Cult of Macintosh
So this will be my first real post to this medium... I'm not sure yet if it's best to choose a particular focus for all posts, or if it's best to maintain the stream of conciousness thing. For right now, I'll go with the latter and see what happens. Lara also suggested that every second or third post should have a picture, so I will try to accomplish this as well. So with that out of the way...
Wired magazine has a section of articles on their online edition titled "Cult of Mac". I've always thought that was appropriate, based on my experiences, which I will attempt to sum up below. With the announcement of the new Mac mini, and the iPod Shuffle, the Macintosh culture is being brought to the forefront again.
To get a feeling for what I'm talking about, head to the discussion forums at the Macintosh News Network, and read some threads. Better yet, register and post something like, "I like Macs, but the Dell I just bought is designed really well, and Windows XP works great," or, "I think that the PowerBooks should have higher screen resolutions like PC's." I predict that within 3 replies, you will be informed that you're opinion really doesn't matter. There's probably a 50% chance of being labeled a heretic. Yet, do some reading and find how when most posters refer to Windows, it is always horribly unstable, Dell is "dull," and Bill Gates is put on the same level as Joseph McCarthy.
This sort of product zealotry is certainly not unique to Apple. Try telling a Chevrolet owner to consider buying a Ford, or ask a Formula 1 fan to sit through a NASCAR race. The real question becomes: If Steve Jobs and Apple were in Microsoft's position would anything really be different?
There's no question that Apple designs innovative products and has lots of things going for them. They finally have an operating system in OS X that truly rivals Windows, and they might finally grasp the concept that to attract more users, you must lower costs. Now, they are faced with a question that I believe they have encountered before. Can we truly convert the legions of "unwashed" PC owners into Macintosh owners, or will our current users scare them and their wallets away?
Some footnotes:
Wired magazine has a section of articles on their online edition titled "Cult of Mac". I've always thought that was appropriate, based on my experiences, which I will attempt to sum up below. With the announcement of the new Mac mini, and the iPod Shuffle, the Macintosh culture is being brought to the forefront again.
To get a feeling for what I'm talking about, head to the discussion forums at the Macintosh News Network, and read some threads. Better yet, register and post something like, "I like Macs, but the Dell I just bought is designed really well, and Windows XP works great," or, "I think that the PowerBooks should have higher screen resolutions like PC's." I predict that within 3 replies, you will be informed that you're opinion really doesn't matter. There's probably a 50% chance of being labeled a heretic. Yet, do some reading and find how when most posters refer to Windows, it is always horribly unstable, Dell is "dull," and Bill Gates is put on the same level as Joseph McCarthy.
This sort of product zealotry is certainly not unique to Apple. Try telling a Chevrolet owner to consider buying a Ford, or ask a Formula 1 fan to sit through a NASCAR race. The real question becomes: If Steve Jobs and Apple were in Microsoft's position would anything really be different?
There's no question that Apple designs innovative products and has lots of things going for them. They finally have an operating system in OS X that truly rivals Windows, and they might finally grasp the concept that to attract more users, you must lower costs. Now, they are faced with a question that I believe they have encountered before. Can we truly convert the legions of "unwashed" PC owners into Macintosh owners, or will our current users scare them and their wallets away?
Some footnotes:
- There are 3 computers in my house: a 12" PowerBook, a homebuilt AMD Shuttle XPC, and an old box that is currently running Gentoo Linux and is acting as a file and print server.
- I own a second generation iPod.
- I have programmed on Apple operating systems going back to System 7.1.
- For the past 8 years or so, I have coded primarily for the Win32 and WinCE platforms.
- I want a Mac mini for no explicable reason.
posted by Matt at 3:10 PM
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