Comments on: Working with Windows and Linux, playing with the Mac

Google Insights data suggests that we enjoy our Macs for more than we enjoy Windows and Linux.

[Penguinisto]

Nice article. I tend to fall directly into it, though I do use Linux at home as well as at work (then again, I usually use Linux in a home server role, so I'm not really doing much with it besides let it run).

[rapier1]

Hey, so just as a matter of curiosity I changed 'windows' to 'vista' to see what would come up.
Whoops! So much for the author's theory.

[Penguinisto]

Depends on the specific search terms used... the referenced article doesn't say. "Apple" is a pretty common word as well as "Vista". I believe that "Linux" would be the one and only single-word term of the three that instantly points to one object. (even in just the computer world, the term "Vista" --before the MSFT naming and release-- referred to the Department of Veteran's Affairs' name for their mainframe-based computer systems).

[Penguinisto]

Ah - saw the URL in the blog - my bad.

Played with it a bit... found this:
http://google.com/insights/search/#cat=&q=windows%20vista%2Cmacintosh%2CLinux%2Cleopard%2Cwindows%20xp&geo=US&date=today%2012-m&clp=&cmpt=q

Kinda funny how that works...

[rapier1]

Well, the comment was more to the point that the graph can mean most anything you want and really doesn't do anything to support the author's main contention. This is just a matter of the author trying to base an argument on a concept they really don't understand very well. That aside, the graph you can up with also counters the author's argument just as effectively. Both WIndows Vista and Windows XP show the weekend bumps while Linux shows the weekday bump. So much for the author's theory.

[Trane Francks]

I, too, follow the footsteps defined in the article. I do localization work on the Windows platform at work, but home systems have, in the last year, moved from primarily Slackware Linux to a MacBook simply because OS X does multimedia way better than anything I've seen on Linux so far. The wee MacBook isn't perfect, but it is a step up in terms of what Linux offers media-wise. GarageBand gives Cakewalk Guitar Tracks 3 a run for its money, so there's no need for me to boot to Windows any more for recording/mixing. GT3 remains on the Windows partition simply to work with existing projects. Anything new will be done on the Mac.

I like playing on the Mac. It's a very, very friendly experience.

[Chorizotarian]

One obvious problem with your interpretation is that Apple's PC market share is still fairly small, so most of the searches you see probably come from Windows users who presumably don't know yet how wonderful their life would be if only they switched to OSX (sarcasm).

Another obvious problem is that Apple makes lots of products besides just computers, so a seach for "Apple" might be about an iphone or ipod rather than a reflection of how "less utilitarian and a bit more fun" Macs are (more sarcasm).

I could go on, but since you are obviously a true Apple iFanboi you will just reject everything I say as M$ corporate speak. A more reasonable interpretation of the data you cite would be that Apple has a lot of consumer buzz, so people tend to search for their stuff when they are in consumer mode on the weekends.

[ckurowic]

Um, no one here is claiming to be a fanboy, but your zealotry toward Microsoft clearly shows that YOU are a M$ fanboy, get lost.

[ballmerisanape]

I think you missed the point of the article entirely.

[storm14k]

"so people tend to search for their stuff when they are in consumer mode on the weekends"

....which is basically what the article said. You were too busy trying to be a MS shill to notice you had reaffirmed his point.

[techman21]

Maybe they're wanting to buy apples wholesale from farmers? Apple is a generic word as well as a brand, and this doesn't tell you anything about what they're searching for. Maybe they're trying to find cheaper sources for Apple products.

It would be more enlightening to analyze browser traffic at, say, Google, and count traffic for each platform.

[ballmerisanape]

so, by that logic, would it be beat the other more specific searches by a large margin.....???

[Penguinisto]

So, err, folks only buy Apples (the fruit) on weekends? Doesn't really follow through.

Also, while yes Apple does have a smaller market, it is one that is growing almost exponentially. (and IIRC, Matt Asay is a Linux/FBSD/OSS Fanboy, not an Apple one ;) ).

[Vegaman_Dan]

A person could also read this report and see that it clearly demonstrates that for business and serious use, people use Windows and Linux, but for unimportant / silly things, they use a Mac. You can spin this data in many ways and all of it is right and wrong. In the end, it means nothing as it is incomplete.

As for Matt Asay, he's a paid blogger who is paid by the number of web hits the story gets, not on content. Don't confuse his opinion pieces with that of a professional journalist. This is not a news story, only a blog. When you're paid by the number of hits your blog gets, it becomes direclty financially tied to making lots of posts that generate web traffic. Mac/Windows/Linux blog posts are guaranteed income.

[Seaspray0]

"Windows and Linux see greater search traffic during the workweek, while Apple's search traffic goes up on the weekends." Based on what?!? Search terms? When you could have based it on the platform iteself? This is nothing more than picking and choosing only those facts to support whatever conclusion you wish. Matt Asay, you just lost all credibility with me.

[chris_d]

I use a Mac both at work and at home. At work because it integrates nicely with my Unix servers -- it comes with NFS, ssh, etc. and can compile and run programs written for Unix (essentially it is a Unix system with pretty windowing and great GUI dev tools). At home because I value my time and fixing Windows is not something I find enjoyable. I can do it, but if I'm going to have to deal with Windows, I'd rather get paid for it.

[alan_06]

Why not provide the chart for daily vs weekend usage of viewer user agents? My site stats doesn't show any increase for Mac on weekends.

Also, i don't think the users searching on words like Microsoft or Apple are computer literate. These users should be ignored from the stats. What they're trying to search for? Company stock index?

[ckurowic]

What do you mean "your site stats", who are you, Google or Yahoo? Get real buddy.

[alan_06]

It's also possible that people could be looking to buy Apple computer on weekends... Apply Macbook or something... it shouldn' be compared with 'Microsoft' word search in my opinion.

[themrwhite]

I've been saying this for years, glad yo see that there is some ruff data to back it up. Don't mind the PC guys, it's been a rough couple of years for them with the release of Vista and all. LOL!

[themrwhite]

I've been saying this for years, glad yo see that there is some ruff data to back it up. Don't mind the PC guys, it's been a rough couple of years for them with the release of Vista and all. LOL!

[Chorizotarian]

@themrwhite: I notice that you don't try to refute any of the arguments against the "ruff data" above. (LOL << refute) Keep drinking that Kool Aid!

[ewsachse]

When Apple's market share is so low, there is only one way to go and that is up. If they went any lower, they would not exist.

If you believe your stupid statistics, then using Windows means being employed and getting paid for using a Windows PC. Using Mac means you are an unemployed leach on society, and you probably live at home leaching off your parents and hanging out in coffee shops all weekend long.

[ballmerisanape]

If that were the case.. the reverse trend would be true.

[protagonistic]

Thank you for proving the authors point so nicely. You need to lighten up and have some fun. But then if you use Windows I can understand your frustrations because it is hard for you to accept that using a computer can actually be fun. I feel your pain. :-)

[mailbox001]

What about Mac users that also has Vista/XP installed on their machines?

[Vegaman_Dan]

Macintosh uses do not have Windows installed on their machines. If they did, they would be called Windows users. Statistics really don't account for variables like these. It invalidates the entire survey.

[rapier1]

If you add porn to the graph you'll also see that its follows a weekend hump - so to speak. In fact, it closes follows the Apple graph. Obviously, people who like Apple are also heavy consumers of porn. Or at least don't know where to find it. Oh wait, I forgot - drawing conclusions based on correlation and not causation is stupid.

[ballmerisanape]

True. That's because.. at least until this year.. Apple users could search the web with impunity.. and travel into the seediest corners of the web with out fear of popups and viruses. Also.. that's why Safari has had Private Browsing since 2006 ;)

[dwinks]

If you click on the link to the Google site to view the data, it shows India as having the most searches.

Most likely the words "Microsoft, linux and apple" are being searched for in regards to support issues, how-to's, etc. Stuff like "Microsoft office clip art" or "Microsoft outlook set up email" and the like.

This also very much correlates with the decrease in searches since 2004 as people are more familiar with the OS's and they are also more mature/refined/stable now.

Apple hasn't gained any noticeable market share, not nearly as much as the search results show, at least. Apple has done well with iPods and other consumer devices which is likely what a large number of those weekend searches are for.

[wolivere]

Intresting when you look at the results the number one apple search during those periods was "Apple I phone avalibility"

[rapier1]

Also thinking about it, you could also just as easily argue that people are using their valuable weekend time trying to figure out how to use their Macs. Of that they are all MS fanboys looking for Apple blogs to troll in. Or that they are all looking on how to make an apple pie during the weekend. All you have is raw data and the majority of it is context free. There is really no way to determine what motivations are driving these searches. All you have here is empty speculation where the observer is interpreting the data to fit their pre-determined conclusions.

[Stormspace]

I like OSX just fine, but what I really like are all the games that you can find for it. Also while my current machine of choice is a Ubuntu box, I still have to resort to WINE for my gaming fix.

[wolivere]

Intresting when you look at the results the number one apple search during those periods was "Apple I phone avalibility"

If you change the search to Apple Mac intresting what you get

[rapier1]

Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. So I changed one of the search terms from 'microsoft' to 'vista' and what did I find out? A series of spikes on the weekends just like you get with Apple. Does this mean people are using Vista on the weekends because the enjoy it so much? So much for this graph actually telling us *anything useful whatsoever*

[bikerelc]

Or maybe windows and linux users have lives and don't sit on their computers asking stupid questions on their weekends.

[ballmerisanape]

Actually.. there all locked in their basement bedrooms in their underwear playing online fantasy and shooter games.