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As some people know, I work part time at an Apple store. It's a good way to keep a pulse on the "community" of Mac users (and believe me, if you bought as much Apple hardware as I did in a year, you too would work 5-10 hours a week for the discounts). A community that's been expanding, lately, due to an influx of PC switchers. A community that's having its pride restored, gradually, by the mass population's realization (again: gradually) that "yeah, you were right all along... Macs are pretty cool."

Unfortunately, these new PC switchers are "newbies" at the Mac, and their ignorance is evidenced by the fact that I sold two PowerBooks and an iBook yesterday. A few iMacs went out the door while I was there. It's fairly well known that most Mac users don't buy hardware in December or June/July because of the Macworld Expo. It took Apple awhile to realize this, and they've gotten in the habit of announcing hardware outside of Expos. Still, the behavior exists: Mac users don't buy hardware four days before an expo!

On the record, I know absolutely nothing about what's coming. Off the record, well, I might. Back on the record, as an Apple employee talking to someone about how well that 17" $999 LCD will work with their new PowerBook, I feel a twinge of guilt. This twinge wants me to say "…but wait until next Wednesday, because it might be cheaper, you never know…". It's an odd position in which to be put, given that lower LCD prices is certainly not something on which I have information.

I admit to just having bought an iPod for someone who used to mean something in my life (long story), but it was Christmas, so I really had no choice. And with 20 GB models running at a substantial sum less for employees, well… I had to. These PC switchers are ignorant, however, and sometimes it hurts. Will next week see new PowerBooks and iBooks? I doubt it. But you never know, and some people might kick themselves if they got caught buying something that gets updated. Hmm.

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