Beating a dead horse?

This just in from Techweb: Dell to hire 500 engineers.

The brief article says that this new hiring is part of the Dell 2.0 campaign to "redesign its hardware and improve customer service."

I don't know. It seems to me like Dell is just beating a dead horse. "Redesign the hardware" to do what? Run the same stuff?

I can't wait to see what comes out of this.

Confessions of an Apple Junkie

I recently sent out an ad at work about my 12-inch Apple Powerbook. I was fishing out bids hoping to sell it so I can buy a new Apple MacBook. The black one, in particular.

Then people started asking me why I wanted a new laptop. Have I outgrown my PowerBook? Is it the Intel processors in the new Macs? Is it a lot faster?

No, I haven't outgrown my PowerBook. It's plenty fast and more than enough for what I actually use it for. The Intel processors may be faster and allow you to install XP but why would I want to desecrate a serene Mac with the vile XP? Nope. Not the new processors.

Then I started thinking of some sort of a technical justification for it.

Faster, yeah. But I probably won't notice it. More memory? Yeah, but I can just go to Fry's and spend $50 to add more memory to my current one. It has a built in camera? Mmmm. That's cool, but what would I use it for?

Then I had to come clean. I don't have a technical justification for wanting one. I want it because it's black and the one I have right now is silver. Which doesn't match my iPod.

Exhibit 1: The way it is. Silver and black. I'm not a Raiders fan. It doesn't look right. No.

Exhibit 2: Next alternative...get the silver Nano. But I've tried the small storage route before (remember the Mini?) and didn't work for me.

Exhibit 3: Buy a brand new pair. I can go all out and do this:

Exhibit 4: A real beauty: Don't they just look reaaaaaally good together?

So there you go, folks. Ever wonder why Apple continues to be successful despite a reaaaaally low market share(3.48% in the US, 2.4% worldwide)? Apple has a cult-like following. They are not price-sensitive and as an added bonus (as it seems to be in my case...) they are also extremely vulnerable to marketing. People switch/stay with Apple for technical superiority (I may be a schmuck but it's still undeniable than Macs are still a thousand times better than any PC in the market) but the "cool" reasons keep you buying.

I don't buy Prada, Coach or Louis Vuitton. I don't know what a real Gucci handbag looks like, as most women my age seem to be experts on it. I couldn't care less that I wear shoes that I paid less than $10 for. I buy my clothes from Target and Ross (ok, Goodwill)...so dammit don't get on my case for my Apple habit.

Ok. The first step is admitting you have a serious problem.

Alright. Hi. My name is Lisa. I'm an Apple junkie.

A brand new start

Hi. I'm Lisa Amorao. And I'm a blogger.

It's been a while since I started blogging and I've forgotten how it feels to start one. The anxiety of coming up with your very first post, wondering if anyone will ever land here and find my blog interesting. Not to mention the humongous task of networking just to get some traffic.

Sure, some people would say that they don't care about whether people come to their blog. They blog for themselves. Right. And if they really mean it, that they don't care about what people thought of their blog, then why bother taking it online? I just don't get that and I refuse to believe it.

I'm not saying bloggers "sell out" to their audience. Just saying they do care. Even for a little bit.

And now I'm worried that my first ever post in my new blog was written all lame.

But bloggers understand the insecurity.

Lisa out.