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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Farhad,
You're proselytizing. The belief that one box is better than another is simply that, a belief. There is no way to prove it and the results can go either way depending on the definition of "better". If you want to believe in the god Jobs by all means do so.
Why would you want to be stuck with a box that while retaining its residual is becoming increasingly obsolete second by second? Am I correct in saying that in terms of software availability Apple seems to be way behind the curve?
One of the reasons the PC (all flavours) is so pervasive is that it frees the user from the dictates of the hated IT division. Apple on the other hand just re-establish that bondage.
One last question:- if Apple is cheaper why has the corporate world largely ignored it?
Yep, you're right. I'm a sheep that keeps using Windows despite the fact that a Mac is a better computer. I do this because I'm ignorant, lazy, and myopic.
And don't forget condescending :-)
Your irony is noted, but the real issue here is that when people don't believe that they have any problems, they are complacient and are not actively looking for alternatives. Many computer users (both sides) are sufficiently satisfied with what they have, so they aren't actively looking to see if there's something better. They simply keep doing what they've been doing.
There's nothing wrong with this per se, even though it is a lost opportunity for improvement.
Like I said: "The common Mac-user assumption is that most people don't own a Mac because they are ignorant is just plain wrong." Most of us have tried Macs and we're not convinced they are better computers.
Typically, this last "tried it" was a decade ago, under OS 8 or OS 9. The problem with the paradigm of "tried it once a long time ago" is that things change. For example, my first Japanese car was a 1991 and it sucked - but how many poeple still claim that Japanese cars still suck today?
PCs are more popular because they are judged to be better by most users.
Where "better" was classically based only on initial purchase price instead of lifecycle costs, and in light of a standardization mandate that was made by a select few people down in the bowels of the local corporate IT department.
I don't dispute that the PC was a better _value_ for years in terms of how most people chose to define "value". However, this utterly fails to explain why Apple didn't go out of business back then, nor does it explain why Apple is making big marketshare gains today.
The simple explanation is that the consumer's definition of "value" is changing and Apple has become substantially more competitive. Since the initial purchase prices of Macs aren't cheaper than PCs, then it simply must be something else.
-hh
Allie is still living in the 20th century. "Until all software makers support it?" Good lord. Well then throw out your Windows machine, because not all software makers support it either. The fact of the matter is, you can now use MORE software on a Mac than you can on a PC. Get with the times.
"One of the reasons the PC (all flavours) is so pervasive is that it frees the user from the dictates of the hated IT division. Apple on the other hand just re-establish that bondage."
This is flat wrong. The opposite could not be more true.
This has been the most entertaining thread since Salon stopped running pubic hair stories.
"I don't have anything against Macs. You prefer Macs, that's fine, you'll get no static from me, they are good computers. But what's with this parallel fantasy land where Macheads seem to live? It's a Mac Utopia where PC's crash twice a day, are constantly jammed with viruses and spyware, and annoy their users with an interface that is terribly counterintuitive and difficult to use. This puzzles me, because I use PC's for many hours every day, and I can testify that they rarely crash, can be kept clean of malware with a few basic precautions, and that Windows is simple to use, provided you know how to look at things and click on them."
Indeed. It is very strange but it seems to be an extension of the "Macs just work" propaganda which implies that PCs don't "just work" but, in reality, PCs "just work" fine. Of course they probably realize this so they add on the crazed nonsense like implying that one has to be smarter to use a Mac or that if you don't use one you are losing out on an opportunity for self improvement or that you haven't joined the 21st century or some other such foolishness.
The one that really got me was the guy/gal who wrote awhile back that he/she had drifted away from a friend because the friend used a PC and that he/she had started to judge people and potential friends based on which computer they own/ue. The person admitted that he/she is a Mac Kool-aid drinker but...wow!...I mean that's Jim Jones level of Kool-aid drinking.
Firstly, the author uses crap pricing. A Dell PC, if bought online through their mid-month specials (techbargains.com and dealnews.com routinely feature these) typically costs HALF of what a comparable Mac goes for, shipping included. Only a fool would buy an HP at a local retail outlet.
Secondly, tons more software and hardware out there for the PC, which all tend to cost much lest.
Thirdly, a lot more PC maintenance providers than Mac, and again competition = lower prices.
Windows XP which I use on my home Dell PC is far faster and more stable than the OS X on the iMac that I am forced to use at work.
I have never had a single virus on my PC, nor has it ever needed any professional maintenance or service. No problems with spyware "gumming" up the PC either. Granted, this may be due to the fact that I am not so stupid as to use Explorer (I use Firefox instead), regularly run free spyware programs like Spybot Search & Destroy and Lavasoft AdAware, and do not open spam emails. I'm no computer guru, just a normal person who's taken a little time and effort to get a clue about what he's doing.
Face it, Apple = the Bose of computers: cutesy industrial design but hideously overpriced, overhyped, mediocre quality, and geared for folks who are too stupid and/or lazy to learn how to use real equipment.
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