Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Not worth it
Originally posted by kangaroo
What do you mean?
Sorry, verry badly written sentence. I meant that in my experience, it seems the only shopping and information-gathering option for a potential switcher to Mac is to go through various websites and buy on faith. It probably sounds stupid to those living in areas well-served by mature Apple Stores, but as a European I never got my hands on a mac till my PB arrived at my house - bought and paid for on faith that my research had been accurate.
Living in Europe I get the impression that Macs are supposed to sell themselves and in this competitive age, I just dont think that's too helpful an approach. I hope that Apple dont think splattering iTunes across PC users screens and linking them to the Apple.com site is enough of itself to get the curious to part with a huge wad of cash. At he very least they need some seriously good presentations of OSX in action on their site.
As this following expo shows, Apple and sales is a bit of a joke term - unless I was just unlucky in three countries.
I first got a taste for switching when I lived in Bordeaux. I had the money to buy any computer in the shop and used to look at these classy Mac machines in FNAC. The closest you got to a play on a machine was watching a loop of that iMac ad when the screen copies the bloke's head movements. I went several tmes, but noone ever came running over to sell one to me, which was sort of typical of french service, so I didnt bother pursuing it.
If I want some info on buying something major I ask around my friends . So when I was back in England still debating buying a Mac I asked assorted computer heads I know what they thought of the mac. None of them had one, and although none said dont buy one they're crap, all they said was they're supposed to be good, very user friendly and stylish, but we dont know enough about them to say yeah or nay.
So I went looking for another opinion and tried to get a good salesman to wow me over to Mac. Where I was living in Wales, there was literally one Apple dealer in a hundred mile radius, and no retail shop as such. All I could see was a couple of machines either waiting collection or in for repair. And the "salesman" was like, well we have our regular customers, they are very pleased with the products and the service, I dont think you'll be disappointed if you buy something from us. Its stricty next day delivery we hold no stock, prices are Apple's. There was nothing to play around on. It was like they were doing me a favour letting me spend $3000 blind. Not exactly the way to break down barriers.
I sold the PB to myself trawling the Apple Store, reading reviews. It was stupid really having to go to the lengths I did trying to escape buying another PC. The way a lot of resellers I found in the Yellow Pages were set up you had to make an appointment to see them. How stupid is that?
Having bought the Mac I had the chance to go to a couple of more realistic computer superstores in Bristol - PC dominated of course but they carried the Mac range. Sales was a f***** joke. In one there was a sizeable Mac stand but the sales pitch was a loop of some iPod commercial playing on a CinemaDisplay and deafening music - and the salesman was a PC boy, and it was like, arent they a good looking bit of kit really good, mmm yeah. He sent me to talk to another complete PC head about advice on a USB hub. I actually bought Appleworks there, because I had found out about it and it suited/still suits my meagre needs, and none the wiser left without a hub. In the other store they had all the Mac range, but nothing turned on, one salesman with no time to scratch his a**and it was like what do you need to do to find out about Macs.
I now live in a small town in a remote part of Spain, there is one other known Mac here (an iBook) - the engineering college threw all their macs out last year. In the 5 months of owning a Mac, even with the visits to the superstores, I have honestly not seen another Mac up and running OSX. I think it is brilliant when there are threads asking for "post your desktop"!
I tell everyone here how easy Mac is to use, but i can just envisage massive headbanging against walls when Apple launches iTunes for Windows - unless they really come up with some ground-breaking sales pitch to match their amazing products and show people surfing the net exactly what a Mac can do. And then go to great lengths to make sure that the resellers being publicised in flashing neon are actually accessible and have something to show the gagging masses.
