Why “Think Different” Is Still Great Advice

David Bippes
Jul 10, 2017 · 2 min read

When I was about to graduate from high school, I started shopping for the perfect college laptop. I had grown up with Windows computers, so the natural choice was to buy a laptop running Windows. But Windows 8 had come out, and its weird layout, random bugs, and lack of usability had annoyed me to no end. Seeing how shoddy their new operating system was, I began to be frustrated with Microsoft in general.

I wondered if I should buy a Macbook, but I wasn’t sure I could justify the cost. A friend of mine who had owned a Mac for years believed that a Macbook was the way to go. He convinced me that with a Macbook, I couldn’t go wrong. But when Windows computers enticed me with their much lower prices, I would waver in my Mac-conviction. My friend would simply say, “Stick with the Mac.” Again and again I’d be distracted, and again and again, he’d say, “Stick with the Mac. Stick with the Mac.”

I bought a Macbook in the June before college. I’ve never regretted it once. It’s a wonderful computer and a beautiful machine. But in a deeper sense, my introduction to Apple through my Macbook has shown me that possibilities often lie just outside my field of cognition — sometimes I need a friend to point them out. Buying a Mac showed me what happens when I try something new. It’s shown me that there’s always a different, better way. And it’s brought me away from Microsoft long enough for Windows 10 to come out, proving that things can always change for the better.

None of that would have happened had I not bought a Macbook. And that wouldn’t have happened without my friend simply saying, “Stick with the Mac.” It’s advice that applies to more than just laptops — it guides me when I ask if the road less traveled is the better road. It might be, but I won’t know until I try.

David Bippes

Written by

I read. I write. I learn. I think. That’s me.

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