“The firewall between Apple enthusiasts and Microsoft Windows users has remained largely impenetrable over the past two decades. Incompatibility is not just a hardware-software issue, either,” Joseph P. Kahn writes for The Boston Globe. “There are Mac guys (and gals), and there are PC people. One camp might be graphics-crazy, the other price-conscious. But most choose one system and stick with it — to the point that Mac fans are often likened to religious cultists, whereas Windows-philes, who outnumber Mac-ies nearly 10 to 1, have made Bill Gates the richest man on the planet.”
“It’s hardly a fair fight, given the numbers. But the battle for users’ hearts, minds, and screens rages on, with the latest skirmish promising to be among the most bare-knuckled ever,” Kahn writes. “Driving this conversation from websites to water coolers is Apple’s recent introduction of its new Tiger operating system (no relation to the golfer), which tech-heads and industry analysts are hailing as the slickest, most user-friendly computer program yet. Tiger’s bells and whistles are many, including a desktop search feature that allows users to surf for files, applications, and e-mail from one location; an enhanced Web browser; mini-applications, known as Widgets, that multitask with a single mouse click; and an Automator program that rapidly does many functions only done manually on a standard PC.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Kahn propagates the idea that “Macs are expensive” in his article, but facts show that’s just a myth.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple Macs are less expensive than Dell PCs – April 25, 2005
Apple Macs are less expensive, more secure, longer-lasting than Windows PCs – April 21, 2005
Switching from Windows to Mac? Save money by asking to ‘crossgrade’ your software – April 12, 2005
Red Sox and Apple vs. Yankees and Microsoft – October 29, 2004
EarthWeb: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger is a ‘serious enterprise operating system, a pivotal release’ – May 06, 2005
RUMOR: Apple to release Mac OS X 10.4.1 Tiger Update by mid to late-May – May 06, 2005
BusinessWeek: ‘Tiger bolsters Mac OS X’s edge as the best personal-computer operating system’ – May 06, 2005
The Guardian: Mac OS X Tiger a powerful solution while Microsoft’s Longhorn remains on drawing board – May 06, 2005
Chicago Sun-Times: Mac OS X Tiger shows ‘there’s never been a more compelling time to switch to Mac’ – May 05, 2005
Dan Gillmor: ‘With Mac OS X Tiger, Apple is plainly in the lead today’ – May 05, 2005
Jupiter Research VP: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger ‘runs rings around Microsoft Windows’ – May 04, 2005
The Independent: Apple’s ‘faster, smarter, simpler’ Mac OS X Tiger ‘a must-have’ – May 04, 2005
Mac OS X Tiger review for a Windows PC audience finds Tiger’s ‘far, far better than Windows XP’ – May 03, 2005
Longhorn mentioned in nearly every Apple Mac OS X Tiger review to assuage Windows masses – May 02, 2005
Boston Herald: Mac OS X Tiger should compel Windows PC users to think about switching to Apple Mac – May 02, 2005
Mac OS X Tiger will likely improve performance of your Macintosh – April 30, 2005
PC World review gives Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger 4.5 stars out of 5 – April 30, 2005
Forrester analysts: Apple should advertise Mac OS X Tiger on television and in movie theaters – April 29, 2005
Ars Technica: Mac OS X Tiger ‘at least twice as significant as any single past update’ – April 28, 2005
BusinessWeek: ‘Tiger bolsters Mac OS X’s edge as the best personal-computer operating system around’ – April 28, 2005
Associated Press: Mac OS X Tiger ‘provides another excellent incentive to switch from Windows’ – April 28, 2005
Mossberg: Apple’s Tiger ‘the best, most advanced personal computer operating system on the market’ – April 28, 2005
InformationWeek columnist: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger ‘a compelling upgrade’ – April 28, 2005
NY Times: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger is the most secure, stable and satisfying OS on earth – April 28, 2005
Wired News: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger ‘full of welcome surprises’ – April 27, 2005
Apple posts QuickTime movies of Mac OS X Tiger features in action – April 13, 2005
“mini-applications, known as Widgets, that multitask with a single mouse click; “
I’ll let this speak for itself. Oh, and he called Tiger a computer program…
Operating systems are still computer programs. Or did you think they were movies?
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I’m a recent home switcher (been working on Mac at work for 7 years).
My parents are about to switch.
My brother is about to buy his first computer (a Mac of course).
I’ve gotten two coworkers to buy mini’s.
And I’m working on converting the rest of our office over to Mac from the Deal-Of-The-Day PC’s we now use…
MW=purpose… no explanation necessary
This is so true I know of several people who are planning on getting Mac’s for a new computer instead of a PC. The masses are coming slowly but surely.
Okay, let’s look at this again:
which tech-heads and industry analysts are hailing as the slickest, most user-friendly computer program yet.
No, they’re hailing it as the slickest, most user-friendly OPERATING SYSTEM yet. Computer programs are a superset of operating systems…
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Longhorn keep up the good work.
At least he didn’t compare Apple’s new operating system to some third-tier electronics mail order business… that would have been horribly confusing and might have been grounds for a lawsuit. Oh, wait… never mind.
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This ‘war’ rages on mostly because of ignorance and plain old “pig-headed” people with closed minds (or a lack thereof).
BTW, here’s some more fanning of the flames from our “friends” at pc world:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,120674,00.asp
Cheers!
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KAHN!!!!
Oh yea, almost forgot.
Just got back from doing some recon’ over of at Best Buy re: Mac Mini being sold in their stores. What I wanted to find out was:
a. Were they in fact in the store in a visible location and set up properly for the viewing public (not in some corner with keys missing like Compusa)
b. Were the sales reps trained and motivated to sell Macs
Well as to a: The location was choice but the setup had a lot to be desired, i.e. a mish-mash of parts connected to the Mini, mostly leftover pc parts
And for b: The sales reps to a man said they are “more pc guys” and said they couldn’t show me much on the Mac. But “hey you could put one in your car; it’s so small”.
Market share gains through big box channel? NOT
Cheers!
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Without reading the article, does he mention that most Mac heads have extensive experience on Windows machines while the reverse isn’t true meaning that we actually have had the opportunity to truly compare which OS is best? Isn’t that fact relevant?
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Longhorn
Although this may sound paradoxical… maybe the best people who are going to get the word out.. are recent switchers.
Maybe once you’ve been using a Mac for more than a couple years, people think you’re ‘biased’ or.. something.. It seems that, you, as a recent switcher, would have a ton of ‘relevancy’ while I, as a Mac vet, would have little..
you know.. beyond logic..
“There is no catch, unless you want a $1000 gaming deck”
Hi…
We just switched our business FROM Mac OSx computers TO Windows.
This step was necessary because the Macs were becoming far too costly to support. Oh the tech staff we had to keep on board to keep those Mac dogs barking!
AND… all the viruses, trojans and instability was driving everyone crazy. Not to mention the fact that every Mac has to be rebooted at least once a day when it gets confused.
SO… I’m forming a group of people who have switched FROM Macs to WINDOWS in the last 3 years since the introduction of OSx.
I’m member #1…
HOWEVER…. I just haven’t been able to find anyone else who has switched from Macs TO Windows.
Help me out, Mr. Gates! Please – give me the names of at least two other people who have switched FROM Macs TO Windows.
Mr. Gates?
Hello?
Yoo Hoo?
Crap….. Guess I”m the only one.
Nice glick7! I switched over to Mac about 1.5 years and there’s no going back… It’s hard to understand how anyone would want to leave paradise and get hurled back into windoze hell… and although I still remember how the first positive impression was caused by aesthetics, functionality and dependability definitely won me over. So you better believe that this motivates me to share my experience whenever the topic comes up, especially when so many of windows users are often heard cursing their computers…
mike,
I’ve been an outspoken proponent of Apple for years.
The main issue for my home switch was cost. I’m well aware that the TCO is much better with Mac, but it was getting the initial investment together to get the system I wanted. It’s much like my aquariums, I’ve always wanted saltwater, but the initial setup cost can be exorbitant.
I think the family is switching mostly because I’ve been their PC tech support for years and I’ve told them that I can no longer help them if they insist on using inferior platforms. And they probably just want to shut me up!!!
Hey CTHL, same dealeo with me!!! I’ve only just recently been able to afford to get a Mac. Now I’m a little less tolerant with the constant barrage of issues my Dad confronts me with, that he’s having with his Windows computer. I used to stay up late often on it: defrag, restart, anti-vir, restart, finding drivers, restart, scandisk, restart, update, restart, anti-spam, restart, it went on and on and on!!!
Now I tend to say something along the lines of what you said above: “Whilst you insist on using that Operating system, it’s going to be hard to use and you WILL have problems, and I don’t have the time to be fixing it for you all the time. Do you know how many viruses I’ve had to clean out of my Macs in the 6 months since I got 2 Macs? None! Do you know how much I’ve had to pay for anti-vir software? Nothing! Do you know how many daily anti-vir updates I’ve had to download? None. Wise up!”
Words to that effect, anyway.
Dear Mac People,
I visit this site regularly and hope to get a Mac when I have the money. Could someone please answer the following:
The cell processor: a multicore chip (I think) should cut down on the heat generation of the CPU, which means that even thinner powerbooks and ibooks should be feasible.
1. Will apple introduce a new line of cell processor powerbooks/ibooks next January, which is about the same that is being/has been developed by IBM (and others?) and that the PS3 will debut with the cell chip.
2. Given that mac already is adapted for the use of multiple processors, will Apple have to spend any significant effort in modifying the operating system and software?
3. UNRELATED: How long do you think it will be before Apple introduces a product similar to “AirPort Express Base Station with AirTunes” that not only does audio but video as well? That would be an awesome product and would eliminate the need for certain components of a home theatr system?
Crouch..
I was watching the news today, and saw a feature on Internet Security. This is insane. They were talking about how easy it is for hackers to steal your information (of course, the techie wasn’t using IE, he was on Firefox)… and it dawned on me.. Apple has a real shot here.
Because, the virus threat and the hacker threat is making news headlines so often that businesses/pseudo-security firms are popping up just to handle this and advise companies on what to do.
What a freakin joke. I use a Mac. Those five words would punch a big fat hole through all the fear-mongering press and the ‘hackers are out to get you’ bullshit we see in the news today.
The worst thing about technology today is that most people expect it to be a mediocre experience. This is what I’m talking about. People just discuss viruses like they’re ‘part of life’.. what a crock. Thanks Microsoft.
I always thought I would use Macs forever. I’ve been using Apple’s since 1980, and had my hands on several models of Apple II (+, e, c, gs), III and Lisa before the Mac. But I’m becoming disillusioned with Apple. My next computer may very well be a Dell.
I had a really bad experience at the local Apple Retail Store. I realize that my experience was likely not typical, but it showed me the true colors of the Manager, Asst. Manager, Keyholder and lead Mac Genius – and I was honestly shocked. I guess Apple has been growing so fast as to hire a lot of greedy people who don’t appreciate the “Apple way”.
I may yet come around again, but it will never be the same. And I suspect that Apple will increase market share and the quality of the customer experience will become further diluted. Anyway, sorry to be so vague, but I just wanted to state that I’m seriously disappointed. If I go into details I’ll surely become enraged.
Dear Mac People,
I visit this site regularly and hope to get a Mac when I have the money. Could someone please answer the following:
The cell processor: a multicore chip (I think) should cut down on the heat generation of the CPU, which means that even thinner powerbooks and ibooks should be feasible.
1. Will apple introduce a new line of cell processor powerbooks/ibooks be released next January, which is about the same that the PS3 will debut with the cell chip?
2. Given that mac already is adapted for the use of multiple processors, will Apple have to spend any significant effort in modifying the operating system and software for the cell chip?
3. UNRELATED: How long do you think it will be before Apple introduces a product similar to “AirPort Express Base Station with AirTunes” that not only does audio but video as well? That would be an awesome product and would eliminate the need for certain components of a home theatr system?
Java,
No matter what they “hail” it as, operating systems are still computer programs…
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But I’m yanking your chain…I know what you and they mean.
Paul,
on question #1: nobody could give you any detail because it would break NDA with Apple. Additionally, if you think a serious computer manufacturer would sleep at night by putting all its eggs in one basket (in our case one processor) wake up. If they did they are gone since long.
This is also valid on the myth of OS X *only* running on PPC.
on #2: Not really, the kernel basically support that already.
on #3: unclear. First Apple will have to disclose the iTMS for video. The advent of Quicktime 7 and H.264 makes that a reality from the technological point of view.
If you are truly interested look at: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/technologies/h264/
Typical windows centric tripe. The only put down they can think of for the Mac is market share.
Dear Mac People,
I visit this site regularly and hope to get a Mac when I have the money. Could someone please answer the following:
The cell processor: a multicore chip (I think) should cut down on the heat generation of the CPU, which means that even thinner powerbooks and ibooks should be feasible.
1. Will apple introduce a new line of cell processor powerbooks/ibooks next January, which is about the same that is being/has been developed by IBM (and others?) and that the PS3 will debut with the cell chip.
The existence of a Cell processor does not force Apple to use it, a more logical next step for Apple would be a Dual core G4/G5 allowing 4 processors to operate in the current PowerMac line. The developer community has already been briefed on such a system. This could also mean dual core G4 Laptops, and dual core G5 iMacs. But cell processors are at least a year away from a full production run. Add a year to the first quality production run of a Cell processor, then expect production Systems. Maybe from Apple.
2. Given that mac already is adapted for the use of multiple processors, will Apple have to spend any significant effort in modifying the operating system and software?
If the cell processor does follow the Power@ instruction set, conversion would not be difficult. However the cell is very scaleable in excess of 4 nodes. Current OS-X internals are orientated to scale to 4, and some work will have to be done to handle this in the OS. For the most part this will not affect application scaling.
3. UNRELATED: How long do you think it will be before Apple introduces a product similar to “AirPort Express Base Station with AirTunes” that not only does audio but video as well? That would be an awesome product and would eliminate the need for certain components of a home theatr system?
Transmission of digital video through and to the current Airport wireless stations is not a problem, Conversion of a protocol of digital video to a useable form is. First there is the choice of protocol , probably H.264, then the inclusion of hardware to convert H.264 to Analog video or some other video standard. The current H.264 format, while great for transmission, it expensive to decode and requires good hardware. Expensive in a ‘router’, and unlikely in the compact form currently in use. Not impossible in a ‘entertainment’ device. Which will be more likely. Timelines are anyone guess.
RJ
Unfettered: So what happened ?
I understood that the sales staff at the Apple stores are not on commission, which helps to avoid overselling. I’ve seen this in action myself with a sales person basicall taking a couple of boxes out of the hands of the customer saying, “You don’t really need these”. (One was Norton nonsense, the other I don’t remember).