Posted on 08/21/2008 9:20:49 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Apple has begun airing another new "Get a Mac" ad, "Off The Air," on U.S. network and cable television.
In the ad, "PC" is confronted by "Mac" and a Mac Genius who explain that dumping a Windows PC and switching to a Mac is easier than ever since when you buy a Mac, the Apple Store Mac Genius will transfer your files from your old PC to your new Mac for free.
At this point, Apple makes one of their most brutally honest points ever, as "PC" responds:
Oh, no, no, no, no... My frustrated users don't need to hear about that. See, fear of switching is the foundation of customer loyalty for PCs.
"PC" then rolls down a fake color bar chart over the camera and makes a continuous "beep" noise as he takes the spot "Off The Air."
MacDailyNews Take: Bill Gates "PC" loves badly faked things. Poor simulations are his life.
Apple "Get a Mac" ad: Off The Air
See the ads in various sizes and qualities via Apple.com here.
Cute, but recent tests shows a Mac is actually the fastest Vista machine.
Also wrong becuase there’s UNIX under there, you can do pretty much anything.
But if you want the “customizable” crown, Linux wins hands-down.
FWIW, installing Windows in a Mac was by far the easiest Windows install I’ve ever done, and I’ve done hundreds. It’s even better than getting Windows with an OEM driver disk.
I set my partition, rebooted into the Windows installer CD and installed it. Then I plugged in my OS X install DVD and about a minute or so later ALL the drivers were installed on my box, including Firewire 800, video and web cam, plus an updater program.
Not quite. With that GUI comes usability that exists on no other BSD box.
You also get libraries that accelerate things on the GPU. This isn't just for the GUI, as Core Image and Core Video will render images and videos you're working on with various applied effects real-time using the GPU. This normally requires expensive hardware.
You also get a type rendering and management system, for screen and print, that exists on no other BSD variant.
FTR, I was not an Apple suporter until OS X came out and got the initial bugs worked out. Prior to that the OS had internals that were far behind the Windows NT line.
I wonder what a 6502 could do clocked at 10GHz using modern silicon processes ;-)!
Are we going to replicate the known bugs in the 6502 while we're doing that? You'd eliminate a lot of them if you used the 65C02 instead. But you're still stuck with some quirks, like in the JSR. In any case, I refuse to deal with an 8-bit processor anymore. Do you know how much of a pain it was to work with numbers and addresses larger than 255? And I'm not going to work with just a couple registers anymore. Sure it had that fast single-byte addressable zero page, but the OS usually used most of that.
Yes, I cut my programming teeth on a 6502. It's sort of a love/hate thing, but I keep having to remind myself it was designed over 30 years ago and was pretty advanced for its day.
But in any case, there was a 10 MHz variant called the Rocket Chip, and 6502 descendants are still being used in embedded applications today.
How long ago were the white-box Macs? That would be at least over a year ago -- one major hardware revision and OS version ago. Why do people always base their opinions of Macs on old equipment and software? FTR, this is a modern iMac, the aluminum case being made from one solid piece to avoid any seams:
“If you are referring to the Apple Mac Mini, “
Yep....let’s check Newegg....
First, instead of comparing Mac Pretty, or whatever it is called, to some obscure company’s PC, I’ll just compare it to an HP.
Quickly I find that I can get an HP Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz (a little faster than MAC mini) with 2GB DDR2 RAM (twice what MAC mini has + faster) and 400GB hard drive for $489.00. Moreover, you don’t have to “bring your own mouse and keyboard”.
If Linux is more your thing, you can get one of those “cute” little Shuttle cubes for $199 with similar specs. There people, edh just saved YOU a few hundred dollars!!!!
Where was I bringing up case footprints and the like? If you need your computer to be a pillbox for whatever reason, get a MiniMac.
Also, you can get a USB bluetooth dongle (small, tiny one) for $10 thru buy.com.
No, compare it to a computer that has the same ENGINEERING issues to meet. Not to your choice of BiG UGLY CASE. Show us instead HP's small form factor (under 100 cubic inches) computer and its selling price.
Where was I bringing up case footprints and the like?
YOU brought it up when you criticized it as a "silly," squared off "hockey puck."
If you need your computer to be a pillbox for whatever reason, get a MiniMac.
Exactly. Apple has provided a very small form factor computer for those who prefer to NOT have a desktop that looks like a slab of plastic occupying scads of space. To find a PC with the same form factor, i.e., engineering to fit all those components safely into a very small space and keep them at safe temperatures, costs considerably MORE. Apparently about $800 more. Apple's accomplishment is impressive at its sale price.
Anybody can slap 80 cubic inches of components into 2,430 cubic inches of mostly empty space. It takes engineering and carefull selection of components to fit them in to 84 cubic inches and have them work reliably.
Also, you can get a USB bluetooth dongle (small, tiny one) for $10 thru buy.com.
Some people prefer not to have their peripherals dangling off the back of their computers. Built-in is better. Since you brought up "pretty," a $200 premium is often worth it to get rid of the ugliness of old style tower computers... and the ugliness of having to put up with Windows.
That's one reason I bought an iMac. Most people who come over see it and ask "So where's the computer?" since there's no big ugly box anywhere near the iMac, and no place to hide one. They're always quite surprised when they find out that's the whole computer.
“Well, I have followed this whole discussion as it ranged from the iMac to the Mini with various comparisons, and my conclusion is the statement is unsupportable...”
Points taken from all people who argued this. Overall footprint of the machine wasn’t part of my original argument when I went on my rant at 4AM in the Eastern US....it crept in there...I just didn’t consider it. My arguments were that you’re simply not getting as much computing power for the price you pay for an Apple.
I tend to forget that people care about aesthetics :-)! I, personally, care less about looks (computers that is...I would mind seeing Helen Thomas spring up in this thread). I mean, I hate big, clunky, cheapo cases you might find out there for $25, but I don’t find certain tower cases by Lian Li and Thermaltake unappealing either. I, personally, fail to understand the premium people pay for Apple hardware, that’s all. Moreover, I love watching people go berserk defending their overpriced hardware :-)! (Man, I keep asking for it...I am sad).
Look, most people firing back at me obviously know what they NEED from a computer and make very intelligent arguments (unlike some of the juvenile ones I made). I have no use for things like iLife and if I did, I have plenty of Windoze apps to use. However, when I “fight” with an average Mac user, I basically get the same kind of replies similar to ones you may hear when someone defends Obama. I know people that simply buy the damn things (and they really can’t afford them) because they think they are status symbols and nothing more. I fail to see how an iPod or iPhone “blows away the competition” with all the silly features....seriously, we’re in the “midst of a recession” yet people can throw insane cash at a touch toy??? Are those features really *that cool*???? The only one I saw was that fake glass of beer you can virtually drink by tilting the iPhone towards your mouth!!!
Here’s the irony of all of this....my friend has offered to sell me his Mac Mini at a discount since he’s upgrading to what I call the “silly cookie plate” Mac very soon. I forwarded my rant to him and he’s willing to offer me a discount on his used machine. He’s convinced I’d be a true believer if I just gave it a shot...so, maybe I will try it out since I wouldn’t be forwarding cash directly to the Jobs-Gore mafia ( :-P )and I can have valid, first hand hatred of a Mac that isn’t Motorola 68000 based :-)! Moreover, my wife needs something for her own use and I have to admit that it wouldn’t be a bad machine so long as I am paying a fair price for the hardware in the Mac :)!
Sounds great look like I’ll get a mac next time around
Have not had to spend ten minutes during the last ten months on security software or updating firewalls, etc.
Yeah the machine cost a bit more, but the Intel speed and performance is worth every $. I use a 500g Western Digital with Time Machine and hardly notice the auto backups that take three minutes or less. iTunes is w/o a doubt the best music management system for a range of reasons. As for music players I haven't even heard the word Zune mentioned in the last several months.
There are lots of pros and cons no matter what computer is being considered, but from this guy who uses it 8 to 10 hours a day for a range of business and wifi communications, I couldn't be happier to endorse the Apple hardware and software. There are strong reasons for the huge upsurge in purchasing and popularity. And it ain't gonna stop anytime soon even with Seinfield's 1990's wit.
For me it's attention to detail. I seriously appreciate it. It makes me feel like the company I'm buying from doesn't think I'm an idiot. That's just not something you see in the retail market much these days, but Apple does it to the level of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Here are a few of them on my iMac. Start with the unpacking, it's like getting a gift-wrapped present (Apple actually does unpacking tests with people), no twist ties! The camera is practically hidden behind the glass. I can't see a microphone grille or slot because Apple had holes lasered into the glass over the microphone that are too small to see. The aluminum case is one piece, no nasty seams or sharp corners. The power cable in the back has a flush-mount collar so it looks like the cable is built into the computer. The vertical tilt is effortless, yet somehow always stays in place (it must be balanced at the pivot point). The foot is just perfect for storing your keyboard. I see no speakers, they are downward-firing, using the same grille underneath that gives cool air to the system, and it's vented through a slot at the top that you can't see. Even though the power button is on the back, it always seems to be exactly where my finger is when I put my finger behind the computer to turn it on (something I don't do often), they must have done tests for that.
All the little things add up. Plus it's quiet and built SOLID.
I have a feeling your little mini will have the same attention to detail.
I started with Macs. Mac Plus, Mac Classic, IIfx, a Performa 5260 (I think) then I did a dumb thing and got a Dell — which gave me nothing but heartburn. It's got hardware issues and is gathering dust in the closet because it would cost more to fix than it's worth.
Right now I am using a second hand NEC MA12T I bought for 20,000 yen and a second hand Eizo monitor that cost 5,000 yen. They both still work, but the NEC doesn't have enough RAM to operate the new anti-virus soft or VPN I need, so I have to switch to a newer machine anyhow.
To me there is no question. iMac desktop here I come.
I will say, however, I am very impressed with the quality of NEC’s hardware. It's never let me down. Not it's fault that it's just too old.
I'm going to clean all the old files off it and then find some school or charity to donate it to. They always need more computers.
My first Mac was a Performa. If you haven’t played with one since then, you’re in for quite a shock! ;)
Sounds good to me. Do you post anywhere else? I’ve seen that user name some where before.
This is the only board where I use Ronin. I think. I used to post at Townhall for a while and some other board I can’t even remember the name of... but that was years ago.
I do post other places, but not with this nick.
I’m a little nervous to tell the truth. I know that everyone says Macs are much easier to use, but my experience with the machines goes back to System 8.0 I haven’t played with them since and am a bit worried about the learning curve.
I thought I’d seen the name on some music forums.
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