Mac V. PC
So to all you font pros, writers, OCD folks, design snobs, marketing people, PR guys "Mad Men" and wanna bes, let's call this my apology for the MESS I sent last night. This is especially for you Mr. Wollborg.
I sent an e-mail blast that had mixed fonts, bad spacing, inconsistent bolding and potentially had a couple of shades of orange off. For that I am sorry.
While I know I am not the most attentive to detail, I think the fact the template was designed on a cool Mac and edited on a less than cool PC had something to do with it. Is that possible or am I just making lame excuses?
More importantly, when I talk to people who are about to get a new laptop more and more of them are saying they are going to get a Mac. Have you found that to be true? Are you thinking about buying one this year?
Mac has something ALL companies want: Brand Fanaticism. So I know the Mac folk will stand up and be counted, but what about you PC users?
Let the debate begin...
Tastes Great! Less Filli oh, sorry. Wrong debate.
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Great topic to read and follow. I can't help but notice how this is a living testimonial of people willing to pay extra for something they "want." This could be a whole new a different posting
Apple has what every company should want "Brandvangelists". Remember the Soup Nazi episode in Seinfeld? That's how Mac users are- "NO PC FOR YOU!".
It really is something to behold.
Jason, I have used the "specifications" arguement before about how much faster my processor is or how much more disk space I have. The bottom line is this, when you manufacture or at least control all of the manufacturing for your unit (small components, screens, drives, processors, software, etc.) you absolutely limit the amount of interoperability issues you have. PC can't do that cuz at Curtis so eloquently stated, PC isn't a brand...it's a hodgepodge. And sadly, it often acts like one (not mine of course. I love my PC).
"The bottom line is this, when you manufacture or at least control all of the manufacturing for your unit (small components, screens, drives, processors, software, etc.)"
That used to be the case 10 years ago.
However, since Apple abandoned the PPC platform and switched to intel processors, that stopped being the case. Apple now uses intel processors, ATI graphics cards, FoxConn mainboards, Samsung LCDs, Seagate HDs. All industry standard, except for the motherboards, because they have one chip that is different than the windows based systems.
Even the iphone is manufactured by Foxcon.
Apple surrendered their position on component interoperabilty when they opened their architecture. Apple, is also a hodgepodge now. And no, PC isn't brand, it never was, a PC is any computer owned by an individual, that includes Macs. And that's the kind of nonsense that Apple capitalizes on.
As a manufacturer, Apple is no different than Dell. As a PR firm, they're bloody geniuses.
The only product that Apple actually produces is their operating system.
Visit psystar.com one of two computer manufactures that is actually manufacturing systems that run the Mac OS. That alone is proof of how apple has chnged since the 90s
I recently made the switch to Mac and have not looked back since! I have the MacBook Pro and it is by far the best computer I have ever owned....and trust me, I have owned many pc's. Programs such as Keynote (similar to Powerpoint, but a thousand times better!) and the ability to run Windows and Leopard at the same time is incomparable. Think about it, with a Mac you can get all the benefits of a PC by running windows along with the great benefits of Leopard and Mac programs all in one. Not to mention sans the viruses! Why wouldn't you want the best of both worlds?
I'd have to say I'm another big Mac fan! I made the switch this summer and I find my PC at work fustrating as well. It seems like Apple has been building alot of momentum while Microsoft keeps losing traction. It will defiently be interesting to see what the future holds!
I think, when all is said and done, it's not about price at all - it's really about ease of use, and a huge dose of brand loyalty that has kept us MAC kids attached to them!
It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years now that Steve Jobs has taken a "leave of absence" for health reasons. Will MAC superiority continue, or will it take a downward spiral?
My wife insisted on a MAC (G4) a few yers ago, and after 5 minutes of useage, I realized a MAC is the way to go...! She was right...our kids even prefer the MAC! Now that it just conked out, we are in the market for a new one...until then, we use"PC" lol
We switched to mac what - four years ago? And will never go back, as I type from my Macbook.
The IT people are going to hate me for saying this, but I haven't had to call a single one for since. We set it all up in-house, with as many as 10 computers all playing at the same time, from different locations, etc. It all plays very nicely, even with Windows computers.
We've moved our document storage to the cloud - our public-facing servers are now a cluster. There's no reason unless you have HIPAA requirements or something to keep any of that stuff on-site anymore if you're a small business. Even Microsoft is seeing this with their new line of services, that many IT folks are having a bit of a revolt against.
But back on topic, Although they DO cost more, the savings in time and aggravation around driver conflicts, installed software causing issues, blue screens of death, etc is MORE than worth it. I always have to hand-hold windows machines; macs, I turn them on, they do their jobs, I turn them off. Vista is better, but no where near the reliability. When I open up my macbook and it just starts from sleep - and the vista machine is churning for two minutes waking up, I know I made the right choice.
Although it does use commercially available parts, there's been numerous business analysis articles around how Apple consistently doesn't buy the cheapest parts, unlike it's rivals. It's not that it controls them; it's that it generally picks higher end parts and then by supporting a set ecosystem they can ensure the software that drives those parts is optimally and well written. After all, a big part of Windows' problems is not the OS but the driver and software writers. You give up some choice, sure; but a computer is a tool when it comes to my work machines.
Your time is money - and for me, the choice is clear.
In the 8+ years I've been a MAC user, I have never had a system or program crash, and never had a single virus. As Jeremiah said it so clearly, I turn them on, they do their work, I turn them off. It's a beautiful, frustration-free thing. Yes, I paid more for my desktop and Macbook than I would have for a PC and PC laptop, but the ease of use and reliability has been well worth the extra expense.
Elisabeth.
Wow! Macs really are overpriced!
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2009/01/wow_macs_really.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_techbeat
There's a fundamential difference in how you approach each and why.
Microsoft kept control of certain systems (OS, Applications, Browser). Except for Zune and Xbox, you don't have hardware products, so you needed a robust manufacturing community to make things for it.
Apple has always been about the whole computing experience. It should look, work and act effortless, seamless and with style and ease.
Yes, PC's are cheaper. So are many Fords verses BMW's. Yet, no one would argue that BMW isn't a vaild automotive experience. Right now, in America, as many people own Apple laptop and desktops as own BMW's. Add in iPods and iPhones, and you have one out of two households owning one Apple product. I've owned 9 Apple products in 13 years - it's what I know and it's what I like.
Personally, I love the Apple store for it's clientel approach. Dell's idea of great customer service experience oftn begins and ends with a cardbord box.