Comments on: Mac Versus The Rest. http://blog.eightblack.com/2008/583/ Thoughts on sales, marketing and the internet. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:15:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Jamie http://blog.eightblack.com/2008/583/#comment-55751 Jamie Wed, 21 May 2008 12:53:32 +0000 http://blog.eightblack.com/?p=583#comment-55751 Simon You often see one eyed views like this with Collingwood supporters. All they see is black and white and not the real issues. Macs are great - i have one and love it. They are great for home, in creative environments and small businesses. But in the coporate world I still find them hard work. Integration with networks, custome built applications, inbox/calendars, file structures and obtaining support are hard - harder than it should be. We tried to integrate a Mac into our office and the user imploded. I think i explained the Apple key was the control key approximately 100 times. I took to heavy drinking - it was too hard and too different for the average office user with a Msoft Office DNA So i think they are great...and especially for technically savvy people. However - the change from the devil (msoft) for the average person is too great. And IT departments in big corporates wont change for decades. Simon
You often see one eyed views like this with Collingwood supporters. All they see is black and white and not the real issues.

Macs are great - i have one and love it. They are great for home, in creative environments and small businesses. But in the coporate world I still find them hard work. Integration with networks, custome built applications, inbox/calendars, file structures and obtaining support are hard - harder than it should be.

We tried to integrate a Mac into our office and the user imploded. I think i explained the Apple key was the control key approximately 100 times. I took to heavy drinking - it was too hard and too different for the average office user with a Msoft Office DNA

So i think they are great…and especially for technically savvy people. However - the change from the devil (msoft) for the average person is too great. And IT departments in big corporates wont change for decades.

]]> By: Todd http://blog.eightblack.com/2008/583/#comment-54881 Todd Wed, 14 May 2008 08:56:13 +0000 http://blog.eightblack.com/?p=583#comment-54881 Couldn't agree with Simon more. I bought a MacBook Pro 10 months ago. I run OSX & WinXP in Duel model. I rearly face compatability issues, and always have minimal fuss with connectivity. The thing works really, really well... I'm a total convert. Couldn’t agree with Simon more.

I bought a MacBook Pro 10 months ago.
I run OSX & WinXP in Duel model.
I rearly face compatability issues, and always have minimal fuss with connectivity.

The thing works really, really well… I’m a total convert.

]]> By: Keith http://blog.eightblack.com/2008/583/#comment-54768 Keith Tue, 13 May 2008 06:21:27 +0000 http://blog.eightblack.com/?p=583#comment-54768 How not to be a Mac Snob: Realize that that the Mac-PC-Linux world does not define all possible options. Macs are great, yes, but there is tons of stuff which simply has not improved, and has needed to, for the last 40 years, across the entire computing industry. For example -- why is it you can still lose a document if are yet to save it? Why is transferring files to someone remotely still so bloody hard or require arbitrary knowledge? Why does a mouse still only have essentially 1 bit input and no feedback? What kid today would have ever seen a file folder in real life? Why do we still have file extensions? Why is manipulating windows and applications still a PITA? Demand simpler, more intuitive, more enjoyable computer experiences. Sure, it may be a huge ask, but realize that this is one industry which affects millions of users.. the effort in improving one small thing in an OS, for example, has huge repercussions across the world, for years to come. To answer your question: I think the Apple brand has the concept that the user doesn't actually care about computers -- just the stuff they can make. That's why they make stuff which already has many decisions made for the user, why the hardware looks like something your wife would let you keep in the living room, and why Apple stuff tends towards the minimal -- because they realize that the users want to get stuff done -- not do 'computing'. How not to be a Mac Snob: Realize that that the Mac-PC-Linux world does not define all possible options. Macs are great, yes, but there is tons of stuff which simply has not improved, and has needed to, for the last 40 years, across the entire computing industry.

For example — why is it you can still lose a document if are yet to save it? Why is transferring files to someone remotely still so bloody hard or require arbitrary knowledge? Why does a mouse still only have essentially 1 bit input and no feedback? What kid today would have ever seen a file folder in real life? Why do we still have file extensions? Why is manipulating windows and applications still a PITA?

Demand simpler, more intuitive, more enjoyable computer experiences. Sure, it may be a huge ask, but realize that this is one industry which affects millions of users.. the effort in improving one small thing in an OS, for example, has huge repercussions across the world, for years to come.

To answer your question: I think the Apple brand has the concept that the user doesn’t actually care about computers — just the stuff they can make. That’s why they make stuff which already has many decisions made for the user, why the hardware looks like something your wife would let you keep in the living room, and why Apple stuff tends towards the minimal — because they realize that the users want to get stuff done — not do ‘computing’.

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