posted on January 23, 2004 10:11:34 PM new
Despite Microsoft's dominance, Apple fans remain loyal
CNN) -- Its dedicated users are so passionate they're often described as religious about their love for the machine.
Twenty years ago, on January 24, 1984, Apple Computer launched the Macintosh. It contained virtually unknown features, including simple icons, and an odd little attachment called a mouse.
Many newspaper stories at the time had to include a definition. Silicon Valley's newspaper The San Jose (California) Mercury News, for example, described the mouse as "a handheld device that, when slid across a table top, moves the cursor on the Mac's screen."
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dubbed the Macintosh "the people's computer." Jobs and business partner Steve Wozniak -- a math and computer junkie -- had sold their first computer, the Apple I, in 1976. They had put it together in a garage.
"The Mac's a symbol of a whole revolution, and most of us that participated in it from the beginning and believed in it bought into these new ideals of computers to really help people, and not something that you had to fight, memorize and learn," Wozniak told CNN. "That whole revolution just continues in our hearts to this day."
With such an innovative and intuitive product, then why is Apple's market share just 3 percent to 5 percent, with Microsoft Windows claiming more than 90 percent worldwide?
"What Apple does so well is to focus on research and design to produce the most intuitive device and the most elegant device," communications professor Ted Friedman of Georgia State University said.
"The problem has always been that Apple was first but other companies have been able to come in and undercut them on price, and gradually appropriate all the features that made Apple special," Friedman explained.
Still, Apple computers have come a long way since their introduction, when IBM's machines, not Microsoft, were the standard. Back then, people who operated computers were part of an elite club: either hobbyists who built their own, or folks in lab coats who worked on mainframes.
Friedman said the point-and-click Macintosh was destined to make both technological and cultural history.
"This was the product that inspired people in graphic design, and students, and other creative people. It was the whole idea of computers not just being something you would see in the office," Friedman said.
Competing in a PC-dominated world, Apple has had its ups and downs.
Techies trace that change in thinking to a TV ad that teased the Mac's debut during the 1984 Super Bowl. Even today that ad is considered one of the best ever produced.
"It was a pivotal moment in the history of computers and the history of advertising," said Friedman, whose book "Electric Dreams," on the cultural history of personal computers, is due out soon.
In the commercial a female athlete dodges storm troopers and throws a hammer to smash a giant authoritarian figure, who's ordering drone workers to conform and obey. Her message of power and autonomy, says Friedman, reflected Apple's belief that computing was more than mindless numbers crunching. It actually could fuel the creative process.
Jobs, Apple's CEO, was perhaps a good forecaster of the ubiquitous laptops, desktops, and personal digital assistants of today, when he predicted two decades ago that Macs would not be just an office tool.
"People are going to bring them home to work on something Sunday morning, they're not going to be able to get their kids away from them, and maybe someday they may even buy a second one to use at home," Jobs said, the day he introduced the simple beige box back in 1984.
But internal dramas at Apple also contributed to its notorious ups and downs. Jobs left the company in a power struggle in the late 80s. The firm floundered in a PC-dominated world.
But Jobs' star continued to rise. He joined the enormously successful animation studio Pixar, makers of hits such as "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo." Jobs returned to Apple in the '90s as the visionary savior, and the company returned to making products considered ahead of their time: the iPod music player, iTunes song download service, and the iMovie video editing software to name just three.
Known in tech circles as "The Wizard of Woz," Wozniak never formally left Apple, but he's only involved in a few consulting projects at the company these days. The former Hewlett-Packard engineer spends most of his time working for his firm "Wheels of Zeus," which is expected to launch some products later this year.
"It was just a little bit disappointing that Apple kind of got itself into the situation where they didn't so much own what they had really brought to market," he said.
In a legal fight through much of the 90's, Apple accused Microsoft of ripping off Macintosh interfaces in Windows. The case was settled out of court in 1997. But despite his frustrations with the outcome of the case, Wozniak is proud of being part of a revolution that started in a garage.
"Macintosh users tend to be a very independent type, and they tend to be very loyal to their product," Wozniak said. "They've been threatened with [Macs] going out of business and being put out of their schools and out of their companies, and they've got to fight. There's so much passion for it."
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on January 23, 2004 10:32:09 PM new
I want a Mac!!!!!!!!! Something,anything out of this windows environment. MS just too big and easy a target..always plugging holes.
posted on January 23, 2004 10:53:04 PM new
Nero, as someone who has been using Macs since the Apple IIE I can tell you that you will not regret the move. No viruses, no crashes, simple organizational sytem, and any extras that you buy from ram to haard drives to scanners are always compatible with each other. Also the Apple browser Safari is less bugging than IE and has a built in pop-up blocker (the tab sytem for opening multiple mindows is pretty cool too.).
Just wait til Prof wanders in... I'm sure he'll have a few additional words of praise.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
[ edited by Fenix03 on Jan 23, 2004 10:54 PM ]
posted on January 24, 2004 04:02:34 AM new
Here's a link to the updated 1984 commercial....it's been nominated by serveral organizations as the best commercial ever made...directed by Ridley Scott.
Neroter, just do it, you won't be sorry. Get yourself into an Apple store somewhere and prepare to be amazed. You don't need M$, no matter what anybody tells you.
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Mi abuelita me dijo "en boca cerrada no entran moscas".
posted on January 24, 2004 04:31:36 AM new
neroter, anybody who can put up with Windows can learn the Mac OS in no time. It's really not a very steep learning curve. Check this out if you haven't already.
http://www.apple.com/switch/
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Mi abuelita me dijo "en boca cerrada no entran moscas".
posted on January 24, 2004 06:22:43 AM new
If you want to get away from Windows you should try Mandrake Linux. Its easier than most people think plus you dont have to buy new hardware. You can have Linux and Windows installed on the same machine so you can use either one easily. Most of the software is free. All the instant messengers are available. I can launh auctions and do just about anything else I do with windows. If you have broadband the download time isnt too bad. I tried Mac but never OSX, I wasn't too crazy about it, but thats just me. But I do wish Mac a happy birthday.
posted on January 24, 2004 10:28:32 AM new
Nero - remember - Windows is simply a clunky and buggy attempt to duplicate the ease of the Mac operating system. If you have endured Windows this long all you have to forget are some of the round about ways you used to have to do things. Oh yeah - you'll also have to forget all about the frustration of your system locking up or crashing all together - It won't do that anymore.
Just for giggles, go down to a Apple store and check one out - see if it's really as intimidating as you think.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on January 24, 2004 11:17:35 AM newIf you want to get away from Windows you should try Mandrake Linux
That's not a bad suggestion either, if you're not ready to buy new hardware. I have RedHat Linux installed on our Dell, and it's the standard OS on that machine. It's much more stable than M$ XP, which came with the Dell, and it doesn't need security updates every 15 minutes either....I also put it on one of the Macs, just to fiddle with it.
sciclone: OS X is a radical departure from the old Mac OS...if you don't know OS X, you don't know what new Macs are like (no offense meant). X is based on BSD Unix, and is incredibly stable. It can be administered by command line from a terminal, like any Unix or Linux system, but if you're not a geek, the GUI is gorgeous. Never say never, but in the more than a year that our home Macs have been running X, 24hours a day, we've yet to have a crash, not once.
neroter, Linux or MacOS, you don't have to put up with M$ if you don't like it...
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Mi abuelita me dijo "en boca cerrada no entran moscas".
posted on January 24, 2004 11:38:41 AM new
Now if they'd just get a decent amount of software available for MAcs. Truly pathetic in comparison with PC software. Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
posted on January 24, 2004 12:32:54 PM new
bunni, which category or application is it that can't be found for macs? Admittedly, there are app's made for PC's that aren't available on Mac, but they are usually some really small market, job specific titles. The same can be said for special use programs that run on Mac's or Linux machines, that aren't made for Windows....for mainstream users, "there's no software available for macs" is an old myth that refuses to die. You may have noticed that Apple recently released iTunes for Windows, as the clamor from Windows users for access to the iPod, the 800 pound gorilla of the MP3 player market was huge. Windows users can now access the iTunes music store, which in less than a year has become the net's largest legal online music service. This program comes preinstalled on Macs...with no install hassles, and at no cost. Here are a couple of links you might want to look at to dispel that old saw.
This is from the Apple website, you can search for software by category, there are thousands of applications listed.
This is the most thorough listing of mac app's anywhere, includes commercial as well as shareware and freeware titles. Again, thousands of app's. Enter a keyword in the search field at the top of the page and hit return.
On the other hand, it's a lot easier for people to just believe the same old song, it sure helps out Microsoft
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Mi abuelita me dijo "en boca cerrada no entran moscas".
[ edited by profe51 on Jan 24, 2004 12:33 PM ]
posted on January 24, 2004 01:22:19 PM new
My first computer was a Powermac 7100. I'd still use it today if it could get on the Internet, but the cost of upgrading its guts and software is more than I'm willing to spend. I switched to a Windows-based PC in 1999. I'm on my second one, as a matter of fact. The cost of getting a new, faster PC every three years is way less than trying to keep up with technology via Apple computers. No way could I afford a new Mac as frequently as I can a Dell...
posted on January 24, 2004 01:41:51 PM new
Bunni - I have to agree with Prof on this one. The only thing I can't do on my Mac is play the full spectrum of time wasting computer games but then that's probably a good thing
Not only are there Mac versions of nearly every major program I can think of, but, the files are compatible with PC versions. Most of my clients are PC users and any text content or photos they want to give me can put on any type of disk they wish and my Mac can read it and open the files. Try putting a Mac Zip, Jaz or floppy disk into your PC.
Additionally if you are working with design programs such as Quark, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, or even GoLive and Dreamweaver the Mac platform is much more stable and there are contless more effects, texture and filter plug-ins for the Mac versions.
If you are just looking for basic usage, there are commercial versions of Quickbooks for accounting and Office which has all the same features of the Windows version. They have now introduced the iLife package which includes a music creation program known as Garage Band, iTunes and iPhoto (you can use iPhoto to attach your Garage Band creation an iPoto slide show) and the ever simple iDVD for those that want to edit their home movies without mastering high end profession video editing software such as Final Cut Pro or even FC Express which are also Mac programs.
Other than accounting, word processing, spread sheet useage, photo editing, graphics creation and layout, web design, music recording creation or editing, DVD creation or editing, image organization and achiving (Extensis Portfolio).... what else would you need your Mac to do?
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on January 24, 2004 01:45:16 PM new
Pat - what did you need to upgrade other than adding a modem? I was online with both my PowerMac and the Quadra.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on January 24, 2004 03:22:38 PM new
This is an off the shelf midrange powerMac...try building a comparable machine at Dell. You'll discover first of all that in order to get dual processors, you have to go into their server class machines. The next thing you'll discover is that they'll make you buy SCSI hard drives, the largest of which is a 73gig unit. You'll have to add several to make up the difference in the 160g drive that comes with this Mac. You'll then notice, that although the clock speed of the Xeon processors you'll get is a bit faster, the front-side bus speed of the Xeon is markedly slower than the Mac. I did my best to come up with comparables, adding a DVD burner etc., and finally gave up on the Dell when it was at 3800 dollars and still had NO operating system and NO software
Macs being expensive is another old saw that refuses to die. The only truth to it is in bottom end machines.
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Mi abuelita me dijo "en boca cerrada no entran moscas".
posted on January 24, 2004 03:42:04 PM new
$2499 is mid-range?!? That's the other big problem with Macs--the price.
As to the software--go to any computer store and compare the Mac section with the PC section. There is no comparison.
I'm not putting down the Macs ascomputers. They're great. Unfortunately, like Sony with its Betamax, the Mac people didn't take advantage of every opportunity. They still don't.
******
Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
posted on January 24, 2004 04:02:38 PM new
Fenix, my Powermac originally came with a ridiculously low amount of memory, and running Mac OS 7.01. I upgraded the memory (for $300) in 1998 so I could install a later version of Mac OS, one that would be compatible with the online ISP software then available.
I'm not a computer geek by any stretch of the imagination, but what I recall happened (in terms of getting my Powermac online) was that the ISPs themselves -- their software -- got too sophisticated for my Powermac to read, and in order to get an even later Mac OS that would've been comaptible with say, Netcom, I'd've had to plunk out a few hundred more to get more memory. (And someone suggested getting a whole new processor, too, at an even greater cost.) The modem I had was a 56k, and it worked fine with Mac OS 7.6, which is what's still loaded on that machine. I'd love to discover that my old Powermac is capable of getting online as it is; when I put it away in boxes years ago, there was no ISP software compatible with its configuration.
Profe, my Mom just bought an iMac for around $1,000. A complete Dell desktop system can be had for $499.
posted on January 24, 2004 04:03:18 PM new
bunni, did you read the software links I posted above? Comparing the software sections at BestBuy or Circuit Sh#tty will give you a skewed opinion of what is available for Macs. B&M stores must by necessity stock greater amounts and variety of app's for PC's than for Macs...PC's account for a much larger share of the market. That doesn't mean those app's don't exist. I buy all my software online anyhow. Who cares what's available at Fry's? I'm obviously not alone in that opinion. If I were, Ebay wouldn't exist. I'll ask again, what is it exactly in software that you can't get for a Mac that isn't some obscure title?
Regarding the price, please read what I said. I posted that as a comparison to a comparable Dell only. You can also buy a Mac for under a thousand dollars if that's your budget, and you'll get a stable and very well equipped machine in the bargain.
Comparing the Mac to the BetaMax is yet another of the old saws that doesn't hold water. Apple is virtually the only computer manufacturer that has posted profits throughout the economic downturn, and it's the only one that hasn't had to practically give away it's machines to keep interest up. What opportunities is it you have in mind that Apple hasn't taken advantage of? My guess would be, that they didn't license their operating system out so that every tom dick and harry computer maker could stick it in their low cost boxes. That one has continually stuck in the craws of those who would like to use Macs, but think they're expensive. In addition to purchase price, there are a lot of other factors that go into the cost of owning a computer. How much is your data worth when it's lost to a virus or worm? Or when a power supply or mother board fails? How much is your time worth waiting for tech support? How many sales are lost when you have an email bug? How well equipped does a "cheaper" machine come out of the box? Does it have preinstalled virtually everything you need? Or will you have to spend more money on basic applications?Will it recognize your printer/scanner/peripherals without a bunch of rigamarole?...There is no reason in the world why one operating system needs to "win" in the market. What if Yugos had "won" in the car market because, although they're hardly the finest automobiles, they're cheaper and usually run? (the BetaMax argument)
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Mi abuelita me dijo "en boca cerrada no entran moscas".
posted on January 24, 2004 04:10:48 PM newProfe, my Mom just bought an iMac for around $1,000. A complete Dell desktop system can be had for $499.
I don't doubt that. A year from now, ask your mom to count up the number of times she has had a system crash, how many security upgrades she's HAD to install to protect her system, and how many viruses, worms or other nasties have made her life miserable. If price is your only measure of the cost of owning a computer, by all means, buy that 499 Dell.
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Mi abuelita me dijo "en boca cerrada no entran moscas".
posted on January 24, 2004 04:30:49 PM new
hahaha, the ease with which a Mac can be operated and its virus-free OS are precisely the reasons my 82-year-old Mom got an iMac, Profe!
She is just now learning to send email. There was no way she was going to be able to cope with virus warnings and upgrades and all the other inconveniences you mentioned. I also have to say that I haven't had (knock wood, heh) a system crash since I got this computer in 2001. The upgrades and virus protection/detection are all done behind the scenes by software I certainly don't understand but am grateful to have, nonetheless. And, yes, cost is important to me. The iMac my Mom got is likely the only computer she'll ever own; I'm in my forties, and have several more technological advances to anticipate, as far as personal computers go. Given the "throw-away" aspect built into them (they're obsolete in less than five years) I'm always going to spend the least amount necessary to fulfill my online needs.
posted on January 24, 2004 04:40:11 PM new
Pat - who is your current ISP? It honestly sounds more likely that the tech you talked to there was a complete idiot as opposed to your system not being compatible. I have used two different basic dial up services, AOL, Time Warner and Cox cable, SBC Yahoo DSL and generic Dallas-Based-tech-support knew-nothing-brain-dead-DSL services thru the years and never once has memory been an issue. with all but the Dallas company I just installed the software, made TC/IP changes (typing in new number) and was off to the races. I'm also baffled at the suggestion that you would need a new processor. The only time I've ever been told I might need a faster processor was when I complained about the saving time of a 560 meg photoshop file (300 DPI poster sized with multiple layers). I as long as you don't have a three legged hamster disguised as a processor there I can't imagine why you would have a problem communicating with your modem.
I'm wondering if they didn't try to get you to upgrade to OSX compatibilty which still should not be neeccessary.
If you can let me know who your ISP is I might be able help you get your Mac online.
BTW - Bunni - $2459 is not midrange for the Mac- It the midrange high performance G5. Their top of the line screaming beyond all reality and more power that the average user will use in 6 lifetimes systems (aka - my next aquisition) is 2999. That one has Dual 2ghz processors, a 1 gz front end processor, dvd/cd burner and more. Don't even try to find a PC equivalent to this puppy.
A midrange Mac for the average user is the iMac and when doing price comparisons please remember that unlike the $599 Dell - the flat screen monitor is stock. As for available software - if you don't believe us - drop by your local Apple store or go to MacConnection.com to see the range of titles available. The reason most mainstream computer stores do not stock a lot of Mac titles is because the average Mac user is a little higher end (we are Anti Fry Snobs and giggle incessantly when someone even mentions Comp USA) and use the internet for most of their purchases so it's not profitable for the stores to dedicate shelf space.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
[ edited by Fenix03 on Jan 24, 2004 04:42 PM ]
