(Never mind the terminology, focus on the content.)
I guess we have had different experiences. I remember getting my first PowerBook with OS X ~10 years ago. I was a PC user that made the switch. Most everyone at the time used a PC.
Friends would laugh at poke fun at me that I got one. Why would I pay a price premium for a laptop? They would not even listen to the fact that it had less (no) viruses, ran more stable than a PC, or was designed with more thought, nor believe me. They'd further protrude that no one uses Macs and they were doomed for failure.
10 years later, the same friends have switched to Mac from Windows, and apologized for being such ********** back then, and said that everything I said was spot on, hence why they switched.
It must have been just isolated incidents of ridicule for me
.
To a certain extent, I agree with the content; however, language exists for a reason, - it is a form of communication where the meaning is generally agreed upon - and, if the terminology is not important, then why use such words?
For me, the crunch came with iPods and iTunes - when I first bought them, I realised that they were simply far better than that awful package on Windows for ripping and burning CDs - and the excellent Apple service that I received when my the HDD of my first iPod died while still under warranty. That is when I seriously began to look at Apple, and to research the advantages and disadvantages of getting one.
Of course, Apple computers are by far the best computers I have ever had, (although the Sony Vaio and the Toshiba Satellite I had before that were not bad),and, these days, unless work environments demand it (most Governments and international organisations tend to favour Windows, whereas educational establishments tend to be a bit more open-minded), I've no intention of reverting, but, I simply recommend them when asked, rather than 'gloating'. It is enough that I have it, and derive great enjoyment, as well as personal and professional pleasure, from using it.
And yes, some friends having observed my switch, and observed and tried out my Apple laptop, have asked about it and subsequently switched themselves.
Re those who laughed or mocked, I'd imagine that they see computers as a work tool, nothing more, rather than something which can become - and did - a design classic. Whenever anything (cars, computers, offices) are seen solely as a work tool, aesthetic and form judgements tend to be suspended, and economic and functional ones hold sway instead, as this then becomes the main criterion for choosing one product over another.
Sometimes, it seems that those who assess using these criteria, may resent those who choose according to different criteria. Such resentment may be expressed by mockery - and I suppose that computers became one of the ways in which people attempted to define themselves. Those who differ from the norm - in any walk of life - tend to attract unwanted attention.
Cheers
