I’ve always seen technology as an industry that could potentially help make strides towards uniting us as a global society. In many ways, this has started to happen.
Twitter has been used to break news from locations all over the world. Facebook allows users across the globe to connect and interact. The mobile space has let us take global interaction to an incredible new level.
The dawn, rise, and peak of the desktop computer has come and gone. The pioneers in the space still exist for the most part, but the roles of each company and their pecking order may have shifted. Microsoft, IBM, Dell, and HP are still dominant forces in the computer hardware and software market.
Apple has been making computers since the late 1970′s and in their early days, they were the darling of hobbyists and educators. Those that owned Apple computers then were often likened to ‘hippies’ and seen as outsiders of the mainstream computing market. Times have certainly changed.
The departure of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 1985 after a board of directors power struggle led to a decade of lackluster performance and products from the company. In 1997, Jobs officially returned to the company as “interim-CEO,” and things started to turn around for Apple. The successful launch of the all-in-one iMac line of computers was the first signs of life from the company that nearly declared bankruptcy. By 1998, Apple was once again a profitable company.
The launch of the Mac OS X operating system in 2001 was incredibly well received and resulted in Apple gaining an increase in market share of the computing market. To this day, Apple continues to gain more market share in the computing hardware sector. The last quarter of 2011 shows that in the US, for companies other than Apple, computer shipments declined for that quarter. Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.
Apple has continued to have incredibly strong performance in the mobile technology sectors with their iPhone and iPad devices. The iOS App store generates tons of revenue for the company. Apple is sitting on a tremendous amount of money in the bank, and is now recognized as one of the richest companies in the world.
Ok, that’s the history lesson. On to the perception of Apple users…
Apple users were seen as outsiders from the outset. Prior to being an Apple user, I was a steadfast PC user, and I had the impression that Apple users and fans were somewhat pompous and snobbish. There was always the impression that they exuded the vibe that they were “holier than thou.”
It’s been about 5 years now since I decided to ditch the Windows PC world for my personal computing and use Apple products exclusively. So, to officially state for the record, I’m an ‘Apple user.’
I’ll still agree with the fact that there are ‘some’ Apple users that try to evangelize that the Apple hardware/software platform and design is far superior than that the other computer and software companies currently offer. That is a matter of personal opinion. I’ll also admit that I often kid my peers that use non-Apple products when their products crash or perform in a manner that is not to their liking. That’s pretty much where I draw the line.
I have never said “Windows-based computers are horrible.” I’ve also never uttered the words “The Android phone platform is garbage,” or anything similar to that. My approach has always been to respect the decision of others to embrace and use platforms that work for them. Certainly, I may kid them, but in no way do I state that my choice to use Apple products is the best decision for everyone. I think Google is doing some great things in the mobile phone and tablet space. I’m an iPhone and iPad user, but once again, thats my personal choice, and I realize that may not be the preferred choice of others.
Since Apple is now regarded as an incredibly powerful personal and mobile computing hardware and software company, as well as a market leader in media sales, I’ve noticed an increase of backlash towards Apple users. When one talks about Apple users, it usually comes across as having a negative tone. Sometimes I feel like I am wearing a scarlet letter.
Do we really need to adopt the whole us vs. them mentality when it comes to the choice of our computing or mobile platform? Apple saw some tremendous benefit from portraying ‘traditional’ PC users as corporate, stodgy, and antiquated when they ran their infamous Mac vs. PC ads. The adds were humorous, but perhaps did more to divide the two camps as opposed to join them. Apple has gained market share as a result of that advertising campaign, but I feel in retrospect that may have done more to fuel an increased distaste that many Windows and Linux PC users have towards Apple as a brand and its users.
We often get into Apple vs. Android discussions on our weekly podcast The TechMonks Podcast. On last Sunday’s episode : #30 – Google Comments the discussion got heated at times. Check it out.
If you are an Apple user, have you felt like those that used and supported the Windows / Linux technologies have expressed negativity towards you simply because you like or use Apple products? Likewise, if you are not an Apple user, have you experienced negativity from those that are Apple users?
I appreciate your feedback. Thanks for reading.
New Blog Post – “Apple User – The New Badge of Shame” – bit.ly/HOXXq0 – #TimPonders
— Tim Arthur (@timarthur) April 3, 2012
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve slowly bought Apple devices one after another starting with an iPod (pack of gum) shuffle back in 2005, on through to now, where I use Apple products exclusively. The reason: each time I add a new tool (or toy) I find it to be the right tool for the job. It just gets easier, and less complicated. I don’t feel “cooler” or superior. I feel productive. Use what works for you.
@erikjfisher Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I’m in the same camp. The products work for me. It’s no political agenda. Feeling you are “cooler” because of the tools you use or the possessions you have is in my opinion very petty. Have you ever been criticized by others for using Apple exclusively?
My first Apple product was a 2006 Mac Mini followed by a 2007 iMac. I never thought of myself as an Apple fan boy or superior. Even to this day I still swap back and forth between my Apple products (iMac, MacBook Air) and my Windows machines. There are just certain things that work really well on the Apple platform and then there are others that work better for me on the Windows platform.
It’s unfortunate, but the cost of Apple products prevents me from keeping them updated like I do my Windows machines. That’s the main reason I do all of my video and most of my audio editing on a Windows machine (the poor 2007 iMac just doesn’t handle video editing well, but Garage Band still works great for audio work).
I like both platforms equally as they perform different tasks for me.
@Donovan Adkisson Thanks for sharing uour thoughts! Very good points! A terrific example of simply what works. I’ll agree, it becomes pricey to upgrade Apple products or step up to newer machines. Do you have any examples of tasks that you feel are more suited for either platform?
@timarthur @Donovan Well, if it weren’t for the age of my iMac, I’d say that video editing is preferred on the Apple platform. But I’ve found that Adobe Premiere works worlds better on my Windows machine because it’s newer.
Here’s what I’ve found so far:
Apple: Simple audio editing via Garage Band; productivity that requires easy access to multiple desktops (this allows me to switch back and forth during a show because I have so much stuff open); recording the live show via Nicecast (which I also did use to stream the audio to my own shoutcast server – much easier (to me) than setting up WinAmp, etc)
Windows: Audio and Video streaming (Mixlr for audio and XSplit for Video); video editing with Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas; performing screen captures of video games, etc.; audio editing in Adobe Audition (yes, I know there’s a Mac version but again – processor, etc.)
Yeah, I could probably keep going if I think hard enough. :)
@Donovan Adkisson I appreciate you sharing your experiences. It does seem that there are more streaming applications available on the pc side. Often, vendors release mac-compatible versions later on, but they are often not given equal priority. At least from what I have seen. Many things are web-based now, so the OS is often ubiquitous. From what you have told me about XSplit, I’d love to be able to try it, but it ‘s PC only.
@timarthur Hence the reason my Air is boot camped to run Windows 7 for streaming. :)
@Donovan Adkisson @timarthur :)
@damondnollan @Donovan Adkisson You like that don’t you Damond?
I have used Mac’s since 1986 – the old green screens – I even built my first “app” using BASIC. Ah, now those were the early days
I used Macs up until 1999 when I bought my first Desktop and I was lost. I bought it because I started working in the corporate world where Windows based machines were the norm and in order to get work done in the office and at home I needed Windows. Since then I have kept both Macs and PCs in the home. The PC desktop gives me the horsepower to get the job done while the Macbook Pro gives me the ability to create – apps, music, podcasts, etc.
To your question Tim I have had Mac users say to me that Windows is awful, slow, full of bloat, and security holes and that Macs are the opposite or how do you use Windows it’s not intuitive like a Mac. So I do see this divide of functionality. I also see a divide in cultural views – like in the old commercials – the IBM “doers” vs. the revolutionist MacIntosh, free, creative spirit and a divide in economics as some have mentioned, Apple products cost more to purchase and to maintain.
@SJCWebDesignLLC Thank you very much for stopping by to read the post, and thanks for your comment! You bring up a point I hear often. PC’s have the horsepower to get the job done. What tasks do you feel work better on a PC desktop with a lot under the hood as opposed to other machines?
Apple has often been the choice of the creative arts users, although similar software has been available to use on the Windows PC. Any thoughts on why that has seemed to be the case?
@timarthur I ”built” my own PC (buying the parts and the case) for the purposes of running multiple concurrent programs that use up a lot of memory – Photoshop, Audition, Dreamweaver, browser with multiple tabs or multiple browsers for web design testing. I can’t do all that on my 2007 MacBook Pro. I suppose I could go and get another Mac that might be able to do all that – but it is cost prohibitive.IMO Apple markets itself as creative in their commercials and of course there is the “there is an app for that” push that seem like anything is possible with the iPad, iPhone and Touch devices. Just right out of the box Apple makes it so more conducive to right brain thinking.
@SJCWebDesignLLC Thanks for elaborating on some reasons for why Apple is seen as such a strong platform for creative arts. In terms of web development, I can see why Windows machines are certainly a must.
Tim, I think it’s so easy today to label people on either end of spectrums. You’re either Apple or PC, a pagan atheist or a fundamentalist jihadist, democrat or republican… It’s just the easy thing to do in our 140-character-at-a-time culture of sound bytes.
The truth however is always non-trivial.
I have an Apple laptop and a PC desktop. Like Donovan said, there are advantages and disadvantages to both platforms. I think it’s healthy to keep an open mind and see what works best for you.
@cesarabeid Thanks for your comment! I agree and do feel that I have an open mind. I am in no way opposed to PC’s. Currently, I use my MacBook Pro exclusively, and if I had a desktop, it most likely wouldn’t make sense for me to invest in a different os and app platform.
Honestly, for me, it’s the design of the machine, and the software. The machines are all using the same CPU’s. The design is minimalistic and simple. Less buttons to accidentally switch off (like my father often accidentally switching off his PC notebook wireless switch.)
Design alone isn’t enough to win me over. OS X kicks butt. If it was a horrible OS, then the fit and finish of the machine would still be nice, but wouldn’t be enough to keep me using the Apple hardware.
I’ll probably be putting together a Windows server here at home for file storage and to extend the functionality of my DLNA media server someday unless I opt to go the Linux route.
Could you explain some advantages you see on the PC desktop as compared to the Mac notebook?
@timarthur We develop our own software here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYdVglH4LQo) and it has to be Windows, so it makes sense for me to have a decent Windows machine. I also run Parallels on my MBP.
To borrow from Steve Jobs, the PC is a “truck.” It can take a beating and I don’t care if I drop it and bang it around a little bit. Some apps are only available for Windows – like Quickbooks. Yes, there’s Quickbooks Online, but here in Canada is a bit of a new thing and they don’t have all the modules I use.
I like having both. For a laptop however, OS X is fantastic and Windows can’t touch it. The gestures, the multitouch pad (some PC laptops try to emulate but all the ones I’ve seen suck), the bootup speed, the perfectly calibrated hinge pressure, the magnetic power cord…. It is just too awesome.
I give Apple users a hard time because it’s fun. I am the owner of a broken Mac Book Pro, Android Mobile, and use a PC laptop at work. I’ve had experience with both Mac and PC, although I prefer to use the PC because it’s what I know and feel comfortable with. I’ve thought about an iPhone and iPad, but at this point (after so many Apple jokes) I could never go to the dark side without having to hear tons of comments. So, for now, I stay with the Android Nation and PC world.
By the way, I think Apple started the fire.
@damondnollan Thanks for chiming in Damond, I was hoping to hear from you on this topic. I respect the preferences of everyone. You’ve found a platform you are comfortable with and know well.
Just kidding my friend. Thanks for stopping by.
Windows has made great strides in becoming more stable with each release. Windows 7 is far more reliable than XP. Windows 8 looks very interesting as well.
Hey… since you’re not using it, if you want to give away your non-working macbook pro, I’d love to take that off your hands for you.
I’m still interested to find out why your Android phone decides to actually turn itself off at the same spot on the highway each day. Is that a feature?
Who cares what those android losers have to say
@stephencross Thanks for posting Stephen! I’m exercising my 5th amendment rights here.
SO I’m pretty biased here because of who I work for but I’ve always been a Windows guy. Why? Because they dominated the market for 20+ years. No one stepped up and put another viable alternative in front of the world that was as open as Windows. Did I just say that? How many of you Apple guys are going to blast me for that line. But it’s true if you look back at the development of the Windows OS. There are more .NET and Windows developers out there because Microsoft makes it easy to write code for the OS. Good, bad, or otherwise, you don’t see a lot of OS X developer jobs out there. Just because Windows might not have been the best product out there, Gates developed the brand, pushed it on the masses and it took.
Apple might end up ruling the work (unless Google can stop them, fingers crossed) but it’s going to be in the mobile world. They have made their money and their stock is over-inflated because of their music empire and mobile devices. But anyone who says the PC/Laptop is dead has their head in a hole. I have half a dozen tablets, a couple of phones (Windows Mobile and Android based) and I can’t sit on any of them and type out this rant as well as I can on my laptop. Bluetooth keyboard for your iPad you say? Well then it’s a LAPTOP at that point. Call it an ultrabook if you want (BTW, anyone seen that sexy Dell XPS13z?) but once you add a keyboard to it it’s no longer a tablet. And we really should use the term “PC” loosely. I like Steve Balmer’s definition from an interview, it’s ANY tool you use for productivity and surfing the Net – Apple, Mac, iPad, Droid phone, TRS-80, etc. GOD I miss my TRASH80! Or how about those Packard Bells? (insert inside joke here) “Maybe I did give him Dick!!”
I think you raise a good point Tim. I STILL can’t understand why people prefer the Mac OS over Windows. I know the majority of this country likes it because it’s SIMPLE in its simplicity. But it’s like that because it’s a closed, proprietary system. Hell yeah it’s easy to setup a new iMac out of the box with wireless because they write the drivers for the hardware that the OS runs on. If Microsoft was the ONLY manufacture of Wintel systems out there it would be just as simple. Above and beyond the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, I believe the single best thing Jobs EVER did was to tear up the contracts of the Mac clone companies and bring back development of the hardware and software under the Apple umbrella. IMHO it’s what saved Apple in a domino effect kind of way. If you control the hardware and software from soup to nuts you are going to have a LOT more control of how the product evolves. This is the one thing I see wrong about how Google introduced the Android OS and why I’m STILL sitting here with my Droid X gen 1 and can’t figure out what my next Android based phone will be.
But I can’t stand it when people bash the Windows OS (let get this straight people, it’s NOT the hardware that locks up so stop saying your PC sucks). Has Microsoft had some rough spots in its past? Sure! Windows 3.0, Windows ME, Windows Vista, MS BOB to name a few. But there have been some ROCK solid versions of Windows. For example, Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000 Pro, and Windows 7. I’m pretty sure Windows 8 will be added to that list from what I’ve see from the last two releases. But yes, Windows does have security issues. It can be “hokey”. It will OCCASIONAL and infrequently crash. But the fall from that high horse all you OS X people are sitting on can hurt if you’re not careful. After all, it’s just a Unix port with a Mac OS front end on it. OH NO HE DIDN”T! But I will admit they did do a good job of it. And there’s a reason Windows is a security nightmare. No one cares about writing hacks against OS X. It’s not running on 10 million plus government workstations or the dominant (80%+) OS in corporate data centers, or running 30% of all the web servers on the Internet. It’s got a HUGE target painted on it so of course it’s going to be a hackers dream! BTW, Apple only accounts for 10% of OS’s in the US and less than 5% worldwide.
But that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.
@Iamthatjason Well said Jason! I knew I could count on you to deliver the heat here! Very good points. I agree that the Apple system is closed and that is why it works cohesively. You bring up any valuable pros for both the Wintel and the Apple platform.
To further explain why “I” personally prefer the Mac OS over Windows is that I like the idea that I never have to defrag my machine, don’t need to deal with a good portion of the residual garbage left behind when I uninstall an app, and I don’t have to run antivirus software (although I never had a virus on a Windows machine when I used Windows exclusively.)Those are a few of the things I like. My Apple machines have never crashed with the exception of when I dropped a machine on concrete and damaged my hard drive. But that’s besides the point.
The main point of my post is that the existence of bias based on what technology platform people choose is absurd. It’s not politics, its a tool folks choose to use to carry out their work and personal technology endeavors. I could care less what others use. They ask me what I use and I tell them. They may ask me why, and I’ll tell them why I use it, and what I perceive the benefits to be. But I don’t force feed it.
I’ve said many times that I would love to carry around an Android phone and put it head to head with the iPhone in terms of how well I can go about my daily mobile tasks. So far, no one has given me a droid phone to use.
I also like the ingenuity if the latest Windows mobile OS. I just don’t see it gaining the market share that Apple and Google are currently dominating. Maybe someday.
Windows 8 looks hot for sure. I have been running the preview on a machine at work, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Regarding the Dell XPS13z. I’ve seen the write-ups on it, but haven’t been able to get my hands on one. Say… Jason, don’t you work for Dell? Maybe you can make that happen and I would be happy to write up a review.
Thanks for reading and lending your comments my friend! I hope you are well! When are you travelling into the Raleigh-Durham area?
@timarthur I do my best! LOL BTW, here’s a good head to head between the XPS13z and the Mac Book Air 11″. – http://bit.ly/HL29WG
I just ordered mine so when I make it down there in a month or so I’ll bring it with me. And you can have my Droid X to play with too. I’m getting the Razr Maxx I think!
@Iamthatjason ”But there have been some ROCK solid versions of Windows. For example, Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000 Pro, and Windows 7. I’m pretty sure Windows 8 will be added to that list from what I’ve see from the last two releases.” Not to hijack the thread, but I do agree on Windows having rock solid releases such as Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000 and Windows 7. Windows 8 *could* be rock solid as long as they get rid of that damn Metro interface for the business product. Metro works well for a tablet environment, but is terrible for a PC.
Anyway, let’s return to our Apple/Mac OS – Windows bashing for now. Just kidding. These are all great points that have been shared on here!
I do agree that the ‘us and them’ mentality is alive and well and it’s kinda fun amongst friends. I think I have a bit of a unique perspective as a PC user and Unix Administrator who uses an Droid X phone and whose first computer was an Apple IIe. I got the Apple IIe way back in the 1985-ish time frame. That was what I was used to from using computers in school and as a result, it wasn’t too hard to convince my parents I had to have one. The next computer I had was an Atari 800XL, because it was cheap and several of my friends had them, so I was familiar with them. After that came a Packard Bell and all PCs from there on out.
Unrelated to the dropping issue, I had TERRIBLE problems with a very expensive HP DV9000 laptop 3 years ago and as a result would never buy another HP product again, long story, I will spare you the details. I also am not a big fan of Dell.
The main reason I use PCs is like others have said, familiarity. But also, since I’ve used them almost exclusively since the early 90s, I have all these little utilities that I use for different things that just make my life easier. Sure I could probably figure out a way to accomplish the same task utilizing either MacOS or Linux, but I’m a big fan of keeping it simple and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I do of course prefer Linux for server environments.
Phone wise my wife and I went with the Droid X 1.5 years ago and loved it, notice past tense. It was our first true smartphone and all the reasons we went with Android were valid. It was great to have the SD card, we could upgrade the battery to an extended life battery, most all of the apps are free, it was easy to root/customize, we didn’t have to rely on any proprietary apps like iTunes, etc. etc. However, recently both my rooted phone and my wife’s stock phone with the latest OS updates are having issues. We get lag, phone hangs, reboots on it’s own and just plain doesn’t work right when you need it most. It’s not all the time, but it’s happening more often.
As a result, when we’re eligible for an upgrade in August we will be getting the iPhone 5. We are hoping that all our issues magically go away, but either way we want to give Apple a fair chance to impress. Hopefully it will.
PC wise, I’m strictly a laptop user and am rough on my devices. By that I mean, they constantly fall off the edge of the couch and onto the floor, so no device is safe from my wrath.
I have a Toshiba now and it’s been good, but due to multiple drops, the display has been flaky lately so I’ve been shopping around just in case it fails completely. What I’m finding is that based on reviews of the different major brands, none of them are built like they used to be. ThinkPads used to be the defacto standard for me, almost bullet-proof, in-fact I still have 2 in a closet somewhere that still work and they’re from like 1998. But recent reviews say quality is not the same since Lenovo took over. And a co-worker has a Macbook Pro that is 18 months old and had a logic board go. Since he didn’t have the extended AppleCare warranty, he had to pay $300 to have it repaired. The bottom line is that it is disappointing that all major manufactures seem to have their issues.
Since we’re going to go iPhone, I decided to include a Macbook Pro in my analysis. I have an open mind and was hoping the research would go well. However, with the price of the base level 15″ MacBook Pro at $1799, add in another $300 for 3 years of AppleCare that brings us to $2,100. That is tough to justify given that I could get a comparable PC model from Asus or Toshiba with more features/horsepower and a similar 3 year warranty for $800. I wanted to find a reason to justify putting the Macbook at the top of the list for my next device, but have yet to find that reason. Perhaps if I can wait until we get the iPhone, device integration would be a plus factor but not sure that is worth $1300.
It seems still that people are either Apple fan peeps or anti-Apple peeps. Amongst my circle of friends however, it seems that the iPhone 5 may be that bridge to converting some people over. Perhaps that will be the catalyst and we will all be able to get along once again? Time will tell.
@Chris S. Thanks for sharing your experiences! It’s great to hear from different people on how they have used technology in the past, and what is working for them now.
I agree, the difference in cost of the Macbook Pro vs. a well-stocked PC can be tremendous. However, one must consider that the Macs come stocked with the iLife suite that includes some pretty good basic content creation tools like Garage band, iMovie, iPhoto, etc. Not saying they are pro tools by any means, but that software gets the job done for many folks. The last time I checked, PC’s were coming preinstalled with trialware and “limited” versions of similar tools, unless you’ve opted to purchase them separately.
On a side note, I always biuy my machines from Apple’s onlne refurb store. These machines are usually brand new, but returned machines, and all carry the same one year warranty that new machines come with. It saves me a couple of hundred dollars on each machine.
Thanks again for sharing and for reading!
A little more fuel for the fire
) http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/new-mac-malware-epidemic-exploits-weaknesses-in-apple-ecosystem/4726
@Chris S. Thanks for sharing this storty. I saw this yesterday. As pointed out before. Eploits on the mac are not often seen because of market share. The Apple market share is still small compared to Wintel machines, but it is growing. The likelihood of exploits increasing is there for sure.