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Apple and PC User, Angry Dad works at Microsoft

JackArc

JackArc

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 10, 2006
216
0
Orange County, CA
I am a 18 year old film school student who bought a Mac with 100% his own dime and uses it for its video editing and music editing capabilities. I also use it for Photoshop, iTunes, iChat and web surfing. My Dad however, is a huge Microsoft fan (obviously), as he has worked for the company for nearly 15 years. I use PC's, I think Vista is a great product and I own a Sony Vaio laptop I use for class and work/excell/powerpoint as well as casul web surfing but I mostly use it for portable needs as my Mac is a desktop. I have a 6 week break between terms and when I brought my Mac back home and hooked everything he was furious. He told me to sell it right away. I didnt think he would so angry if I bought it with my own money. However, he was very upset and angry. I understand his loyalty to his company and appreciate it as it pays for my college and a very nice style of living but he overreacted. Espically cuz I am a PC user too and my sister and I have been using iPods for years. I finally talked to him and he is letting me keep it but he doesnt want to see it in the house. I think he is finally understanding that I need it for all the media stuff I have to do for my major.

What should I say to him? Should I just let it be and be Appleless for 2 more weeks till I head back to school? He is a great guy but he is so cluess and full of bias.

Thanks

PS. He has been having nothing but problems with his new Zune. And when he went to show me how much better the new Windows Media Player was compated to iTunes his computer froze. Haha.
 
Maybe you could remind him about the MacBU (Macintosh Business Unit) at Microsoft? Just get him to give you a copy of Office to install on your desktop and he'll probably be content.
 
With a reaction like that in regards to the brand of computer you bought he clearly needs to see a therapist (preferably one who uses Apples). :D
 
He's been working for Microsoft for 15 years and still hasn't seen what's wrong with Windows (and/or Microsoft as a whole)? Only took me about 3 years to figure that out, and I don't even work there. :D
 
This attitude seems prevalent in Redmond. Wasn't there a story last year that Ballmer forbad his kids to use iPods or Google. :rolleyes:

In order to compete with someone you need to interact with them so that you can understand them well enough to know where their weaknesses are....

B
 
That's pretty ridiculous. Computing is a matter of preference and workflow. It's not about a pissing match between two companies. Too many people get evangelical about their platform of choice. OS X and Windows offer a lot of the same things in terms of feature set, but some prefer the way one works over another. Each have their own set of pros and cons.

If he's so keen on toeing the company line, I'm curious why he doesn't consider you a thief. Ballmer seems to think iPod users are thieves. Plus the iPod itself is far more competition to Microsoft than a Macintosh. And what of Google? Better watch those chairs. ;)
 
zephead said:
He's been working for Microsoft for 15 years and still hasn't seen what's wrong with Windows (and/or Microsoft as a whole)? Only took me about 3 years to figure that out, and I don't even work there. :D
Click to expand...


I give you Upton Sinclair:
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it."
 
gauchogolfer said:
I give you Upton Sinclair:
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it."
Click to expand...

What if the man doesn't have a salary? ;)

I think that quote would be better worded like this:

Upton Sinclair said:
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary does not depend on his understanding of it.
Click to expand...

That way, it would apply for people without salaries as well ;). But I get what you're saying, it'll be different once I have a salary.
 
JackArc said:
PS. He has been having nothing but problems with his new Zune. And when he went to show me how much better the new Windows Media Player was compated to iTunes his computer froze. Haha.
Click to expand...

After his WMP froze, you should have patted him on the back and said, "Don't worry, Dad. That happened to me 14 months ago when I was using iTunes. Wait, was it 14 months? Mmmm....maybe it was 17 months ago."

It's not true for me personally, of course, because iTunes has never failed on me in the many years I have used it, but maybe it would make him feel better. ;)
 
Hopefully, you didn't laugh when the computer froze.

I've seen similar reactions when someone whose dad worked for GM bought a Ford car. You don't even have to work for the company or get anything from them. You're supposed to be loyal. That's just the way it is. :eek:

I'd mention something about MS Office to distract him. If you've already got it on your machine, ask him to help you with something you "need" to do.

You could also ask him about running Windows on your machine. That might soften his mood. He's probably unaware that it's even possible. It sounds as if he's the proverbial mushroom at work.
 
Ask him if he can get you a discount for Windows Vista to run on your Mac (assuming you have an intel model).

He should be flattered that your willing to put such a horrible OS on such a perfect machine. :D :p
 
I sense a reverse troll, but...

Do your dad and your mum get on? It seems like there's something missing out of his mid-life. Like sex or a fast car.

Send him here and perhaps I can lighten him up a bit. After my initial 'wow' switching dazzle, I now realise that for general purpose a Mac basically boils down to a Windows box with training wheels - so we should get on well - but maybe unlike him I see their value in some niche areas.
 
JackArc said:
I am a 18 year old film school student who bought a Mac with 100% his own dime and uses it for its video editing and music editing capabilities. I also use it for Photoshop, iTunes, iChat and web surfing. My Dad however, is a huge Microsoft fan (obviously), as he has worked for the company for nearly 15 years. I use PC's, I think Vista is a great product and I own a Sony Vaio laptop I use for class and work/excell/powerpoint as well as casul web surfing but I mostly use it for portable needs as my Mac is a desktop. I have a 6 week break between terms and when I brought my Mac back home and hooked everything he was furious. He told me to sell it right away. I didnt think he would so angry if I bought it with my own money. However, he was very upset and angry. I understand his loyalty to his company and appreciate it as it pays for my college and a very nice style of living but he overreacted. Espically cuz I am a PC user too and my sister and I have been using iPods for years. I finally talked to him and he is letting me keep it but he doesnt want to see it in the house. I think he is finally understanding that I need it for all the media stuff I have to do for my major.

What should I say to him? Should I just let it be and be Appleless for 2 more weeks till I head back to school? He is a great guy but he is so cluess and full of bias.

Thanks

PS. He has been having nothing but problems with his new Zune. And when he went to show me how much better the new Windows Media Player was compated to iTunes his computer froze. Haha.
Click to expand...


It sounds like he's the kid and you're the adult. I think he needs to grow up a little.



Sesshi said:
I now realise that for general purpose a Mac basically boils down to a Windows box with training wheels
Click to expand...

I've never heard anything more hideous.
 
Sesshi said:
After my initial 'wow' switching dazzle, I now realise that for general purpose a Mac basically boils down to a Windows box with training wheels - so we should get on well - but maybe unlike him I see their value in some niche areas.
Click to expand...
"For general purpose". Nice caveat ;)
 
Keep up the fight, never stop using your Mac JackArc! :)


JackArc said:
PS. He has been having nothing but problems with his new Zune. And when he went to show me how much better the new Windows Media Player was compated to iTunes his computer froze. Haha.
Click to expand...

That had to be great! :D :D :)
 
I agree with Alex. Your dad's attitude is childish. I think he's threatened by the fact that you've been using an operating system that his company has been trying to imitate unsuccessfully for five years. I think he's threatened by the fact that Apple can do it and Microsoft (until now) couldn't. And he's probably threatened by Apple's ongoing product successes while Microsoft more or less continues to tread water.
 
Does he have a stock option? Maybe he's upset that he could've essentially made money had you bought Windows. ;)

Has he ever tried the other side?

Tell him not to judge until he's walked a mile in another man's operating system.
 
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