Have to give a persuasive speach on Apple tonight -- Help appreciated!

[ljump12]

So basically for my public speaking class I have to give a 7-9 minute persuasive speach, and i chose my topic to be Buying an Apple computer instead of a PC... becuase I feel i'm pretty knowledgable... I've posted my intro below, can you read through it -- then suggest some arguments to help my points? or if you feel that there are other major points i'm leaving out -- I can add them in.. Also I need 5 Sources, I believe only one of which can come from the internet.

Help me out

Lead-in
Many of you have seen the Mac vs. PC commericals, or have seen Microsoft’s last ditch attempt to save Windows Vista with their 2Billion dollar advertising campaign. Is an Apple computer really that much better than a Windows computer? The short answer is -- yes.

Establishment of Ethos
As a user of both PCs and Mac’s every day I am in a unique position to come to a judgement on these pieces of hardware.

Attention Grabber
Some people will come and say, “Brian, Mac’s are too expensive.” Perhaps they’ll remark, “Their too confusing to use!”, or “I need to use windows for a program I need for work”, or even “I already have everything on my PC, it’d be too hard to transfer it to a macintosh.”

Thesis/Preview
These are some myths that I will debunk over the next few minutes. I’ll show you why an Apple is a better option by explaining why the price is essentially the same, how the user interface is better, how you can still use windows, and even how easy it is to transfer your old files.

 

[ljump12]

Wrote up the first point.. Price

Price:
The biggest one thing that i’m confronted with the most with people believe that the price of an Apple computer is more expensive than a comparable PC from a manufacturer like Dell. As such I decided to perform a little experiment.

First looking at the 13” Macbook, we find that it costs $999. I created a Dell Inspiron 13” with exactly the same specs. $968. The Apple was trivially more expensive. In addition with the Macbook, you will receive a free printer for buying the computer. Additionally if you are a student (or a teacher) as all of you are, you receive a free iPod touch or nano. It seems to me that this more than makes up for the $31 price difference.

Next I tested comparable desktops. the iMac comes in at $1199. The monitor is the computer making for a cableless stylish design. Creating a Dell desktop with the same specs. prices out at $1158. Again about $41 cheaper. In the length of time you will have your computer $41 is a drop of water into a giant ocean. (metaphor)

 

[brisweeney]

you could also try spelling speech right......might be a good starting point

 

[sickmacdoc]

Wrote up the first point.. Price

Probably best not to rely on the free iPod/iTouch info as part of the justification really- since the promotion featuring that ended last September 15.

 

[mgpg89]

Best way to convince them ...

Go Oprah on 'em ...

' You have to experience the difference ... that's why I'm giving everyone in the audience tonight a free Mac. '

 

[Wayne s]

It looks like you have the ideas already, so I would stick with what you want to put across. While asking for help is good, sometimes you get so many different ideas you start to lose track of what YOU want to say. Focus on only three or four points and keep it simple and within the time you have, you do not have that much time really.

As a Mac user you should be able to say what is good about Apple, I would also say maybe one thing negative about Apple products. Nothing is perfect.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Go Oprah on 'em ...

' You have to experience the difference ... that's why I'm giving everyone in the audience tonight a free Mac. '

I love it!
But I have to admit I'm not fully convinced. It sounds like a fanboy speech to me.

"First looking at the 13” Macbook, we find that it costs $999."
You should let them know this is basically for the last gen model as the new ones are not plastic.

You should not refer to a free limited time offer.

"The monitor is the computer making for a cableless stylish design. "
There are cables. You may want to say they've minimized the amount of cables you have to deal with.

" In the length of time you will have your computer $41 is a drop of water into a giant ocean. (metaphor) "
No need to tell us it is a metaphor. However, how can you be so sure a Dell won't outlast an iMac and vice versa? I've had windows machines last me years and years and years. I mean, you're basically saying a Dell will blow up and be completely unusable after a certain amount of time whereas an iMac will not.

When you try to give a speech you need facts and not opinions. I know it was an intro, but still ...

 

[hughvane]

6 years ago I was asked to speak for 15 minutes to a Probus club about computers, on the sub-topic of Mac vs Windows, with questions to follow.

I used the promotional tactic of the alphabet, eg. A is for Adaptability, B is for .... (you carry it on), see if it works for you. If only I could find the darned document I'd pass it on verbatim.

I can tell you I did NOT manage 26 items, but 15. The ones that I received most feedback on were the p, q, r, s - price, quality, reliability, security, but I got some flak about Apple pricing at that time.

 

[Winni]

Why are Macs better than PCs?

In my private life, I'm an exclusive Mac user myself, but in my job life, I'm an exclusive Windows and PC user. Living extensively and professionally in both worlds, you will have a hard time selling me the "Short answer: Yes, Macs are better" thing, because in my experience it simply is not true.

Where are they better? Gaming? Certainly not. The OS X market does not have any games that are worth mentioning. Outdoor notebooks? Certainly not, Apple does not cell "roughbooks". Remember the "I'm a PC" ad with the guy on the fishing boat? "I'm a PC and THIS is my office." I found that one VERY convincing. You won't ever find a Mac in a place like that. But Panasonic Roughbooks you -will- find.

For whom are they better? For a dentist or a physician who won't find professional software for his business that will work on OS X? For somebody who does CAD and will discover that there is no CAD software for Macs? For a company whose entire network of 100,000 client desktops is using Microsoft BackOffice (Server 2003, Sharepoint Portal, SQL Server) and Microsoft Office 2003 and SAP R3? For a .NET software developer? You cannot even sell Macs to Java developers anymore because of Apple's lousy and 1 to 2 years delayed Java support.

I'm intentionally giving you a hard time here. Macs with OS X are mainly consumer machines, but they serve only a few market niches with professional software, mainly graphics designers and video artists. Not even the entire Adobe software collection is available for Macs.

There are millions of users out there who need more than toys like iLife and iWork and a web browser for their daily computing needs. And they need full compatibility with industry standards - which translates to Windows.



Prices:

When you are comparing the prices, make sure you also add the money for the three years Apple Care to your Mac. Because ALL Dell machines come with a three year warranty package AS DEFAULT. AND the Dell technicians come to your house for the service. Over night. And that service gets even better when you are a business customer. Face it: Apple does not and cannot beat that, so your price comparisons are entirely inaccurate and won't help you selling Macs. Just leave it out.

 

[hughvane]

Why are Macs better than PCs? Outdoor notebooks? Certainly not, Apple does not cell "roughbooks". Remember the "I'm a PC" ad with the guy on the fishing boat? "I'm a PC and THIS is my office." I found that one VERY convincing. You won't ever find a Mac in a place like that.

Actually, you will. If time permitted I'd find the link for you but it came from the Technology section of the BBC and showed their editor in a rowing boat on a Scottish loch using a satellite connection to broadcast from his Macbook. He also took his Mac up the mountains and used it from the back of a motorcycle.

Further, in this country at least, more and more lawyers, accountants and medical professionals are using Apple computers and servers for the sake of data security.

The film and music industry uses Macs like no other.

Granted, there's a good deal of education, information and persuasion yet to be done in promoting the MacOS and Apple Computers successfully.

 

[Airforcekid]

Go Oprah on 'em ...

' You have to experience the difference ... that's why I'm giving everyone in the audience tonight a free Mac. '

That would be sweet! Good luck it looks good I did one on apple computers too but I got 3.24. Much shorter!