oh, laptop.

[lagilman]

The drive is dying (probably for good this time) and the battery is dead (really most sincerely dead) and the touchpad is behaving like a cranky old man who won't admit he's gone deaf ("no I didn't hear you ask me to do that why are you yelling at me?") and they keyboard's gone mushy, and even upgrading the innards hasn't done more than stave off the inevitable. I'd be a lot more upset about all this except for the fact that I bought it in March 2011.

Five years of daily writer-use, being dragged around the country (and some of Canada and Europe). I've written at lest ten books on this thing, and I don't even want to think about how many short stories, emails and editorial letters, much less the amount of internet usage this thing has seen.

Do I want to spend $$$ on replacing it? Nope. But it decided to crash twice yesterday, while I'm on the last pass of deadline, and that reminded me that this is my work tool, my livelihood. Better to replace it under my control than have to do a panicked run to the Apple store because it died the final death mid-project...

Also, this maybe gives me the opportunity to go down to Portland and buy it there, saving myself sales tax.... (and having lunch with the Portlanders.  Hi, Portlanders!)


Meanwhile, a pullquote for the new book: “The devil runs an honest game,” he said, almost to himself. “But that doesn’t mean someone else can’t cheat.”

Yeah, that'll do.

Comments

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

My sympathies! My Macbook lasted for 6 or 7 years but at the end had a huge black chasm across the screen (because I'd dropped it once too often) and a swathe of the keys did not work. Good luck with getting a replacement.

[aitchellsee.livejournal.com]

Possible Presidents' Day savings? (I'm thinking of committing laptop myself, since my old HP died months ago and I've been using my iPhone for everything. And don't think I want to go Win 10 from all I'm hearing)

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

My last laptop went almost ten years without the wear and tear you put on yours. In an era when most technology is built to last only two or three years, your machine did good work. A timely retirement is not unreasonable. And a trip to Portland! :-)

[badgermirlacca.livejournal.com]

When you're looking for a new one, check out the Panasonic Toughbooks. They get used by the Forest Service and a lot of outdoor folks, and you can get a SSD instead of a floating-head drive--AND they are not hideously expensive, either. That's what's on my horizon as soon as I can bring myself to replace my Samsung.
http://business.panasonic.com/toughbook/laptop-computers.html

[lagilman]

We're an Apple household here (other than my stubbornly Android phone). MacBooks are SSD/flash memory now, and durable as hell (evidenced by the fact that this sucker's lasted being dragged, dropped, sat on by cats, had coffee spilled on it...basically, all the everyday hazards of Working With Writers) and the issue is reasonable wear, not damage.

Yeah, Macs are stupid-expensive. But considering this is my primary tool of the trade, AND my contact with the wider world, I've yet to be sorry to have spent the money.

[lagilman]

Apple knows it doesn't have to run sales. The bastards.

[lagilman]

Yeah, I'd just hoped to hold off One. More. Year.


On the plus side, I think I might be able to turn this into a purely-for-internet-and-music machine, hooked up to the home system, so the dying bits are less o an issue. So that would be good...

[lagilman]

Yeah, I'd hoped to make it to 6 years, but....

Ah well. This is my tool of the trade, and so cannot be ignored.

[calendula-witch.livejournal.com]

Oh hey! Portland yes! :-)

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

I've been using Macs since the early 1990s. I prefer them to a PC but don't like the slightly culty hype about them - they're good, though, and they last. My previous laptops have been about 6-7 years. Their chargers, however, are not just prone to packing up, but dangerous. I have to remember not to leave the thing plugged in if we're out of the house.