“Lori Jantulovich stands in the middle of Best Buy’s computer section, flagging down a sales clerk. She’s trying to buy a laptop for her nephew. ‘I have no clue,’ she says,” Michelle Kessler reports for USA Today.
MacDailyNews Take: And that, if you didn’t already know, is the reason why junky PCs running Microsoft Windows outsell Apple Macs. Cluelessness. You’d think a major paper’s Tech section would come to the rescue, but you’d be wrong.
Kessler continues, “The first thing PC buyers must decide is whether they want an Apple or a Microsoft Windows-based computer. Apple is still in the minority — it had about 7% of the U.S. PC market in the first quarter, says Gartner — but the brand is popular with graphic artists, students and others who enjoy its unique software and design. Selecting an Apple PC is relatively easy, because only Apple makes them. There are only three main laptop models to choose from, for example. Buying a Windows machine is trickier because there are more options.”
MacDailyNews Take: And, that’s it for the Apple PC Mac mentions. Apple Mac users are in the minority (sounds bad, huh?) and, if you’re not a graphic artist, a student, or one of those “others,” (Benjamin Linus, perhaps?) well, just forget that Mac stuff, okay? The rest of the rather long article featured on the front page of today’s USA Today Tech section is all about Windows PCs, ostensibly because Apple makes their Mac lines so easy to understand. So, clearly, if you needlessly confuse the hell out of people, you get vastly more coverage from the geniuses at USA Today. The article ends not by recommending the easier-to-understand, easier-to-use computer to the clueless, but rather one of four piles of crap from Dell, HP, Lenovo, or Gateway, filled with Microsoft’s craptastic Windows Vista along with even more gigabytes of crapware, and topped off with enough crappy stickers to make a NASCAR driver blush. In other words, by recommending a “choice” of four crap sandwiches, Kessler does a total disservice to her readers and comes off just as, if not more, clueless than Ms. Jantulovich.
USA Today’s “How to buy the right laptop PC for your needs” by Michelle Kessler, which is obviously dedicated to perpetuating cluelessness — Think Before You Click™ — is here.
MacDailyNews Take: Anyone reading that USA Today article would be far better served with an Apple Macintosh. Period. Instead, because the writer is either yet another incompetent tech illiterate writing for USA Today and/or the bird cage liner’s advertising department dictated to her which personal computer makers to feature and which to ignore, many of Kessler’s clueless readers will end up no less clueless with another round of frustration, fugly hardware, an upside-down and backwards, derivative, inferior OS, and even more years of lost productivity. Bravo, USA Today. Does anyone want to bet that Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Acer (Gateway) didn’t recently re-up with USA Today for another year of advertising?
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Most tech punters are Win-Tards. They come from Windows IT backgrounds and are bought and paid for by Microsoft and the PC establishment. This of course means that they are among the most close minded and bigoted group of punters on the planet. I’d put money on the fact that the writer got so free PC hardware and/or cash from the IT PC industry in exchange for writing the hack piece.
@Demon
That article read more like and ad or promo for Wndows Vista. The reference to Apple computers for just students, graphics is the most idiotic post I have seen from a writer. Did this person just crawl out of a rock. Still living in the 80’s early 90’s? Never heard of iLife suite that blows away the competition? Too bad most non computer literate readers will read this crap and believe it.
Believe it or not, there are a lot of Best Buy stores out there in places where there are no Apple stores.
If a local market can support a Best Buy, it can support an Apple Store.
So what about it, Apple? You had your chance when all those CompUSA storefronts were available. How many times do you gotta learn the big-box lesson?
There are still users who like to tweak the living daylights out of their computers and a Mac just isn’t suitable for that. All the fastest graphics cards and drivers are designed for Wintel machines and not Macs.
There are people that are interested in getting the least expensive computers that are sufficient enough for their work or play. A Mac is not the computer for them. Macs don’t have built in fingerprint readers and SDHC storage slots. Good or bad, some people would like to have those options.
Let them enjoy that choice. Nobody should be forced into choosing a Mac.
HotinPlaya..
Have not used iMovie in years. I doubt that many many of the mac converts have used as well.
aapl’s hardware choices suck!
“So, once again, oh wise one, why isn’t a Mac the right computer for everyone?”
How about the fact that even after moving to the Intel platform, they still don’t build any midrange towers with real expandability? How about the fact that the vertical business plan of Apple leaves no room for enthusiasts–a significant and influential portion of the marketplace that they routinely ignore?
Only in the world of Apple and in the eyes of Macolytes is less choice seen as a benefit to the consumer. For all the railing against M$’s monopoly, you’re all mighty quick to shackle yourself to Apple’s corporate controls once you’ve had enough of the Cupertino Kool-Aid.
Meet the new boss…same as the old boss, except in a turtleneck and with my arrogance.
Clueless people should stick to licking stamps. Email is way too complicated.
Click on stamp (mail)
Choose recipient
type message
click send
Constable Odo, amen..
Just got a Dell Inspiron Q6600 quadcore with Xp Pro, 3 GB, 500 GB and 8600 GPU with two year warranty for $820.00. Had spare flat displays. Nothing cheap component wise and the build quality is high. I thought of the intel iMac. But the cost was prohibitive when you added additional memory, VM ware and XP home. Using the $1200 iMac model(a bargain compared to the Dell One) and adding the PC needs would of brought the price to around $1600.
I have a iMac G5 that has nothing been but a lemon. I do praise aapl at the stores for replacing the mother board the third time six months after aapl care has expired. Seems that the 1.8 GHZ model has been problem plague and aapl has quietly re- fixed after warranty. Saw no reason to upgrade to a newer model since the current one works fine for now. I do have PC needs though.
Constable Odo: However, that still misses the point about this badly written article and the overwhelming bias towards PCs.
“The first thing PC buyers must decide is whether they want an Apple or a Microsoft Windows-based computer. Apple is still in the minority — it had about 7% of the U.S. PC market in the first quarter, says Gartner — but the brand is popular with graphic artists, students and others who enjoy its unique software and design.”
That’s about all they say about the Mac. Notice any inaccuracies or half-truths?
Did you RTFA?
“Have not used iMovie in years. I doubt that many many of the mac converts have used as well.”
That certainly was convincing.
not fooled…
Best Buy has nearly 1000 locations. The aapl presence are now in over 600 locations. aapl and Best Buy are happy with the results sales wise.
In the last week before xmas 07, aapl cpu sales hit 10,000 units at 270 locations for the week.
“How about the fact that the vertical business plan of Apple leaves no room for enthusiasts–a significant and influential portion of the marketplace that they routinely ignore?”
THAT is the funniest thing I’ve read today. Nice job.
ZT, you have real competition.
Believe me, I am not a troll but will probably get flamed for writing this. I have owned and used Macs exclusively at home since 1987. They are wonderful machines and there is some truly great software available. Some software for the Mac is far superior to the Windoze equivilients (OSX vs Vista, iLife, etc). But the market reality is many developers simply don’t create Mac versions. Often, if they bother to make a Mac version, it is a crippled shadows of the Windows version. For example: Quicken.
What if the only program available for the Mac for graphic artists was a 1984 edition of MacPaint while Windoze had the selection that is available now? Would you insist that drawings had to be done in MacPaint?
Fortunately, graphic artists have a choice. Unfortunately, many of us work in “vertical” markets where suitable software has not been written to run under Mac OSX. I am an Electrical Engineer designing embedded electronic control systems. Just try finding a microcontroller vendor whose in-circuit emulator and IDE runs on Mac OSX. The available schematic capture, circuit board layout, simulation tools that run under OSX are primitive compared to the tools available under Windows. It is like comparing MacPaint to Illustrator or Photoshop.
When you spend over 90% of your computer time using software that is written for Windows only, it doesn’t make sense to maintain two OS’s to run Windows in a Virtual Machine on a Mac.
If you really want to promote the Mac, get developers to write for the Mac instead of ridiculing people for suggesting there are some practical reasons for not using a Mac. Make life better for those of us stuck using Windows rather than sounding like a cult.
Uh-oh, I used the “C” word. Now I am sure to get flamed.
Another IT Guy..
I totally agree. look at Dells site. They have all market needs covered.
The Vostro line for business needs. The Inspiron line for home users and the XP line which includes the Dell One(AIO) and the gaming rigs for the premium end.
Lets face it, aapl’s focus is on the iPhone/iTouch. The firm is just milking the Mac division with sorry updates.
An Engineer,
I am also an engineer. I can see the overwhelming value of getting a universal personal computer (Mac) that runs Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows concurrently with little or no speed hit (Parallels Desktop for Mac / VMWare Fusion vs. Boot Camp). Why can’t you see it?
It’s quite clear that buying anything but an Apple Mac is a stupid move and a clueless waste of money.
@An Engineer
You sound way too intelligent and logical to be posting on this site.
@not fooled
Let’s see, Apple Stores make more money per square foot than any other retailer. Analysts agree that Apple/Jobs understood something about retail that most others miss(ed). Meanwhile, except for Best Buy, the “Big Box” electronics retailers are either closing or hanging on by a thread.
So what is this “Big Box lesson that Apple needs to learn? Are you thinking Apple needs to learn this lesson because they are not doing so well?
Are there any lesson that you feel you might need to learn?
@art,
Maybe if some of these lemmings that wanted to buy a PC and need shit like XP or Vista knew you could run those crap operating systems on a Mac, maybe THAT would make their decision EASIER? Or would they remain clueless like the author?
You are correct. Not everyone needs a Mac. Like those that continue to think a Mac is for “graphic artists, students and others” ONLY (who are the fscking OTHERS???)
“who are the fscking OTHERS???”
Well, based on the substance of the article, it’s pretty obvious.
well, i’m gonna post this and run before someone throws flaming crap at me, but here’s my two cents, coming straight from an ibook g4…
macs aren’t for everyone, but they’re damn close. they aren’t for gamers. go ahead and say “oh if you want to play games buy a wii!” (i know you’d never say an xbox 360)
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” /> but the truth is, there’s a market for pc gaming (otherwise, why would nvidia, ati, id software, epic games, microsoft, blizzard, etc etc even bother?) and the mac isn’t quite what gamers are looking for.
i actually had this conversation with a friend earlier. i concluded that if you’re not a pc gamer, there’s no good reason to not get a mac. hell, even if you’re what they call a “casual” gamer, the entry level imac would still be a sweet machine. but for those who really get into that kind of thing (as do i), building your own computer is the way to go for gaming… and spare me the ignorant rhetoric about how that makes it unreliable. apple doesn’t MAKE “the whole widget”, they DESIGN it. it’s still an nvidia gpu, running in tandem with an intel board/cpu, with broadcom/atheros wifi, built by asus (for the laptops, last i knew), etc etc.
honestly, i think some mac users ARE lemmings, because instead of investigating things for themselves, they just rely on the mantra that macs are always better every time on exceptions lalala CANT HEAR YOU. i love my ibook and i love every of the nearly 100 macs i’ve ever owned (became a collector for awhile – loved them all, except the powermac 6200, bleh), but i came to the “sad realization” recently that macs aren’t the best for gaming – and yeah kids, i KNOW macs can run windows, but most of the options for graphics cards aren’t the best unless you spend a premium, and, mac pro notwithstanding, you can’t upgrade the graphics. i built my gaming machine for under $500 and it is equally capable as a mac pro for gaming – not to mention i threw a blu-ray drive in there and watch BD movies with it.
i know i’m going to fall upon deaf ears but that’s fine. having experienced all sides of this stupid argument, and having been a shill for both platforms at one point or another, i come away realizing that i love macs, and i tolerate windows because that’s where the games and customizable hardware are. the whole point is, macs are NOT for everyone, but i really wish they were!
if apple ever makes a mac that’s expandable like the pro but targets the home market, then that’s the nail in the coffin for the windows PC as far as i’m concerned. then, macs WILL be for everyone.
besides, building/upgrading computers (some older macs are amazingly upgradable!) is a neat hobby. sure beats making people feel like shit for choosing the wrong box of silicon.
@ Zung Tang
Hey ZT, if Midge and Barb ask where their red stapler went.. i took it…
“Yeah ummm, Midge, I’m going to need you to come in on Saturday. And we need to talk about moving your desk down to the basement warehouse”
matt,
Nice novel. Too bad it’s meaningless; we’re talking laptops here, not game boxes.
By the way, Macs can boot directly into Windoze via Mac OS X Leopard’s Boot Camp to play your games until you grow up, graduate, and get a job.
art, the fact people aren’t “looking” for a Mac is the whole problem. The masses don’t even know they have a choice, or if they do, they don’t realize how viable – even superior – it is.
@ An Engineer. If you’re buying a computer to run highly specialised software that’s available only for Windoze, then by all means, get a PC.
But that’s not what this woman was doing. She was buying a laptop “for her nephew”, and presumably wouldn’t have been doing so if he had some special software requirements.
To completely ignore Macs for daily computer use is foolish, and it’s that decision that MDN is complaining about, loudly.
And it’s also your decision to introduce the “c” word as flame bait.
ive gotta say, ive also talked to gamers and a lot of other windoze enthusiasts, and An Engineer and matt have made the most sense out of anyone here. (well except Ampar of course!)
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
people who want to game, go ahead and build your machines for cheaper, but i hope that you guys realize that you wont be able to do much else on there except game. tnad thats where youll need your Mac. and people like matt will have that Mac do do their other stuff on.
Tired of Retards:
it doesnt matter what OS you can boot into if the hardware (nonupgradable for most Macs as you should know) isn’t up to par with what the game needs. and we’re talking about computers not just laptops. thanks for your insight but we could do without it.