It's true - you can get more gadgets for the PC, and some day Apple will have to compete in that area... when MS is competing in the OS area.
Right now, the overall experience with Vista is so underwhelming that no one can get past it.
I switched to Mac about a year ago, and I can say that my desire for the 'bleeding edge' was over ridden by the desire for something that worked. A great deal of us first-gen computer users (think TRS-80 and C-64) have moved on to living happy lives that don't involve planning a weekend to 'clean up my hard drive', or 'reinstall windows'.
I like MS - they are innovators in many spaces... MS Office elevated office software to too high a level really. Their development tools run many of the PC client apps in businesses. But, as the world goes Web 2.0 or whatever you want to call it, people want the OS to be 'out of the way'.
Look for a completely different OS from MS... similar to the OSX transformation... where it will all be new and the old WIN32 will be supported in virtualization. This will allow MS the clean sheet of paper they need to make the next step in OS evolution... It's too bad they are 5 years behind as the competition would be good.
...Look, I'm an apple fanboy, ...I'm not paying a premium and only getting an aluminum case in return on the low end.
You're the worst fanboy ever !!
You get a lot more than a case when you buy a Mac. I can't go back to Windows because of the virus stuff alone. Plus unix makes managing web servers much easier. iLife, which is free. Support at the Apple Store. No PC maker has support at the mall...
Why doesn't MS start pushing Windows to Intel Mac users?
"I'm a Mac."
"and I'm also a PC.
"If you are a PC and thinking about switching to Mac, I'm here to tell you that you can still run all your Windows software simply by purchasing and installing a new copy (re: more money for us) of Windows Vista, the greatest operating system on the planet (cough, cough)."
(John Hodgman and Justin Long merge/morph into one character, something like Russell Crowe with a leg missing)
Riiiight! Ugly plastic cases that twitch and crackle with every move, painted plastics that eventually expose the case's underlying color, 1995 style slot-loading DVD players, latches hanging off of the tops of monitors, ugly bottoms with dents and screws, falling batteries, silkscreen printed keyboards. Yuck!
I hardly use my DVD drive, why would I need more holes in my laptop for card-readers? If I need to transfer pics, I'll plugin my camera.
You know, for half the price or less I'm willing to deal with "ugly". Sorry, but I'd much rather spend my cash and get a bigger monitor, better specs, or more features than pay more just for "pretty". For me, the only reason to buy mac hardware is because it's the only legit way to get OSX.
Funny how MS decides to make a comparison at the hardware level. The last time I checked MS was a software company!
Hey Redmond, where's the OS comparisons? That's right, you can't make a stand against OS X.
...... and even funnier (possibly the Funnest) is the fact that MS has never been shy about completely trashing your current configuration of hardware. Every time they come out with a new version of their OS, you need new everything including printers. So to say NOW that you can live your hardware now and only upgrade what you need in the future is just silly. In the past, every time MS told us the future had arrived, we needed a brand new PC. Now, the future for Vista has NOT arrived.... mostly because of the same reason.
...... and even funnier (possibly the Funnest) is the fact that MS has never been shy about completely trashing your current configuration of hardware. Every time they come out with a new version of their OS, you need new everything including printers. So to say NOW that you can live your hardware now and only upgrade what you need in the future is just silly. In the past, every time MS told us the future had arrived, we needed a brand new PC. Now, the future for Vista has NOT arrived.... mostly because of the same reason.
That's a good point. My G5 from 2004 still feels far more responsive than any of the Windows machines in the house from the same time frame. I have no plans to retire it.
When I ran Windows I felt the need to reinstall at least once a year just to start fresh. No so with my Macs.
Buying a Mac means scrapping your software and buying new applications (for up to $1,100) that run on Mac, just to do what you can still easily do on a new PC with the applications you already have.
Never mind the fact boot camp/virtualization negates this comment, where on earth did they get that random "up to $1,100" figure from?
""The email is interesting: nothing they say is incorrect, but none of it is new. Most importantly, all of it misses the point completely," the gadget blog wrote."
Different people value computers in different ways.
If you buy a computer as a box of hardware only, then you would always buy a PC.
But, if a Mac can do the things you want, then you save so much time and effort with a Mac, that can never be bought back with the money saved on a cheap PC.
The software maker ... said ... "Buying a Mac means scrapping your software and buying new applications (for up to $1,100) that run on Mac, just to do what you can still easily do on a new PC with the applications you already have. "
Something that interests me is Microsoft's attitude towards BootCamp. At first glance you might guess that M$ would like BootCamp because of the extra retail sales it generates. But by all appearances, they're as threatened by BootCamp as they are by OS X. What's up with that?
My guess is, the last thing M$ wants is for the user to closely compare OS X with Windows, which of course BootCamp encourages. The last thing they want is for users to become educated about the genuine differences between OS X and Vista. I think "Ignorance is Bliss" is their philosophy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmnikricket
Man you guys already hit all the main points. M$ is a software company, whos software runs on all newer Apple computers, so I'm not sure why they feel so threatened by another hardware maker.
Because of Bootcamp, it is actually much easier to switch to mac than vice versa. You can essentially use your mac as a windows pc, and slowly over time upgrade software for your mac (or even better, completely switch to OSX immediately, and use the excellent included software and supplement your other applications with open source versions, which are both abundant and very good quality in most cases), but you never lose the ability to run your old PC-only applications. So the only additional cost when buying a mac is that of windows XP (because we all know vista is crap).
If you are a a long time mac user, switching to a PC is ridiculously expensive, because all that Mac-only software becomes scrap, and you are forced to immediately upgrade to windows versions (or again use open source, though I'll admit I'm not familiar with the quality of open source windows apps), so you have to add those prices onto the cost of the computer.
The reason Microsoft are spooked is that they've seen Apple's slice of the PC market go from 2% to over %8 over a few years largely as a result of a stable (relative to windows) operating system that doesn't get viruses. Microsoft probably recognise that Apple aren't only in the hardware game: they're also in to software and that OS X offers better stability and better yet no viruses. So if the hardware becomes more popular Microsoft could become marginalised, Boot Camp or not.
Attacking on the hardware side rather than on the software side leaves windows unexposed to a counter-attack.
Look, I'm an apple fanboy, but if this mornings rumors all prove to be true, I'm afraid I'm going to look at the PC market for a new laptop. I'm not paying a premium and only getting an aluminum case in return on the low end.
Or you can buy one of the current models from Apple or a reseller for a savings. (they still have much better specs than most PCs out there).
This email from MicroSoft, is just like everything else they release.
Not enough for me to be interested on it's first release, maybe when they release a 2nd version possibly a SP II for this email to correct certain "issues".... then I'll pay attention.
Riiiight! Ugly plastic cases that twitch and crackle with every move, painted plastics that eventually expose the case's underlying color, 1995 style slot-loading DVD players, latches hanging off of the tops of monitors, ugly bottoms with dents and screws, falling batteries, silkscreen printed keyboards. Yuck!
I hardly use my DVD drive, why would I need more holes in my laptop for card-readers? If I need to transfer pics, I'll plugin my camera.
Riiight... here's where we que the sarcasm:
because Apple's plastic coated iPhones and Macbooks have never cracked...
and Apple's white Macbooks have never stained...
and combo drives are fantastic
and we all, of course, look at the bottoms of our laptops every chance we get...
Comments
Right now, the overall experience with Vista is so underwhelming that no one can get past it.
I switched to Mac about a year ago, and I can say that my desire for the 'bleeding edge' was over ridden by the desire for something that worked. A great deal of us first-gen computer users (think TRS-80 and C-64) have moved on to living happy lives that don't involve planning a weekend to 'clean up my hard drive', or 'reinstall windows'.
I like MS - they are innovators in many spaces... MS Office elevated office software to too high a level really. Their development tools run many of the PC client apps in businesses. But, as the world goes Web 2.0 or whatever you want to call it, people want the OS to be 'out of the way'.
Look for a completely different OS from MS... similar to the OSX transformation... where it will all be new and the old WIN32 will be supported in virtualization. This will allow MS the clean sheet of paper they need to make the next step in OS evolution... It's too bad they are 5 years behind as the competition would be good.
...Look, I'm an apple fanboy, ...I'm not paying a premium and only getting an aluminum case in return on the low end.
You're the worst fanboy ever !!
You get a lot more than a case when you buy a Mac. I can't go back to Windows because of the virus stuff alone. Plus unix makes managing web servers much easier. iLife, which is free. Support at the Apple Store. No PC maker has support at the mall...
There's more than the case.
"I'm a Mac."
"and I'm also a PC.
"If you are a PC and thinking about switching to Mac, I'm here to tell you that you can still run all your Windows software simply by purchasing and installing a new copy (re: more money for us) of Windows Vista, the greatest operating system on the planet (cough, cough)."
(John Hodgman and Justin Long merge/morph into one character, something like Russell Crowe with a leg missing)
"Windows on Mac...
Isn't it about time we all played together nice?"
Riiiight! Ugly plastic cases that twitch and crackle with every move, painted plastics that eventually expose the case's underlying color, 1995 style slot-loading DVD players, latches hanging off of the tops of monitors, ugly bottoms with dents and screws, falling batteries, silkscreen printed keyboards. Yuck!
I hardly use my DVD drive, why would I need more holes in my laptop for card-readers? If I need to transfer pics, I'll plugin my camera.
You know, for half the price or less I'm willing to deal with "ugly". Sorry, but I'd much rather spend my cash and get a bigger monitor, better specs, or more features than pay more just for "pretty". For me, the only reason to buy mac hardware is because it's the only legit way to get OSX.
Funny how MS decides to make a comparison at the hardware level. The last time I checked MS was a software company!
Hey Redmond, where's the OS comparisons? That's right, you can't make a stand against OS X.
...... and even funnier (possibly the Funnest) is the fact that MS has never been shy about completely trashing your current configuration of hardware. Every time they come out with a new version of their OS, you need new everything including printers. So to say NOW that you can live your hardware now and only upgrade what you need in the future is just silly. In the past, every time MS told us the future had arrived, we needed a brand new PC. Now, the future for Vista has NOT arrived.... mostly because of the same reason.
...... and even funnier (possibly the Funnest) is the fact that MS has never been shy about completely trashing your current configuration of hardware. Every time they come out with a new version of their OS, you need new everything including printers. So to say NOW that you can live your hardware now and only upgrade what you need in the future is just silly. In the past, every time MS told us the future had arrived, we needed a brand new PC. Now, the future for Vista has NOT arrived.... mostly because of the same reason.
That's a good point. My G5 from 2004 still feels far more responsive than any of the Windows machines in the house from the same time frame. I have no plans to retire it.
When I ran Windows I felt the need to reinstall at least once a year just to start fresh. No so with my Macs.
Buying a Mac means scrapping your software and buying new applications (for up to $1,100) that run on Mac, just to do what you can still easily do on a new PC with the applications you already have.
Never mind the fact boot camp/virtualization negates this comment, where on earth did they get that random "up to $1,100" figure from?
Just like Microsoft technical support!!!!
If you buy a computer as a box of hardware only, then you would always buy a PC.
But, if a Mac can do the things you want, then you save so much time and effort with a Mac, that can never be bought back with the money saved on a cheap PC.
The software maker ... said ... "Buying a Mac means scrapping your software and buying new applications (for up to $1,100) that run on Mac, just to do what you can still easily do on a new PC with the applications you already have. "
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
A heart-rending apology for the crushing weight of inertia.
Something that interests me is Microsoft's attitude towards BootCamp. At first glance you might guess that M$ would like BootCamp because of the extra retail sales it generates. But by all appearances, they're as threatened by BootCamp as they are by OS X. What's up with that?
My guess is, the last thing M$ wants is for the user to closely compare OS X with Windows, which of course BootCamp encourages. The last thing they want is for users to become educated about the genuine differences between OS X and Vista. I think "Ignorance is Bliss" is their philosophy.
Man you guys already hit all the main points. M$ is a software company, whos software runs on all newer Apple computers, so I'm not sure why they feel so threatened by another hardware maker.
Because of Bootcamp, it is actually much easier to switch to mac than vice versa. You can essentially use your mac as a windows pc, and slowly over time upgrade software for your mac (or even better, completely switch to OSX immediately, and use the excellent included software and supplement your other applications with open source versions, which are both abundant and very good quality in most cases), but you never lose the ability to run your old PC-only applications. So the only additional cost when buying a mac is that of windows XP (because we all know vista is crap).
If you are a a long time mac user, switching to a PC is ridiculously expensive, because all that Mac-only software becomes scrap, and you are forced to immediately upgrade to windows versions (or again use open source, though I'll admit I'm not familiar with the quality of open source windows apps), so you have to add those prices onto the cost of the computer.
The reason Microsoft are spooked is that they've seen Apple's slice of the PC market go from 2% to over %8 over a few years largely as a result of a stable (relative to windows) operating system that doesn't get viruses. Microsoft probably recognise that Apple aren't only in the hardware game: they're also in to software and that OS X offers better stability and better yet no viruses. So if the hardware becomes more popular Microsoft could become marginalised, Boot Camp or not.
Attacking on the hardware side rather than on the software side leaves windows unexposed to a counter-attack.
Look, I'm an apple fanboy, but if this mornings rumors all prove to be true, I'm afraid I'm going to look at the PC market for a new laptop. I'm not paying a premium and only getting an aluminum case in return on the low end.
Or you can buy one of the current models from Apple or a reseller for a savings. (they still have much better specs than most PCs out there).
Not enough for me to be interested on it's first release, maybe when they release a 2nd version possibly a SP II for this email to correct certain "issues".... then I'll pay attention.
M$, what are YOU scared of?
Perhaps the Mac experience? Get a Mac, it just works! The horrible Windows and M$ experience?
Think you'll find Apple have dropped the Get a Mac, it just works slogan since it no longer does just work. For me OS X is more buggy than Vista.
The unix variants, like Ubuntu, are saying: Replace Windows with unix.
Apple are saying: Buy the whole integrated package from us.
Google are saying: Who needs a client anyway?
Microsoft are alive and kicking, but they are looking increasingly befuddled by a fast moving business.
Microsoft
that was cheesier than rick roll
Microsoft are under attack from three directions and, whichever way they turn, they have someone behind them eating their lunch.
The unix variants, like Ubuntu, are saying: Replace Windows with unix.
Apple are saying: Buy the whole integrated package from us.
Google are saying: Who needs a client anyway?
Microsoft are alive and kicking, but they are looking increasingly befuddled by a fast moving business.
Good one PXT. It would be nice if AI had a way to rate posts. Instead of just blocking people.
Riiiight! Ugly plastic cases that twitch and crackle with every move, painted plastics that eventually expose the case's underlying color, 1995 style slot-loading DVD players, latches hanging off of the tops of monitors, ugly bottoms with dents and screws, falling batteries, silkscreen printed keyboards. Yuck!
I hardly use my DVD drive, why would I need more holes in my laptop for card-readers? If I need to transfer pics, I'll plugin my camera.
Riiight... here's where we que the sarcasm:
because Apple's plastic coated iPhones and Macbooks have never cracked...
and Apple's white Macbooks have never stained...
and combo drives are fantastic
and we all, of course, look at the bottoms of our laptops every chance we get...
and Apple manufactures its own batteries...
and chicklet keys are pleasing and aesthetic.
I think I made my point.