Me and iMac

Guess this Saturday night was a night of smiles. I got flooded with memories that were way too back of my mind. I am happy. Thanks to the movie "Steve Jobs"! The genius Mr.Jobs, whose idea for easy to use devices, has made most of the world accessible just by the touch on the screen. But back then in 1998, little did I know or admire this genius man. Today after seeing the movie, I now know what I missed that time.

I got my first job in 1998 (thanks to DC) at a computer store that had just opened a branch office in Pune. The name of the store was weird and confusing - "Rahul Commerce". People always had the question of why it was named so and why not give it a regular computer store name. The owner didn't bother about the questions, for he knew exactly what it stood for. There were 2 computers in the store when I first joined. One was a regular PC and the other a Macintosh. I got the job because I knew MS Excel and Word. The boss used the Mac. It was weird looking and always made me think why would he use that old computer. I was just out of college and had hardly ever, almost never, heard of a Mac. When asked, I was told it was almost a 10-year-old computer and has been working without any problems since then. I also was told that the store was the first in India to have imported a Mac and started selling it. They had sold a few, but not many bought it. Though I didn't know then, but now I feel privileged to have put my hands on that Mac! Thanks to Mr. DS!! I remember my Compaq PC crashed almost every month. But the Mac stood tall, I mean small, and never surrendered to the voltage fluctuations.

Then maybe a few months later the boss started talking about the iMac. What on earth! Now, what would that be about? There was no Google, so I couldn't (never thought) search about it on the internet. We just waited for it to be delivered. And it arrived... the first ever iMac, in Pune, in front of my eyes! What a beauty it was! Aqua color. "So the CPU is in this?", "that mouse is so small!", "those are the speakers?", "this keyboard is light as a 100 pages notebook!" For heaven's sake! What on earth and how and why and who??  Steve Jobs my dear, Steve Jobs! And that's when I fell in love with the genius. Who would have thought? The compact design, different color options, simply wow! It was difficult to explain the design at home. People came from everywhere to see the iMac. It was an unbelievable device for us regular Indians. "Where is the god damn CPU?" was the most commonly asked question. People doubted its reliability. Then the price was outrageous too. Who would buy that thing, and why? But DS never bothered about the questions. He knew there was a market for it. We did manage to sell a few around the country.

When I saw the iBook - the small colorful laptop, I once again fell in love. I vowed to myself to buy the iBook someday, the orange colored one was always on my mind. But then, times changed. I got married to someone, who was just like the people who walked into my office to see the iMac and never trusted it. But now he swears by the genius design.

My eyes welled up while seeing the iMac and its launch in the movie today. Now with the "i" revolution taking over the world, I feel privileged to have got to use the old Macintosh devices. Thanks to RC and Mr.DS, I am forever indebted to you to introduce me to Mac. Ever since the iMac, I have been a devout admirer of the pioneer and genius, Mr.Jobs. Perhaps that is why my child was born on the same date as his birth date. (Yes, yes! Right now there is this huge smile on my face!) Who knew!

I salute and bow to you, Steve. Thanks for making the world a better place by your designs.