How

 I  got  an  iMac

Written  By:  William  Chen
-­‐-­‐  ABRIDGED  VERSION

It  first  came  to  me  when  my  installation  of  Windows  Vista  
crashed.  My  computer  was  starting  to  get  outdated.  I  
realized  that  I  desperately  needed  a  new  one  if  I  were  to  
continue  to  survive  in  the  technological  world.  After  having  
my  poor-­‐specification  laptop  for  about  a  year,  I  realized  
that  I  was  behind  on  the  rapidly-­‐updating  technology.  It  was  
part  of  my  philosophy;  technology  had  to  be  upgraded  as  soon  
as  possible.  I  wondered  what  computer  I  should  get.  It  was  
the  perfect  time  for  one,  since  my  birthday  was  very  near,  
and  my  parents  hadn't  given  me  a  gift  last  year.  This  would  
be  the  best  time  to  ask,  since  I  felt  they  owed  me  a  lot.

With  the  timing  correct,  all  I  needed  to  do  was  to  select  a  
computer.  I  had  recently  saw  an  advertisement  on  television.  
It  was  one  of  those  'Get  a  Mac'  ads.  At  first,  I  was  
skeptical,  since  the  ad  claimed  that  Macs  had  no  viruses.  I  
went  on  to  http://www.apple.com/  to  find  out  more.  I  was  
amazed  at  what  there  was  on  their  website.

I  glanced  over  at  the  iMacs,  Apple's  prime  desktop  computer.  

They  were  amazing.  It  was  the  most  beautiful  thing  I've  seen  
in  my  entire  11  years  of  life.  Apple  had  recently  updated  
the  iMacs,  which  was  an  excellent  maneuver  since  it  was  just  
before  the  start  of  the  holiday  season.  Apple  added  a  
gorgeous  20-­‐inch  glass  LCD  anti-­‐gloss  display  and  a  sleek  
aluminum  finish  to  their  iMacs.  It  was  like  they  had  made  it  
an  entirely  new  computer.  I  immediately  clicked  on  it,  for  a  
deeper  analysis.  

That  was  the  end  of  all  my  excitement.  I  glanced  at  the  
price-­‐tag  for  the  low-­‐end  model.  $1200.  I  nearly  fainted  at  
the  sight  of  the  price.  I  realized  why  Apple  had  been  
criticized  by  technology  critics  all  around  the  techosphere  
for  their  high  pricing.  At  first,  I  didn't  believe  it.  A  
low-­‐end  machine  for  $1200?  It  simply  couldn't  be  possible.  
Apple  couldn't  possibly  be  this  ridiculous.  

I  then  questioned  myself;  Do  I  want  a  computer  with  good  

specifications,  or  do  I  want  the  beauty  of  the  machine  
itself?  I  couldn't  decide  then,  so  I  just  left  that  question  
alone  for  a  while.  Looking  at  the  price-­‐tag  left  me  
heartbroken.  I  knew  that  my  father  would  instantly  deny  my  
request  for  getting  the  new  iMac,  and  of  because  of  the  fear  
of  rejection,  I  did  not  ask  him.

While  I  was  reading  a  Slashdot.org  article,  something  caught  

my  eye.  It  was  an  advertisement  for  a  computer  that  could  
run  Mac  OS  X  without  the  Apple  hardware.  I  was  dazzled  by  
that  flashy  banner  ad.  Could  it  possibly  be?  I  Googled  up  
the  name,  PsyStar,  and  it  led  me  to  their  website.  I  was  
deeply  interested  in  their  machines.  Running  the  Apple  
operating  system  without  their  hardware!  Incredible!  I  
looked  at  the  price.  $599!..  Half  the  price  of  an  iMac!  
Amazing!  I  instantly  showed  my  father  the  PsyStar  website.  
After  showing  him  a  couple  pages  about  the  PsyStar  machine,  
my  father  told  me  that  it  was  interesting.

Later  that  day,  I  asked  my  father  why  he  wasn't  paying  any  
attention  to  me.  I  told  him  that  I  wanted  a  new  computer.  It  
was  the  first  time  that  I  had  asked  for  a  computer,  so  I  was  
not  sure  of  what  he  would  respond.
 
  "Which  computer  do  you  want?",  he  inquired.
  "The  Apple  iMac.",  I  replied.
  "Okay,  we'll  check  it  out  tomorrow.",  he  responded.

Tomorrow,  I  showed  him  the  Apple  iMac  from  the  website,  and  
he  told  me  that  it  was  much  too  expensive.  I  then  asked  if  I  
could  have  the  PsyStar  machine.
   "I  do  not  know..  does  this  company  really  exist?",  my  
father  asked.
  "I'm  not  sure,  but  I  have  a  pretty  good  feeling  that  
they  do",  I  replied.
  "I'm  not  sure  that  we  should  purchase  a  computer  that  
has  an  illegally  installed  version  of  Mac  OS  X"

I  was  speechless  after  that.  I  had  forgotten  that  what  

PsyStar  was  doing  was  illegal.  Apple  had  forbid  people  to  
run  Mac  OS  on  non-­‐Apple  hardware.  I  went  up  to  my  room  to  do  
more  research  on  purchasing  a  new  computer.

At  night,  I  felt  feelings  of  intense  depression.  My  eyes  

started  to  pour.  I  wanted  a  new  computer,  but  I  didn't  know  
how  I  was  going  to  get  it.  I  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  cry,  
and  when  I  would  run  out  of  breath  for  crying,  I  would  
continue  to  cry.  There  were  endless  days  of  seemingly  
perpetual  tear-­‐shedding.  My  father  had  not  notice  my  
spontaneous  depression,  since  he  failed  to  understand  my  
situation.

Finally,  there  came  a  day  where  my  father  confronted  me.  He  
inquired  the  reason  for  my  continuous  crying.  I  responded  in  
broken  speech,

"Iii..  ww..  want  a..  a  nn..  new  computer.."

Miraculously  that  night,  we  agreed  on  getting  an  iMac  for  
me.  I  did  not  know  what  happen  that  night,  but  it  was  the  
night  that  I  will  never  forget.  It  could  have  just  been  that  
my  father  felt  pity  for  me.

For  the  next  two  days,  I  felt  much  more  content  than  before.  
My  eyes  were  still  sore  and  deeply  reddened  from  all  the  
previous  crying,  but  the  pain  was  enough  for  me  to  bear  
with.  Finally,  on  Dec  15th,  2008;  2  days  before  my  birthday,  
we  decided  to  go  to  the  Apple  store  and  get  an  iMac.

We  drove  to  Pasadena  during  the  afternoon,  and  went  to  the  
Apple  store.  After  a  couple  minutes  of  deciding,  we  finally  
decided  to  get  the  20-­‐inch  iMac.  An  Apple-­‐store  worker  
helped  make  it  simple  for  us  to  customize  it.  Not  only  did  
we  just  get  the  computer,  but  we  also  received  a  free  
computer  with  the  purchase.  Since  I  wanted  1GB  more  RAM  
added  on  the  iMac,  I  had  to  wait  the  next  day  to  pick  it  up.  
My  father  gave  me  a  long  lecture  on  how  I  must  behave,  since  
he  spent  so  much  money,  and  to  thank  my  mother  and  stuff.  I  
didn't  ignore  a  single  word.  Although  it  was  a  long  talk,  I  
thoroughly  enjoyed  it.

The  very  next  day,  I  was  restless  all  day.  I  was  only  
focused  on  getting  the  iMac,  and  didn't  pay  attention  to  
anything  else.  In  fact,  I  was  so  oblivious  to  my  
surroundings  at  school  that  I  didn't  even  notice  being  
handed  a  test.  It  was  only  until  a  teacher  told  me  that  I  
knew.

I  rushed  home  and  prepared  for  my  new  iMac.  I  cleared  my  
entire  desk,  and  cleaned  the  very  surface  multiple  times,  
until  it  was  sparkly-­‐clean.  It  was  an  endless  wait  for  my  
father  to  come  home,  and  drive  me  to  the  Apple  store.  I  had  
nothing  to  do  but  sit  down,  and  to  think  about  what  it  would  
feel  to  use  the  iMac.  My  entire  body  was  trembling  with  
anticipation  and  elation.  Ripples  of  exhilaration  
reciprocated  throughout  my  system.

It  was  finally  time.  From  the  screeching  sound  of  the  garage  
door  rising,  I  instantly  rushed  down,  fully  dressed,  to  go  
to  the  Apple  store.  I  insisted  on  skipping  dinner,  so  I  
could  retrieve  my  iMac  earlier.  My  father  convinced  me  to  
wait  until  he  was  finished  eating.  After  nearly  an  eternity,  
my  father  was  completed  with  his  enormous  meal.

He  took  me  in  his  car,  and  we  took  a  30  minute  drive  to  
Pasadena.  By  the  time  we  got  to  the  Apple  store,  it  was  
dark.  I  rushed  in  the  store,  and  my  father  went  in  and  got  
the  iMac.  I  tried  lifting  the  iMac,  but  it  was  much  too  
heavy  for  me.  My  father  had  to  do  so  for  me,  for  he  was  much  
stronger.
When  I  got  home,  the  first  thing  that  I  did  was  take  
pictures.  I  took  pictures  from  about  nearly  every  angle.  I  
wanted  to  preserve  the  moment  forever.  I  still  have  the  
pictures  to  this  very  day.  Then,  my  father  started  to  unpack  
the  iMac  from  the  box.  He  pulled  out  a  sleek  aluminum-­‐
covered  machine.  The  packaging  for  the  iMac  was  
exceptionally  neat  and  organized,  and  within  5  minutes,  I  
had  a  brand  new  computer.  I  thanked  my  father  for  his  
services,  and  then,  I  drove  him  out  my  door.  I  was  finally  
alone  with  my  iMac.

I  turned  it  on,  and  I  was  surprised  to  hear  a  magnificent  

tune,  the  Mac's  infamous  boot-­‐up  music.  It  took  me  a  while  
to  get  used  to  the  Mac  OS  X  interface,  but  the  experience  
was  simply  amazing.  The  iMac  was  then  displaying  to  me  a  
welcome  introduction.  I  used  it  to  configure  my  all-­‐new  
iMac,  and  the  bluetooth-­‐powered  peripherals.

I  couldn't  believe  it.  Within  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  I  

had  a  brand-­‐new  computer.  The  iMac  was  beautiful.  I  loved  
the  wonderful  gift  from  my  family.  I  couldn't  thank  them  
enough.  I  gave  my  old  computer  to  my  grandfather  as  a  gift.  
He  was  also  thrilled  to  get  a  'new'  computer.  It  was  
suitable  for  his  uses.

Just  after  a  few  hours,  I  exorcised  any  evil  proprietary  

software  that  had  possessed  my  iMac.  I  installed  free  
alternatives  for  my  iMac,  thanks  to  the  wonderful  
application  porting  software,  MacPorts.  I  also  installed  
XCode  v3  for  developing  Mac  applications  and  building  GNU  
tools.  It  was  a  wonder  to  use  my  iMac.  Everything  worked  
seamlessly.

Strangely,  after  many  days  of  using  the  iMac,  I  have  

developed  an  attraction  between  it.  I  would  only  let  myself  
use  the  iMac,  and  I  would  have  a  great  fear  of  having  people  
spit  and  touch  my  iMac.  I  begged  my  mother  desperately  for  
gloves  and  a  mask  so  I  could  sterilely  operate  the  iMac.  
Simply  using  my  iMac  brings  an  acute  sense  of  euphoria  that  
is  unlike  any  other.  You  could  describe  the  feeling  as  
intense  pleasure..  a  feeling  rarely  found  in  my  depressing  
life...

I  believe  that  I  was  blessed  with  such  a  wonderful  computer  

because  of  my  dedication  and  will  to  work  to  get  a  new  
computer.  This  is  the  classical  example  of  success.  If  you  
can  put  your  mind  to  something,  it  can  come  true.  In  fact,  
anything  is  possible,  but  you  must  work  hard  and  put  your  
determination  into  it  to  make  it  probable  to  happen.