Last Wednesday to Sunday I spent with Krista and a group of our friends in Cabo. I have much more to say about the trip and getting back on the blogging horse, but I'm testing some video uploading with Vimeo (private!) to see how it works for now.
Pacificaaaaaaaaa from Brett Keintz on Vimeo.
I needed a new computer. The loaner laptop I kindly donated to me by my friend Adam had begun to have problems. The screen would shutoff randomly throughout the day, sometimes as frequently as every five minutes. I had been waiting for an upgrade to the MBP, and I finally got it. 
There was only one problem.
The stores only stock one model--the high-end, 2.6Ghz model--with the 7200rpm hard drive I wanted, so I either had to order online for a custom configuration or wait for delivery. Neither was very appealing, although I spend some time thinking through it (Rob will say far too long. And he's probabl right). When I finally did steel myself to buy the most expensive model, I went to purchase the same exact box of the desired Macbook Pro that an associate had shown me the day before only to find that it had been sold. I was told that there was one at the Stanford Mall, but didn't go until the next day. Sold. It doesn't happen to me often, but the feeling as a consumer when you are denied purchasing something you really want is something to be avoided at all costs.
Today Tim Murphy and I went to checkout both stores only to find they still didn't have them in stock and "didn't think they had ever been in stock." (Get your story straight, apple!) He then had the associate call to San Francisco to see if they were in stock, and sure enough they were. Only one problem: in order to get it with the student discount, I had to go up there to buy it.
So I proposed the idea to Krista and she said sure. We drove up quickly, ran in the store, and then I was told by my "personal shopper" that they hadn't received any 2.6Ghz Macbook Pros yet. I nearly lost control, but instead calmly asked him to just check to humor me. He returned a few minutes later with the reserved Macbook Pro in hand and an apology for "scaring me".
In the end, I got my computer. But how much power does Steve Jobs have over his consumer base when he can get someone like myself to spend hours driving around trying to find the right computer, getting denied the option to purchase at every step, and yet STILL sell the highest margin item they sell?
Either they're crazy or I'm crazy, but either way, Apple is going strong.
