“Apple provides OS X users a slick feature called Setup Assistant, which lets you move everything from an old machine to a new one quickly and painlessly. Switching from one Windows machine to another is a time-wasting, teeth-gritting task. You can transfer your files and some settings relatively easily, but thanks to unintelligent design, you generally have to reinstall your software, which can create any number of headaches–even if you can find the original disks you need to do the job,” Stephen Manes writes for Forbes. “…new Macs urge you to use their Software Update program right away. Windows machines have so many update options that you can’t be sure when, how, or even if updating will happen–though you can be sure you need it when you start your new machine and at least once a month thereafter, and you can expect a productivity-sapping reboot will be involved… as we trade horror stories, those of us who write about these matters for a living repeatedly ask each other: If we can’t figure this stuff out, how can people who don’t want to become techheads hope to get it right?”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The full article is worth a read, if only to see how Manes jumps through hoops to find something, anything wrong with the Mac while giving nice accounts of Windows PCs’ many problems. Manes’ best Mac “problem” was when he tried to use the Help system for iMovie, its screens came up blank (an issue we’ve never encountered). After “some floundering and fiddling,” he reports that he got them to deliver the information for which he’d been looking. His Windows PCs fared much worse, ranging from a Dell with an onboard surround-sound system that wouldn’t work and that Windows wouldn’t recognize, to an HP with Media Center software that twice “froze so hard” he had to resort to holding down the power button to restart the computer both times.
Another day in the life of mac.
This is a misdirection move on behalf of Apple operatives. Everyone knows that the real IT world insists on counter-productive data exchange in order to prevent confidential information loss to competitors. The Mac method of open and trouble-free file sharing will be its undoing, for when Vista arrives both the IT professional and the end user will be witness to some of the most amazing and forward-thinking security features yet known to man. This will of course lead to the Defense Department rightly categorizing all Windows Vista PC’s as true supercomputers.
©
This is truly amazing to see. Forbes is read by influential people.
You can’t buy this sort of publicity if you wanted to. I think that, after a couple of years of this constant haranguing of Windows in the media, Apple’s share of the computer market will have to increase by at least 5 percentage points. Probably more. Not to mention the imploding that Vista is bound to do — whenever the hell it’s finally released. I mean, can you imagine the impact on Microsoft if most reviews of Vista end up being negative, or even just lukewarm?
That’s good for my stock portfolio.
^^Wow, Sputnik’s not even trying anymore.
The (Windows) end is nigh.
This “report” is a joke. Everyone who knows anything about real computers knows that Windows is the ultimate platform for (%# any computing task. No matter if y (*(* ou’re backing up tera –*– ytes of data, editing a mot ttttttttttttt ion picture, creating massive websites, or just writ pfzzzzzzz–@* ing viruses — Windows can’t be touched -touched -touched -touched -touched -tou#$$#$$$$#####. And Vista will only cement Microsoft’s SHIT!@SHIT!@ reputation as GIGO ******* the world leader in computing ing ing ing ing ing ing –insert line break here^%#%#^*#% when it’s released next year year year year year year year year year year year year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and must shut down. . . . . . .
☹™
Hey Dipsh#t,
Have you been diagnosed with Tourettes Syndrome?
I don’t think he realizes that most of the Mac help features are online. He was getting the starting empty white window that you see while it is downloading the info. And I think he was blowing smoke with his “floundering and fiddling,” comment. He clicked something and thought that some action of his brought up the content when actually it had just finished loading.
the window for help comes up blank on my various macs quite often.
This can’t be the “real IT Sputnik”! This new guy sounds like he’s had a lobotomy! Oh…..maybe he was recalled by M$ and that’s what they did to him!
ABQ Peter said:
“the window for help comes up blank on my various macs quite often”
The reason is that often the Help system needs to download the latest help pages over the internet. So if your internet access is off or slow at the time of requesting help, a blank screen may appear. A ‘feature’ more than a bug!
blarf e narble stick enoflerom particwaskil. tati fronomofril. shirwo klaatu barada nikto. taka! shert! boom! un windows shella boom! badda boom.
The blank screen for the Help Viewer is usually a corrupt preference file. I just had the problem last week, but got all the help I needed from The X Lab.
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/helpviewer.html
piece of cake
It’s a good thing that journalists aren’t using the powermac G5 single 1.8 http://www.g5freeze.com I have one of these and what a pain in the a$$ the thing is. NONE of them have been right since Tiger came out.
Jack:
My thoughts exactly! “floundering and fiddling” must be tech writer jargon for “I don’t know what the hell I did but it worked”. A real tech person would have given the solution.
MW: Before
As in: Before “floundering and fiddling” know what you are doing.
Meanwhile Windows Media encryption has been hacked and people are already applying the algorithm to software so we Mac users can stream wm files without installing WMP.
http://www.theregister.com/2005/09/02/dvd_jon_mediaplayer/
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That’s not the original Sputnik.
Don’t take the bait….
just think…he f’loundered and fiddled’ and didn’t crash the system
“I don’t think he realizes that most of the Mac help features are online.”
“The reason is that often the Help system needs to download the latest help pages over the internet.”
Well, that’s stupid. There is no reason to require an active internet connection to access the help files for a video editing application.
“Apple Mac experience better than Windows PCs for Forbes columnist”
Yawn. How shocking!
Good article, good MDN take.
The snide little comments that say “yawn” or “so what” are getting a little old, folks. Anyone who’s not interested in an article should NOT READ IT, and spare the rest of us your BS.
Whew! That feels better…
I wish this guy had provided an email address for feedback on this ridiculous article. To me, he epitomizes the typical mainstream consumer and how they just get sucked into these junk Windows computers that the big boxes push. His whining is only because he doesn’t half understand what is going on or have any concepts of basic computer operation. This is what leads many mainstream consumers down the path of pure frustration and ending up with junk computers in the end. I have to admit that I do agree with some of his points about the adverts, etc when you first boot one of these bix box PCs. If people would just educate themselves and learn a few things, this overload of junk might start to thin out.
On this same note, people like the ridiculous Kim Kommando also help push the hysteria. I mean come on, how much money have so many people wasted on such ridiculous products like all these “virus scanners”, “spyware removers”, etc., etc.? Personally, I think its all junk and a scam. All one needs is a solid router and some common sense. Ok, maybe one antispyware tool, but that’s enough. People just keep piling this junk onto their computers, most conflicting with each other, and most realtime scanning your HDs continuosly. Now mainstream Joe has a slow computer that starts crashing and acting “weird”. Now what happens Joe User calls his big box support person and pays thru the nose to “repair” his PC. The most sickening part of this stuff…is seeing people standing inline at Best Buy with their PCs in hand waiting to pay lots of money for some teenager to do something that takes all of 5 minutes to both do and to learn how to do.
People need to educate themselves and stop accepting all these BS products as all they can get. Stop letting the computer intimidate you. Learn some stuff. Stop listening to Kim Kommando’s dumb ass. Stop reading these mainstream web sites that just escalate the problems.