“There are plenty of things OS X does very well, and better than any version of Windows. There are also some really boneheaded things. But honestly, the thing I hate most about using a Mac are the Apple fans. The old song and dance about the Steve Jobs worshipping, sycophantic, ‘thank you sir may I have another,’ nature of the Cult of Apple is true. And while it certainly does not represent all Mac users, there are enough bad apples (pardon the pun) to spoil the bunch,” Jason Cross writes for ExtremeTech.
“Yeah, I like working in OS X. I’m looking forward to Leopard. And yes, I find myself using Boot Camp a lot, spending half my time in Vista on my Macbook Pro. Both OSes have merits. Apple deserves plenty of credit for a lot of what they do, and genuinely puts out some great products. Hell, there’s nothing even close to the value, functionality, and elegance of iLife on Windows. But the more time I spend on the Mac, the more I end up interacting with a group of people who obviously and transparently treat their favorite company by a different set of rules than everyone else. And worse, don’t realize it or won’t admit it. To all you Mac users that are calm, rational, objective, and fair: god bless you. Now, could you please give the Cult members a hard kick in the ass? They’re making you look bad,” Cross writes.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Has not Apple, since its inception, been treated and judged by the media, developers, and corporate IT by an entirely different set of rules than everyone else? Who here hasn’t heard the condescending, “Oh, you’re one of those, you use a Mac” from someone who’s never used a Mac? Perhaps the blind Apple hate exhibited for over two decades by certain members of the media and the corporate IT guys causes a certain reaction? Ya think? To all you Windows PC users that are calm, rational, objective, and fair: god bless you because you’ve obviously already switched to Mac. Now, could you please give the Mac-ignorant Windows-only PC Cult members a hard kick in the ass? They’re making you look bad. And, while you’re at it, Get a Mac. We tell you this for your own good.
There’s one thing we’ve found that’s markedly different between Mac cultists and Windows PC cultists: The ones on Macs have used Windows (at school or work) and chosen Mac because they believe it is superior, while those extolling Windows over Mac almost always have little or no familiarity with the Macintosh platform. Vocal proponents exist on both sides of the Mac vs. Windows issue, but we totally prefer those who’ve made an informed choice instead of no choice at all.
Right on MDN!!!
Great take.
Now where have my posts from today gone.
Eh? Have you been pruning again?
The worst thing about tech websites are the writers.
I have to agree with the MDN take. Besides, “cultists” exist for nearly every major brand out there across many industries. Ford vs. Chevy. BMW vs. Mercedes-Benz. Sony TVs vs. Samsung TVs. Apple vs. Microsoft.
That condescending attitude towards Macs and Mac users exemplify how brainwashed the writer is by Microsoft and their cronies.
“But honestly, the thing I hate most about using a Mac are the Apple fans.”
We should listen to what this guy says?
He can’t even master basic Subject – Verb agreement! According to his sentence above, “The thing . . . ARE . . . .”
Hey, moron! “The thing . . . IS . . . .” not ARE!
(Subject – Verb agreement does NOT rely on the compliment in any sentence, that being “Apple fans” above. Idiot.)
That’s a feeble excuse. I guess I’ll never drive an expensive automobile because with each comes a group of individuals that religiously stands by their brand – and worships the brand – and will never buy another brand…
Kill, Crush, Destroy! Kill, Crush, Destroy! Kill, Crush, Destroy! Kill, Crush, Destroy! Kill, Crush, Destroy! Kill, Crush, Destroy! Kill, Crush, Destroy! Kill, Crush, Destroy!
I’ll never forget the day that an IT guy in a company that I worked at said, “I don’t do fruit.” <sigh>
What a crappy article.
Sorry Jason, maybe I’m a Crazy Insane Cultist that you feel the need to kick. But I’m certainly a better writer.
As MDN says, the vast majority of Mac users have simply chosen what they believe is the superior solution. If Windows somehow overtook OS X, they’d probably switch. But that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon (if ever).
Jason,
FSCK YOU.
Meh. Cultists are annoying, but they boost the company’s and its products’ visibility. So that’s good.
Most of the commenters here as well as MDN itself falls into the category of blind-faith cultist, so I assume there will be lots of bashing this writer.
Good take MDN, I used various flavours of MS DOS, Windows and Linux, Atari…
Guess why I have several Macs now?
Ah… you guys never disappoint me.
Does picking at his writing ability make you all feel superior?
I like your take MDN.
However, I must say this. They used the same argument against you before you used it against them. The article does present a few good points. I am a huge Apple Fan. I only use Windows because I have to. I try to get every person I know to buy a mac.
Having said that, I did notice how the Zune was shot down by Apple fans before it ever hit the market as being an inferior product. Yet, you argue that Windows user’s don’t give apple even a chance and how it is bad to not look and see what they have to offer. Nobody had the chance to give Zune a chance. I would like to see MDN purchase and genuinely use a Zune for 6 months (don’t touch your iPod), then write a story about it. However at the same time, I can’t think of any good reason to do that because the iPod is so damn fantastic. I know I wouldn’t.
Anyway, I would like to get comments on the rest of the article. Apple didn’t event the wheel with some of it’s products, it purchased them and made them better. Microsoft purchases products too, but they usually just mutilate them. That’s what the article writer fails to understand.
This comment has gone both ways. I wish people would be more unbiased when writing things about Apple’s over Windows. But I guess it’s hard.
Hell, even Microsoft Outlook can’t communicate attachments well with MSN email. Two products Microsoft bought and they can’t make them speak the same language.
On second thought Screw Microsoft!
Hi, my name is Rob and I am Mac Cultist and I am proud of it, I know what I am talking about when trying to convince someone to switch.
I am also Chevy Cultist.
In on of the replies, someone wrote…
“And like another guy said, If Macs were on top of the chain, then they will be just like Microsoft. Viruses everywhere.”
{sigh}
Thank god Jason is out there exposing the truth to sane, level headed luminaries like this one. Obviously he knows a lot about OS architecture, too.
@ ApplePi
No, his crappy writing makes me *actually* superior.
Come on, let’s not disappoint the man, get those insults going!!!
He says “both OSes have merits”. So what are Vista’s merits?
Stupid article. 5 minutes of my life wasted….
I’ll not read it! I’ve got better things to do!
PC cultists? Windows cultists? Zune cultists?
Where?
Ah… OK!
The MDN take is right on. PC dweebs have helped spawn Mac elitists through their never ending comments and condescending remarks. It hasn’t helped that the media and general public has been consistently wrong in their beliefs about the Mac platform.
I meant “complement,” actually (typing much too fast). He’s still an idiot . . . AND, yes, we are all superior to him and Winfaneunuchs.
I do so agree with Jason. Judging by many of the juvenile and offensive posts on this forum, his view the “Cult of Mac” appears to be justified.
There should have been an episode of The X-Files with Mulder and Scully investigating the Cult of Mac.