Posted on 01/13/2005 12:28:42 PM PST by ambrose
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By Stephen Evans
BBC North America business correspondent
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It's tempting to think that Steve Jobs is some sort of religious leader rather than the chief executive of a rather successful computer company.
And you could be forgiven for thinking that his Apple products are objects of religious devotion rather than mere pieces of plastic enclosing silicon chips.
The Cult of Mac does have some rational basis.
There seems little doubt that the products are very good. Its strong attractions are usability and good looks (though not usually price until this week's announcement of a less expensive home computer).
Inspired behaviour
There is clearly, though, something more to it than mere mundane functionality.
Lots of companies make good products but they don't attract the kind of religious zeal that Mac inspires.
Take the case of John Charlton, for example, who, according to Wired magazine, travels the world with his Newton, the PDA which Apple discontinued in 1998, and has now created a gallery of pictures of the said gizmo in front of various global landmarks from Florida to Munich to Lisbon.
Or the people who cut their hair to show an Apple symbol or who get Mac tattoos or who dress up like Steve Jobs or who trek around the world to the opening of a new Apple Store.
Rebellious streak
It is a tribal thing - the Mac Tribe - and a sociological phenomenon, to do perhaps with a minority who believe they have seen a truth, much like the drivers of VW Beetles would wave to each other in the 60s, knowing utterly that their car was superior, but it was a secret unperceived by the rest.
There may also be a type of person who delights in going against the herd.
Whatever is fashionable for the masses becomes unfashionable for the minority. Manchester City and the New York Mets both have their loyal followers who would rather die than head for Old Trafford or Yankee Stadium. And so it is with Microsoft and Apple.
While the big company dominates the market with its uncool product, Macs offer an alternative to those with a streak of bolshiness and perversity (both nouns are compliments).
Cool dudes?
None of which is to say that Apple and Mac offer style but no substance.
Clearly, the company is getting a lot right. Its devotees (disciples?) swear by their products as being effective and easy to use.
It's just that there's something more to it than that: the packaging and sales-pitch have succeeded brilliantly in conveying a whole life-style and image.
That style emanates from the top.
Steve Jobs is the counter-image of a stuffy businessman. He wears trainers, jeans and black sweaters.
Apple's attitude to the media is actually tight and highly controlled yet the image portrayed is of a cool and easy-going counter-culture.
Pure marketing
Let me declare an interest: I own a Microsoft driven personal computer. It serves me very well. I have no strong feelings about it. Mac may or may not be better; it's just that it's not the route I happened to take.
I get stalked, though, by colleagues who insist on telling me how much better their iPod is than my Dell Jukebox, even as the reviews say the battery life of an iPod isn't the best around. Or how I should throw my PC away and get a Mac.
They may be right.
It's just that some of the message is in the marketing.
We asked you, our readers, if you are Mac followers or loathe Macs, or indeed whether you are simply puzzled by this phenomenon? The feedback printed below reflects the wide range of views held.
I have not got a clue about this issue and i am a loser when it comes to technology.
Hassan Shah, Watford
Not to knock Jobs, but that iPod shuffle round his neck looks terribly unfashionable. Sort of like when you were back in school and you had that teacher with the big glasses and pen hanging round her neck. I for one won't get one until it is covered in zebra stripes and purrs everytime I do something right, like my girlfriend ;-)
John, London
Macs have always lead the way. They are simpler, more intuitive to use and now cost less! They are also better quality.
Jeff Lil, Hull UK
I must admit to being puzzled by the whole Apple cult. I too have had my ear bent by Mac nerds, but I've ignored them because I can't see the point of paying over the odds for an inferior product just because someone considers it to be stylish. Why buy a Mac when you can get a PC that will outperform it in every respect for half the price?
Anthony Jones, Leeds UK
Once again, disappointingly, a report on Apple rehashes the old myth, that Macs are more expensive than their equivalent PCs. Utter Tosh. TCO (total cost of ownership) studies show, time and again, with equivalent hardware and software, that Macs are actually cheaper. Lazy journalistic nonsense.
John, Forfar, Scotland
I like the idea of the Ipod shuffle and also the price but I can't help but feel that they are really taking advantage of new computer users with the mini Mac. They are taking advantage of Mac as a hip brand name to sell a product without a keyboard, mouse and monitor and are marketing it like they are doing the consumer a favour.
People will buy them because Mac is the it thing to have but these will be home users wanting something to look good next to their lava lamps or something. If Mac just lowered the prices for their Macs anyway they would be able to compete with PC no problem in my opinion, I feel we are being slightly ripped off by this mini Mac.
Andrew Maddock, Harrow, London
I am indeed puzzled. The Mac Mini is lacklustre. The specification are so 2003. And yet people are willing to pay money for that. The iPod Shuffle is even worse.
March Suffot, London
I am always amazed with how intuitive Apple products are to use. Proof: they come with no manuals.
Bav, Brussels
I'm a user of Macs and PCs (and by the way, it's not just a matter of Apple versus Microsoft: Microsoft Office is very widely used on Macs, at any rate in corporates).
I don't have a strong preference as regards the working environment: as an IT professional, I've worked on and supported both platforms (and others). I suppose if I didn't need to maintain my skills on both platforms I'd be content enough with a Mac.
I think, objectively, the interface is generally better, not to mention friendlier for non-experts, and I've happily produced reams using one or other of my Macs. But then, I've done the same on PCs.
However, I do get irritated by the aggressive evangelism of many Mac (and Linux) users: perhaps Mac users really are smarter, cuddlier, safer and more creative than PC users (but I'd like to see some reliable, objective statistics!), but in my experience they're often rude and arrogant.
I suspect that this often shows a deep-seated defensiveness and insecurity. Apple do many things just right (and I'm not just talking marketing either), but they aren't perfect.
Furthermore, Mac users don't live in a vacuum: the Mac experience might be more productive and pleasant if the rest of the online world supported the platform better. The fact that they don't isn't the fault of Apple or the customers (well, sometimes it is: insularity is not an attractive trait), but it isn't an argument for putting all your eggs in the Mac basket, either.
David Harley CISSP, Headley Down, UK
I think that for most Mac users there are a range of factors that influence us. A distrust or dissatisfaction of Microsoft is one factor - in this sense Mac users are similar to people who choose Firefox over IE or Linux over Windows.
In many cases there are also very specific, practical reasons. I use a Mac at work because I have something like 10 years of resources created on Macs (some of which use software unique to the Mac).
I use a Mac to read email by preference to reduce my exposure to viruses (most of which can't damage the Mac OS or Mac files).
Finally, Mac products tend to have a longer shelf-life than Windows PC products and tend to be easier to use. This last point is no longer as true as used to be (Apple has adopted generic PC components in its machines and lowered quality slightly over the years), but I have never had a serious or expensive hardware fault with any Mac I've used at home or for work. This contrasts with the experience of many PC using colleagues at work over the years.
Thom Baguley, Loughborough
Your reporter sounds a bit defensive, insistent on portraying Mac users as "other" than normal computer users. Perhaps that makes him more comfortable with his Windows PC. If he focused on which computers are better for most users, his stubborn resistance to trying a Mac may give way. Oh, the horror!
Ted Rebarber, United States
I have used Macs for almost 20 years and a Windows PC on only a couple of occasions. I don't drive a Beetle (or Bug) but chuckled at the article, agreeing with it and identify with many aspects of it.
It's not a religious thing, just about finding what works best for you ... except you then want to evangelise about the 'great truth' you have discovered, which sort of makes it a quasi-religious thing!
PS. I have already placed my order for an iPod shuffle!
Lester Peters, High Wycombe, UK
Apple has an outstanding Marketing department that could sell rain coats in the desert. As for their products, its all down to hype and marketing. Many companies offer better products at far lower prices.
"Macs are really easy to use" they cry. Anyone who has ever sat down in front of a Mac for the first time will realise that a Mac is very easy to use - but only when you know how to use it!
Phil Templeton, Poole, Uk
As is usually the case with these things, those pursuing "anti-fashion" are the biggest fashion victims of them all. It reminds me of my teenage niece who wants to be "different" just like the rest of her friends.
Matt, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (ex. UK)
If this goes on, in few years time it'll be rebellious not to have a Mac product. So far, I'm doing well, I don't have any! ;-)
Konstantinos M, Athens/London
Everybody knows that Macs are better than PCs. But we all have to use PCs for compatibility, because everyone else does.
Adam, London, UK
Who cares?
Chris, Lincoln
I was just looking at this as well. Are these cuties compatible with wireless internet? I don't see a slot for a card.
Don't get me wrong, I think the ibook is a thing of beauty. I prefer PC hardware because I can tweak to my hearts content, including incremental home-installed upgrades using commodity hardware.
I'm just making a couple of observations about the miniMac.
All that being said, I still think they're going to sell like hotcakes....along with kvm switches, if you get my drift.
PCs, maybe. Macs, no. Not only do I install every update from Apple without thinking twice about it, my wife's mother basically said, "Ever time it says to update, I just click OK and type my password," and I didn't wince or have any concern. This is part of what I mean by PC users being so used to something not working that they spend a lot of time worrying about things that simply are not a concern in the Mac world. Really. I'm not pulling your leg. In fact, I feel pretty much the same way about Red Hat updates, too. Macs and Linux have made me so trusting that I told our official IT guy at work that I installed the recommended Windows Updates and he looked at me like I was nuts. How do people live with machines like that? Ugh!
A computer is nothing but a box of electronics ran by a number crunching program. It doesn't screw itself up, the operator owner does that by not being familiar with what they are doing and taking chances without protecting themselves.
Macs do a pretty good job of not letting users screw them up, nor does Apple screw them up by releasing bad updates. Why can Apple do what Microsoft can't? Because they control the hardware as well as the software. The Mac OS doesn't have to worry about whether Mystery Taiwainese Controller Card 241 is installed or conflicts with Mystery Mexican Graphics Card 381. In fact, if the Mac starts acting flakey for any reason, there is a hardware analysis disk included with every Mac that not only checks the basics but runs diagnostics on the video chipset, logic board, and controllers and tells you if they are all working properly or not.
I bet that probably less than 1 percent of you have a backup of your computer's boot drive and of the 1 percent that do, less than 1 percent of you have not updated it. And many of you use these computers for really important stuff. (I have three seperate back up external drives)
I don't really need to back up the whole "boot drive" because there aren't a lot of settings at that level that I'm all that worried about. Worse comes to worse, I can reinstall the OS and my Applications (all of which are legit and licensed), restore my backed up user files, run the automated updater, and I'm good to go. And, no, that doesn't take days. Maybe a night or two. I know, because when I updated to 10.3, I did a clean install and wiped the old drive to save space. It probably takes me longer to patch the Applications (including MS Office, which requires a few) than to get everything else going.
As for the keyboard and mouse, the user can always get a hub if it's a big issue. Is that a neat solution? No. But it's a solution. And if you look at any low-cost PC, you'll find the same sorts of trade offs. How many low-cost Dells, for example, include a Firewire port or include a graphics card with dedicated memory? If I had to guess, though, I could imagine later Macs in this line with at least a pair of USB ports on the front. Between digital cameras and USB flash drives (all my friend seem to be getting them), they'll probably be demand and the price for including that hardware will drop.
Perforce which be you?
I can see myself doing that, maybe, but only the $600 model.
How many low-cost Dells, for example, include a Firewire port or include a graphics card with dedicated memory?
I have a Dell with onboard video that cannot be turned off!!! How much do you think that sucked when I tried to upgrade the video? (Molto sucko!) That ought to be actionable, frankly.
Most modern PCs I'm aware of have the video chip, ethernet and modem on the motherboard, so the situation would be exactly the same with them. I haven't seen a modem card in years.
Modern electronics is awfully reliable. It's been ages since I've had a major hardware failure on any of my machines, Mac or PC.
D
Try a different mall, then. I've never noticed that problem in any of the Apple stores that I've been in, including the two that I've visited during a big OS release night when they were filed with Mac users. Of course I could also point out that homosexuals often have good taste in products and comic book guys do often have good taste in technology. Then again, I also drive a VW and read some comic books so I would say that.
Sorry for replying to you twice - I didn't realize both of these messages were written by the same person.
If you're in a major urban area, go to your local Apple store and sidle up to the Genius Bar. They'll help you with your problems -- for free.
Pretty darn cool, no?
D
The guy wondering what the hell is going on.
Poor comparison. You appear to be comparing a single-processor machine with a dual. The dual will run smoother even if it doesn't have the same absolute performance level.
However, my question to you is, "Which machine runs Final Cut Pro and Motion?" The Mac.
Therefore, the best machine for my needs is, well, the Mac. Not to mention the sheer ugliness and poor design included for free in every copy of Windows. I wouldn't use the PC as my primary computer if you paid me to do it.
Just wondering ... have you ever used a Mac? There's a reason Mac users are loyal. Apple charges us a lot but they give us a lot, too. We'll well treated by a company that cares deeply about the hardware and software design of their computers, instead of trying to find the cheapest possible components and slam them together in the cheapest possible way.
D
I can see myself doing that, maybe, but only the $600 model.
How many low-cost Dells, for example, include a Firewire port or include a graphics card with dedicated memory?
I have a Dell with onboard video that cannot be turned off!!! How much do you think that sucked when I tried to upgrade the video? (Molto sucko!) That ought to be actionable, frankly.
Whoops, DSL-hiccup doppelposten! Well, I do feel pretty strongly about that last bit. ;O)
I totally disagree with the idea that something is so good that you don't need or want to upgrade.
When I bought my ATI ALL-In-Wonder 9600XT it was the best out there (8 Months ago) yet there have been several improvements from then to now.
Intergrated on-board video is never as good as that of an add-in card, MAC or PC, and you are always better off if you have an upgrade ability for the video.
You may want to upgrade but you generally will never need to. The iBook I'm using right now is 3-4 years old. I've upgraded the hard drive. The only thing I wish I could upgrade is the video card but I don't really need to upgrade it. By the time I really need to upgrade the video, I'll probably really need to upgrade the whole iBook.
When I bought my ATI ALL-In-Wonder 9600XT it was the best out there (8 Months ago) yet there have been several improvements from then to now. Intergrated on-board video is never as good as that of an add-in card, MAC or PC, and you are always better off if you have an upgrade ability for the video.
If you really need to upgrade, Apple sells towers. But you need to remember that unlike PCs, Mac software is written for those all-in-one Macs in mind so they don't become obsolete quite as quickly as they do in the PC world. As for "integrated on-board video", you are right. That's why Apple doesn't use the cheap integrated solution that many cheap PCs use and include an ATI chipset with a dedicated 32MB of memory, even in that cheap $499 Mac mini. And don't miss the reply above about the cheap Dell where you can't turn the integrated video off.
My aren't you the poster-child for mindless, adolescent cliches? But I hardly think it's "time to move on."
Television seems to have quite a handy little cottage industry going these days. There's a whole crop of new shows in the mold of "Nanny 911" that do nothing but go in and show how abysmally inept "2005" parents are, because they don't know how to inculcate simple manners and civility in their children. Invariably, the parents lives have become a living hell, because their children are running the house, and the parents are clueless on how to take it back.
I've yet to see a Southern home featured on such shows.
I don't know if it is the same with a MAC, but most of the time the 32MB of dedicated Memory is just reserved system RAM which is not as good as actually having VIDRAM.
I am no fan of retail computers, including MACs and I build all of my on, plus on average I have built 2 machines per month for the last five years, for other people. I know about hardware quality and the ins and outs of Windows. Apple builds a quality product, but I can build a better, faster machine for less. But then again a MAC is like a Mercedes whereas I build race cars.
I have no problems with MAC users as long as they have respect for me, even though I have the greatest MAC flame there is (Do you know what the most popular subject is on a MAC User's Forum? Barney! (Due to the fact that MACs are used in so many K thru 12 schools) Of course I also blacklist people and will not work on their machines if they do not learn about them.
Computers are like any tool, depending on what you are doing one may be better for you than the other, but neither will do everything the best.
The local newspaper runs on Macs and the suckers crash all the time.
So much for Macs being more stable.
For the college newspaper, we use PC's. No crashes.
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