ZDNet Editor disingenuously equates Mac and Windows ‘behavioral problems’

36 Comments

“For users who want the slick BMW or Lexus of computers for a slight premium over the more pedestrian models, the Mac clearly wins. But the basic guts and functionality aren’t all that much different from Fords and Chevys. It’s a smoother, more enjoyable ride, but most people and corporations don’t mind a few bumps if they can pay less,” Dan

36 Comments

  1. well .. OS X is great .. but not that great .. i am no troll .. i would not switch back BUT

    1. kernel panic … i get them .. probably because of USB ISDN modem
    > by the way .. anyone has an idea how to work with OS X afetr kernel panic without the need to restart immediatly ? [on windows you can sometimes work after a BSOD with no problem]

    2. UNICODE support in Office application … since the whole relevant world uses MS Office … i have MS Office.X but when i get documents from Windows machine with font Times New Roman CE [everybody uses only this font here ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />] i have to manualy change the font to Times CE to display ?�??������?� correctly >> font substitution doesn’t work because .. too long to explain … i hope the next office has better support for CE languages

    3. PRICE !!! … in USA this is not the problem, but here in Europe .. for example a Powerbook 15″ in USA cost $2599 i think and in Slovakia where I live $3423 >> now that is some money !!! more than $800 difference !!! [all without sales tax]
    [note: products from other manufacturers have much more competitive pricing]

    Reply

  2. bSavage:

    “I am beginning to wonder if installing the earthlink total access program has exacerbated the problems.”

    That could be it. Installing Earthlink Total Access hosed the Mail.app on my Jaguar system. Fortunately that system is just used for testing so I didn’t lose anything but my respect for Earthlink.

    Reply

  4. I think a basic problem people who switch over from PC to Mac encounter, is that they expect to be able to work exactly as they did …

    Macs operate differently to PCs – it’s not like driving a car.

    Unless you grew up with the Mac OS, you’re not always going to realize the different and simple ways that you can do things.

    Rather than assuming Macs are easier to use, I feel that Apple should supply one of the many excellent guides to OS X that are out there to any person who is switching platforms. This would surely save a lot of grief for the many who are still trying to do things the Windows’ way.

    Reply

  5. Well, so maybe I stand corrected. When i bought my G4 I added 3 extra memory cards and an internal USB card. As I mentioned above, I took my kernel, panicking, sleep deprived computer to the apple store. They tested all the memory and said it was good- nothing wrong with the computer. Per your suggestions, i retested my self with the Apple Harware test disk. It would not load due to a memory problem. I took out all memory and mixed and matched. With two of them my Hardware disk would load- adding the other two in any order- no dice. I rebooted with the two “good” ram modules and immediately saw a major difference in how quickly the mouse pointer appeared. I will take the next few days seeing if the kernel panics and sleep problems go away as well. If this takes care of the problem I will be one HAPPY Mac user. Except, I can’t imagine being able to return $500 worth of ram after it was tested “positive” back in November.

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  6. If any of that memory is still in warranty, you should be able to get it replaced. Print out the log file from the Apple Hardware test session & show them that. Be prepared to bring the whole computer in so they can duplicate the problem & see for themselves.

    Unfortunately, both Apple’s own customer service & Mac dealers’ customer service often tend to be a weak link. PC dealers are used to fixing horribly broken crapware for irate customers; they wouldn’t stay in business otherwise. Mac dealers often have little experience dealing with the kind of gremlins you describe, just because Apple hardware is *usually* so reliable. (I’ve never dealt with an Apple Store, being stuck way up here in Canada, a country Steve Jobs seems never to have heard of.)

    Reply

  7. >money !!! more than $800 difference !!! [all without sales …
    >[note: products from other manufacturers have much more
    >competitive pricing]

    What good is an $800 difference when you have more service problems and the computer doesn’t have the longevity of a Mac? (both of my Macs are 5 years old and run Panther without problems; the Wintel boxes I’ve been forced to use over the years at work have had short life spans and have been the source of continuous trouble). In my experience, the five year cost of running Mac equipment and software is on the average lower than the five year cost of running comparable Wintel equipment and software. Maintenance and replacement cost money.

    Vasily

    Reply

  8. vasily
    ..
    the $800 difference .. is on the POWERBOOK from Apple .. when you buy it in the US compared to when you buy it in Slovakia
    …
    for your info …one beer costs in Slovakia $0.5

    Reply

  9. The most common cause of kernal panics in our IT operation (98% Mac based on a base of 450 machines) is bad RAM. Swapping modules is the only solution.

    Now, my personal experience with freezes (as opposed to KPs) is after running and then quitting Halo. The machine becomes very unstable and evenutally freezes and has to be restarted. This was a complete mystery to me until I remembered that Halo is a Microsoft product ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

    -B

    P.S. Price any Dell laptop with comparable specs to the Albook and you will find that the Mac beats the Dell all day long in price. Why this would be different outside of the US is anyone’s guess.

    Reply

  10. Beeblebox,
    What would you suggest. As documented here I have had kernel panics and an inability to access my dialup (sometimes my menulets disappear as well) after waking from sleep. Yesterday i removed 2 Apple memory cards that did not pass the hardware test (wouldn’t even load the harware test till I removed them) and left two in that did.Then I reinstalled Panther 3.2. Woke the computer 5 or six times everything was ok. Let it sleep overnight and lost dialup connection at wake up followed by a kernal panic when I attempted to reboot. Very frustrated. Any guesses?

    Reply

  11. Have a new G-5 Powerbook. Not many programs on it yet except Office (for OS 9.2) and Office for OS 10. I am running OS 10.3.
    Everything is fine for about 5 minutes, then the mouse (via the touch pad) gets slow and unresponsive. It will not move for 20 seconds then move and stop.

    Any suggestions? The sales people at Comp USA just have no idea. They say, “Call Apple”?

    Reply

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