The Vista from here is terrible as the Mac attracts more converts
Newsweek's Dan Lyons digs into Vista's problems in a recent article. While not the first to highlight Vista's many problems, Dan's focus on Vista's macro problems is timely and interesting.
"Nobody here looks at Vista as a fiasco," says Brad Brooks, a Microsoft marketing vice president. If that's true, and nobody at Microsoft thinks Vista has been a public-relations nightmare, then the company is in trouble....
Meanwhile, Apple's Mac computers, which run Apple's OS X operating system instead of Windows, have been gaining share, reaching 11 percent of the U.S. consumer market, according to researcher NPD....Remember how AOL used to be cool, but then became the service used only by people who didn't know any better? Microsoft is heading down that path. "You fly business class today, and it's nothing but Macs," says one former Microsoft executive, who's now carrying a Mac himself, albeit with Vista loaded on it.
It is these "influencers" that Microsoft should be most concerned about losing. Microsoft has completely lost its "cool" factor. People use Windows because they must, not because they necessarily want to. Those that can afford to buck the IT department's preference - like the executives in Lyons' article - are all running Mac OS X now, and not because they must.
Until you've spent time on a Mac, you're almost certain to pillory this perspective, but there's something very different about using a Mac. It's a beautiful piece of hardware, complemented nicely by an inviting, rock-solid operating system with seamless integration into the services - iPod, iPhone, iLife (Apple's creative productivity suite) - that people desire.
Windows is IT. It's industrial and it's useful. The Mac is something more, and that is why more and more people choose to buy it.
Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mjasay. 
No thanks...
Mac's run Unix, what could be more open than that? They also run Windows and Linux, so they are the one platform that can run everything ...
More importantly, the one closed aspect of them, the GUI, is so hides the complexity of the much more powerful Unix guts of the machine so that the average can use it much easier than the less powerful and less capable Windows systems.
That is why Mac's are making a comeback. If you aren't using a Mac, then chances are that you have not tried a Mac.
But more than that, the Mac is the ONLY retail computer that will run any popular OS natively, from Windows of any flavor to Linux, Unix or Sun Solari. Any OS that will install on a PC will install and run on a modern Mac, including one, of course, that WON'T install on a PC (at least not now): Mac OS X.
There is no more compliant and open hardware than a Mac. And unlike Windows, a completely closed and proprietary OS, the Mac OS runs on top of probably the MOST open-source OS in the world: Unix.
JoeL
I *choose* to buy Windows computers, because that it what I want.
Besides, I have no interest in pseudocool fashion accessories. (grin)
BTW, Mac laptops start at $999 and that isn't stripped-down.
JoeL
People use Windows because it's meets their needs.
Apple is much more closed than Microsoft. So much for the "Open" Road. It's just a deception that gives the wrong directions to the really really closed road. The Mac's share is minuscule to say the least. And Vista adoption is going great.
You know what's NOT cool now a days?
To go bashing Microsoft with nonsense like these thinking that it's cool. It isn't. It's stupid. That's all.
I'm waiting to see a few posts criticle of a closed Apple.
Apple's growth in computer sales is running circles around the rest of the industry's. And how about knocking off this "closed Apple" business. Apple's software is based upon open source and the hardware is built using industry standard components. Nothing to be "criticle" er, critical of there.
As with most people, my past employer's IT departments insisted on Windows machines and various Microsoft "standard" applications. For 20 years I bought PCs because I had to fit in with what the IT guys required at work. Now that the Macs run on Intel, run Windows natively and cross platform support is so easy I have a choicel
The Mac is a beautiful, fine tuned machine that is incredibly stable and runs exceptionally well. There is significant software choice available. I've never had a virus or had to worry about a virus (strong Unix kernal). On rare occasions I'll fire up XP in Parallels - usually to show friends and doubters how open the Mac platform is and that they don't need to worry about the transition. I have many friends that have expressed gratitude for showing them the Mac and expressing my opinion; they are now satisfied Mac owners.
I've never been as productive on any computer as I am on my Mac. On XP, the machine and operating system constantly got in the way of completing my work effectively far too often.
The perspective of the article is accurate and honest. Macs will continue to garner increased market share because the machines and operating system are outstanding. You may not like that, but it is a fact due to the exceptional customer experience and increased productivity when using Macs. Do yourself a favor and go visit an Apple Store.
Yes, AOL was cool once (for about five minutes).
CompuServe was geeky (my favorite using OS/2's Golden Compass).
GEnie was middle of the road (where I met a group of photography friends who is still together via email 20 years later).
Prodigy was greedy (the photo group was there first and left when they started charging per email).
Apple, by the way, created the online service Applelink, the first online service with a GUI that they sold to GE and it became GEnie.
They actually created an online service with AOL called eWorld. Another misfire. (Jobs wasn't there!)
Macs have advantages and disadvantages just like PC's do, and it is becoming apparent that these advantages associated with Macs is what a lot of home users are looking for.
As far as a software platform is concerned, I don't see Microsoft giving away a full-featured integrated development environment and extensive API documentation for free like Apple does.
Toys? Maybe you haven't heard that Mac OS X is a certified POSIX variant of Unix. Click on the "Terminal" application and you're in a real Unix environment. so much for "toys".
$1600? You can buy a MacBook for $1049.
Precisely! I would really like to know where the "Windows = open standards" saw came from. I can understand the "off the shelf hardware" part of it, especially pre Intel, but Windows software has always been at least as proprietary as the Mac OS, if not more so. The fact that multiple companies build hardware that runs Windows has nothing to do with the "openness" of Windows software.
A good chunk of OS X's functionality comes from open source development - Apple does not spend a fraction of the time Microsoft does re-inventing proprietary wheels.
It's maintenance is far less time consuming. It's rock solid when it comes to stability. I never have to deal with computers not finding the network or getting suddenly (and inexplicably) getting kicked off the network. The hardware is fast (and I didn't pay more $1,300 for ANY of the Apple desktops or notebooks (and most of them run Creative Suite perfectly well). It's thoughtfully organized software and is extremely cohesive from application to application.
I understand that people like Windows because of the variety of hardware vendors they can deal with. I get that. But for a small business like mine, I would never use Windows and the hassles it deals you just to save a couple of dollars upfront that is eaten away slowly anyway with anti-virus software subscriptions. I like that I get an evolved and better operating system every 18 months that allows me to upgrade five computers for less than $200 ? rather than to wait years between and need new hardware any when the time comes.
This article is spot on. Windows = adequate. OS X = brilliant.
The difference between many Windows users and OS X users is that just about every OS X user has used Windows at some point, while I'd say a small percentage of Windows users has ever even tried OS X. And those that use both often choose the "small niche" OS. Wonder why that is . . .
As far as software goes, Windows is by far the more closed system. Windows is 100% proprietary. Every file format used by Windows is Microsoft only. Once you go Windows, you're stuck. Sure, you can run it on a variety of hardware, but you're still locked in to Microsoft software. Virtually everything on the Mac however is based on open standards. If you create something on a Mac, you can use it on any platform that supports those open standards. So with respect to software, I'm not sure what closed means either.
The only respect in which Apple products are closed is that you are forced to buy your computer from Apple if you want to run Apple's OS. And for most people, I think that turns out to be a good thing.
Apple provides the only computer that can run anything, but most end up running Mac Applications because they want to.
If you compare features, Mac's are priced right in the middle of the pack as far as price is concerned. They simply do not make ultra cheap, loss leader products.
Again, most people who don't use macs, simply have not used one. Most people are ignorant to the fact that they even have a choice and that computer can be better.
Market share is almost irrelevant. Microsoft has an enormously greater market share, worldwide, as one person pointed out. Depending on whose figures you believe, maybe fifteen times as much, maybe more. But the VALUE of the company is only 1.7 times that of Apple.
Articles are everywhere written by average folks, high-level IT professionals, computer reviewers and more, that say some variant of, "I've been criticizing Macs for years. My brother-in-law finally made me sit down in front of his / I had to review one for my magazine / I was curious --- You know what. Now that I have actually tried one, I'm not going back."
I have never seen an article by someone going the other way, "Wow, thank goodness I finally tried Windows. It's so much better in so many ways." I am very sure if any such articles existed, the anti-Mac ranters would pull them out, constantly.
And puh-lease don't try to justify the lack of such articles by indoctrination or kool-aid.
"I almost never see a Mac on a plane." You're kidding, right? I mean, unless you're riding in a crop duster, there's Macs all over the place. And is that really what you base your buying decisions on?
Apple has the largest selection of software of any operating system. Period. Close to 20,000 native applications. Not including the Windbloze software, etc. that can be run.
Maybe it's time to go and enjoy your pathetic commercials that are merely sad responses to Apple's killer marketing campaign. Maybe someone should clue the idiots over at Microsoft into the fact that they don't even make PC's, or mobile phones.
Games do not = productivity.
The worm has turned and you guys are now on the end of the pole with the brown stuff on it (and it ain't a Zune!). Enjoy!
Oh, and dzqard, you DESERVE a Zune!
Their arguments are not only old, tired, and worn out - not to mention pretty much wrong on ever point - and the math is off by an order of magnitude!
Either that, or Windows users are still suffering from the Pentium math bug. If Windows has 98 percent of the market, how is it Apple has 11 percent? Tsk, tsk. Windows clowns, back to remedial math for you.
And let's not forget, it's Windows that is the most closed system around. People don't write web pages for one browser. Quicktime is the standard for videos/movies/audio. WMV is a DMR nightmare designed to drive people to Windows. Kerberos was crippled to be Windows-only. Java was cripple to be Windows-only. .Net? C#? The list goes on and on of a closed ecosystem deisgned to do one thing. FORCE PEOPLE TO USE WINDOWS!
Any dope who doesn't understand that deserves to suffer with Vista. As clunky and difficult Linux is to use for non-techie people, it has the virtue of being the most open. Macs use lots of open source software. Shoot, even Google's Chrome uses Apple's webkit. (As well as many cellphones.)
Get a grip Windows users, your sham has been pierced, and there's no going back to the blissful ignorance of times when people though Windows was all there was.
That's because Mac users can afford to upgrade their tickets dummy.
- by russ danner September 25, 2008 8:28 PM PDT
- I switched over to Mac last year and I absolutely love this machine. Fantastic windowing system and oh yeah... an operating system that doesn't require me to load cygwin on it just to make it useful from a command line. If you are a casual computer user you will love Mac. If you are a developer you will love Mac. It's a computer that means business on both sides of the spectrum. I don't care for the business model of the company but I often wonder if it is part of their secret sauce. Who knows... but one thing I have no doubt of. As it stands today -- I am thrilled with my Mac. Fantastic machine.
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