When I think "tinker" on the PC side I think building my own computer and customizing the GUI to fit what I want. "Tinker" has a positive connotation. "Fix" is the bad word. I would hate to have a computer I had to fix all the time. Surprisingly, I've let my XP computer run 24/7 (except for the odd power outages) for the past 5 years, and I haven't had to fix it yet. Though I have "tinkered" with it. :)
"That sigh of resignation when something freezes up, pops up or chokes up. When email is being downloaded and every other process grinds to an intelligent halt. The sudden ‘unexpected’ reboots, the demands to upgrade and install patches again and again, the Blue Screen of Death - the fun stuff us Mac users never get to experience."
Funny, I work with about 15 Macs ever day and that paragraph describes my life. :) No one make perfect computers and Macs are nowhere near as stable as one is often lead to believe.
Still, a ThinkPad? Why not a Dell, they at least look cooler. ThinkPads are ugly (I'm a graphic designer) and bulky. Dell's look nice, as do Acer's.
Acer - http://www.immworld.com/store-categories-Acer-Travel-Mate_2133194.html
Dell -
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
Too often people use ThinkPads to show how ugly PCs are and ignore the nice looking Dells, Acers, and VIAOs
Video iPod is nice but who wants to watch LOST on a 2.5 inch screen? And the video you download is too poor resolution to watch on your computer. PSP has 5 hours of movie watching and the iPod only has 3. Either of those is too short. I strongly believe the video iPod was not a leap but merely a step toward something better.
"I can support myself with this tool (my Mac), I think of myself as creative and independant thinking; a PC would make me dependant on others, part of the rank and file, average."
Well, as a professional graphic designer I find it funny that my counterparts feel they have to buy a Mac to make a statement. Sorry, but I buy a computer because it helps me a get my jobs done. And I can mod XP to make it look how I want. Lots of creative options for the PC.
Men are from PCs, women are from Macs
The ThinkPad Who Came To Dinner
The Portable Entertainment Age
The Apple Matters Interview: Seth Godin