I am looking into updating my DJ gear. As I have mentioned before, all my DJ equipment is Mac based as I use my MacBook Pro to maintain my music library and edit tracks and I use my older PowerBook G4 to spin using a MIDI controller/sound card combo designed for what I do. It’s a setup that has worked well for a number of years. However, the capabilities of my DJ software is limited when compared to what is available on the market today and the PowerBook won’t support anything much faster. I am striving to build a larger presence in the gay community as a DJ. I have dreams of cranking up the crowd in a larger club and making myself known. By spinning at charity events and such, I’m confident that I can make a positive contribution to the community.
Hence, I search for a new solution.
I am really thinking of going in a different direction with all this. I found a new software program and DJ interface that I really like. It cost a little more than what I use today. I’m thinking of buying a Dell (Product) RED XPS laptop to support it.
Shocking, I know!
There are a couple of reasons that I’m looking at the Dell (Product) Red laptop. First of all, tricked out to the specs I need it still costs only about half of what I have invested in the MacBook Pro and that includes a (Product) Red version of Windows Vista Ultimate. I know other Mac fans will proclaim “but it’s Vista!” but with the economy the way it is, I need to be reasonable with my budget. Plus, the more I use and support Vista for work, the more I actually like it.
Secondly, I feel that Microsoft is doing more than Apple in the philanthropic arena these days. It could be that Apple isn’t as vocal about their efforts as Microsoft (and related entities) is. However, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation does a lot of wonderful things for a lot of people. And I can’t help but admire that. In addition, both the Dell laptop and the version of Windows Vista that I would run are (Product) Red1. Even if I were to not buy the (Product) Red version of the hardware and software, I would still save half the money that would be spent on a new Mac setup and that money could probably be better used with a local AIDS/HIV charity. Too many people that I know and love are HIV positive and it angers me that the necessary medication is so damn expensive. Plus, more money means more research which hopefully brings us closer to a cure for this disease. There are more important things than having the shiniest computer at Panera and if I can use that money for a better means then that is what I’m going to do.
So now I consider all my options and try to decide what to do. I would really like to hear anyone’s thoughts or experience with the (Product) Red Project or anything else I’ve mentioned in this blog entry.
1 proceeds from (Product) Red support AIDS relief in Africa.
