Saddened. A rant.

[Schtibbie]

As a new Mac convert (literally, this week) I must say there is an issue that really saddens me and I want to rant about it here for a sec and get feedback from others who have been similarly frustrated.

So, I get the new macbook set up and running and the first thing my wife is excited to do with it is plan our new kitchen. So she goes to the Ikea website because we *really* wanted to use Ikea for our new kitchen and she goes to download their kitchen planner software. No dice. DOESN'T WORK ON MAC. No problem, I say. All we'd need is virtualization software, or dual-boot and an XP license. Her eyes glaze over. "I thought this was supposed to just work!" I share her frustration.

So I got to Lowe's website and THEIR kitchen planner. No dice. Only PC. No Mac. Even though it uses Flash, their download page explicitly states that it won't work on a Mac.

So I go to the Kohler website (plumbing) and try to play with their bathroom designer. No dice. Same story.

Now I know you're all going to go point out Mac-specific software that will let you do kitchen design, etc. I KNOW it exists. But this is what PC folks mean when they point out the relative lack of Mac software. If you grab your mac and try to run something on it that your wife wants (something SPECIFIC) or your parents send you on a CD, there's a very VERY good chance it won't work. I wanted the IKEA planner very specifically because I can reference the very parts and cabinets THEY sell. Doesn't do me as much good that there is *some* kitchen software for the mac.

Am I back in the Commodore Amiga days?

 

[decksnap]

I have nothing positive to say. That sucks. I just think how ironic it is that every IKEA catalog I've ever seen uses nothing but Macs in their photos.

 

[Counterfit]

Unless it's Shockwave, there really shouldn't be much of a problem. Just giive one a whirl, regardless of the website's warnings. The worst it can do is not run.

And rather than complaining to us, write letters to the companies asking them to support Macs as well.

 

[flopticalcube]

Sad indeed. Ikea uses a downloadable exe for their planning tool. Not very wise in this age. Crossover may also work for programs like this. Generally things do "Just Work" unless M$ has got there sticky fingers in it somewhere. At least with the transition to Intel, your options are more open. Sometimes it sucks living in the minority 5%.

 

[myshoeshurt]

Some corporations need to fire the interns running their websites and get tech-savvy people to do it. They should know their demographic, and that not everyone on earth uses Windows. Sorry to hear about your frustration. However, I feel the fault is in the hands of these furniture companies, and not Apple.

 

[aristobrat]

FWIW, you're not missing much with IKEAs kitchen software, unless they've significantly updated it.

I spent HOURS creating my little kitchen below, only to get to the IKEA store and find out that some of the cabinets I used in my design had been replaced, and that some new things had come out -- but the program hadn't been updated. Thankfully I got a cool design consultant who fixed everything for me, but with as much revamp as he did to the design that came out of their little "downloadable" program, I might as well not have done it at all. Ended up with an awesome kitchen, though.

Unfortunately, not every niche Windows program is going to run on your new Mac without Boot Camp or Parallels. I'm guessing that you and your wife haven't used the iLife stuff enough yet to appreciate how much the Mac does "just work".

 

[BigPrince]

TRY anyway

A lot of sites have a disclaimer saying it only works in IE 5 and above only on XP and blah blah. More often then not it means that there webmaster/designer did not have the time or is just too lazy to go through testing and debugging for other browsers/platforms. More often then the site generally works 100% or more then enough to get by.

just my expierences.

 

[macdaddy121]

At least your computer won't get a virus and crash or get the blue screen of death.

I guess it is just me but I have rarely if ever (trying to think) run into a website that won't work for me......hmmmmm....but then again I have never tried to go to IKEA's kitchen building software.

 

[dswoodley]

I guess I am sorry about your troubles, but some of your dissapointment seems to be of your making. before you bought the mac, did you ask yourself what you were going to do with it? i.e. run home design software? If so, then you should have checked with the vedors about the operating system requirements. If you knew there was software limitation problems with macs, then you should have done your homework first.

I am sorry this isn't a helpful post to you now, maybe someone else will learn from it though. I agree with an earlier poster the real solution is to bug developers to make mac versions of the things you want.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

Install Bootcamp and Windows and get IKEA working on your Mac (about medium difficulty).

One thing they do not advertise about Macs is that most small proprietary software makers do not make Mac software.

Yes, Macs just work but you can't confuse this with incompatibility. Sorry man.

 

[Jowl]

Am I back in the Commodore Amiga days?

If Only...Speedball II, Lemmings etc


Anyway, I agree with your rant - it's stuff like this that is annoying and makes using Mac's that little bit harder. It's not really Apple's fault but I suppose people like Ikea etc just go for the 'common demoninator' - Windows.

Have you complained to Ikea/Lowe etc? Every little helps (but not you get your kitch done any quicker)

My laser printer is Windows only - my own fault for buying it like that one but it was a good price for a good printer. Now though I have to reboot to Windows or use another machine to print.

However, the more Mac/Mac OSX is sold, the better things will be IMO. I've noticed companies providing Mac support that might not have a few years ago.

 

[Schtibbie]

It's not really Apple's fault but I suppose people like Ikea etc just go for the 'common demoninator' - Windows.
Have you complained to Ikea/Lowe etc?

Oh, I guess I'm not really ranting about Apple - just the situation. And I was saying that I understand what PC folks mean when they point out lack of Mac software. It's NOT that there's no kitchen designing software for the Mac - it's that the typical program you come across probably ISN'T a Mac program. One day when wandering through Best Buy to look at appliances we passed through the software section and they had a cool landscape design program, for example. PC. Not Mac. It's just irritating, that's all. But I do understand why most software is PC only.

And thanks to aristobrat for the info about Ikea! Maybe if their tool isn't updated anyway I'm not missing too much.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

I just have to make a comment we hear all these people screaming that Apple shouldnt market their OS to the world almost selfish like, yet we hear over and over how this or that program doesnt come in a Mac version. Its because Apple has put themself into this tiny corner with its little market compared to the Windows. This is Apples problem of their making. Its why Boot camp is now here. When will Apple figure it out I dont know maybe they dont even care but by not marketing the OS to the world here we are with Macs with little that runs on the Mac OS. This is my Argument that Apple must market its OS. What good is hardware that has no software? Remember that commercial makers etc use Macs so they allways sneak those Macs into the commercial they are working on. The Mac OS is much better then windblows but if no one wants to go after that little 5-10% market whats the point? Schtibbie we feel your pain.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

The way I see it is if the company doesnt support Macs I wont support them. Simple as. Theres always alternatives.

The truth of the matter is that this doesnt happen too often, but i do agree it is annoying when it does.

 

[Jowl]

On the other hand, I LOVE the fact that I don't need 4/5 anti-virus/spyware programs running on my Mac before I even think about using it.

Again, that could change I guess - the more market OS X has, the more of a target it will become.

I'd take the current 'lack' of software over the security of Mac over Windows.

 

[kenrobin]

A lot of sites have a disclaimer saying it only works in IE 5 and above only on XP and blah blah. More often then not it means that there webmaster/designer did not have the time or is just too lazy to go through testing and debugging for other browsers/platforms. More often then the site generally works 100% or more then enough to get by.

just my expierences.

I agree.... to me the doesn't work on Macs disclaimer only means that the webmaster did not & will not test the site for compatibility with Mac. Many times, the sites will work. Nonetheless, this is not Apple's fault.

Start using iPhoto and iMovie and after a week or two, ask yourself if you'd be able to get stuff done as easily with a Windows box. Then you'll understand why "Macs just work".

 

[bankshot]

This is my Argument that Apple must market its OS.

...

While I don't think Apple is interested in OS X for generic PCs, there's a very practical concern regardless of what they may want to do. This is a bit of a chicken and egg problem, as illustrated by the original poster. If OS X for generic Intel went on sale tomorrow, it wouldn't sell much. Why? For precisely the reason the original poster was frustrated: because there's less software available to run on it. Why is there less software available? Because fewer people use it, so it's less profitable for companies to port their software.

Chicken and egg.

Not to mention the fact that if Apple went head to head with MS, Mr. Gates would stomp them out without blinking an eye. Apple's $7 billion in revenue is nice and all, but they're still tiny compared to Microsoft.

Perhaps if Apple continues gradually making small gains in market share, they will one day have enough to reasonably make the leap. But only a slow process will get it there. Kind of like the old urban legend that you can boil a frog (Microsoft) alive if you only gradually turn up the temperature (market share) so it never notices.

As for the original poster, maybe you could try sending firm but polite letters to the companies in question expressing your frustration and disappointment. It's not all bad, though - Ickea (yes, that's the spelling) sucks anyway.