Being Judged for Using a MacBook - Anyone Else Have Similar Experiences?

[Applezone_]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share something I’ve noticed recently and see if anyone else has had similar experiences. I’m a student in Europe, where Apple products are quite popular, but Macs seem to be less so. I use a MacBook for school, social settings, and even during two internships where I could bring my own device. However, people often react negatively when they see me using it.

In my course, MacBooks are rare, but I find macOS to be perfectly compatible with everything I need. Despite this, I get strange looks and comments, not just at school but also in friend groups and other social settings.

During my first internship, where I was allowed to bring my own device, my boss was initially reluctant to let me use the MacBook and even got mad when I did. When I asked why I couldn’t use it, the response was vague, with comment like “it’s just not the standard we use”. Once I was allowed to use it, I found that it made my work so much easier and faster compared to a Windows laptop. However, there were very rare instances when an external device, like a USB drive, didn’t work properly. The MacBook was blamed for these issues, but when I tried the same tasks with the same external device on a Windows laptop, the problems were exactly the same and had nothing to do with the computers.

In my second internship, where I also could bring my own device, the boss similarly didn’t want me to use a MacBook, even though all the necessary software was available and it worked great for my tasks. When I asked about the reason, I received similarly vague responses like “it’s not the norm here”

I’ve never encountered these kind of reactions with other Apple devices, so I’m curious—has anyone else experienced something similar?

 

[SnoFlo]

Regularly. Use the tools that make you more productive and happy.

 

[Juicy Box]

However, people often react negatively when they see me using it.

I personally haven't experience this in the last 15 years or so.

You probably didn't use Macs in the mid 90's to mid 2000's. It was brutal being a Mac user back then, at least it was for me. Around the mid to late 2000's it seemed like the general attitude about Macs started to change in my experience. I had a few friends that used to (playfully) make fun of me for using Macs start to ask me for advice on which Macs I thought they should get. A few even got a .Mac account as well.

It was strange for all the hate before that though, because while I think MacOS is still generally better than Windows, the gap in which MacOS is better has been steadily narrowing since popularity in Macs have increased.

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

I only use Mac at home. So unless I tell someone nobody knows. But my last job some people used a Mac. Even though most of the IT issued devices were Windows Laptops. But our IT dept supported both systems. So nobody really cared what you were using. Other than anecdotal hear say I never seen anyone really bash on one device or the other with any real seriousness. I personally couldn't care less what someone thought about me using something isn't "mainstream" or ubiquitous in popularity.

 

[Iwavvns]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share something I’ve noticed recently and see if anyone else has had similar experiences. I’m a student in Europe, where Apple products are quite popular, but Macs seem to be less so. I use a MacBook for school, social settings, and even during two internships where I could bring my own device. However, people often react negatively when they see me using it.

In my course, MacBooks are rare, but I find macOS to be perfectly compatible with everything I need. Despite this, I get strange looks and comments, not just at school but also in friend groups and other social settings.

During my first internship, where I was allowed to bring my own device, my boss was initially reluctant to let me use the MacBook and even got mad when I did. When I asked why I couldn’t use it, the response was vague, with comment like “it’s just not the standard we use”. Once I was allowed to use it, I found that it made my work so much easier and faster compared to a Windows laptop. However, there were very rare instances when an external device, like a USB drive, didn’t work properly. The MacBook was blamed for these issues, but when I tried the same tasks with the same external device on a Windows laptop, the problems were exactly the same and had nothing to do with the computers.

In my second internship, where I also could bring my own device, the boss similarly didn’t want me to use a MacBook, even though all the necessary software was available and it worked great for my tasks. When I asked about the reason, I received similarly vague responses like “it’s not the norm here”

I’ve never encountered these kind of reactions with other Apple devices, so I’m curious—has anyone else experienced something similar?

When inside someone else’s domain it is always best to adopt the practices expected in that domain - especially during school/internships. I understand you enjoy using a Mac, so do I, but if you keep rubbing people the wrong way all of the time they are not going to want you around in the future.

If someone were to come into your home you would expect them to abide by your rules and practices, correct? What would you do if they refused? Would you invite them back more often? Would you speak highly of them or recommend them to others?

Whomever guaranteed that life would always go your way.. they lied to you.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Try surrounding yourself with more mature people. Don’t let them get to you. Being judged or shunned because one uses a MB or Windows is stupid, in my opinion.

 

[DaveEcc]

In a corporate setting, sure. They're used to configuring Windows devices, how they behave, and providing corporate overrides to what settings a user is allowed to muck with. You're bringing an unknown entity into the corporate network. Additionally you can't necessarily run the standard set of tools and applications they expect, which can affect the ability to interoperate and share with co-workers. If you run into a tech issue, they have no clue how to assist. The reluctance is understandable.

Outside of a corporate setting I'd expect less bias. To a LOT of tech people who've never used one, they're still considered over-priced toys, but they've become far more acceptable recently. Anyone outside the corporate setting looking down on Macs is likely coming from a mix ignorance, inertia, it being cool to hate Mac, the lack of any standing as a gaming platform, and the cost of the machine when compared to bottom-of-the-barrel PC prices.

Back in the day, I was an Amiga user, 68K Macs cost a fortune, but were often monochrome, and their OS didn't even multi-task. I did use one once or twice back then at school. Macs were just weird overpriced toys, without the power of a PC, or the multimedia and gaming of an Amiga. I would have looked down on a Mac user back then. I have no idea what the PPC era of Macs was like... I ignored them, assuming they continued to be overpriced toys. The candy colored iMacs? That just re-emphasized that these were fashion toy machines to many. I also ignored the start of the Intel transition...

But then I took a job where our software needed to work on both Windows and Mac. That's when I learned that the modern MacOS was a fairly standard desktop experience, with a unix-based underbelly, and no longer the non-multitasking weird thing that came before. The hardware was premium, with Dual Xeon PROs, retina displays on iPads and MacBooks, MacBooks moving to all-SSD storage... Apple were LEADING tech improvements. That came as a bit of a shock. 5K iMacs, 6K pro displays, Apple-silicon CPUs all show they continue to push tech forward.

I don't think everyone has received the memo that Apple isn't just overpriced candy colored toys, but the word is spreading.

 

[Dhonk]

In college (graduated '03) it was rare to see someone using a Mac. The company had barely recovered from the abyss, and they had no products that were winning people over. My friend's girlfriend had a MacBook, and she was the only one I knew. Lots of Dell, HP, etc. I had a Micron.

However, I generally feel this way when I see someone using a non-phone. It seems like it's 95% of people I see on a daily basis.

 

[Melbourne Park]

....

Back in the day, I was an Amiga user, 68K Macs cost a fortune, but were often monochrome, and their OS didn't even multi-task. I did use one once or twice back then at school. Macs were just weird overpriced toys, without the power of a PC, or the multimedia and gaming of an Amiga. I would have looked down on a Mac user back then. I have no idea what the PPC era of Macs was like... I ignored them, assuming they continued to be overpriced toys. The candy colored iMacs? ....

Actually Macs were not more expensive than an IBM branded PC. And with DOS, most IBM PCs had green and black screens, or a very limited number of colours. They also did not have a WYSIWYG interface, or a mouse to operate one. And Macs did multi-task - it was just not preemptive multitasking. And they did not have proper protective memory ... but it was easy to swap between many apps, and have things being printed while one did so. And sending files down a super low cost network that could be setup in a few minutes. Home build non branded PCs were cheaper though, especially hard drives. But while PC users operated Lotus 123 and Wordperfect, Mac users were pasting into Word graphs from Excel. And grabbing an Excel chart, and putting it into Mac Draw, and re-arranging it, then pasting that into Word. Something that cannot be done now. Macs were far more powerful than PCs, and their users operated many more apps than PC users did. And hence Mac users were far more productive. But IT departments wanted control, they wanted everything tied to their central setups, and they made side commission dollars on their mates clone PCs which also kept them fixing things round the clock and hence gave them employment and prestige. And when Win 3 came along, it was the end for Apple computers. It was the really the iPhone that saved Apple.

 

[CPTmom2wp]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share something I’ve noticed recently and see if anyone else has had similar experiences. I’m a student in Europe, where Apple products are quite popular, but Macs seem to be less so. I use a MacBook for school, social settings, and even during two internships where I could bring my own device. However, people often react negatively when they see me using it.

In my course, MacBooks are rare, but I find macOS to be perfectly compatible with everything I need. Despite this, I get strange looks and comments, not just at school but also in friend groups and other social settings.

During my first internship, where I was allowed to bring my own device, my boss was initially reluctant to let me use the MacBook and even got mad when I did. When I asked why I couldn’t use it, the response was vague, with comment like “it’s just not the standard we use”. Once I was allowed to use it, I found that it made my work so much easier and faster compared to a Windows laptop. However, there were very rare instances when an external device, like a USB drive, didn’t work properly. The MacBook was blamed for these issues, but when I tried the same tasks with the same external device on a Windows laptop, the problems were exactly the same and had nothing to do with the computers.

In my second internship, where I also could bring my own device, the boss similarly didn’t want me to use a MacBook, even though all the necessary software was available and it worked great for my tasks. When I asked about the reason, I received similarly vague responses like “it’s not the norm here”

I’ve never encountered these kind of reactions with other Apple devices, so I’m curious—has anyone else experienced something similar?

As an old school Apple aficionado, this was not an uncommon experience for many years. The IT people I worked with (organization with over 800 employees), acted like vampires who were exposed to sunlight when I requested permission to use my MacBook Pro for remote work. They cited security concerns and admitted that they knew nothing about the architecture of the laptop. However, I can also say, after many years of using these products that they are superior in every way...hardware, software, quality, longevity. The disasters they had at that organization every time they attempted a new Windows update was legendary, in a bad way. So...... Rather than feeling embarrassed, you should just smile with the knowledge that you have a top of the line product that will outlast and outperform their pc's. They will probably have to repair and replace their devices several times over the life of your Mac.