractive visual aesthetic that goes into device design these days, we still don't have anything in the desktop computer space that combines clean lines, attractive material, and elegant posture as well as this 15-year-old Mac.
And there's no form over function here either! Okay, the exposed built-in speaker may be a tad vulnerable since they avoided covering it. But those handles? Actually handles. Designed for carrying the computer. And they're really comfortable, too. The case also opens by dropping the entire side down, but that's not just for show. It puts all of the components right there at your fingertips, on their side, where it's easiest to work with them. It's about the most perfect case, though not quite as pretty inside as it is outside (that honor goes to the PowerMac G5).
This computer introduced me to the joys of technology. It was also my first Mac, and to someone otherwise stuck in a world of Windows XP SP1 and Windows ME (shudder), OS X Tiger was a breath of fresh air. This was the first computer to demonstrate to me that using a PC doesn't have to mean constant frustration and annoyance. This was the computer that made me love computers.
And to me, that's pretty special. So here's to you, Sorsha.
Everyone, this is Sorsha.
That reference is maybe a tad obscure for younger generations, but I'm still not explaining it.
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| It's her. |
Those of you versed in the science of technological identification may recognize this as a Quicksilver PowerMac G4. If you're especially versed in the identification of Macs, you'll also recognize this as a single processor model from 2002. This computer was purchased for me by my parents during my senior year of high school, and back then it was still capable of running Tiger, the latest version of Mac OS at the time.
This beautiful tower hails from the time before Apple's switch to Intel processors, my personal favorite time period for Apple hardware, and so it's still rocking the PowerPC G4 chip that headlined Apple's push to convince the world that clock speed wasn't everything for more than 5 years. Obviously they got fed up with that argument because they switched to Intel eventually, but the PowerPC years were a formative time for Apple's relationship with their professional users, and it set the stage for future hardware releases.
But really, there's nothing particularly special about this computer beyond the fact that it is, to my eye at least, achingly pretty. This is, still and probably always, the most gorgeous desktop tower ever made. It looked futuristic when it was released, and it still does. For all of the obsession with clean lines and attractive visual aesthetic that goes into device design these days, we still don't have anything in the desktop computer space that combines clean lines, attractive material, and elegant posture as well as this 15-year-old Mac.
And there's no form over function here either! Okay, the exposed built-in speaker may be a tad vulnerable since they avoided covering it. But those handles? Actually handles. Designed for carrying the computer. And they're really comfortable, too. The case also opens by dropping the entire side down, but that's not just for show. It puts all of the components right there at your fingertips, on their side, where it's easiest to work with them. It's about the most perfect case, though not quite as pretty inside as it is outside (that honor goes to the PowerMac G5).
This computer introduced me to the joys of technology. It was also my first Mac, and to someone otherwise stuck in a world of Windows XP SP1 and Windows ME (shudder), OS X Tiger was a breath of fresh air. This was the first computer to demonstrate to me that using a PC doesn't have to mean constant frustration and annoyance. This was the computer that made me love computers.
And to me, that's pretty special. So here's to you, Sorsha.
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