Apple - the curse of Snow Leopard

Since returning home from London there has been no 'let up'.  It didn't help that I had stacks of things to do including developing my website and writing my blog.  So for my MAC to slow to such levels that a carrier pigeon would have been better then i knew i had to take drastic action.   I'd already spent over 5 hours on the phone to Apple support over the previous two weeks.  Why?  Because I'd finally taken the suggested steps to move to iCloud from MobileMe; a procedure which needs to be done before June and which with software five years old like mine (considered prehistoric almost) requires a three-step process.

First the installation of Snow Leopard.  Big mistake.  Not as easy as you might think.  The most annoying thing - Johan (self proclaimed ludite) achieved this step overnight so why not me?

It transpires that because my MAC was bought more than five years ago it is not possible to download Snow Leopard from the App store.  Instead it is necessary to purchase the hard disk.  What I didn't know after a busy Saturday trawl to the Apple store in Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse was that they don't actually sell the Snow Leopard disks inshore.  So to cut a long story short, it took me over a week to obtain the disk.

Now I'm pretty technical but I admit I was slightly scared at the reality of a new software installation disk with only German on the sleeve.  Thank goodness it was an easy process with obviously intelligent software that figured my German is still too poor and thus providing instant English instructions.

Then the printer stopped working.  It transpires Snow Leopard doesn't comply with much third party software or hardware.  Even the MAC Help Team didn't want to admit to this.  I had to alert them to my finding on their Apple discussion page (let's not mention the Google search).  So thanks to reading them I knew not only that I needed to download the latest printer drivers and to cross my fingers, but also that I was not after all technically incompetent as I'd begun to believe.  Then the printer worked although I had to print one page at a time and each page took a random amount of time to print - unbelievably around two hours.  However the scanner stopped completely.  Hence back on the phone to Apple.

They gave me heaps of tips, some of which I'd already tried, and still no resolve.  All this time the only reason for my confirmed support was because I'd purchased the Apple Snow Leopard disk - even that purchase only provides a set time frame for free support.  They cleaned my MAC remotely and left me with even more space.  The upshot - purchase more memory and install it and more importantly upgrade the MAC.  Even more important, back up everything.  Even so, they told me the life of my machine was not a long one and certainly wouldn't last the time a brand new machine would last.  The clever people led me to believe it would be so much hassle that perhaps the purchase of a brand new computer and even a new printer may be cost effective.

So of course I ventured back to the Apple store and what joy, on a Saturday too.  The only upside is the ability to time it so Patrik could sleep whilst we ate at Jemoli's basement sushi bar.  But the Apple store was packed and after just under two hours of discussing my needs, the issues with my MAC and with the kids taking turns in having screaming tantrums (I'm not blaming them and the need for me to rush things along) and the next thing and I'm buying a new machine.  What a beauty.  Just had to return with my 'old' one wrapped in pillows and blankets within a roll along suitcase in order for them to transfer all the data between the two.  At this point my nerves were on edge again as another issue that had raised its ugly had post Snow Leopard installation was my new found inability to back up data.  I just couldn't.  I was literally leaving my documents, data, contact information in the hands of people with blue T-shirts and Apple lanyards.  Yet within three days I'd picked up my new baby and had a one-to-one session (something else these Apple people suggest you purchase) to see everything had wonderfully and magically restored itself on the new shiny machine.  Fortunately I did not buy a new printer.

The last challenge for me was to get it, in its huge box, plus my old one (no longer with blankets and pillows protecting it) back home via a taxi.  Of course being on Bahnhofstrasse no taxis could stop outside because it's the main tram route.  But after my one-to-one lesson a lovely man with a hidden blue T-shirt (the robot staff are not allowed to be seen outside the store with their Apple shirts I guess) helped me carry them to the taxi stop not far away.  It was then I realised that at last, nearly two years of living in Switzerland, I am finally able to give directions from Zurich to home in German.  However as I got out the taxi to home it was made clear the man was intact Italian and had a good laugh at my expense.  Thank goodness I understand Italian!  We had a giggle.

So now my old MAC is now relegated to being a back up computer.  Amazingly my wonderful HP printer still works too.  I couldn't possibly part with my old MAC.  For a few reasons:  I don't want to fuel the big humungous plastic computer eco disaster pile, my so called old computer has been with me through two children being born and Johan and I getting married and is part of the family, and what the heck of course I could use it as a back up disc despite it taking up about ten times the size of a normal external disc drive.  In the meantime I am blaming the very clever sales person for my extravagance and for its replacement, and the simple fact it was my birthday week. But I can safely say I am in love with my new MAC...

The only thing I should have done was to have timed it for my computer to have died whilst we were in London before moving here as it would have saved a whole heap of cash.  Like everything here, these wonderful machines and all their accessories are so much more expensive.