The Joy of Tech today features: Walter Mossberg on reasons not to switch to the Mac. Also included below the comic is the humorous poll that asks, “What’s the best excuse not to switch to Macintosh?”
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Mossberg: switching to Mac from Windows isn’t for everybody, just most people – February 17, 2005
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While I was reading that Mossberg column yesterday, I was struck by two thoughts:
1.) It must be ‘opposite day’ in the Wall Street Journal’, but further perusal of their editorial page was proof that it definitely WAS NOT ‘opposite day’, and;
2.) Mossberg must be the only journalist (and when I say ‘journalist’, I mean ‘someone who writes for a living, not as a way to pay for college’… yeah, I’m talking to you, Ciarelli!) who can slam the Mac and get away with it. Granted, he didn’t slam the Mac in this column, only pointed out that ‘switching’ may not appeal to everybody. But if anyone with less credentials would have written that column, we would have been calling for his head on a silver platter…
good comic, it cracks me up too.
exactly what I did when I read that sentence.
That’s one funny cartoon.
Walt’s a good egg, and when he speaks, he speaks truth.
For those just getting to know Mossber, here’s a treat:
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http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.05/mossberg.html
I agree. I laughed as hard as you did when I saw this cartoon.
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very funny
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I liked the cartoon, too. Wrote them to tell them so.
But it wasn’t “oppoosite day” at the Journal. It was, like any other day, an opportunity to help readers sort things out. I stand by all my praise for the Mac, and for switching. But, for some groups of Windows users, it doesn’t make sense.
Walt always calls it as he sees it, and takes great pains to be informed and fair. Fair as in telling the truth. Not fair as in “equal time, equal praise”. In the early to mid-90 (pre-Steve Jobs) Walt was critical of Apple very often. But wasn’t there good reason to be?
I correspond with Walt from time to time, and he is a hard-nosed, hard-assed, journalist with INTEGRITY at The Wall Street Journal, one of the world’s most prestigious news sources with a circulation HIGHER than the New York Times. And people who read the Journal aren’t poor. I pay about $80 a year for the online Journal. Walt is the biggest name in tech journalism, and his opinions carry enormous weight. As Apple has improved to the wonderful point that it is now, so have Walt’s reviews of Apple products. I recall only one lukewarm review in the past year or so, and it was for Airport Express. He (if I recall correctly) thought it should have a remote, or another way to control it.
Otherwise he has turned in glowing reviews for Apples products. But NOT because he is an Apple fan. Or ANYONE’S fan. Walt Mossberg is a fan of QUALITY, VALUE, ELEGANCE, and USABILITY.
The moment Apple brings out a weak or even a so-so product he will slam it hard. But even if he does, please don’t flame him. Comment, yes, FLAME no. He has served us well by TELLING THE TRUTH, not by being a blind fan for Apple, or in doing controversial articles to get clicks. His knowledge, ongoing search for the truth, and standing in the tech community is why he has helped Apple. Which is why we don’t grind our teeth when we read his articles, like the lesser writers who spout all the half-truths and misinformation about Macintoshes, out of dislike for Apple, or just sheer blind ignorance, or information 10 years out of date.
This article about those who SHOULDN’T switch, and the reasons why, has truth in all of it. Once again Walt is telling the truth as he sees it. Heck, I have told people not to switch for most of these reasons myself, and I’ve helped switch about 10 people this year.
The current prestige, sales, and success of Macs and Apple’s other offerings (iPod, software), are owed in no small part to having Walt crank his weight behind these products. His opinions create DECISIONS for many people and businesses.
We are SO LUCKY that someone as important as Walt (a well informed, truth telling “king maker”), is a straight shooter. If an Apple product ever gets a bad review from Walt (and someday one certainly will), it almost certainly deserves it.
’nuff said,
David Vesey
DV,
Testify, brotha! Getting good press from Walt is the equivalent to Carson calling a comedian over to the desk after doing their act back in the day – You know you’ve arrived when Mossberg writes favorably about your product in the WSJ.
Walt’s been good for Apple over the past several years; there was a time when he wasn’t as complimentary, deservedly so. Personally, I hope that Apple doesn’t screw up and give Mossberg something to complain about for a very long time!
Oh, and if you are reading this, Walt, I have a question: why does the Journal not have a comics page? It’s a shame I have to subscribe to other papers, just to keep up with Cathy and the Family Circus!
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Thanks for link, MacSmiley – interesting insight.
David Vesey – it was still a funny cartoon, right? If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re bound to look ridiculous to others at some point…
BuriedCaesar asks me:
David Vesey – it was still a funny cartoon, right? If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re bound to look ridiculous to others at some point…
—————————–
The cartoon was VERY funny.. And Walt thought so too.
Did I give indication otherwise? if so.. sorry.
dv
I’d just like to know how a pathetic shill like Mossberg got a position writing for a respected conservative rag like the WSJ. Reagan is probably rolling over in his grave.
(tr)NMFY,
read the Wired article that MacSmiley links to, it has your answer.
> I’d just like to know how a pathetic shill like Mossberg
> got a position writing for a respected conservative rag
> like the WSJ.
Stupid Flamebait aside, the WSJ is an excellent paper — providing a lot of coverage that you don’t get elsewhere, and with a fair assortment of lifestyle columns appropriate to many of their readers, including the Mossberg column.
You just have to tear out the editorial and op/ed pages if you don’t like to read “Global Warming Is A Myth,” “Peron Was Great for Argentina,” “Nuke Iraq” and the like.
The News team is completely separate from the crazies who run the Editorial and Op/Ed pages, thank God. In that separation, they may be better than the NYT, whose opinions I value a bit more.
Walt French: what an odd reference about Argentina… 😎 I’m moving there next month. You from there?
charlie, you’re moving to Argentina? My condolences.
My wife says he won’t make any impact… it’ll be great, very cheap if you make dollars up in the US and live in BA. 😎 My macs keep me in business!
Walt, if you value the NYT’s opinions, actually you don’t have to read at all. It’s always same stuff, different day.
Leave it to Malt Wussberg to spew such a mountain of BS. You guys are sad.
Well, gotta sign off for the night. Mommy says it’s time to brush my teeth and tuck in to bed. Night night, dudes!
What’s that all about? NoMacForYou is just some grade-school kid? Weird.
Holy crap it’s true! NoMacForYou is just some little kid. Let’s hope his mom can figure out how to put a filter on their AOL account so he can’t keep bothering us on MDN. Somebody put a virus on that eMachine!
“Malt Wussberg”?
That’s not even creative. So it looks like NoMacForYou take unwarranted pot-shots at anyone he/she can.
I can’t wait for this jerk to move on!
BuriedCaesar:
I finally get it. You thought when I said ‘article’ I was commenting on the CARTOON.
No. I was commenting on the piece Mossberg wrote for the Wall Street Journal.
The cartoon was very funny.
BTW, I would LOVE everyone to SWITCH, and work on people I know, and meet, every day. But everyone doesn’t NEED to.
For example:
If you are a hardcore gamer, and can stay on top of Windows problems, then why switch? And I don’t push these people, they would be unhappy.
I work on the ones ready to tip, who a switch would be doing a world of good for. I LOVE all computers, I just love Macs the most. I’ve been switching people for years for a lot of reasons, but one is quite selfish. I want Apple AROUND so I can enjoy them for the rest of my life.
Well, it looks like we can relax A BIT, but the war is hardly over.
ALL of us have been doing GREAT. Steve Jobs, the people at Apple, and all of US, in the trenches, the underground resistance (smile).
And the dividends are paying off. And we all have plenty to be proud of.
David Vesey
Apple/Mac User Since 1984