Feb 05
It’s time for a Mac slapdown
Cats: Uncategorized|See my Friday Herald column here.
By now we all know that Mac is cool, and good.
And we know that PCs are uncool and virus-ridden.
But the Mac marketing “We’re better than you PC” onslaught is getting a little tiresome.
People who try too hard to be cool can end up looking like fools.
Tone it down Mac, and maybe us poor uncool sods still using the PC might think about switching over.
February 5th, 2010 at 10:56 am
I enjoyed your column in the Herald. I am torn between my work life(PC based) and my dream to return to the fun of MAC at home. I’m writing to you from a PC by the way.
My in-laws are now computer savvy, thanks to my old eMAC I gave them when I returned to school. ( My distance learning was not MAC compatible at the time.) I set it up, showed my mother-in-law how to surf, email and play tunes in iTunes and load their CDs. My father in law had NO interest at all, mumbling something about ‘no time for new fangled’.
Much to the family’s suprise the next Easter my brother-in-law poses a question about something, what it was is irrelevant, and my then 78 year old, disinterested in computers, father in law says “Why don’t you just GOOGLE it”.
Somehow since the eMAC landed in their home he had not only played on it, emailed, found golf programs and card games to play but he was clearly surfing the net. No teacher required, no courses in navigating taken, that is the power of MAC and for new to computing seniors it is a fabulous thing.
Just thought I’d pass on that story since not all MAC users are latte sipping cool folks. I also use to facilitate a ‘new to MAC’ seniors group when I lived in Sault Ste. Marie and seriously it is the most accessible way for those who did not grow up on computers to get online and active with few worries of viruses or knowing what files to trust, download etc…
Personally I can hardly wait to be able to affford to return to MAC at home. I also see some suspiciously MAC Like images and APPLE products on your blog page!!! You love ‘em too don’t ya!
February 5th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Have you ever tried a MAC? Your pretentiousness exceeds that of the Macboy in the commercial. I use both and man you must be proud of using shitty Vista and the most retarded marketing of all time – 7, lol. I can argue that OSX is still superior to these. Heck, OS2 warp still is. Please get off of your ego horse!
February 5th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
As I MAC user for the last 5 years, I am so annoyed lately with Apple’s marketing, and their inability to share with others (cough proprietary software), so my PowerBook clings on to its last months of life here, my next computer will be a PC.
That said, I do like OSX as an operating system, and plan to install that on a PC. Now that is the dream; a PC that if something goes wrong with the hardware you can fix it and not have to sell a kidney, and have the operating system of a MAC and never have to see the blue screen of death.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
I’m BeckEye and I’m a PC.
I hate the Mac ads too. And I probably wouldn’t hate Justin Long so much if he weren’t there smug, annoying shill. And I probably wouldn’t hate Macs if I didn’t have to look at that pinwheel of doom at least once a day. I know Macs are better equipped to fend off viruses and such, but I still like my PC. And I’m tired of hipster Mac users trying to tell me that I’m foolish for feeling that way.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
(Oh, and I see the pinwheel of doom every day because I WORK on a Mac.)
February 5th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I still like my PC better than my sister’s Mac, and I HATE the iPhone. Then again, I’m so uncool that I actually use Internet Explorer.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Boo hoo. Slog along with that PC – you deserve it.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Not so wild about Justin Long, but I do love John Goodman as PC in the ads. It’s neither here nor there to me if it’s cool to have a Mac now (as a 25+ yr Mac user, it doesn’t matter) but it’s good to see Apple’s choices about interface and integration of Hardware and System Software validated over time. Crashes? The PC’s I use at the QE2 need at least 2 reboots a day, my Mac is solid as a rock and our Mac server has crashed ONCE in 10+ years of continuous running (a hard drive failure) I don’t need a Mac to make me cool – that’s my iPhone’s job
February 7th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Nancy, so true
American T – the piece didn’t criticize the Mac, it pointed out a problem with the marketing.
Cpd, Internet Explorer???? Whassat?
Allison, i wonder if Mac will ever get over itself and just go for full integration
Beckeye, pinwheel of doom, ha. Sounds like pin worm ….
Ruthann, slogging along, thank you
Tagbagger, my argument isn’t with the quality of Mac and its products – I’m sold on that.
But I think they need to re-tool their marketing focus a little as it is to remove the smug factor and to stop alienating a potential market. Maybe integration is best way to capture the PC market
February 9th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
I have been silently critiquing the Mac vs PC commercials since they’ve aired. I am a PC user – have been for the 15+ years I have been using a computer. A lot of friends of mine do have a MAC. I have become intrigued to try it… but I doubt I will. I’m happy with my PC, with my Windows XP, with knowing how things run and operate, and I don’t really want to change it.
Then there is my opinion on the ‘backlash’ of comments you have received for expressing your opinion. Quite frankly – I read your blog, and CH articles becuase I enjoy reading them. I find myself agreeing with them, nodding along, and at times disagreeing. But the point here is that I choose to read them. I am not going to attack you for expressing your thoughts – afterall, that’s what a blog is for.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:14 am
Thanks Ashley – funny thing is that i didn’t attack the Mac itself – I critiqued the marketing. People take their Macs very personally