“This month, when Apple announced a new patch for its operating system that fixes 26 security flaws, Mac users got a taste of what the overwhelming majority of computer users go through on a regular basis,” Alex L. Goldfayn reports for The Chicago Tribune.
MacDailyNews Take: Wha? Now there’s a stretch. What is Goldfayn trying to imply, if anything?
Goldfayn continues, “Many Windows users don’t know what it’s like to use a Mac. So, here’s my take on what to expect if you decide to switch from Windows and become a ‘hip Mac-type.’ Big picture, you’ll love it. But going to a Mac does come with its own unique set of challenges.”
“Using a Mac is far less frustrating than using a Windows-based computer. Macs seem less prone to crashing and freezing up; in five years of using a Mac, it’s never happened to me. The Web browser, Safari, blocks pop-up windows automatically–and has done so for years,” Goldfayn writes. “The operating system, called Mac OS X (for 10), is a joy to use. And it’s easy to learn for Windows-switchers. Included on every new Mac are excellent programs you’ll probably use a lot: iTunes for your music, iPhoto for your digital pictures, and iMovie and iDVD for your movies.”
Goldfayn writes, “It’s now possible to run the Windows operating system on a Mac. This is something like Pepsi selling 12-packs half-filled with Coke, but it allows Windows users to go through the switching process with a bit less shock…. But being a Mac user is not always wonderful and happy. At times, it can be frustrating. Macs are more expensive than Windows computers. The price gap has narrowed, but you’ll still pay a premium for an Apple computer just as you pay a premium for an iPod compared with competing MP3 players.”
MacDailyNews Take: Configure a comparably-equipped Mac vs. a Dell, for example, and you’ll find that the Mac is quite competitive, maybe even less expensive than the Dell which is incapable of running Mac OS X and iLife. Apple does not sell bare bones machines like Dell purports to do. Apple Macs come with most everything the average user will need to get the most out of the software on the machine. By the time you bring a bare-bones PC up to a useful spec, the Mac is no longer “more expensive.” Anyway, it’s the OS and the software. stupid. Looking only at hardware tells you far less than half the story.
Goldfayn writes, “Another issue: Last week, Dell announced a recall of more than 4 million laptop batteries because they have literally exploded several times. Apple might want to consider something similar. The heat generated from the bottom of Apple laptops–including my new MacBook–borders on unbearable. And the threat of my laptop exploding while on my person is really not something I want to think about. Reports of an exploding Apple laptop surfaced as recently as this month. Details and pictures are online. And they ain’t pretty.”
MacDailyNews Take: Have any proof, Mr. Goldfayn? Links? Was this “exploding Apple laptop” a currently shipping MacBook or MacBook Pro? Irresponsible and ignorant FUD. Processor heat is not generated by the battery.
Goldfayn writes, “Back to cost. In the Windows computing world, countless companies manufacture PCs and accessories. In the Mac world, a single company makes the computers and many of the accessories. This means a single company tightly controls pricing. Apple’s new mouse, for example, costs $50. Want a wireless version? It goes for $70. Both numbers far exceed the cost of other mice.”
MacDailyNews Take: So buy another USB mouse – they all work with Macs.
Goldfayn writes, “Windows or Mac, you’ll find that computing reality affects us all. Which means difficulties exist, even on a Mac.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Our moron radar went off at the first sentence; Goldfayn didn’t disappoint. Contact Alex L. Goldfayn:
Two Words: Ignorant Slut
Goldfayn writes, “It’s now possible to run the Windows operating system on a Mac. This is something like Pepsi selling 12-packs half-filled with Coke,”
That’s the worst comparison I have ever read.
Hey, I’m hip! Time to break out the tie-dye T-shirts, my bell bottom jeans, and get groovy. I thought I was just smart to use a Mac, now I’m intelligent and cool, what a deal!
rasterbator: That was four words!
But I used proper punctuation! Aye Mio Dios!
Kaboom, that’s the EXACT SAME LAPTOP, as the one noted above. Not, another one.
about f-ing iLife…. Quit using this as the “gold standard” for Mac computing, it isn’t that big of a deal to most people….
this isn’t news. someone change the name of this crap ass website to macdailymediaclarifications.com
And weren’t we sitting all smug a few days ago B4 this big recall of Apple’s own batteries! Now, are we going to eat our own? I was lucky; I did give out too much crap about the Dell recall, knowing it’s happened to Apple in the past, and could well again. Again arrived today, if you don’t know.
Whit