“An old e-mail friend and antagonist, with whom I have held many genial debates over the years, writes with another provocation. ‘I see that Apple has run out of iMacs, and the new model won’t be out until September. Smooth move! I can’t believe you like this company,'” Paul Glister writes for The News & Observer.
“But I do. So let’s talk a minute about Apple’s fortunes in a Microsoft-dominated world… Consider the superb Mac OS X operating system, whose latest version was just previewed at a developer’s conference in San Francisco. Already rock-solid, the new version, code-named Tiger, offers the kind of search features that should have been in desktop computers from the beginning but are only now emerging,” Glister writes.
“Apple can surge ahead on technology like this precisely because its market share is low and because it retains tight control over Macintosh hardware. Every OS X upgrade can focus on breakthroughs, while Microsoft has to spend countless programmer hours worrying about compatibility issues with different kinds of equipment and add-on devices. A nimble company can sometimes get the drop on Bill Gates,” Glister writes.
“So yes, I like Apple, even though I don’t use a Mac. I stick with Windows and Linux precisely because of the above issue: I want to be able to open up a computer, swap hard disks or add wireless functions or upgrade my own video card. And I want to be able to do those things with a wide range of choice, instead of having to buy solely from a single dealer,” Glister writes. “Thanks, but no closed hardware for me.”
Still, in the end, Paul gets this correct, writing, “OS X remains the best operating system on the market.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We emailed Paul to tell him that we have opened our Power Mac G4 and Power Mac G5s and added hard drives from many of the major hard drive makers. We didn’t need to add “wireless functions” because the computers shipped with them, and how much can you save off US$79, which is what Apple charges for an AirPort Extreme Card, anyway? Oh yeah, we also upgraded our video cards at will, purchased from different dealers even. And, horrors, we even upgraded several processors in some of these Macs! We sent Paul a nice link to the Power Mac G5 Expansion web page at Apple here.
Perhaps Paul thinks a Mac is an iMac or an eMac and doesn’t know you can open a Mac and “swap hard disks or add wireless functions or upgrade [his] own video card?” Feel free to let Paul know what you’ve done after opening up your Power Macs and swapping out hard drives, etc. here: gilster@mindspring.com and copy your email to: accuracy@newsobserver.com. Be nice, Paul seems to understand Mac is better, he just needs to know that there are Pro desktop hardware lines available from Apple, too. A few emails should help him out and perhaps even prompt a correction in his next article.
Now, when Paul writes his next Mac article, perhaps he’ll get everything right and stop subjecting his many readers to myths like “the Mac is not upgradeable, so stick with Windows and Linux.” He may even realize that he can now do what he so obviously wants to do: switch to a Mac full time.
Sent him a nice email explaining my upgrading of Macs past. This is what MDN does so well, pointing out and, in the process, fixing “Mac myth propagation” in the media. Bravo!
MDN….. so immature
well on the video card front, macs could do with a few more options, but the options we do have are always good quality ones. and the mac processor upgrade industry is a healthy one
tom,
The News & Observer has a circulation of 163,769. If you were considering buying a Mac, but didn’t know much about them and read Glister’s “Macs are not upgradable” mistake, you might not buy one. You might heed Glister’s mistaken advice to “stick with Windows,” instead. MDN is doing a service. You are the one not getting it.
sorry but apple really is big enough to fight its own wars :0
Which of Apple’s consumer models will accept PCI cards, or opens up easily to allow its owner to add internal disks? eMac? iMac? These machines are not upgradeable in that sense by the owner. Are consumers not supposed to want or need to upgrade their computers? So we have to buy a PowerMac–way more machine than we need and $$$ that we want to spend–to get an upgradeable Mac? I think this IS a weak point for Apple that they should fix.
As a writer for a publication with a significantly larger circulation, I can tell you that this does work. I was on the receiving end of one of these fact-checking articles from MacDailyNews and it caused me and my editor to correct the article. I also wrote a followup piece on the topic a week or so later.
Bravo, MDN
If you wish to “upgrade” your Mac, buy a Power Mac. That is its purpose as the “Pro” desktop line. An iMac or eMac is for a different buyer than Glister. Glister should’ve pointed this out in the article. He does not. Time for a correction.
I don’t know why this is an issue anyway. 90% of computer buyers whether they get a PC or a Mac will never crack open the case even once the entire time they own it. And the most common upgrade anyone ever performs is a memory upgrade and this can be done on any Mac, whether it be a consumer or pro model.
It’s kind of true though…
Mac users are pretty limited in upgrade options. G5s have a few more options, but you really can’t touch anything on lower model Macs other than the memory (You can swap hard disks and add wireless capabilities all you want…) The processor upgrade options are limited and nonexistant on most Macs… Same with video card options…
I just upgraded a PC for a friend, he just bought a new motherboard and processor for a few hundred bucks, and we used the old RAM, drives, case, etc. because that was all decent, and it was a pretty good upgrade for the cost… You can’t build a Mac like you can a PC.
I choose to buy Macs anyways because of the user experience. I’m way more productive on a Mac. I don’t really need to mess with upgrades, I just need to get things done, which I can do much better on a Mac. I’m willing to pay the extra price for a computer that gets out of my way.
I’ve never owned a PC, but I’ve built them for others and envied their upgradeability. I wish Macs could be had as cheaply as PCs, but you get what you pay for, you can tell what I think is a better value in the long run, Mac only since System 6.
I guess Glister has never heard of FireWire or USB either. Last I checked you can get hard drives, optical drives, printers, scanners, cameras, etc, that plug right in to those little ports on the side of every Mac sold for the last several years. Not to mention you can upgrade the memory or add Wi-Fi cards to any Mac sold in the last several years as well…
beryllium,
“So we have to buy a PowerMac–way more machine than we need and $$$ that we want to spend–to get an upgradeable Mac?”
….so buy the consumer mac…whats the problem?
You want to be able to upgrade a consumer model….but the pro model is too much computer? What would you upgrade the imac to if the powermac is too much computer?
beryllium makes a fair point. iMacs and eMacs are not upgradeable, and those are the two machines most targeted toward the average consumer.
Apple really SHOULD consider making a cheaper model for those of us on a budget. A G5 Processor in an old G4 case for $700 sans monitor, keyboard, etc…I would be looking for a way to buy one of those instead of wondering whether I should drop a few hundred on a used 400Mhz G4.
Well, folks, I really *would* like to soup up the video card and cpu in my CRT iMac, but I can’t. The simple fact is that Glister gets it right for most of Apple’s line-up. It sucks. Steve should allow for some upgradability. This is naturally self-limiting – one can’t take a G3 iMac to a G5, nor would one want to. This upgradability will not affect sales adversely. I am waiting for the G5 laptop, and until then I will do nothing. If Steve had offered a video or CPU ugrade, I would have taken him up on it. Result: more income, not less.
I know, I know. Get a Pro system, you say. I do not have the room, nor did I care to listen to the fan noise of the contemporary crop of devices.
Come on, Steve. Get a competively priced, mildly upgradeable system out on the market. Why, people might even buy it!
Mike
PS Please excuse spelling errors. No system wide spell check on this Dell at work.
Rob beat me to it. Most people hate the idea of messing with computers (thank m$ for that), so the idea of opening the case is way out of the question.
I’ve had just about every kind of mac and been able to upgrade and swap out all kinds of parts. The technically challenged probably couldn’t do this but they wouldn’t be able to do it on a Windows machine either.
I’m confused. I understand the point of upgrading, but with the new standards being released for the laptops to G5s, you will not need any upgrading besides maybe some RAM, new graphics card and additional hard drive. What else are you going to upgrade on a G5?
These options are also completely available now, were available on the G4 (graphics cards needed a little tampering if you bought generic PC brands), and even as low as the G3 (soldering may be required, lol, I learned the hard way). For the iMacs and eMacs out there already owned, well, they bought it for a third of the cost of an upgradable computer. Seems to me it all works out in the end when it comes to dollars and cents.
On my SnakeBite:
Hard Drives? No problem.
RAM? Firmware’s a little picky, but no problem.
Processor? No problem.
DVD/CD? A little picky concerning what iTunes and Disc Burner use. Have Toast? No problem.
Firewire/USB? No problem.
Peripherals? No problem.
Video? Got me there. Limited choice and premium pricing. This is the main issue I’d like to see improve.
@ Fred Mertz
I question that. Even a consumer like me wants to replace a video card two years after buying a new Mac. I’ve owned a Performa (Quadra) 630 who was a consumer Mac and totally upgradable, but nowadays am stuck with me olde Power Mac B&W G3 (meanwhile modified with a 500 MHz G4 chip and a DVD burner) since 1999, partially *because* shelling out ~2000,- � for a Pro Mac is too much for me. Gimmi a modestly upgradable (HD, Graphic Card Slot, CD/DVD drive) “Prosumer” Mac and I’ll gladly shell out 1300 � for it. But another “One Mac fits all consumers” model, by courtesy of Steve’s “Style over Functionality” rampage, is probably what we’re heading for.
Blech:-((
Anyone unsure about their options with upgrading their macs should check out http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/ (if you don’t already know about it).
I got a tutorial on their for changing the REV A chip to a REV B on the original beige G3 233Mhz desktop model so that I could install a second hard drive. Damn clever upgrades in there.
I just downloaded 7 security updates for my Dull PC.
Nice. Now I can go back to using the superior Internet Explorer web browser and get away from that horrid opensource Firefox junk.
lol.
What if you want a system under $1000 (or even $1900 if you don’t want a G4) and want to be able to upgrade everything (not me)? Dude, you’re not getting a Mac.
This was my response…
—–
Paul…
Saw your article and it brought this question to mind…
How many people (what percentage) actually crack open their computers and add or upgrade things?
I’ve seen the “Macs aren’t upgradable” statement many times and I understand tech journalists and geeks/enthusiasts might do this (I have) but I don’t know a single average user (friends/relatives/acquaintances) that have. So, if you are talking to a general audience, that statement may be a disservice unless it is in fact relevant. I have my doubts.
And not to rag but all Macs are upgradeable for the most common items…ram and hard disks. The towers are fully open and upgradeable/expandable.
Another point is that laptops are the choice of many (and growing). Laptops on either platform have limited upgradeability. Generally the same options as the consumer Macs (ram and hard dives). Would you advise no one buy a laptop because it’s closed and not upgradeable?
Most consumers don’t upgrade. Current or recent macs all allow upgrading, but mainly outside the box. Key components are more difficult – processor, hard drive, graphics card.
Addition of memory & wi-fi aren’t a problem.
Addition of external storage is not a problem.
Addition of new technologies, e.g. FW800 IS a problem, but really they’re perhaps not suited to older machines anyway.
I would say the single most significant item that cannot be upgraded – or is prohibitively expensive to upgrade in Powermacs is the graphics card. Essentially they’re the same tdevices as use in PCs, but we pay 2, 3 or 4 times as much. And worse, we tend to have old technology in currently shipping macs for longer.
I didn’t replace the graphics card in my G4 400 simply because it was too expensive to do so, even though the speed gains would have been significant with Quartz Extreme.
The cost of a PC card was maybe �25 and it was �125 for essentially the same thing for the mac. I say essentially the same, but of course, the PC card had more VRAM!
I don’t mid that I would have to buy a real ATi or nVidia card rather than a 3rd party card with their ships on, and that maybe that would be a little extra, but I do object when the card are the same apart from some flashed firmware.
How many people are out there suping up porches and ferarris? If you buy a ford or a chevy, it probably needs an upgrade. A Mac is in a different class than any PeeCee. My old SE and Quadra 650 still work and I don’t want to upgrade them. I like them just the way they are. If I want higher performance, I use my iBook, iMac or my 15″ Powerbook G4. If I need to scream there is always the XServe G5 at the office. I have never needed to spend countless hours trying to make a Mac work better. Moo.
I bought a G4 tower instead of an iMac just for the expandabilty. I wanted more USB ports and a sound card (both PCI cards). I have tried several vendor variations of each and each has the same problem. If they are installed I cannot make my Mac go into deep sleep. As a result I have a tower with external USB expanders and audio. Seems a waste of a tower. Except for that it is the greatest computer I have ever owned. But I would like a headless iMac.
iVeritas:
I souped up my Porch. I installed ceiling fans, rocking chairs, some flowers – its off the hook.
Paul, this is what is called a half-truth. Another way to spin, twist, and distort facts and still appear you know what you’re really talking about when, actually, you don’t. You’re crying to Mommy that your sister pinched you, but you conveniently forgot to tell Mommy that you first nailed your sister with the squirt gun.
There are just about the same amount of buyers for the headless iMac as there were for the cube. It was cool, but the plan just didn’t work.
“iMacs and eMacs are not upgradeable, and those are the two machines most targeted toward the average consumer.”
…and the “average consumer” does not do hardware upgrades, short of adding more memory. You can do that with iMac and eMac models. And, while I can’t speak for the iMac, adding memory to the eMac is much easier than adding it to a PC.
In regards to adding hard drives, I’d point out that the iMac and eMac support external FireWire hard drives. WIth Mac OS X’s plug-and-play interface, this makes adding a hard drive to your iMac/eMac much simpler than adding one inside the computer (“Mounting bracket? Master/Slave settings?”).
About the only exception is the graphics card, and in some ways, I agree with those who call for a “headless” iMac/eMac. This ability would, at the very least, shut up the gaming enthusiasts who whine that they can’t upgrade the video card.
I woulda bought a G4 cube… HAD IT NOT COST AS MUCH AS A G4 TOWER!!1
but i still want one, though. anybody want to buy me one off of ebay?
moo.
If anyone can convince The Steve
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A single-CPU, G5 mini tower (or pizzabox desktop) would be nice. Limit the expansion to RAM; an extra, user-choice drive-bay; an upgradeable AGP; AirPort; ADC/DVI; maybe BlueTooth, and priced at about $999 sans monitor. And Supersized with an Apple monitor for $799.
Amen
What is it about the American consumer who always wants to buy the “cheapest” offering? Where did the notion that cheapest=best? Not clear thinking in my book, but prevelent in the PC world.
I do understand Glister’s mentality because for a long time and still continuing, PC’s don’t always come with things that are standard on Macs. So the owners had to add them and he’s used to that thinking.
Regardless, most don’t upgrade. Some do and for those inclined to do so, an iMac or eMac is not a good purchase.In part, it’s a bit like those folks who move to a part of the city next to the Airport and then complain it’s noisy. The Airport was there, they failed to think clearly about what they were doing.
Someday, folks may learn to think.
“sorry but apple really is big enough to fight its own wars :0” – tom
And Microsoft is big enough to fight its own war. There are not need for WinTrolls now, do we?
I guess I am an average consumer. I always max out the RAM when I buy a Mac and that is about it. They just keep working and doing what I want them to do for years and years. Eventually they start feeling slow and new apps come out that need more speed. Then I get a new Mac, usually at least four years after I got the last one. If I run out of HD space I get a big external one (I just bought a 500 Gb La Cie) and use that for back up and storing things I don’t want to throw away but don’t use much.
This is what I wrote….
——————–
I enjoyed your article about OSX, Apple, and the idea of Apple being proprietary. Perhaps in the ‘olden days,’ this was true. Not so any more. My iMac, the *original* iMac (the one that shipped in 1998, that came in the infamous Bondi Blue translucent plastic), has been a faithful servant in my house since its’ purchase. I’ve upgraded the hard drive twice… first with a 40GB Maxtor drive, then on to a 120GB Western Digital SE drive. No configurations whatsoever, they just worked. I also upgraded the processor, added PC ram, AND added firewire. All of this on an ‘unupgradeable’ machine… Now, it is my wireless server at home serving music, files, etc., for my iBook. The iMac is the hardest desktop machine to upgrade in the Macintosh line, but the point is that it can be with standard ‘PC equipment.’
I say this because I REALLY do not understand you assertions that Macs are proprietary when that statement is quite the contrary. Yes, they make the hardware configurations and software, but they use industry standard electronics. I’ve upgraded a couple G5 machines with standard PC ram, PC hard drives, PC video cards, etc… and MANY more G4 towers before those (I used to be in IT). In fact, I’ve had an easier time using PC equipment in a MAC than I EVER had with a said PC.
The old phrase, “Plug and Play” is a truism on the Mac, while “Plug and Pray” is definitely reflective to the PC and Linux OSes (well, with Linux, it’s kind of “Code your OWN drivers,” but hey).
Anyway, I just thought I would share my experiences a bit… Hope this doesn’t go immediately into the round file, and thanks for taking the time to read!
Steven Richason
This is a copy of what I sent Paul AND his very quick and nice response.
Thanks for the “basically” positive and factual article. However,
“So yes, I like Apple, even though I don’t use a Mac. I stick with Windows and Linux precisely because of the above issue: I want to be able to open up a computer, swap hard disks or add wireless functions or upgrade my own video card. And I want to be able to do those things with a wide range of choice, instead of having to buy solely from a single dealer”,
isn’t accurate, as I occasionally do those very upgrades and am not limited to a “single dealer or supplier”. Check it out and buy an Apple. I moved my small company to Apple equipment in 1998 and have never been more satisfied. I now use Mac OSX.3.4 99.9% of the time and occasionally touch a Windows PC. Windows doesn’t hold a candle to Apple’s products.
Regarding updates, I have updated my oldest Apple (a 1998 Bondi Blue iMac 233 MHz with 384 MB of RAM and a 80 GB WD Hard Drive) to OSX.2. The machine is used daily.
The company is a specialized Military Contractor/Manufacturer using the computers for daily business operations and has no issues dealing with those poor individuals stuck with Windows.
Thank you.
and…….Paul’s response
“Regarding updates, I have updated my oldest Apple (a 1998 Bondi Blue iMac 233 MHz with 384 MB of RAM and a 80 GB WD Hard Drive) to OSX.2. The machine is used daily.”
Thanks for this good information, (edit); much appreciated. I’ll run a clarification next week re upgrades and Macs.
Best,
Paul
How many people complaining about this had an Apple in the old days, when they were expandable? They came in a beige box, with a floppy drive and a CD-ROM. Most of them didn’t come with a monitor if you didn’t want one. I have one of those, I don’t use it anymore. I could upgrade it to have 5 hard drives (SCSI) and 512Mb (I think) of RAM. It was a Quadra. My dad even has a mac with a 486. He bought an iMac last year to replace it. My dad is a typical Mac user. He writes for a newspaper and teaches. He doesn’t care about upgrading, he cares about running Office, Quark, and getting his email. He never bothered to upgrade for almost 10 years because Quark didn’t run well in classic. That’s a typical Mac’s lifespan, 10 years. And it’s better than the PC industry. The newspaper where my dad works uses PC’s because they were cheaper at the outset. They now want to upgrade to Macs and fire the tech support. Their PC’s are only 3 years old and don’t meet the requirements to run Quark for windows. My Tangerine iMac does, though. It’s from ’97.
I too have cracked open several Macs, (including the original iMac), so upgradeability is in the mind of the beholder. Also, if I recall, before Apple even developed the pull-down door for “easy accessibility and upgradeability), many PC-based media advocated against the “regular consumer” upgrading their computers because of the difficulty. I have opened up HP’s and my mothers eMachine and simply closed them. Why, because technically a PC can be upgraded doesn’t mean it can be done, not unlike many of the old and current Macs. And until the metal enclosure Powerbooks, Apple’s laptops were quite upgradeable (not considering iBooks since the design at the beginning was to keep prying hands (students) out of them. And for completeness sake on my B&W I have added G4 CPU, CD-R, 2 HD’s, video, ATA card, wireless card, and USB 2).
There are people who buy car and add on after market parts and modify the engine, etc. But those people remain a minority. Majority of the people buy or lease car for a few years and they move on to the next best thing. I have never heard of anyone complaining not able to modify his or her car and that constitutes the reason strong enough not buying one. Computers are consumer product just like cars. Majority of the buyers don’t bother to do anything to upgrade and simply buy a new one when it’s time. Which decade does Mr. Paul Glister come from anyway? The late 70’s? He needs to upkeep his knowledge in order to write for food!!! The qualification of journalist nowadays is so low that I think they are all high school dropouts. BTW, how come all the crap writers have the same first name?
From: Anonymous writer
Jul 14, 04 | 11:06 am
Bravo! Its so good to hear the news media know when they’ve made an error and have the journalistic integrity to correct it. Well done.
As a writer for a publication with a significantly larger circulation, I can tell you that this does work. I was on the receiving end of one of these fact-checking articles from MacDailyNews and it caused me and my editor to correct the article. I also wrote a followup piece on the topic a week or so later.
Just sent along my note pointing out that I, average user, have upgraded iMacs, original case based Macs, and my iPod without problems.
For those complaining about upgrading iMac hard drives…there are external fire wire drives that do this job quite nicely. No need to pry open the case.
Digital C
huh?!? are you done venting about americans? cheaper=quantity demanded goes up..
the fact is.. with an open architecture, you have more computer makers building on standard parts.. so it’s cheaper…
I think the point is not on upgradebility, as current mac line is open enough to allow almost any kind of upgrades and either way they come with almost all required already included. Personally I like the idea of all included and I do not like to mess with computer parts, and even when externally attached, it is just about if I accept them. But I understand that some people likes to build up their computer, buying here and there the parts they like and assemble them, eventually by recycling some old parts already owned.
In that respect, effectively Apple offer has a hole, it should add in its line a bare-bones/motherboard sort of for all those freakers and companies that do not/cannot care of aesthetic and/or just want them for mounting in cheap boxes or racks or as alternative servers.
In the quotes is the email I sent to Paul
“Dear Paul,
I read with interest and some concern your article on Macintosh computers and their potential for upgrading.
I will preface this by saying that I am not an expert or even mechanically minded.
I have had a number of Macs over the last fourteen years and when I bought my first one and sat down to use it, that was the first time I had used a computer.
I upgraded it by adding memory. Just opened the case and put it in the slot.
Several years later I traded up to a Power mac. I installed a larger HD and added memory to it myself. I also bought a CPU upgrade to take it from a 200mhz PPC to a G3.
Next I got a G4. I installed a second HD, an extra grahpics card to run two monitors and extra ram. As by now I had learned a little I shopped around and bought most of these at PC shops as the prices were very competitive.
I now have a G5. The only Apple extra I have installed is an Airport Express card. The extra HD, a Pioneer 107 DVD writer and extra ram were all purchased from non Apple sources and self installed.
I don’t wish to be rude or too condemnatory but if you don’t use Macs, please do a little research on the real situation before perpetuating myths.
Kind regards,
Richard Dalziel-Sharpe
Australia
ps You can use Linux on a Mac and run Windows using a MS program called VPC. If you chose to do this, you could have the best of all worlds.
In the quotes is the email I sent to Paul
“Dear Paul,
I read with interest and some concern your article on Macintosh computers and their potential for upgrading.
I will preface this by saying that I am not an expert or even mechanically minded.
I have had a number of Macs over the last fourteen years and when I bought my first one and sat down to use it, that was the first time I had used a computer.
I upgraded it by adding memory. Just opened the case and put it in the slot.
Several years later I traded up to a Power mac. I installed a larger HD and added memory to it myself. I also bought a CPU upgrade to take it from a 200mhz PPC to a G3.
Next I got a G4. I installed a second HD, an extra grahpics card to run two monitors and extra ram. As by now I had learned a little I shopped around and bought most of these at PC shops as the prices were very competitive.
I now have a G5. The only Apple extra I have installed is an Airport Express card. The extra HD, a Pioneer 107 DVD writer and extra ram were all purchased from non Apple sources and self installed.
I don’t wish to be rude or too condemnatory but if you don’t use Macs, please do a little research on the real situation before perpetuating myths.
Kind regards,
Richard Dalziel-Sharpe
Australia
ps You can use Linux on a Mac and run Windows using a MS program called VPC. If you chose to do this, you could have the best of all worlds.
Really. I wonder just what percentage of the email sending, web-surfing, solitaire playing Peecee users actually do this sort of hardware upgrading he’s talking about. Most of the people I know couldn’t give a damn about any of that unless it’ll provide a noticable difference in the activities I mentioned.
Sure, hardcore gamers will tweak every possible thing they can, but the average Joe could care less.
As a Mac user, I’ve upgraded G4’s, iMacs and PowerBooks with the goal being faster, more efficient performance. All these upgrades went smoothly and without a hitch. So what the hell is he talking about anyway???
So combine that with OS X’s reliability and flexibilty and the peecee platform is more work than it’s worth for me…
i sent him a lengthy reply that explained the various upgrades i’ve done to my “un-upgradable” g4 cube (ram, hard disk, optical drive, fan, video card etc.), with a copy to the “accuracy” webmail address. i got a polite reply from the author and a request from his editor for permission to use my reply in a forthcoming update article.
I guess they liked what I wrote earlier… I was contacted by Paul’s editor to see if they could use my comments in a future article… we’ll see what happens!