In 1983, I started out on one of those Apple IIe computers, now called fancy typewriters. In 1990 we brought home our first IBM PC: a Packard Bell 386SX with MS-DOS/Windows 3.0. I also used Macs at school plus one at home explicitly for music production. My dad and I soon learned how to build PCs and crossed through many operating system changes. Nowadays, anything not requiring pen and paper has gone digital, including music (score/audio), media production (photo/video), finances, documentation, and of course website development.

I currently use 4 primary devices, one per category:

Desktop: 2010 Mac Pro 3.33GHz (12-core), 48GB RAM, decommissioned to legacy status
Laptop: 2024 Macbook Pro M4 Max, 128GB RAM, 4TB SSD
Tablet: 2021 iPad Pro M1 (256GB)
Mobile: 2022 iPhone SE (256GB)

By the looks of it, you'd think I was one of those die-hard Apple fanboys. Granted I've been on Apple machines all my life, but I also learned the inner workings of PCs and used every version of Microsoft Windows since 3.0. I believe in a hybrid world where all operating systems have their place and can live together in harmony. It may not be my primary OS, but Windows is exclusively used for website development and other specific forms of production. All else is on the Mac side.

The laptop has become my primary workstation, both home and remote. Thanks to cloud storage, this machine could be reset and be wiped clean without a second thought if the apps and technology I throw at it cause it to bog down. The iPad Pro is mostly for music performance and web development testing, with a spare iPad Air used as a reading device. Lastly, the iPhone is my primary mobile device, with all music/photos/apps from past years, as well as a testing device for mobile website production. An ancient Motorola G6 with Android OS 9.0 is on hand, strictly for testing.

When feasible, machine upgrades are staggered every 8 years and mobile device upgrades every 4 years, attempting to coincide with new product releases to achieve the most value. The last few upgrade cycles were rather erratic, due to Apple's transition to in-house silicon. I had to wait a little longer than usual for a machine that guaranteed reliable dual-boot environments to Windows and Mac. For now, I'm all set with the latest and greatest!