It is sort of an unwritten law of geekdom that when we have opinions about technology, we must have very, VERY strong opinions. I faithfully adhere to this rule and had dually applied it to my sheer and unfettered hatred of all things Apple. I thought the iPods were ridiculous. I don’t care how small you can make it, it still sucked. I found the obsession with iPhones a complete joke and once pointed and laughed at a line of people outside Best Buy the night before a release. (Of course then I ran like mad but I still inflicted a wound or two on their egos.) I could give you a whole list of reasons and would vehemently defend them all.
- Macs are not user friendly. Yes, the menu scroll looks cool(ish) but I can get a skin for that on my Windows PC, thank you.
- Why bother with that dumb two finger touch left-click dribble when you can just have two mouse buttons like every other self-respecting computer manufacturer?
- The process of hacking the operating system (OS) is called jailbreaking. Does this mean they have you prisoner?
- They are stupidly expensive and you are paying more for the logo of a half-eaten fruit to be slapped on the back than you are for the actual product.
Oh the list went on and on in this fashion. I even admitted in a previous post that I had never owned an Apple product. But very recently I accepted new responsibilities at work. With new responsibilities came a handful of new perks, not the least of which was a new company phone (to ensure that I actually NEVER stop working). And not just any phone, an iPhone 4.
I resisted. I begged and pleaded and even drafted up an agreement for them to pay a portion of my personal bill. I owned and loved my Droid and carrying an iPhone, even one as admittedly nifty as the fourth gen miracle recently hyped up, seemed so hypocritical. I hated Apple. They were pretentious and controlling and responsible for the technological travesty of the iMac.
But sitting on my desk Thursday morning was the over-packaged, shiny new iPhone 4, prepped and ready with everything I needed to wallow in self-pity. I admit that the computer nerd who lives in my head was alternately screaming and fainting with joy at the prospects of exploring every nook and cranny of a brand new, highly coveted, piece of technology. The shop-aholic in there was giddy at all the hours of app shopping in a store that all other app providers dream of holding claim to. But the better part of my brain was weeping at the irony. I held it, and noticed how surprisingly light-weight it was. Especially in comparison to my Droid. Now in defense of my still-beloved pink-encased baby of a data phone, I do own the original Droid. The Droid 2, Droid Incredible, and Droid X came out long after my love affair with the all-seeing robot eye began.
Not wanting to carry two phones around needlessly, I decided to move my music to the iPhone via the dreaded iTunes store. I was forced to admit that the iTunes store was a touch easier to navigate than my old friend Amazon. I was hating this phone more than ever. Not because there was anything particularly wrong with it, but because it was forcing me to reanalyze every preconceived notion I’d held of it. I hate reanalyzing my own opinions. Every opinionated person hates being forced to reconsider. And there I was beginning to appreciate everything I’d railed against a mere week earlier.
I’ve now spent the weekend with it. I app-ed myself silly and discovered that Facebook for iPhone is easier to navigate. The iPhone is faster than my Droid (Again I refer to a three-generation age gap in production dates. The Droid X would make for a better comparison, but as I don’t own that, I’m forced to the inequivalent side-by-side). The camera is way better and I admit to making a twenty-minute Blair Witch-esque video of myself in a dark hallway using the self-capture video feature, complete with unnecessary panting and beanie cap. No, for reasons of self-preservation and pride, I will not post that, so don’t ask.
As to the other more important functions of the iPhone, the thing I thought I would hate the most was the domineering programming control Apple enjoys exerting over its customers. Apple has a terrible habit of determining how you will use the product and even with the new multi-tasking feature, the Droid still offers more navigational freedom. The iPhone does allow you to run several apps at the same time but only as background to the primary program visible on the screen. My trusty Droid kept hacking away at everything I forgot to close out properly thus killing my battery in world-record speeds. It turns out I deeply appreciate Apple insisting on their way. I’m forgetful and lazy and they have an app for that. Actually it’s a whole OS but it sounded more clever the other way.
The system of organizing and viewing emails is leaps and bounds better than any other data phone I’d been exposed to, even Blackberry who, by very essence, pride themselves on being the email experts. The on-screen keyboard is not as terrible as I feared it would be. It is intuitive and that’s great because I live in the world of red squiggly lines when writing. My brain moves much faster than my fingers and if it weren’t for auto-correct my posts wuold look a klot likethis.
All this to say that I may be slowly (and painfully) adapting my world view. The geeks of today must be pliable. What doesn’t bend will break and all those other cliches people who are enforcing change spit out have been circling around my head this iPhone-absorbed weekend. I’m afraid I must break that unwritten rule of barbed and venomous opinions and sit quietly on my fence of indecision with iconic white earbuds pumping out my iTunes. I no longer hate Apple. I can’t, really. After an extensive examination of the new evidence I can’t say that I necessarily like them, but for now, can we agree on appreciate?
I’m still up in the air on the iBooks and iPads, but I can safely say that my laptop is due for replacement soon and Apple will be on the shopping menu at the very least. As for the price, that’s still a sticking point for me. I didn’t actually buy the phone and would not have had it not been handed to me very nearly on a silver platter. Stay tuned for further posts on the saga of the potential conversion of a former PC-addict. All in all I’m not sold yet. I am opened minded and willing to hear the other side. I do enjoy the iPhone 4 but it’s only been a weekend. We will see. I will say though, the half-eaten fruit is rather cute.
(Post-script: As further evidence of my being a card-carrying geek, yes, that is a speed of light sticker on my laptop and GeekMom on-screen.)
I love the phrase “every opinionated person hates being forced to reconsider”. That’s me!!
I love the phrase “every opinionated person hates being forced to reconsider”. That’s me!!
Noooooooooooo… you had me at your list of why Apple is the evil empire. Come back to us, there’s still time. Sighhhhhh… another one lost to the Jobians
lol, Jobians. I just pictured a whole bunch of people in matching black turtlenecks, jeans, and birkenstocks.
“Noooooooooooo… you had me at your list of why Apple is the evil empire. Come back to us, there’s still time. Sighhhhhh… another one lost to the Jobians”
Yes preconceived notions fall hard usually when held up to the light of day. Apple is just another company that makes stuff that some people like to buy. There are fewer true Jobs-loving Mac-heads than there are Windows-heads and always has been.
Noooooooooooo… you had me at your list of why Apple is the evil empire. Come back to us, there’s still time. Sighhhhhh… another one lost to the Jobians
lol, Jobians. I just pictured a whole bunch of people in matching black turtlenecks, jeans, and birkenstocks.
“Noooooooooooo… you had me at your list of why Apple is the evil empire. Come back to us, there’s still time. Sighhhhhh… another one lost to the Jobians”
Yes preconceived notions fall hard usually when held up to the light of day. Apple is just another company that makes stuff that some people like to buy. There are fewer true Jobs-loving Mac-heads than there are Windows-heads and always has been.
“The process of hacking the operating system (OS) is called jailbreaking. Does this mean they have you prisoner?”
Yes. That’s exactly what it means. You can only install apps that they approve, through a faulty system at that. (My favorite that snuck through was the flashlight tethering app. You don’t actually have control of your own hardware that you have purchased. Or as MAKE magazine says, “If you can’t open it, you don’t own it.”
Don’t worry Wendy, you are free to stay outside the safe, curated, walled garden of Apple’s App Store in the spareslly populated no-man’s land of the Android Marketplace with 45,000 spam apps, 50+ bank phishing apps, premium-rate texting trojans and all the fun spyware and adware apps that swamp the legit apps.
Never fear, Google won’t filter out all the “hello world” apps or cludgy broken bits of code that any Tom, Dick or Jane posts to the Marketplace. And don’t worry, you won’t have your time wasted by all the top tier games that all the big studios make for iOS as only a fraction are available for Android. 😉
-Mart
Oops, sorry – I meant Ruth not Wendy!
Also, it might be good to mention that most self-respecting Android geeks also jailbreak or should I say “root” their Android phones in order to get rid of the crapware that carriers pre-install and to get around other restrictions that the not-so-open phone companies place on their theoretically “open” Android phones.
-Mart
“The process of hacking the operating system (OS) is called jailbreaking. Does this mean they have you prisoner?”
Yes. That’s exactly what it means. You can only install apps that they approve, through a faulty system at that. (My favorite that snuck through was the flashlight tethering app. You don’t actually have control of your own hardware that you have purchased. Or as MAKE magazine says, “If you can’t open it, you don’t own it.”
Don’t worry Wendy, you are free to stay outside the safe, curated, walled garden of Apple’s App Store in the spareslly populated no-man’s land of the Android Marketplace with 45,000 spam apps, 50+ bank phishing apps, premium-rate texting trojans and all the fun spyware and adware apps that swamp the legit apps.
Never fear, Google won’t filter out all the “hello world” apps or cludgy broken bits of code that any Tom, Dick or Jane posts to the Marketplace. And don’t worry, you won’t have your time wasted by all the top tier games that all the big studios make for iOS as only a fraction are available for Android. 😉
-Mart
Oops, sorry – I meant Ruth not Wendy!
Also, it might be good to mention that most self-respecting Android geeks also jailbreak or should I say “root” their Android phones in order to get rid of the crapware that carriers pre-install and to get around other restrictions that the not-so-open phone companies place on their theoretically “open” Android phones.
-Mart
Gonna be nitpicky here, but your SOL sticker is woefully inaccurate. It’s 3 times 10 to the eighth meters per second… squared.
Given that you’re already successful about reconsiderations due to this article, I figured one extra thing couldn’t hurt.
3.0*10^8 m/s is correct. Meters per second squared would be acceleration.
Um…no, there is no “accelleration of light.” 3 x 10^8 m/s is the speed of light. 9.8 meters per second squared is the acceleration of gravity.
Gonna be nitpicky here, but your SOL sticker is woefully inaccurate. It’s 3 times 10 to the eighth meters per second… squared.
Given that you’re already successful about reconsiderations due to this article, I figured one extra thing couldn’t hurt.
3.0*10^8 m/s is correct. Meters per second squared would be acceleration.
Um…no, there is no “accelleration of light.” 3 x 10^8 m/s is the speed of light. 9.8 meters per second squared is the acceleration of gravity.
Ah, hoist by my own petard. Wrong myself! Carry on then! :-> :::grumble grumble stupid gravity equations grumble grumble:::
hehehe… nothing worse than those damn petard wedgies huh?
Absolutely! Should have known it would happen, but petard wedgies and healthy doses of crow keep you grounded.
yeah, that taste of crow every now and then does help maintain a healthy level of modesty and self esteem. Should be on the food guide like grains, proteins, milk and fruit.
…and bacon. Mustn’t forget bacon. 🙂
Ah, hoist by my own petard. Wrong myself! Carry on then! :-> :::grumble grumble stupid gravity equations grumble grumble:::
hehehe… nothing worse than those damn petard wedgies huh?
Absolutely! Should have known it would happen, but petard wedgies and healthy doses of crow keep you grounded.
yeah, that taste of crow every now and then does help maintain a healthy level of modesty and self esteem. Should be on the food guide like grains, proteins, milk and fruit.
…and bacon. Mustn’t forget bacon. 🙂
I come from a mixed marriage (Mac vs. PC) and I want to unthank you in advance for giving my wife ammunition for trying to convert me to her Jobian ways.
No reason to if you don’t want to. We are now an all-Mac family, but it didn’t start that way. My wife is a Unix Admin who hated Apple back in the System 7-9 days (we’ve been married awhile) and would regularly make fun of the limited multi-tasking of Macs in those days. Now she rocks a MacBook at home and our kids use Mac Minis. The Unix background of OS X certainly was a little bit of help, but if all she ever brought home were Windows laptops it wouldn’t bother me at all.
I come from a mixed marriage (Mac vs. PC) and I want to unthank you in advance for giving my wife ammunition for trying to convert me to her Jobian ways.
No reason to if you don’t want to. We are now an all-Mac family, but it didn’t start that way. My wife is a Unix Admin who hated Apple back in the System 7-9 days (we’ve been married awhile) and would regularly make fun of the limited multi-tasking of Macs in those days. Now she rocks a MacBook at home and our kids use Mac Minis. The Unix background of OS X certainly was a little bit of help, but if all she ever brought home were Windows laptops it wouldn’t bother me at all.
Me: Hi. My name’s Wirehedd and I’m a former Apple Hater.
Crowd: Hi Wirehedd.
That’s almost the story for my own adoption of a new attitude towards Cupertino. In July my old Motorola was dyng a slow and painfully drawn out death by obsolescence.
I was finally qualified for an upgrade on the hardware as I’d been a pay as you go customer for a few years and had earned a rather healthy allotment of loyalty bonuses on my account and there were an amazing assortment of perks being offered by my carrier at the time as well. The day I went out to look for a new phone also happened to be the day of the iPhone4 Canadian release.
I went to the store with my 2 youngest sons (7 and 9) and proceeded to begin the hunt. I asked to try out a bunch of new phones ad while I geeked and gawked both my sons spent the entire time at one little kiosk display.
The iPhone4 display unit.
I asked if I could take each phone I wanted to try out of the store and make a few calls and try the 3G network connectivity and such and the young lady at the store was VERY accommodating. I took the Droid for a stroll while I took the boys shoe shopping and tried everything I could on the phone and it seemed wonderful compared to my ancient POS Moto.
We returned to the store a little over and hour later and I was shocked when the boys both said “Dad, you need to try that new iPhone”. This from a 7 and 9 year old (both of whom are becoming accomplished Geeks in their own right and who listen to the GeekDad podcasts with me religiously).
I agreed reluctantly as I was also an absolute Apple Enemy.
For the next 2 hours of bike and helmet shopping I was astounded.
When we returned to the phone store I was also dumbfounded when I was told that because of my loyalty and usage bonuses I could get this beautiful new iPhone 4 for less than half the cost of the Droid Milestone.
I was sold.
I purchased a 32GB iPhone4 with a set of bluetooth headphones (which I returned a week later) and embarked on a journey of discovery that I would have never imagined myself taking. I love the phone and have since bought the boys (and the older 2 kids as well) each their own iPod Touch 16GB models and we all play games together over wifi and we are now considering a purchase of a Mac Mini as the new HTPC for the game room.
Never say never, I guess.
Me: Hi. My name’s Wirehedd and I’m a former Apple Hater.
Crowd: Hi Wirehedd.
That’s almost the story for my own adoption of a new attitude towards Cupertino. In July my old Motorola was dyng a slow and painfully drawn out death by obsolescence.
I was finally qualified for an upgrade on the hardware as I’d been a pay as you go customer for a few years and had earned a rather healthy allotment of loyalty bonuses on my account and there were an amazing assortment of perks being offered by my carrier at the time as well. The day I went out to look for a new phone also happened to be the day of the iPhone4 Canadian release.
I went to the store with my 2 youngest sons (7 and 9) and proceeded to begin the hunt. I asked to try out a bunch of new phones ad while I geeked and gawked both my sons spent the entire time at one little kiosk display.
The iPhone4 display unit.
I asked if I could take each phone I wanted to try out of the store and make a few calls and try the 3G network connectivity and such and the young lady at the store was VERY accommodating. I took the Droid for a stroll while I took the boys shoe shopping and tried everything I could on the phone and it seemed wonderful compared to my ancient POS Moto.
We returned to the store a little over and hour later and I was shocked when the boys both said “Dad, you need to try that new iPhone”. This from a 7 and 9 year old (both of whom are becoming accomplished Geeks in their own right and who listen to the GeekDad podcasts with me religiously).
I agreed reluctantly as I was also an absolute Apple Enemy.
For the next 2 hours of bike and helmet shopping I was astounded.
When we returned to the phone store I was also dumbfounded when I was told that because of my loyalty and usage bonuses I could get this beautiful new iPhone 4 for less than half the cost of the Droid Milestone.
I was sold.
I purchased a 32GB iPhone4 with a set of bluetooth headphones (which I returned a week later) and embarked on a journey of discovery that I would have never imagined myself taking. I love the phone and have since bought the boys (and the older 2 kids as well) each their own iPod Touch 16GB models and we all play games together over wifi and we are now considering a purchase of a Mac Mini as the new HTPC for the game room.
Never say never, I guess.
Why is the price a sticking point again? The entry level iPhone is currently $99 with a two year contract. The 16 GB iPhone 4 is $199. Find me comparable Droids with better pricing. Not to mention that you are willing to pay a higher monthly premium to be a Verizon customer, because their plans are historically more expensive, which means your Droid has the potential to cost more than the iPhone.
Sent from my iPad
I think the sticking point on price is for the Mac hardware as opposed to the iPhone pricing.
Most non-Mac users will assume that is it comes from Cupertino it has the applicable Apple Tax premium added to the price. Not always true but a common assumption.
I would agree that Macs are more expensive, but I don’t agree that the difference in price is all for the brand name. Apple hardware is much better than the alternative. Additionally, AppleCare is much better than any other warranty program I’ve had before.
Actually, with the exception of the all-in-one machines like the iMac or the newer laptops like the MacBook Air models the hardware is precisely the same as the other PC manufacturers use (unless they get manufacturer specific one offs like Dell sometimes does).
Again the Hackintosh phenomenon is gaining ground quickly for exactly this reason.
Umm, have you actually ever seen inside the machined-aluminium case of a Mac Pro and compared the carefully crafted air channels and one-touch-eject hard-disk caddies, security lock, RAM and CPU daughter boards and zero cable clutter to your typical tin-box, plastic facia, cable rats nest that is your average PC?
I’d say there is a rather large difference between a Mac and a PC which goes way beyond the specs list.
-Mart
This is in reply to Mr Hill,
I have seen the insides of thousands of PCs and the disastrous spectacle you describe is a stereotypical misconception that hasn’t been accurate for PCs now for a number of years as most are equally well engineered internally, with the exception of machined aluminum being less common but still easily available, and the supposed rats nest of wires hasn’t been the norm now for nearly 10 years since case modding and side window designs became mainstream.
PCs have a multitude of design implementations aimed at clean, uncluttered and easily accessible systems. Looked at the newest lines of ASUS Sandy Peak boards? Sexy does come close to describing these newest designs with shrouds over the PCBs. Check them out, you will be pleasantly surprised. Power supplies with modular cabling? Liquid cooling subsystems or heatsink equipped memory modules? Multiple PCI-E videocard designs? It’s all there on the PC side of the equation.
My question would to you when was the last time you saw the inside of a well made and properly assembled PC with all of the features you mention minus those which are simply design elements for Mac Pro systems? 🙂
PCs are equally advanced in every way if you know what you are looking for. Mac does not have any real superiority to the PC platform in hardware design with maybe the exception of the new MacBook Air usage of SSD hardware minus the drive casings to save space (a brilliant idea IMO).
@Wirehead,
You are correct most PCs aren’t as bad as they used to be.
However, I regularly lease new Dell and HP desktops in my role managing a university lecture-recording system consisting of 50 such machines along with HP servers, Apple Xserves, 200TBs of Promise RAID arrays and assorted Linux black boxes.
All of the typical PCs are still tin boxes with plastic facias with cheap pressed mounting plates and screws by the million holding them together. I haven’t seen any PC yet that approaches the machined aluminium minimalism, functional design and attention to detail represented by Apple’s works of art.
I haven’t however had any dealings in the esoteric world of modding PCs with garish flouro lights etc. 🙂
My point is that Apple’s creations are far more than just the sum of the spec sheet.
-Mart
Mart,
In your dealing with the Dell and HP assembly line, lowest price point/ lowest bidder clone heaps I can understand why you would feel the way you do.
I have had my share of them in my office and on my work benches as well heading the IT dept of a local petrochemical refinery with 2,100 PCs of every make, model, design and capacity not to mention a pair of $15 million data centers with servers dating as far back as DEC and DIGITAL branding and spread over 17 square miles of operational work sites.
I agree that the Apple machines are more than the sum of their respective data sheet but I also feel that the better and higher end PCs are equal in their design and capability.
Look at a few of the sites that specialize in the more esoteric PC component markets and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Some of them I can say not only equal Apple in their design and built quality but quite a few actually surpass them.
Not many are from companies where they are produced en masse but a few are and they do truly live up to the expectations of the most demanding users.
Also a mixed marriage here: he loves and does outsourcing for Apple, I love and work for Verizon (and have a white-knuckle grip on my PC).
While my husband loves his 3Gs iPhone, he hates hates hates AT&T’s cell coverage. In fact, in order to make a call, he has to turn off the 3G network, otherwise it interrupts and drops his calls. Meanwhile I’m plugging along on calls with my Droid over the VZW network. He admitted he was jealous of my ability to have multiple apps running, and is hella jealous of my lack of dropped calls. So while some lament that VZW plans cost more, at least you’re able to use it and it has better coverage than AT&T (he bought a MiFi through VZW so that he could have decent data connection while traveling for work; apparently tethering through his iPhone bombed due to the lack of coverage).
Why is the price a sticking point again? The entry level iPhone is currently $99 with a two year contract. The 16 GB iPhone 4 is $199. Find me comparable Droids with better pricing. Not to mention that you are willing to pay a higher monthly premium to be a Verizon customer, because their plans are historically more expensive, which means your Droid has the potential to cost more than the iPhone.
Sent from my iPad
I think the sticking point on price is for the Mac hardware as opposed to the iPhone pricing.
Most non-Mac users will assume that is it comes from Cupertino it has the applicable Apple Tax premium added to the price. Not always true but a common assumption.
I would agree that Macs are more expensive, but I don’t agree that the difference in price is all for the brand name. Apple hardware is much better than the alternative. Additionally, AppleCare is much better than any other warranty program I’ve had before.
Actually, with the exception of the all-in-one machines like the iMac or the newer laptops like the MacBook Air models the hardware is precisely the same as the other PC manufacturers use (unless they get manufacturer specific one offs like Dell sometimes does).
Again the Hackintosh phenomenon is gaining ground quickly for exactly this reason.
Umm, have you actually ever seen inside the machined-aluminium case of a Mac Pro and compared the carefully crafted air channels and one-touch-eject hard-disk caddies, security lock, RAM and CPU daughter boards and zero cable clutter to your typical tin-box, plastic facia, cable rats nest that is your average PC?
I’d say there is a rather large difference between a Mac and a PC which goes way beyond the specs list.
-Mart
This is in reply to Mr Hill,
I have seen the insides of thousands of PCs and the disastrous spectacle you describe is a stereotypical misconception that hasn’t been accurate for PCs now for a number of years as most are equally well engineered internally, with the exception of machined aluminum being less common but still easily available, and the supposed rats nest of wires hasn’t been the norm now for nearly 10 years since case modding and side window designs became mainstream.
PCs have a multitude of design implementations aimed at clean, uncluttered and easily accessible systems. Looked at the newest lines of ASUS Sandy Peak boards? Sexy does come close to describing these newest designs with shrouds over the PCBs. Check them out, you will be pleasantly surprised. Power supplies with modular cabling? Liquid cooling subsystems or heatsink equipped memory modules? Multiple PCI-E videocard designs? It’s all there on the PC side of the equation.
My question would to you when was the last time you saw the inside of a well made and properly assembled PC with all of the features you mention minus those which are simply design elements for Mac Pro systems? 🙂
PCs are equally advanced in every way if you know what you are looking for. Mac does not have any real superiority to the PC platform in hardware design with maybe the exception of the new MacBook Air usage of SSD hardware minus the drive casings to save space (a brilliant idea IMO).
@Wirehead,
You are correct most PCs aren’t as bad as they used to be.
However, I regularly lease new Dell and HP desktops in my role managing a university lecture-recording system consisting of 50 such machines along with HP servers, Apple Xserves, 200TBs of Promise RAID arrays and assorted Linux black boxes.
All of the typical PCs are still tin boxes with plastic facias with cheap pressed mounting plates and screws by the million holding them together. I haven’t seen any PC yet that approaches the machined aluminium minimalism, functional design and attention to detail represented by Apple’s works of art.
I haven’t however had any dealings in the esoteric world of modding PCs with garish flouro lights etc. 🙂
My point is that Apple’s creations are far more than just the sum of the spec sheet.
-Mart
Mart,
In your dealing with the Dell and HP assembly line, lowest price point/ lowest bidder clone heaps I can understand why you would feel the way you do.
I have had my share of them in my office and on my work benches as well heading the IT dept of a local petrochemical refinery with 2,100 PCs of every make, model, design and capacity not to mention a pair of $15 million data centers with servers dating as far back as DEC and DIGITAL branding and spread over 17 square miles of operational work sites.
I agree that the Apple machines are more than the sum of their respective data sheet but I also feel that the better and higher end PCs are equal in their design and capability.
Look at a few of the sites that specialize in the more esoteric PC component markets and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Some of them I can say not only equal Apple in their design and built quality but quite a few actually surpass them.
Not many are from companies where they are produced en masse but a few are and they do truly live up to the expectations of the most demanding users.
Also a mixed marriage here: he loves and does outsourcing for Apple, I love and work for Verizon (and have a white-knuckle grip on my PC).
While my husband loves his 3Gs iPhone, he hates hates hates AT&T’s cell coverage. In fact, in order to make a call, he has to turn off the 3G network, otherwise it interrupts and drops his calls. Meanwhile I’m plugging along on calls with my Droid over the VZW network. He admitted he was jealous of my ability to have multiple apps running, and is hella jealous of my lack of dropped calls. So while some lament that VZW plans cost more, at least you’re able to use it and it has better coverage than AT&T (he bought a MiFi through VZW so that he could have decent data connection while traveling for work; apparently tethering through his iPhone bombed due to the lack of coverage).
Just as a point of reference not mentioned in the above, I am a 20 year DOS and windows user with a collection of Linux distros as well and have gathered a collection of Microsoft certifications from NT 4.0 MCSE upward as well as Novell, Cisco and CompTIA Intsructor certs.
Definitely not a Machead by any stretch. 🙂
Just as a point of reference not mentioned in the above, I am a 20 year DOS and windows user with a collection of Linux distros as well and have gathered a collection of Microsoft certifications from NT 4.0 MCSE upward as well as Novell, Cisco and CompTIA Intsructor certs.
Definitely not a Machead by any stretch. 🙂
I was like you, a PC guy who found himself with an iPhone he wasn’t sure he wanted. I fell in love with the device, it’s simplicity, its shiny UI. I was worried that like you, I would have to change my opinion.
That lasted about a year.
Now I’m over the iPhone. I readily admit that it does a whole lot right. But I miss my freedom. I would like to drag and drop pictures from one folder to another. I hate that every picture I choose to save to my device from the web browser can only stay in the camera roll, which makes no sense at all. I hate that I can’t have spellcheck on, but auto correct off. I spell a lot of words wrong on purpose, and for some reason my iPhone hasn’t learned my habits the way other people claim it has learned theirs.
There are a lot of little nuances such as these that have stacked up over time and broken the spell of iPhone. When it’s time to upgrade in March I’m jumping ship to WP7.
I found a lot of those issues troublesome as well but there IS an app for that. It just happens to be Cydia. 🙂
WP7?!!
Well, I hope that losing multi-tasking, copy and paste, 300,000 apps, tethering, etc etc is worth your while?
-Mart
I was like you, a PC guy who found himself with an iPhone he wasn’t sure he wanted. I fell in love with the device, it’s simplicity, its shiny UI. I was worried that like you, I would have to change my opinion.
That lasted about a year.
Now I’m over the iPhone. I readily admit that it does a whole lot right. But I miss my freedom. I would like to drag and drop pictures from one folder to another. I hate that every picture I choose to save to my device from the web browser can only stay in the camera roll, which makes no sense at all. I hate that I can’t have spellcheck on, but auto correct off. I spell a lot of words wrong on purpose, and for some reason my iPhone hasn’t learned my habits the way other people claim it has learned theirs.
There are a lot of little nuances such as these that have stacked up over time and broken the spell of iPhone. When it’s time to upgrade in March I’m jumping ship to WP7.
I found a lot of those issues troublesome as well but there IS an app for that. It just happens to be Cydia. 🙂
WP7?!!
Well, I hope that losing multi-tasking, copy and paste, 300,000 apps, tethering, etc etc is worth your while?
-Mart
It’s alright to be ignorant on the apple subject. Most geeks today just don’t get it and want to believe the propaganda. I walked into a geek store. High end components and parts only. Asked about a troubleshooting issue I was having…and received a snark remark about proprietary on board graphics cards. Apple changed that some 10 years ago and he was still beating that drum.
I hope you enjoy your iPhone as much as I do. I understood from the beginning that they don’t let developers do anything they want because they want to keep the quality up on there product. Quality control anyone?
Quality control is all fine and well, but we aren’t really talking about apps or even software here. There’s nothing really wrong with Mac OSX, and I understand most users want their PC’s to do all the heavy lifting for them. The OS is fine. It’s the business ethics that I have a problem with.
When it all comes down to it, the problems that Mac likes to highlight vs the PC isn’t software related. And news flash: a Mac isn’t rocking anything more sophisticated under the hood. It’s the same components that run a PC. The only difference is that the Intel processor architecture is MAC exclusive. Not because its superior, but because Mac doesn’t want me to just buy everything I need to build a Mac at home.
All the problems PC get’s a bad wrap for are component problems. There are tons of affordable PC’s out there. The reason they are affordable is because they are built with sub-par components. It’s one of those, you get what you pay for things.
Macs are expensive for 2 reasons: first is that they are built with superior components. That is why they are reliable and why they last. That is part of the reason they cost an arm and a leg. The other reason they are expensive is because that’s what hardware vendors do. They build a machine and mark it up for sale to the consumer. Only in Apple’s case they tack on an extra 10-15% for that “half eaten piece of fruit,” to quote our lovely host here. And that’s kinda their right because they do build a quality product. But I don’t like that they cut out the hardcore techies that don’t help their bottom line.
In a perfect world, everyone would build their own machines. Why? because not only is it cheaper, it instills a sense of pride, and teaches a little bit of engineering to boot. My $700 custom machine would retail for over $2g in a store and will last longer than said machines.
While I agree with your statement regarding machines like the iMac line of all-in-one machines, I have to disagree when you move into the Pro line of Macs. They use the same Intel procs and almost every other component is the same as you would put into your standard homebrew PC. Plus, those 27″ iMac IPS displays are seriously sexy, yes?
Thus, the more and more popular Hackintosh designation of machines. These are simply PC based units using top tier PC components that will run Mac OSX (with some tweaking of course) and they work just as a standard Mac will.
Getting back to the Pro lines you are also able to add in modules of RAM, upgrade HDDs and video cards just like any PC. Some of the architecture is a little behind the curve in respect to the PC bleeding edge tech we all love but that is to allow for the cleaning and bug-fixing of code and drivers to ensure a more stable and established combination of components to make a more reliable and stable machine.
I’ll always love my homebrew PC box but I have to say that a little research in the last few months regarding the Mac lines has been enlightening.
If you had told me even just 6 months ago that I would even CONSIDER a Mac for my home I would have said you were a crackhead but, truth be told, I am seriously considering that Mac Mini more and more if for no other reason than to prove to myself one way or the other.
Plus I think it will look good on the 52″ LCD in the game room as my kids will be using it as their HTPC. I’m even thinking of grabbing a $99 iTV just to try it out as well seeing as it runs Netflix which we use daily.
Yes, but aren’t the Hackintosh’s notorious for instability? That’s what every forum on the subject I’ve ever read says. And if such instability exists, then what is the point of having OSX on a PC?
While the Pro Line is much closer to a homebuild, they are still exclusive. According to a few places I’ve read up on, I can’t use my AMD line processors (I actually prefer them to Intel) with OSX without a hack thus creating a Hackintosh. Is there fault to this line of reasoning? Have I been led astray or just misunderstood something I’ve read?
I’m open to the idea of running Mac OSX. I would just rather do it on a machine I built with my own two hands, and without all kinds of necessary software Hacks.
They can definitely be a bit twitchy but not so unstable as to be a deal breaker at all.
The idea of using an AMD proc is something that can be done but they aren’t what the OSX platform is compiled for so there tend to be a few problems there (dreaming of a Bulldozer Hackintosh myself eventually) but using an Intel will net you some fantastic performance. If you want to go with a Virtual Machine a la VMWare you can run the PearPC variant for AMD and it’s actually pretty nice too.
Personally, I’m experimenting with a new i7 970 with 6GB of RAM and a cute little 80GB SSD running an ATI (yes, ATI I refuse to give AMD credit for the video cards they sell) 4870 on an ASUS Intel based chipset board and man, oh man, it just FLIES running an older distro of Snow Leopard. Now, to be honest, I’ve only been running this for a little more than a week and it may yet yield some twitchiness I haven’t found yet but I have to admit I’m REALLY liking it.
Garageband runs like a dream and iTunes on the “Hac” makes it look like a bloated old POS on the Win7 platform but, obviously, that’s where it was written so it’s going to be better there.
I’m impressed so far but time will tell. If it does a “Challenger” on me I’ll clean it off and give the hardware to my 15 year old to play CODBLOPs on or something but for now it’s my testbed and I’m liking it.
It’s alright to be ignorant on the apple subject. Most geeks today just don’t get it and want to believe the propaganda. I walked into a geek store. High end components and parts only. Asked about a troubleshooting issue I was having…and received a snark remark about proprietary on board graphics cards. Apple changed that some 10 years ago and he was still beating that drum.
I hope you enjoy your iPhone as much as I do. I understood from the beginning that they don’t let developers do anything they want because they want to keep the quality up on there product. Quality control anyone?
Quality control is all fine and well, but we aren’t really talking about apps or even software here. There’s nothing really wrong with Mac OSX, and I understand most users want their PC’s to do all the heavy lifting for them. The OS is fine. It’s the business ethics that I have a problem with.
When it all comes down to it, the problems that Mac likes to highlight vs the PC isn’t software related. And news flash: a Mac isn’t rocking anything more sophisticated under the hood. It’s the same components that run a PC. The only difference is that the Intel processor architecture is MAC exclusive. Not because its superior, but because Mac doesn’t want me to just buy everything I need to build a Mac at home.
All the problems PC get’s a bad wrap for are component problems. There are tons of affordable PC’s out there. The reason they are affordable is because they are built with sub-par components. It’s one of those, you get what you pay for things.
Macs are expensive for 2 reasons: first is that they are built with superior components. That is why they are reliable and why they last. That is part of the reason they cost an arm and a leg. The other reason they are expensive is because that’s what hardware vendors do. They build a machine and mark it up for sale to the consumer. Only in Apple’s case they tack on an extra 10-15% for that “half eaten piece of fruit,” to quote our lovely host here. And that’s kinda their right because they do build a quality product. But I don’t like that they cut out the hardcore techies that don’t help their bottom line.
In a perfect world, everyone would build their own machines. Why? because not only is it cheaper, it instills a sense of pride, and teaches a little bit of engineering to boot. My $700 custom machine would retail for over $2g in a store and will last longer than said machines.
While I agree with your statement regarding machines like the iMac line of all-in-one machines, I have to disagree when you move into the Pro line of Macs. They use the same Intel procs and almost every other component is the same as you would put into your standard homebrew PC. Plus, those 27″ iMac IPS displays are seriously sexy, yes?
Thus, the more and more popular Hackintosh designation of machines. These are simply PC based units using top tier PC components that will run Mac OSX (with some tweaking of course) and they work just as a standard Mac will.
Getting back to the Pro lines you are also able to add in modules of RAM, upgrade HDDs and video cards just like any PC. Some of the architecture is a little behind the curve in respect to the PC bleeding edge tech we all love but that is to allow for the cleaning and bug-fixing of code and drivers to ensure a more stable and established combination of components to make a more reliable and stable machine.
I’ll always love my homebrew PC box but I have to say that a little research in the last few months regarding the Mac lines has been enlightening.
If you had told me even just 6 months ago that I would even CONSIDER a Mac for my home I would have said you were a crackhead but, truth be told, I am seriously considering that Mac Mini more and more if for no other reason than to prove to myself one way or the other.
Plus I think it will look good on the 52″ LCD in the game room as my kids will be using it as their HTPC. I’m even thinking of grabbing a $99 iTV just to try it out as well seeing as it runs Netflix which we use daily.
Yes, but aren’t the Hackintosh’s notorious for instability? That’s what every forum on the subject I’ve ever read says. And if such instability exists, then what is the point of having OSX on a PC?
While the Pro Line is much closer to a homebuild, they are still exclusive. According to a few places I’ve read up on, I can’t use my AMD line processors (I actually prefer them to Intel) with OSX without a hack thus creating a Hackintosh. Is there fault to this line of reasoning? Have I been led astray or just misunderstood something I’ve read?
I’m open to the idea of running Mac OSX. I would just rather do it on a machine I built with my own two hands, and without all kinds of necessary software Hacks.
They can definitely be a bit twitchy but not so unstable as to be a deal breaker at all.
The idea of using an AMD proc is something that can be done but they aren’t what the OSX platform is compiled for so there tend to be a few problems there (dreaming of a Bulldozer Hackintosh myself eventually) but using an Intel will net you some fantastic performance. If you want to go with a Virtual Machine a la VMWare you can run the PearPC variant for AMD and it’s actually pretty nice too.
Personally, I’m experimenting with a new i7 970 with 6GB of RAM and a cute little 80GB SSD running an ATI (yes, ATI I refuse to give AMD credit for the video cards they sell) 4870 on an ASUS Intel based chipset board and man, oh man, it just FLIES running an older distro of Snow Leopard. Now, to be honest, I’ve only been running this for a little more than a week and it may yet yield some twitchiness I haven’t found yet but I have to admit I’m REALLY liking it.
Garageband runs like a dream and iTunes on the “Hac” makes it look like a bloated old POS on the Win7 platform but, obviously, that’s where it was written so it’s going to be better there.
I’m impressed so far but time will tell. If it does a “Challenger” on me I’ll clean it off and give the hardware to my 15 year old to play CODBLOPs on or something but for now it’s my testbed and I’m liking it.
Wow, I underestated the derisive power of Apple v PC. Keep em coming! Like I said I’m still on the fence and despite enjoying the iPhone I can still be swayed (saved?)!
Wow, I underestated the derisive power of Apple v PC. Keep em coming! Like I said I’m still on the fence and despite enjoying the iPhone I can still be swayed (saved?)!
Or underestimated. See what I mean about red squiggles? I need red squiggles!!!
Welcome.
(Oh, and Apple has made the spellchecker a core part of the operating system that any can utilize in any software with just API calls. Red squiggles for everyone!!! Using a common dictionary so that if you add a word to the dictionary in the stickies app for instance (think electronic post it notes,) that word is available in the dictionary in all the other apps!)
We will welcome you with open arms when you finally choose to reject the dark side.
Or underestimated. See what I mean about red squiggles? I need red squiggles!!!
Welcome.
(Oh, and Apple has made the spellchecker a core part of the operating system that any can utilize in any software with just API calls. Red squiggles for everyone!!! Using a common dictionary so that if you add a word to the dictionary in the stickies app for instance (think electronic post it notes,) that word is available in the dictionary in all the other apps!)
We will welcome you with open arms when you finally choose to reject the dark side.
In the movie Dogma, there’s a running conversation which basically goes like this: When people have beliefs (about religion in particular), they will fight and kill in defense of those beliefs. If you want to express that you hold something to be important, say “I have an idea.” An idea is changeable, adaptable.
My idea is that Android products are great for the people who like the basis they are built on. I like Apple products for different reasons. There’s no reason I have to dislike or hate Android. There’s no reason anyone needs to hate Apple or their products. They have their basis for the way they are built and they are pretty up front about it. If it’s not for you, that’s cool. Go try everything else and buy what you want. Learn about both and make your choice, then live and be happy!
Life’s to short to ‘hate’ something which does not actually threaten your life or liberty.
I agree….why are there Apple “haters” and people who just don’t care for Android or PCs? Is it because its hip to be an Apple hater? I don’t hate BMWs because their a little out of my price range….
TMan, well said. There is often no reason to in a blank fashion condemn a company or platform. Technology is meant to assist us in doing certain things for us. Why are we letting our own egos dictate that certain particular methods, companies, or platforms are uniformly better or worse? Just use whatever is actually most suitable instead of going with unfettered opinionated decisions.
In the movie Dogma, there’s a running conversation which basically goes like this: When people have beliefs (about religion in particular), they will fight and kill in defense of those beliefs. If you want to express that you hold something to be important, say “I have an idea.” An idea is changeable, adaptable.
My idea is that Android products are great for the people who like the basis they are built on. I like Apple products for different reasons. There’s no reason I have to dislike or hate Android. There’s no reason anyone needs to hate Apple or their products. They have their basis for the way they are built and they are pretty up front about it. If it’s not for you, that’s cool. Go try everything else and buy what you want. Learn about both and make your choice, then live and be happy!
Life’s to short to ‘hate’ something which does not actually threaten your life or liberty.
I agree….why are there Apple “haters” and people who just don’t care for Android or PCs? Is it because its hip to be an Apple hater? I don’t hate BMWs because their a little out of my price range….
TMan, well said. There is often no reason to in a blank fashion condemn a company or platform. Technology is meant to assist us in doing certain things for us. Why are we letting our own egos dictate that certain particular methods, companies, or platforms are uniformly better or worse? Just use whatever is actually most suitable instead of going with unfettered opinionated decisions.
Couple of quick things to clear up for the anti-Mac crowd. (I write this as a 10 year veteran of PC tech support from desktop to servers to networks who now develops on/fore and uses both OSes interchangeably.)
1) While Apple still hasn’t really figured out the mouse thing, the “one button only” situation is a thing of the past. Standard mice that come with a Mac can be configured to function like “normal” two button mice. Oh, and you can buy a Razer or Logitech mouse and use it just like you would with a PC. While most people know this, some in the anti-Mac crowd like to keep trotting it out. . .
2) The point about jail-breaking ONLY applies to the phone OS, not the Mac OS. You can load software to your heart’s content onto a Mac just like Windows and linux. I think we’re all on the same page with that, but the article is a bit unclear about it. . .
3) As for the iPhone OS, the article and commenters are right, you can’t load apps onto it other than through the approved Apple pipeline. If you don’t like that, it’s not the phone for you. Yes, it’s annoying at times, but there are benefits (QC.)
4) Cost. As Mark mentioned, the iPhones are comparably priced to other smart phones. In terms of desktops and laptops, Macs are more expensive, no doubt about it, but I think the price differential is exaggerated. Yes, you can probably get a Win7 laptop for $500, but I don’t think it’s apples to apples to compare that to a $999 or $1199 MacBook/MacBook Air. The price differential narrows considerably when considering when you equalize the hardware. And let’s not even get into build quality.
5) Ease of Use: This is a subjective thing, always has been always will be. I find Macs more user friendly, though Windows 7 has closed the gap quite a bit. I do think the iPhone and iPad interfaces were a huge leap forward in consumer/easy UI, hence Android doing an about face back then to emulate and all new smart phones going multi-touch.
6) Say what you want about iTunes (and it is a bloated piece of software on Windows) but the iPhone/iPad are the best portable media devices out there. I’ve tried Archos/Zune/Android and in terms of media, it’s no contest, I’m sorry. Zune’s got some things right, and it’s pretty, but sorry, it’s still not up to competing with the Big Poppa.
I do have some concerns about Apple’s control issues, and if they apply the “our way or the highway” to the Mac OS as they have to the iPhone OS in terms of what software you can use, I’m probably going to jump ship, but it’s still a better experience for me and my family.
I’ve purchased Dells and built my own PCs, still do from time to time, and I finally got fed up with the maintenance issues. Replaced my main home PC with an iMac 4 years ago and never regretted it.
Would be nice if someone would clear up a “Couple of quick things for the Mac crowd.”
iPeople also spout stupid old stuff about the PC that is not true/relevant anymore.
Frequent Crashes: I am on a 7 month Windows 7 Installation, heavy usage and long uptimes. ONE CRASH. (Got an iPad for 2 months and it already flaked 3 times, btw)
Bluescreen galore: Does Windows 7 even have those anymore? I have never seen one. I have however seen the Grey screen of despair on my Macbook a few times.
Drivers Hell: Um, what? I installed Win 7, rebooted twice and all the Hardware was installed with the newest Drivers.
Viruses are Windows only: Now that Apple gets relevant in installed numbers, Virii are coming and they will hit hard because Apple machines are all the same which means one exploit works for all. There is already a massive Mac-only botnet out there.
Security:
Windows 7 is actually WAY harder than Apple. Just research on how on every hacking competition the Apple platform is the first that falls.
No crashes?
I had a bunch of new Toshiba laptops foisted on me at work with Win7 pre-installed. Before I could wipe the drives and install a Linux distro I had to boot up Win7, as the BIOS on the laptops needed up-dating to work with Linux.
Well, what a nightmare – you boot up Win7 for the first time and you’re instantly bombarded with worthless messages about anti-virus. I tried to launch IE and it crashed 3 times before it would launch. To a geek like me it was just an intense irritation. To someone like my mum who would have just bought the machine to shop on-line and send e-mail it would have been a frightening and frustrating experience.
Compare that to the beautiful experience when you turn an iMac on for the first time. Even Ubuntu is way easier on first boot-up compared to Win7 (and Linux is supposed to be ‘too complicated for most people’!)
I was a PC-fanatic for years, then I bought one of the first iPods and I saw the light. Now I’ve got the kids at my school where I teach and co-ordinate the ICT to use a Windows-free combination of Linux lap-tops and iMacs – they love it and think both platforms rock.
Couple of quick things to clear up for the anti-Mac crowd. (I write this as a 10 year veteran of PC tech support from desktop to servers to networks who now develops on/fore and uses both OSes interchangeably.)
1) While Apple still hasn’t really figured out the mouse thing, the “one button only” situation is a thing of the past. Standard mice that come with a Mac can be configured to function like “normal” two button mice. Oh, and you can buy a Razer or Logitech mouse and use it just like you would with a PC. While most people know this, some in the anti-Mac crowd like to keep trotting it out. . .
2) The point about jail-breaking ONLY applies to the phone OS, not the Mac OS. You can load software to your heart’s content onto a Mac just like Windows and linux. I think we’re all on the same page with that, but the article is a bit unclear about it. . .
3) As for the iPhone OS, the article and commenters are right, you can’t load apps onto it other than through the approved Apple pipeline. If you don’t like that, it’s not the phone for you. Yes, it’s annoying at times, but there are benefits (QC.)
4) Cost. As Mark mentioned, the iPhones are comparably priced to other smart phones. In terms of desktops and laptops, Macs are more expensive, no doubt about it, but I think the price differential is exaggerated. Yes, you can probably get a Win7 laptop for $500, but I don’t think it’s apples to apples to compare that to a $999 or $1199 MacBook/MacBook Air. The price differential narrows considerably when considering when you equalize the hardware. And let’s not even get into build quality.
5) Ease of Use: This is a subjective thing, always has been always will be. I find Macs more user friendly, though Windows 7 has closed the gap quite a bit. I do think the iPhone and iPad interfaces were a huge leap forward in consumer/easy UI, hence Android doing an about face back then to emulate and all new smart phones going multi-touch.
6) Say what you want about iTunes (and it is a bloated piece of software on Windows) but the iPhone/iPad are the best portable media devices out there. I’ve tried Archos/Zune/Android and in terms of media, it’s no contest, I’m sorry. Zune’s got some things right, and it’s pretty, but sorry, it’s still not up to competing with the Big Poppa.
I do have some concerns about Apple’s control issues, and if they apply the “our way or the highway” to the Mac OS as they have to the iPhone OS in terms of what software you can use, I’m probably going to jump ship, but it’s still a better experience for me and my family.
I’ve purchased Dells and built my own PCs, still do from time to time, and I finally got fed up with the maintenance issues. Replaced my main home PC with an iMac 4 years ago and never regretted it.
Would be nice if someone would clear up a “Couple of quick things for the Mac crowd.”
iPeople also spout stupid old stuff about the PC that is not true/relevant anymore.
Frequent Crashes: I am on a 7 month Windows 7 Installation, heavy usage and long uptimes. ONE CRASH. (Got an iPad for 2 months and it already flaked 3 times, btw)
Bluescreen galore: Does Windows 7 even have those anymore? I have never seen one. I have however seen the Grey screen of despair on my Macbook a few times.
Drivers Hell: Um, what? I installed Win 7, rebooted twice and all the Hardware was installed with the newest Drivers.
Viruses are Windows only: Now that Apple gets relevant in installed numbers, Virii are coming and they will hit hard because Apple machines are all the same which means one exploit works for all. There is already a massive Mac-only botnet out there.
Security:
Windows 7 is actually WAY harder than Apple. Just research on how on every hacking competition the Apple platform is the first that falls.
No crashes?
I had a bunch of new Toshiba laptops foisted on me at work with Win7 pre-installed. Before I could wipe the drives and install a Linux distro I had to boot up Win7, as the BIOS on the laptops needed up-dating to work with Linux.
Well, what a nightmare – you boot up Win7 for the first time and you’re instantly bombarded with worthless messages about anti-virus. I tried to launch IE and it crashed 3 times before it would launch. To a geek like me it was just an intense irritation. To someone like my mum who would have just bought the machine to shop on-line and send e-mail it would have been a frightening and frustrating experience.
Compare that to the beautiful experience when you turn an iMac on for the first time. Even Ubuntu is way easier on first boot-up compared to Win7 (and Linux is supposed to be ‘too complicated for most people’!)
I was a PC-fanatic for years, then I bought one of the first iPods and I saw the light. Now I’ve got the kids at my school where I teach and co-ordinate the ICT to use a Windows-free combination of Linux lap-tops and iMacs – they love it and think both platforms rock.
Why can’t we all just get along? As a graphic designer, I have had to cross platforms forever to accommodate my clients, printers, etc. I also did a lot of my design work on a PC for years b/c I couldn’t afford a Mac, and because the shops I worked in were PC-based, and it was fine. I will admit after finally owning a Mac, that my design programs crash less frequently when I am doing intense graphic work, or if I have 4 graphics programs open at once. That is the main difference for me. Otherwise I have no problem with either PC or Mac, and I find most of my decisions as to which one to use is based on what task I need done. I like having both in my house, I like having the option. Each serves its own purpose and has its place in my workflow. No need to hate on one or the other, what works best for you simply works best for you.
Why can’t we all just get along? As a graphic designer, I have had to cross platforms forever to accommodate my clients, printers, etc. I also did a lot of my design work on a PC for years b/c I couldn’t afford a Mac, and because the shops I worked in were PC-based, and it was fine. I will admit after finally owning a Mac, that my design programs crash less frequently when I am doing intense graphic work, or if I have 4 graphics programs open at once. That is the main difference for me. Otherwise I have no problem with either PC or Mac, and I find most of my decisions as to which one to use is based on what task I need done. I like having both in my house, I like having the option. Each serves its own purpose and has its place in my workflow. No need to hate on one or the other, what works best for you simply works best for you.
Like the post. Your comment on ‘opinions’ strikes too close to home. Still laughing.
I will buy my iPhone as soon as I don’t have to deal with AT&T. Here in my city, you need to step outside of buildings to make or receive calls, which gets old when the temp is -10, windchill -40.
Like the post. Your comment on ‘opinions’ strikes too close to home. Still laughing.
I will buy my iPhone as soon as I don’t have to deal with AT&T. Here in my city, you need to step outside of buildings to make or receive calls, which gets old when the temp is -10, windchill -40.
I too spent many years arguing that Apple was the evil side of technology. Closed systems, gated people away from the endless possibilities that lied out there.
Turns out that some of the things that I hated about them are the reason why their products work. Let’s face it, there isn’t any application that I ‘need’ to have that doesn’t exist in the store. So it’s more about the device working.
A pet peeve – not being able to make or receive a phone call on my cell phone. Call me a jerk but if it freezes because I have too many things open and I can’t answer the phone, then what good is it?
My iPhone hasn’t frozen on me (yet – and I say yet because nothing is for sure).
We all argue about what is best but in the end it’s about what works best for you. We can have both systems and we can each choose the other. It doesn’t make anyone wrong!
I too spent many years arguing that Apple was the evil side of technology. Closed systems, gated people away from the endless possibilities that lied out there.
Turns out that some of the things that I hated about them are the reason why their products work. Let’s face it, there isn’t any application that I ‘need’ to have that doesn’t exist in the store. So it’s more about the device working.
A pet peeve – not being able to make or receive a phone call on my cell phone. Call me a jerk but if it freezes because I have too many things open and I can’t answer the phone, then what good is it?
My iPhone hasn’t frozen on me (yet – and I say yet because nothing is for sure).
We all argue about what is best but in the end it’s about what works best for you. We can have both systems and we can each choose the other. It doesn’t make anyone wrong!
If you’re going to complain about price, you’ve got it wrong. I’m still plugging away at my 6 year old iMac and it does fine. I’m not a gamer, consoles do gaming better now adays anyway. Before this iMac I had a old iMac that lasted 10 years. Before that I had a 8400 (I think?) that I used for years and then my brother in-law used 4 years more. My point is that they last, so while all my friends were buying PC after PC after PC My macs kept up just fine.
If you’re a gamer no, don’t buy a Mac. If you want a computer for publishing video and everyday use then it works great.
I don’t like the iOS limitations but I can understand most of them. Apple has been removing restrictions as they can figure out how to do them right but admittedly they do still bother me.
If you’re going to complain about price, you’ve got it wrong. I’m still plugging away at my 6 year old iMac and it does fine. I’m not a gamer, consoles do gaming better now adays anyway. Before this iMac I had a old iMac that lasted 10 years. Before that I had a 8400 (I think?) that I used for years and then my brother in-law used 4 years more. My point is that they last, so while all my friends were buying PC after PC after PC My macs kept up just fine.
If you’re a gamer no, don’t buy a Mac. If you want a computer for publishing video and everyday use then it works great.
I don’t like the iOS limitations but I can understand most of them. Apple has been removing restrictions as they can figure out how to do them right but admittedly they do still bother me.
Well I’m an Apple Geek, what can I say, always have been… but I want to reassure all of you PC geeks… there are some things that Apple is not perfect at… and I’m use Office, and firefox is often better than Safari… so dont feel too bad in the software dept. Apple does not rule!
Well I’m an Apple Geek, what can I say, always have been… but I want to reassure all of you PC geeks… there are some things that Apple is not perfect at… and I’m use Office, and firefox is often better than Safari… so dont feel too bad in the software dept. Apple does not rule!
As a lifelong PC guy I used the Apple 3G for two and a half years and it was a mostly nice time (hated iTunes) but just moved over to WP7 and couldn’t be happier. Too bad you didn’t have that as an option. Zune Pass is fantastic. Everything the Mac folks have been clamoring for from iTunes already exists.
As a lifelong PC guy I used the Apple 3G for two and a half years and it was a mostly nice time (hated iTunes) but just moved over to WP7 and couldn’t be happier. Too bad you didn’t have that as an option. Zune Pass is fantastic. Everything the Mac folks have been clamoring for from iTunes already exists.
Oh while I enjoy the phone itself AT&T is driven u a wall. I had verizon and use a mifi for Internet at home. the company is great but in my apt I have no signal with my (verizon) mifi turned on. It’s ironic at least. But that wasn’t my decision…it’s a company phone…and issued to me. I don’t want to trash anyone by any means but the company switch was not my choice
Oh while I enjoy the phone itself AT&T is driven u a wall. I had verizon and use a mifi for Internet at home. the company is great but in my apt I have no signal with my (verizon) mifi turned on. It’s ironic at least. But that wasn’t my decision…it’s a company phone…and issued to me. I don’t want to trash anyone by any means but the company switch was not my choice
I just want to know if anyone else still has a subconscious aversion to Apple because of loving Commodore 64s? I LOVED the Commodore 64, and the Apples my new school had when I moved were not nearly as good (even if you could still play Oregon Trail on them) – so for YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS – I avoided Apple because I remembered those horrible school computers from 3rd grade that weren’t as cool.
Then I avoided Apple because of the price tag. Finally gave in on an ipod touch just a couple of months ago – had tried and tried to make mp3 players work for me – but I got hooked on itunes (because I like buying songs with a gift card, and media monkey didn’t work well for me anyway) and so I finally gave in to make my life easier… (and thoroughly love having a multi-tasking unit- read all the free kindle books I find on it too! yay!)
@Ally: I honestly couldn’t say what kind of computers we had in my elementary school. I sure do remember playing Oregon Trail though! Both my parents are/were in education, so of course one of our home computers when I was growing up was an Apple. An Apple IIgs to be exact. I can’t tell you how many color ribbons I wore out printing out things I’d drawn in the paint program or made in Print Shop. We also had a Commodore64 at home, along with a couple of PCs (one with an amber screen!). I really don’t remember much about the C64 though, but I do remember being very leery about using my dad’s DOS/Win3.1 PC, haha. Many a book report were written in that old blue-screened WordPerfect though…
I just want to know if anyone else still has a subconscious aversion to Apple because of loving Commodore 64s? I LOVED the Commodore 64, and the Apples my new school had when I moved were not nearly as good (even if you could still play Oregon Trail on them) – so for YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS – I avoided Apple because I remembered those horrible school computers from 3rd grade that weren’t as cool.
Then I avoided Apple because of the price tag. Finally gave in on an ipod touch just a couple of months ago – had tried and tried to make mp3 players work for me – but I got hooked on itunes (because I like buying songs with a gift card, and media monkey didn’t work well for me anyway) and so I finally gave in to make my life easier… (and thoroughly love having a multi-tasking unit- read all the free kindle books I find on it too! yay!)
@Ally: I honestly couldn’t say what kind of computers we had in my elementary school. I sure do remember playing Oregon Trail though! Both my parents are/were in education, so of course one of our home computers when I was growing up was an Apple. An Apple IIgs to be exact. I can’t tell you how many color ribbons I wore out printing out things I’d drawn in the paint program or made in Print Shop. We also had a Commodore64 at home, along with a couple of PCs (one with an amber screen!). I really don’t remember much about the C64 though, but I do remember being very leery about using my dad’s DOS/Win3.1 PC, haha. Many a book report were written in that old blue-screened WordPerfect though…
I remember the Mac labs at school! That goes way back. Oh the Oregon trail. Oh dear…..I always got malaria.
I remember the Mac labs at school! That goes way back. Oh the Oregon trail. Oh dear…..I always got malaria.
Hate is a strong words, but I do dislike Apple’s ways.
A friend of mine bought iPhone 4 a couple weeks ago. He took it to my home and hearing about the camera quality, I used it to take pictures of my Gundam collections. The results were good and I want to send it to my laptop.
My friend didn’t bring his proprietary usb cable, and I don’t own one either. Even if he did, would I need to install iTunes first just to copied those photos? No thanks.
So, I just transferred it through Bluetooth, right? Umm, no. Apparently, you need to jailbreak the iPhone first…
… WTF?!
Yes, I could set up an ad-hoc WiFi network just to transfer those photos. Yes, my friend could later on emailed those photos. But seriously, WTF?!
Here is THE phone of the decade and it came crippled because the company that made it decided ALL file sharing is illegal and/or should be monitored through their proprietary hardware/software.
No, I don’t hate Apple or their products. But their ways of thinking are just wrong. /rant
Actually, your friend just wasn’t familiar with his phone’s operaton because there is no need to JB the phone to transfer pictures via wifi or bluetooth at all. You get the Photo Transfer app from the app store for free and it does the work quick and easy. I know because I use it all the time.
Easy huh?
Good to know that. I guess I was spoiled by my 3 years old Sony Ericsson (View the photo > Menu > Send via Bluetooth). Easy huh?
Thanks for the info, though.
Hate is a strong words, but I do dislike Apple’s ways.
A friend of mine bought iPhone 4 a couple weeks ago. He took it to my home and hearing about the camera quality, I used it to take pictures of my Gundam collections. The results were good and I want to send it to my laptop.
My friend didn’t bring his proprietary usb cable, and I don’t own one either. Even if he did, would I need to install iTunes first just to copied those photos? No thanks.
So, I just transferred it through Bluetooth, right? Umm, no. Apparently, you need to jailbreak the iPhone first…
… WTF?!
Yes, I could set up an ad-hoc WiFi network just to transfer those photos. Yes, my friend could later on emailed those photos. But seriously, WTF?!
Here is THE phone of the decade and it came crippled because the company that made it decided ALL file sharing is illegal and/or should be monitored through their proprietary hardware/software.
No, I don’t hate Apple or their products. But their ways of thinking are just wrong. /rant
Actually, your friend just wasn’t familiar with his phone’s operaton because there is no need to JB the phone to transfer pictures via wifi or bluetooth at all. You get the Photo Transfer app from the app store for free and it does the work quick and easy. I know because I use it all the time.
Easy huh?
Good to know that. I guess I was spoiled by my 3 years old Sony Ericsson (View the photo > Menu > Send via Bluetooth). Easy huh?
Thanks for the info, though.
I have never been a fan of apple, but being an artist in an industry of artists they are all around me. Iphones Ipads Macbooks and more… this post has definitely challenged me to be open minded and honest with myself about other possibilities. Greatly appreciated. And I’m stealing this quote! Love it.
“every opinionated person hates being forced to reconsider”
I have never been a fan of apple, but being an artist in an industry of artists they are all around me. Iphones Ipads Macbooks and more… this post has definitely challenged me to be open minded and honest with myself about other possibilities. Greatly appreciated. And I’m stealing this quote! Love it.
“every opinionated person hates being forced to reconsider”
This was very interesting. I never considered Apple products (didn’t really care to explore the virtues of both.) I’ve always used PC and have heard terrible stories about Macs. However, I may actually explore the Apple world and maybe jump ship…
This was very interesting. I never considered Apple products (didn’t really care to explore the virtues of both.) I’ve always used PC and have heard terrible stories about Macs. However, I may actually explore the Apple world and maybe jump ship…
I went Mac 3+ years ago. My ThinkPad was over 3 years old and dying. I’ve never had a PC laptop last much over 3 years. My wife has been a Mac user for years as she is an astronomer and they live in a predominately *nix environment.
My 15″ MacBook Pro has been fantastic. My only hardware problem was when I had the hard drive upgraded for increased capacity and ran in to two bad drives. It’s extremely reliable, I’ve probably had less than a dozen crashes where the computer just spontaneously reboots. I do run XP Pro via Parallels in order to VPN in to work as I’m a SQL Server DBA, but aside from SQL Server and Access, everything is on the Mac side.
I have used every Microsoft OS since Dos 1.0 and the fact that I don’t have to install updates and patches every other days has been absolutely fantastic, I might have to do a patch monthly. And the Timemachine backup system is absolutely wonderful.
I’ll still have to use Windows machines in the future, but my personal machines will be Macs from now on.
I went Mac 3+ years ago. My ThinkPad was over 3 years old and dying. I’ve never had a PC laptop last much over 3 years. My wife has been a Mac user for years as she is an astronomer and they live in a predominately *nix environment.
My 15″ MacBook Pro has been fantastic. My only hardware problem was when I had the hard drive upgraded for increased capacity and ran in to two bad drives. It’s extremely reliable, I’ve probably had less than a dozen crashes where the computer just spontaneously reboots. I do run XP Pro via Parallels in order to VPN in to work as I’m a SQL Server DBA, but aside from SQL Server and Access, everything is on the Mac side.
I have used every Microsoft OS since Dos 1.0 and the fact that I don’t have to install updates and patches every other days has been absolutely fantastic, I might have to do a patch monthly. And the Timemachine backup system is absolutely wonderful.
I’ll still have to use Windows machines in the future, but my personal machines will be Macs from now on.
Yeah. Wow. You got an IPhone… free…
I’m a teacher. I have a ten year old PC running Windows 2000 and WordPerfect….
Weee…
Yeah. Wow. You got an IPhone… free…
I’m a teacher. I have a ten year old PC running Windows 2000 and WordPerfect….
Weee…
I think you mean ‘drivel’ instead of ‘dribble’.
I think you mean ‘drivel’ instead of ‘dribble’.