Why are Apple MacBooks more reliable?

ZDNet ^ | December 11, 2015 | By Robin Harris

[tacticalogic]

There is some logic to that.

Agreed, but the question is whether you would do it. You have to weigh that against the downside, which in a lot of cases means telling someone that an aging or low-end computer they'd like to try out Linux on that they should just throw it away and wait until they can afford something better.

So given that, would you do it?

[tacticalogic]

The other half of the truth is that all of that comes at price.

The beauty of half-truth is that it's not false, it's just incomplete.

[bolobaby]

Ah, OK.

The statement represents the tone for the entire piece, which indicates that it is less reliable data and more editorial observations. Let’s break it down:

“That’s (sic) may be why at tech conferences I attend...”

Which conferences? How many? Are they Apple-centric? Are they majority West Coast, because we already know that Apple is way over represented in the San Francisco Bay area. (No comment as to why, but I’m reminded of the South Park electric car episode again for some reason.) Regardless, the statement starts with a qualifier that that indicates it is both completely anecdotal, and should not be considered indicative of any broader trend, and truly representative of a microcosm which may or may not have any bearing on the larger reality.

“...MacBooks are way over-represented - typically 40-60 percent...”

Here in the middle we get to the crux of garbage data. What does “way over-represented” mean in this context? Does it mean 40-60 percent higher than the normally LOW percentage of MacBook users? Or is the author trying to suggest that 40-60 percent of the users who show up are lugging around MacBooks, because I find that hard to believe. It doesn’t really matter because you can tell that this is a totally made up percentage based on some perception the author has and not rooted in any actually counting the author had performed. How do we know this? Well, if he had actually data, he wouldn’t throw out such a wild range (40-60? Really?) and would have indicated that he actually counted devices at a particular conference and provide those numbers.

“...among highly educated and sophisticated users.”

And, finally, we get to the red meat. The wholly subjective part of this completely ludicrous statement. Allow me to further demonstrate with an example right out of the left’s playbook:

“That’s why at the scientific seminars I attend, adherents of Anthropogenic Glonal Warming are way over-represented - typically 40-60 percent - among highly educated and sophisticated scientists.”

You see? The basis of the statement is meant to make you believe a thing that may not be true by creating a specific caste of people who are better than the rest based on a completely subjective measure that is wholly up to the author to define. If you reject the notion, then you have automatically relegated yourself into the lower, less desirable caste. Brilliant, right? It’s the typical way that liberals like to manipulate people.

I don’t fall for it. Nor do I fall for survey-based measures of reliability. I’ll take the blind taste tests every time over brand and message-driven drivel like this.

Finally, just to be clear - *I am not making any statement regarding the reliability of one brand over another.* Please review my initial statement. It was meant as a jibe at the methodology, which could be wildly influenced by the warped perceptions of a brand’s user base - just like Starbucks Coffee has warped the perception of their users into thinking their coffee is delicious when it is not. I understand the power of branding, and believe that Apple has a MUCH MORE powerful brand than Microsoft right now. Having a powerful brand, however, does not translate into good data on surveys, though.

I’m a skeptic. Our resident social media marketer can try and turn this into me “bashing Apple” and will likely dip into the wealth of material provided to him by his corporate overlords to refute this simple observation. You see - like AGW - it does no good to have smart people like myself recognize, and call attention to, flawed methodologies. They just want to manipulate temperature data (or rely on surveys of scientists) and have their message get out unchallenged.

I’m not buying into anything so easily manipulated by marketing or other factors that have nothing to do with the core question.

[rlmorel]

It is irrelevant. The comment by the author was an observation on the RESULTS of the survey.

The survey is what it is, and no matter what you call it, it is a survey that was conducted of 56,000 users, mac and windows users.

You suggest that the people who evaluate their Dells, Lenovos, HPs, and whoever, are all completely truthful, and the users who evaluate their MacBooks are being completely deceptive because they are cultists who can’t be truthful.

That is what your position has been from your first post. Just stop. It is nonsensical.

[bolobaby]

Nope. I made no statement about the inherent truthfulness of Dell, Lenovo, or HP users. Just like I wouldn’t make a statement on the truthfulness of Dunkin’ Donut drinkers in a survey, either.

The hard fact is that surveys only demonstrate perceptions, but may have little to do with reality, as the Starbucks blind taste test prove.

[rlmorel]

As conservatives, we often allow ourselves to get painted into corners by liberals who build huge edifices on the foundations of falsehoods and outright lies, and we assault the castle instead of the foundation.

That is what you have done here by insisting that the entire thing is based on a cult who cannot admit there is a problem with their equipment.

Sorry. I won’t waste my time playing that game with you, and it is indeed a waste of time, much like arguing with a liberal who defends their edifice built on a false foundation.

You aren’t going to budge off of that irrationality, so I don’t really see any purpose in continuing the discussion. Just being frank here, nothing personal. I don’t know you enough to understand your views on anything else, so I am going to leave it at that.

[bolobaby]

See, this is why I enjoy visiting an Apple thread every now and then. I present a perfectly valid argument, completely spelled out, replete with analogies from real life to better understand it, and because it may put a crack in some positive Apple spin, it is twisted and denied, and turned into something else entirely.

And that, my friend, is why there is a “Cult of Apple.”

Thank you for proving my point exactly.

P.S. Don’t drink the Koolaid - I hear it’s spiked.

[rlmorel]

No, you are just a troll. A worthless waste of electrons and screen space. But that is apparently what passes for discourse in your brain. Everyone sees you for what you are, and I suppose you do too.

Well, go for it, then.

[bolobaby]

Amazing.

My posts were completely rational. If you read them in the entirety, you see that I actually make NO CLAIM about reliability one way or another. Furthermore, I give tremendous credit to Apple for their strong brand and even ding Microsoft for the baggage they now carry.

I give examples where surveys fail - elections, bias in news, scientific surveys regarding AGW, and coffee. I do so to point out that the underlying methodology upon which this “rah rah” piece is predicated is inherently flawed.

Because this is necessary pro-Apple, that somehow translates to insane discourse. (Bearing in mind that I credit Apple and ding Microsoft in the same posts, just on different topics.)

Oooookay.

This is where I back away quietly and hope your medication doesn’t run out any time soon. Do you need me to call in a refill on your behalf?

[zeugma]

I would, because it would give additional htility for almost no cost. I've personally seen computers that wouldn't even install windows from legitimate media due to alleged memory issues that readily took linux and ran well with it for years. Why? I have no idea. I suspect linux was more forgiving of the errors the memory was reporting. I personally think linux is a better solution than windows for the vast majority of users, but it is a decision the user has to make. If someone has some older hardware, and would like to save up for a Mac, they'd probably do well with something like Mint, which they won't have to fiddle with while they wait until they can afford a better system. Or they can just get something kike a Mac mini, which is relatively inexpensive, and will give them trouble-free comuting for years.

[rlmorel]

I haven’t come into your threads that often...do you get people like some I see on this thread all the time? Reading the posts, I get the impression they follow you around.

[zeugma]

I haven’t come into your threads that often...do you get people like some I see on this thread all the time? Reading the posts, I get the impression they follow you around.

Yeah, they do.

[rlmorel]

Ugh. That’s unfortunate. I don’t really understand that, but I suppose some people get their entertainment in different ways.

[Swordmaker]

I haven't come into your threads that often...do you get people like some I see on this thread all the time? Reading the posts, I get the impression they follow you around.

Unfortunately, yes. Same few, less than about half-a dozen members of the Anti-Apple Hate Brigade, and they do it, all the time, in every Apple thread, and are not above attacking me in non-Apple threads.

They have made it a mission to constantly denigrate Apple products and attack me. They will even post Anti-Apple articles for that purposes and bait people who like Apple products. . . and ping me to them.

They REFUSE to believe that there is an Apple ping list with over 700 Freeper members and continually attack me, claiming that I am paid by Apple to post on FR for the purpose of selling Apple products. As far as I know, Apple doesn't employ such marketing techniques, but Samsung actively does do astroturfing advertising and has been caught at it (the largest percentage of their marketing budget is spent this way), and Microsoft invented it and I doubt they have given up on it. I have told them repeatedly that I am not paid by anyone and am actually independent of any need for such income. Yet they incessantly POUND that meme. JR has told them as far as he is concerned Apple threads are OK and sees no evidence that I post advertising for Apple. . . but they have appointed themselves the protectors of FreeRepublic sanctity.

They've been repeatedly slapped down for their behavior, but they keep it up. That makes ME think they are the ones being paid for their efforts.

[Swordmaker]

Ugh. That’s unfortunate. I don’t really understand that, but I suppose some people get their entertainment in different ways.

Some of them state openly they have fun insulting Apple users. They think Apple users are "Stupid."

[rlmorel]

That is very unsavory. I had no idea. Pretty twisted way to amuse yourself in discourse with other adults, and quite un-Freeper-like, I might add.

It seems strange to me. I wouldn’t go into a thread where that was my sole purpose, to disrupt and insult people because the thread is about a certain computer or operating system. If it were about some kind of snake oil cancer treatment that was known to be a scam, sure, but...this? Very odd. This behavior is like a seamy underbelly I have been unaware of. (not the anti-Apple aspect, I have seen that before, but the weird accusations that you or others are “astro-turfing” the site.) I mean, who died and left them in charge? At least humblegunner has some kind of relationship with Jim Robinson to back up his anti-blog pimp campaigns, whether I agree with them all the time or not.

But, it is Jim Robinson’s site. I presume he expects people to act like adults, engage in real discourse and work it out among ourselves and doesn’t want to be drawn into squabbles. I can’t blame him.

That is what I would expect.

[Swordmaker]

It seems strange to me. I wouldn’t go into a thread where that was my sole purpose, to disrupt and insult people because the thread is about a certain computer or operating system. If it were about some kind of snake oil cancer treatment that was known to be a scam, sure, but...this? Very odd. This behavior is like a seamy underbelly I have been unaware of. (not the anti-Apple aspect, I have seen that before, but the weird accusations that you or others are “astro-turfing” the site.) I mean, who died and left them in charge? At least humble gunner has some kind of relationship with Jim Robinson to back up his anti-blog pimp campaigns, whether I agree with them all the time or not.

Thank you. . . they act like juvenile thugs. . . but it is difficult to get the AMs to do anything. I appreciate your adult viewpoint.

[Swordmaker]

I don't know what causes their software to be so unstable, but I do know that at the company where I work, they have regularly scheduled reboots for many servers because the systems will become unstable over time. Since we don't use Apple hardware for similar tasks, because Apple simply doesn't play in that space, there is no way to know from direct experience if you'd see similar issues. However, I do know that our Linux servers running on the exact same hardware as the Windows servers do not see the same stability issues. For most of our Linux boxes, the only time they get rebooted is when there is a kernel upgrade.

Apple did play in that arena for a while with OS X servers.

Six Rack Mounted xServer OS X Macs

The hardware was excellent. OS X at heart is a fully TradeMarked UNIX, and their servers were completely POSIX compliant UNIX, which meant they were just as stable as Linux servers. Apple provided some excellent management tools for running them as well. Steve Jobs just pulled the entire xServer line without warning, pissing off the enterprise completely. A Japanese bank had just standardized on them, too.

[zeugma]

Yup. It’s something I don’t really understand. You’d think there would be some serious profit there for secure, robust servers. Guess Apple has plenty of cash on hand already :-)

[KGeorge]

Thank you, Swordmaker. It will be ready to rock- allegedly, when I pick it up. I can’t wait. This is my favorite puter, ever.