In response to the post below that mentions SpyBots, I thought I should bring up the issue of Mac vs. PC. I think it would be interesting to take a poll to see who's a Mac lover and who adores their PC (well ok, maybe you won't fall into these categories, but we'll see . . .)
I realized how big the divide between Mac and PC is when my friend returned from IT'S the other night (after her PC was malfunctioning) and they told her she had 300 SpyBots on it. I reacted in a shocked way, (because she was flabbergasted) but quite honestly, I have no clue whatsoever what a SpyBots is. Additionally, I think I made a fool of myself the other day in class when I didn't even know how to eject my thumb drive from the classroom PC after I presented. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm a Mac girl, through and through (even after mine died the other night).
Do you guys think this distinction will continue to grow? Are there any other computer models out there that would even rival the dominance of either the mighty Mac or the powerful PC??
And also, talking about bad people, I remember growing up (way back in the 1980's, you know) playing Tetris (I was obsessed at age 4!!) on my dad's Mac . . . he is a diehard Mac man, and so I have always felt like PC people are slightly "wrong" and "bad." Hmmm, interesting how you can construct a stereotype off of virtually nothing more than the shape of one's computer. Crazy.
I should also make it clear that I don't really feel like PC people are bad . . . most of my dear friends are, in fact, PC people :)
I got a kick out of your "good vs. evil" tag.
This starts to escape from the bounds of new media, but I feel that the reasons people get so heated in this debate is that someone's choice between Mac/PC is seen to signify a difference in personal philosophy / personality. Mac users are seen to be young, hip, artsy, creative, and free thinking. PC users are seen to be professional & dignified. These stereotypes are very effectively enforced by Apple's current Jason Long / John Hodgeman ads. The perceived difference in audience goes back much further than these ads, though, and are definitely based on some truth. Just look at their most successful software projects besides their operating systems: Microsoft's is undeniably Office; Apple's is either QuickTime (most widespread) or their Final Cut suite (most revenue). Office is about productivity; QT and Final Cut are both about multimedia.
Apple PR never fails to blow me away. To start, their advertising campaigns are consistently epic (1984, Think Different, Switch, dancing sillohuettes, and now Get a Mac). When they recently announced that the next major update of Mac OS was delayed from June to October due to their commitment to release the iPhone on time, it seemed to me that every tech writer said the same thing: "Everyone else is upset by this delay, but I think it's a great thing because it shows that Apple has picked their priorities correctly." But everyone said that. Nowhere did I see any signs that "everyone else is upset by this delay." That's pretty impressive PR. Plus, there's a whole industry of analyst speculation and rumor mills dedicated to Apple (like this, this, this, or this). Apple hates when these sites reveal company plans, but I expect that the sites do net good for Apple by inspiring a cult-like following. It seems to me that Steve Jobs has the whole press wrapped around his little finger, and when he starts to open his mouth, the entire press drops silence so all can hear the prophet speak.
It's really interesting how untouchable Apple seems to be in the PR department... I mean that whole backdating scandal with Steve Jobs resulting in nothing whatsoever! (at least I didn't hear about any firings)
Well, it's still unwinding. The SEC did file charges against 2 former employees. One of them was the former CFO turned member of the Board of Directors. He stepped down from the Board when the investigation began. He now agrees to pay the fine, but maintains that Steve Jobs knew more than previously thought. Because of this recent accusation, the SEC might reinvestigate Jobs. So Apple took a hit, but the fact that you hadn't heard about that is the real testament to their public image. The limelight is always on Jobs and that the SEC didn't file charges against him. But having your former CFO and (then) current Board member fined is a pretty big deal that wasn't as well publicized.
i had no idea how much response i was going to unleash by bringing up the mac vs. pc war ;)
Just because Macs have a funny advertising campaign doesn't make them better. YouTube has a series of parodies of the commercials that point out all the high points of pcs compared to macs, i.e. plug and play, all the software that is made specifically for pcs, and a host of other things.
First off, as Crazy Enough and I have discussed, Macs don't come standard with a mouse with a right click function. Why not? Its no use to be hip if it isn't practical. Then there is the apple button. Why not just use ctrl button, its there anyway. And then there is the fact that everyone has a PC. Because PCs dominate the market, everything is geared towards them, it is only once something succeeds for a PC that it becomes available for a mac. Because PCs are so much prevalent, they have to deal with spyware / adware. Why would someone make a virus for less than 10% of the market? O, and why doesn't Quicktime go to full screen mode?
Theres a time to be different and a time to fit in. Besides I have never heard of a pc making making a star wars gun sound.
I feel like the Mac is different for the sake of being different. When I tried to view "afternoon" for the first time, I could barely figure out what I was doing. Its almost as if everyting is reversed, but for no reason at all. Having a minimize button on the left instead of the right is not easier, just different from PC's. Instead of a "backspace", the button is "delete", as if they don't mean the SAME exact thing. Mac's frustrate me! But in terms of good vs. evil (back to Coloradogirl's original post), I feel like I've been taught to kind of look at Mac users as a little full of themselves. This sounds really bad, but when I first encountered Mac users, they would always give the "Mac is better, you should get one" approach, and I would say "Yea, I'm sure if they didn't cost SO DAMN MUCH!" So I always considered Mac owners on the wealthier side of the scale.
You should also check out the series of parodies about Mac vs. PC vs. Linux - Here is one of them. There are a whole bunch. We obviously don't have any Mudders in the class, since Linux hasn't even seemed to enter this conversation at all yet. (Maybe I'm not checking enough though)