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Friends and Family hate me because of APPLE!
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Me too
I'm no newbie either, but when I chose my 12" PB 1.33 (Rev C) you'd have though I had chosen a Hell, I mean Dill, No, Dell. They're all saying Why? What can you do on THAT?. Thankfully, I was able to convert them too, after showing them all the cool specs and the Unix-Based part, even if it took a while to sink in. Oh well, let them suffer at the hands of little Billy Gates.
I'm no newbie either, but when I chose my 12" PB 1.33 (Rev C) you'd have though I had chosen a Hell, I mean Dill, No, Dell. They're all saying Why? What can you do on THAT?. Thankfully, I was able to convert them too, after showing them all the cool specs and the Unix-Based part, even if it took a while to sink in. Oh well, let them suffer at the hands of little Billy Gates.
<rant>
Here is the problem that I see. Apple has never shown what a Mac can do. Their ads are all about the beautiful metal box with their cool logo. Never about the power of the OS (or the gui eyecandy
). I was once told by a pc tech that Macs could not get online . There is a huge misunderstanding about what is available for software on a Mac. I have recently stopped buying a lot of software because the freeware/opensource on the Mac blows everything else away. I was looking at version tracker today and about 50% of the Mac programs were free or dirt cheap. 99% of the apps on the windows platform where commercial $$$. Apple makes great software and the Mac developer community follows suit so apple should show the tools we have so people understand want the Mac is good for. Hell screen shots of the gui in action with some of the apps would sell more machines then their "worlds fastest ads". People have never even seen how the Mac layout works. Its just the ignorant leading the ignorant and apple refuses to do any public education. </rant>
Here is the problem that I see. Apple has never shown what a Mac can do. Their ads are all about the beautiful metal box with their cool logo. Never about the power of the OS (or the gui eyecandy
). I was once told by a pc tech that Macs could not get online . There is a huge misunderstanding about what is available for software on a Mac. I have recently stopped buying a lot of software because the freeware/opensource on the Mac blows everything else away. I was looking at version tracker today and about 50% of the Mac programs were free or dirt cheap. 99% of the apps on the windows platform where commercial $$$. Apple makes great software and the Mac developer community follows suit so apple should show the tools we have so people understand want the Mac is good for. Hell screen shots of the gui in action with some of the apps would sell more machines then their "worlds fastest ads". People have never even seen how the Mac layout works. Its just the ignorant leading the ignorant and apple refuses to do any public education. </rant>
bhertz said:
I agree with this completely. Most of the sheep don't realize you can have PC/Mac households, that you can share documents and just about everything else (sans games). And most of those clowns down at Best Buy and Circuit $hitty fuel the fire with just plain xenophobic lies.
My girlfriend's father once said he wouldn't get a Mac because "they only have something like 3% marketshare..." Upon hearing this I did what any sane individual would do: I slammed my drink, excused myself, went outside to have a smoke and then uprooted a tree.
Heh. Try to convert them. My girlfriend is one of those people who doesn't know much about computers, and is PROUD of it. You know, the ones where you're like "Macs are superior" and they're all like "I don't care."
Well anyway, I stayed in her dorm room over spring break and convinced her to use my PowerBook for the week.
Guess what she's buying next. :-D
Well anyway, I stayed in her dorm room over spring break and convinced her to use my PowerBook for the week.
Guess what she's buying next. :-D
jxyama said:i think "there's no software" is often meant as "there's no software i can just copy from others."
and i think it's true to a degree, many people stay away from switching because they need to be able to get programs from their friends for their computer.
You can get plenty of software 'free' if you know where to look....
photoshop cs, dreamweaver mx, office 2004, filemaker 7, vpc 6 to name a few
really... that argument 'there is no software for the MAC' is so old and un-true...people who say that think clock cycles are everyting...and they then procede to use amd procs....
I had the opposite experience. I got Mac and told my family about it. Now my brother bought a Powerbook, and my mom bought a G5. My family really took to it.
I think a lot of the problem is people don't like admiting they make bad decisions. Whenever I advise people in my office of the latest virus or worm (mind you I send this info out on my iMac) I get snorts and glares from everyone because they know that their systems are more insecure, they just have a problem admiting that the system (my iMac) they used to make fun of is better than theirs.
They probably hate you for other reasons... the Mac is just an excuse to hate you in the open and outright.
(Anyone ever feel that zealots are the only ones that belive such strong feelings such as "hate" can be conjured by the ownership of a certain brand of computer??? )
(Anyone ever feel that zealots are the only ones that belive such strong feelings such as "hate" can be conjured by the ownership of a certain brand of computer???
)
legion said:(Anyone ever feel that zealots are the only ones that belive such strong feelings such as "hate" can be conjured by the ownership of a certain brand of computer???
Yes. Yes I do.
I have a graphic arts teacher who regularly likes to bash Macs.
He knows I luv Macs.
When ever he makes fun of them, (CPU cycles, virii, software, price, ect.)
I just sit there and smile.
It pisses him off so much.
some pc users seem truly offended over macs. its very pathetic. I mean come on.. get a life people.
upperblue79 said:
Yes, and believe me I was annoyed when Microsoft bought Bungie. As a huge Bungie fan before that, it sucked to all of a sudden have people saying "Halo can't run on a Mac" etc. when just a while ago it was only going to be released for Mac.
Oh well, hopefully Bungie will continue to develop games for the Mac.
Inspector Lee said:
did you really uproot a tree?I hate the marketshare complaint. It's got to be one of the worst out there. It doesn't even make any sense! Why do you think they don't have a big market share?? Because everyone says they don't have a big market share, so they don't buy one! Ugh. No pun intended, but it should be like Apple Jacks: "we eat what we like." Isn't it really as simple as that?
musicpyrite said:You can get plenty of software 'free' if you know where to look....
photoshop cs, dreamweaver mx, office 2004, filemaker 7, vpc 6 to name a few
really... that argument 'there is no software for the MAC' is so old and un-true...people who say that think clock cycles are everyting...and they then procede to use amd procs....
.... Ho hum. Where is a good place for one to look for software such as those listed above
...and free???Mac vs. PC
Hi,
It is interesting looking through these posts and the different approaches people have to this post. There is prejudice within the Mac community just as there is prejudice between Mac and PC. I have no doubt that each system has it's pros and cons no matter what system one chooses, the job will get done. It is not good to compare.
I remember watching a documentary about a girl not long ago. The girl wanted to take up skating. Her friends wondered why she would want to do this and could not understand for the most part. The girl continued in her persuit of learning skateboarding and did quite well in the tournament for a beginner. What really mattered in this documentary is that in the end, those that really loved the young woman, gave support no matter what they thought. Some where guilty of ignorance and some where guilty of prejudice. But, seeing the smile on that little girls face when she did well broughtt a good feeling within me.
If we all followed the crowd, then perhaps we would still be cavemen an women. But, we are not cavepeople. We are individuals. You can ask many any experienced teacher about the personalities of their students. They'll tell you they are individuals. Sure, some follow more than lead, but they still have their individual differences. I tend to support my students within limits, but give support to their thoughts. Instead of saying no this is not right, I try to understand.
When others criticize, reflect outwards and inwards, and persue your dreams.
gl,
Kel.
Hi,
It is interesting looking through these posts and the different approaches people have to this post. There is prejudice within the Mac community just as there is prejudice between Mac and PC. I have no doubt that each system has it's pros and cons no matter what system one chooses, the job will get done. It is not good to compare.
I remember watching a documentary about a girl not long ago. The girl wanted to take up skating. Her friends wondered why she would want to do this and could not understand for the most part. The girl continued in her persuit of learning skateboarding and did quite well in the tournament for a beginner. What really mattered in this documentary is that in the end, those that really loved the young woman, gave support no matter what they thought. Some where guilty of ignorance and some where guilty of prejudice. But, seeing the smile on that little girls face when she did well broughtt a good feeling within me.
If we all followed the crowd, then perhaps we would still be cavemen an women. But, we are not cavepeople. We are individuals. You can ask many any experienced teacher about the personalities of their students. They'll tell you they are individuals. Sure, some follow more than lead, but they still have their individual differences. I tend to support my students within limits, but give support to their thoughts. Instead of saying no this is not right, I try to understand.
When others criticize, reflect outwards and inwards, and persue your dreams.
gl,
Kel.
bhertz said:
I don't think I could possibly agree more. There is nothing at ALL indicating how great the OS is - you basically have to buy a Mac to figure that out. Even the old Jeff Goldblum "look how easy it is" commercials never really showed the OS (and it's a much better OS now).
I think a 30 second commercial showing what you could do, showing only the screen of the system for most of the commercial, would work wonders.
I love the iPod ads. But for god's sake, could Apple just replace 10% of them with Mac ads?
matt459 said:.... Ho hum. Where is a good place for one to look for software such as those listed above
your newbieness shines like a blinding star
musicpyrite said:You can get plenty of software 'free' if you know where to look....
photoshop cs, dreamweaver mx, office 2004, filemaker 7, vpc 6 to name a few
really... that argument 'there is no software for the MAC' is so old and un-true...people who say that think clock cycles are everyting...and they then procede to use amd procs....
You can? Free? I was considering throwing $400 at Microsoft for Office 2004 for my new eMac and you're saying I can get it for free? Sounds a little too good to be true...
To Answer the Original Question: Yes
Yes, there is a stigma against buying a Mac. It's really humorous when one steps back to look at it. The average consumer has no problem with Apple. To the average consumer, the Mac is desirable because it is rumored to be easy-to-use. We, as Mac users, know this.
To the computer enthusiast, the Mac's specifications don't compare with the PC's specifications. "A 1 GHz processor? Ha," they say. "Mac's are slow," "Mac's aren't real computers," and more, are some of these enthusiasts' favorite arguments. Unfortunately, these users are trying to sound smart, when in fact they have no idea what they're talking about. They haven't seen the benchmarks; they think any Intel or AMD 64-bit is faster than the G5 because of the clock speed.
Those with a little more knowledge realize clock speed isn't the most important factor, as they use 2.2 GHz Athlon 3000+ processors that outperform 3 GHz Pentium 4s. Unfortunately, these users don't extend this logic to the Apple platform as they are chiefly gamers.
Linux users argue that Linux is the only OS to use; OS X isn't free, therefore they criticize it.
The answer to the original question - whether there is a stigma to buying a Mac - is yes. The average consumer won't criticize because the average consumer doesn't care. The enthusiast will criticize because the enthusiast wants to sound smart. The gamer will criticize because the gamer (incorrectly) thinks there are no games for the Mac. The Linux user will criticize because the Linux user loves Linux and hates commercial software.
Who doesn't criticize? The creative designer doesn't. The scientist doesn't. The mathematician, the programmer, the educator, the IT manager, and the educated computer user don't criticize.
Who would you rather listen to? Which group would you rather be in?
Mike LaRiviere
Yes, there is a stigma against buying a Mac. It's really humorous when one steps back to look at it. The average consumer has no problem with Apple. To the average consumer, the Mac is desirable because it is rumored to be easy-to-use. We, as Mac users, know this.
To the computer enthusiast, the Mac's specifications don't compare with the PC's specifications. "A 1 GHz processor? Ha," they say. "Mac's are slow," "Mac's aren't real computers," and more, are some of these enthusiasts' favorite arguments. Unfortunately, these users are trying to sound smart, when in fact they have no idea what they're talking about. They haven't seen the benchmarks; they think any Intel or AMD 64-bit is faster than the G5 because of the clock speed.
Those with a little more knowledge realize clock speed isn't the most important factor, as they use 2.2 GHz Athlon 3000+ processors that outperform 3 GHz Pentium 4s. Unfortunately, these users don't extend this logic to the Apple platform as they are chiefly gamers.
Linux users argue that Linux is the only OS to use; OS X isn't free, therefore they criticize it.
The answer to the original question - whether there is a stigma to buying a Mac - is yes. The average consumer won't criticize because the average consumer doesn't care. The enthusiast will criticize because the enthusiast wants to sound smart. The gamer will criticize because the gamer (incorrectly) thinks there are no games for the Mac. The Linux user will criticize because the Linux user loves Linux and hates commercial software.
Who doesn't criticize? The creative designer doesn't. The scientist doesn't. The mathematician, the programmer, the educator, the IT manager, and the educated computer user don't criticize.
Who would you rather listen to? Which group would you rather be in?
Mike LaRiviere
laserbeahm said:
No its because Apple and their users have gotten a rep over the years for being snob, elitist, ***holes. Consequently some of us have to explain we arent like that. A handful of Mac zealots have single handedly alienated pretty much the entire computer industry by being jerks. The reaction is partly because of this but also partly because of the notion that Macs are more expensive. Id call it a 60/40 split.
And lets face facts there is something that is just aggravating about someone who thinks their system is god's gift to the world when their computing OS is on less then 2-4% of the computers on this planet. That's not to say that there aren't a good number of PC jerks out there its just that Mac users are more vocal and more in your face about it. Or that's how I see it at any rate. *shrugs*
SiliconAddict said:
Ditto. Although our IT manager, expert in both Mac and PC field is a pretty nice guy. Although he flaunts his 12" PB, 3G iPod (40GB I'm sure), and canal ear buds, where ever he goes.
musicpyrite said:You can get plenty of software 'free' if you know where to look....
photoshop cs, dreamweaver mx, office 2004, filemaker 7, vpc 6 to name a few
really... that argument 'there is no software for the MAC' is so old and un-true...people who say that think clock cycles are everyting...and they then procede to use amd procs....
You DO realize that the PR Rating that AMD devised was specifically made to go against the "clock cycles are everything" mentality that Intel has reinforced the past 5 years?
Why do you think a 1600+ Athlon XP could compete with the 1.6ghz up to the 2.0ghz Williamette? The Athlon XP was running @ only 1.4Ghz.
*by the same token, I honestly HOPE that you don't buy into Apple's "FLOPS are everything" campaign. In that kind of FUD/Distortion field, you would believe a Single 933 G4 can beat a Dual 2.0Ghz Opteron system, basing your comparison on FLOP performance ALONE:
http://forgetcomputers.com/~jdroz/pages/09.html
It still scares me, to this day, that people may read this site and BELIEVE what he is saying.
SiliconAddict said:
I think there's a lot to this. My primary computer is an IBM ThinkPad, because of certain things that it does better *for my particular purpose* than a PowerBook would. I do have an iMac at home, though, and love it when I'm not working. The funny thing is that I know a couple of the "Mac zealots" you describe who are constantly trying to sell me on the Mac (I won't give them the satisfaction of telling them that I'm actually a big fan of Macs and have one at home) and who think that an IBM purchase cannot possibly have been made wisely.
I do agree that Apple needs to sharpen its Mac advertising. Because of the huge stigma attached to the Mac, it is no longer possible to advertise it the same way that you would advertise an iPod. I don't think you could show too much of the GUI in a 30 second spot, and even if you did this could backfire, however. People would notice two things: the interface is very different (a GUi spot wouldn't be showing the similarities, after all) and it has eye candy (which people would fit into their "toy" bias). In my mind, a better choice would be to show Macs doing things: controlling a home stereo w/ Airport Express, managing photos and movies (the DVD buring commercial *was* a success), and very importantly, sending Microsoft Word files to PC using coworkers. Every time I send a Word file from my Mac to someone using a PC, they think I used some kind of "trick."
elo