Of course there are the obvious differences that are so often pointed out, but there are also very subtle differences that have a major impact on the user experience. For example, the mouse drivers on Mac OS give a much more natural and precise feel than those on Windows, and the way text selection works in various controls is far superior on the Mac. If I sat down to list all these little things that add up to a very large difference, I'm sure the number would run to hundreds, but the basic theme is that Apple pays far more attention to small details than Microsoft does.
During the winter here, my girlfriend was forced to work at home due to travel disruption. She had never used a Mac for business uses and was trying to operate it like a PC. She was pulling bits of information from the internet, together with other documents and pictures. She was selecting text and going to the edit menu, selecting copy, then pasting it into notepad to get rid of the formatting, then copy and paste into word and then reformating it. I then said to her, forget how a PC works and do what you would prefer to do to achieve the same task. She selected the text and then dragged it to where she wanted it, let go of the mouse and it worked. Same with pictures, and the other data. She then found the various other tools to grap screen areas, etc. She found it a lot easier and more intuitive. I've since shown her how automator works as well as grapher and other nice tools. She now prefers to work at home on the Mac as it's easier.
I thought the 'rounding error' was Ballmer's big fat butt bouncing round the stage while he was doing the monkey dance.
As a point of reference, IIRC the '91% of the $1,000 market' statistic only applied to sales through brick and mortar stores, and did not include online sales, so that caveat needs to be added.
I never have owned a PC that was not a piece of garbage and I have never owned a windows product that was not also a piece of garbage. Garbage is still garbage no matter how cheap it is.
You know the hardware inside a mac right now is the same hardware available for PCs right? That's like making fun of a Chevrolet Camaro when you own a Pontiac Firebird.
So Steve Ballmer says that MS is all about lower costs and that consumers get it and are cost conscious now, so my question is is why does Windows 7 still cost more than Snow Leopard. I mean if MS were really about lowering costs (as if they really care to) then they would really lower the prices of their software such as Windows and their Office programs. But have they? only by a smidgen.
Steve Ballmer is a salesperson so he is really good (or really not) at blowing crap thru his mouth. He's squirting nothing but bullsh*t.
There are some great advantages of having PCs at work.
It takes ages to boot up, connect to the network, load all of the security software and system tray tools, so I can have a nice coffee, chat to my colleagues and have a pleasant 30 mins start to the day.
Then, it works really slowly, with all of that security software so I don't have to work too hard. My manager understands when I don't achieve everything he wanted me to because he has a PC as well, and knows how slow they are.
And when it crashes or freezes, like it does about 2 or 3 times a day, I have more breaks!
I hope my company doesn't do an assessment of how much money it would save switching to Mac!!!!
Good point. IT guys wanting to hold on to their jobs in this economy are certainly not going to recommend switching to anything that would make their positions unnecessary!
So Steve Ballmer says that MS is all about lower costs and that consumers get it and are cost conscious now, so my question is is why does Windows 7 still cost more than Snow Leopard. I mean if MS were really about lowering costs (as if they really care to) then they would really lower the prices of their software such as Windows and their Office programs. But have they? only by a smidgen.
Steve Ballmer is a salesperson so he is really good (or really not) at blowing crap thru his mouth. He's squirting nothing but bullsh*t.
I think the point is you can pick up a PC for 500 dollars and it comes with the OS already installed... unless you are upgrading an old PC their isn't any extra cost to getting Windows 7. Sure that 500.00 PC is no where near what you get with your 1199 iMac but that's not the point... it's a numbers game and Joe blow with 500.00 to spend can't afford the difference regardless of the experience he will have with said products.
You know the hardware inside a mac right now is the same hardware available for PCs right? That's like making fun of a Chevrolet Camaro when you own a Pontiac Firebird.
I guess you never home-built your own PC before? Tell me if you can tell the difference between a cheap motherboard and an expensive motherboard. One works reliably and the other causes blue-screens of death or other problems. You never use the cheapest components when building your own PC. But hey, I guess to you, it's still all the same.
I think the point is you can pick up a PC for 500 dollars and it comes with the OS already installed... unless you are upgrading an old PC their isn't any extra cost to getting Windows 7. Sure that 500.00 PC is no where near what you get with your 1199 iMac but that's not the point... it's a numbers game and Joe blow with 500.00 to spend can't afford the difference regardless of the experience he will have with said products.
True point, but Microsoft still doesn't sell a PC. They sell software. They should be speaking on their own terms of territory.
You know the hardware inside a mac right now is the same hardware available for PCs right? That's like making fun of a Chevrolet Camaro when you own a Pontiac Firebird.
Except that one runs OS X and has the highest customer satisfaction rates in the industry, while the other doesn't.
Gosh, Ballmer. Things must be getting desperate in Redmond. Mounting an offensive effort like this only happens when Microsoft is already taking a defensive posture.
While I agree with your last sentence, and the bit about Photoshop, I don't agree at all with the larger point.
Although you say you do not agree, I cannot find any point on which we are not in total agreement. If you mean the bit that I don't see much difference in the 3 platforms and you do, let me try to be more specific by offering an example: BMW, Chevy, Toyota. Very similar. Bentley, KIA, Kenworth. Very different. I think it is simply a matter of degrees, but I would argue that the former is a more accurate comparison than the later in the OS situation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anonymouse
I use Linux at work (mostly because that's what our servers run and it's just simpler to use the same OS and my other choice was Windows, which just isn't nearly as stable) ...
EDIT: And I forgot to even raise the stability issue. My uptime on Mac OS is basically the period between system updates. I don't think very many Windows users can claim that.
Comments
Of course there are the obvious differences that are so often pointed out, but there are also very subtle differences that have a major impact on the user experience. For example, the mouse drivers on Mac OS give a much more natural and precise feel than those on Windows, and the way text selection works in various controls is far superior on the Mac. If I sat down to list all these little things that add up to a very large difference, I'm sure the number would run to hundreds, but the basic theme is that Apple pays far more attention to small details than Microsoft does.
During the winter here, my girlfriend was forced to work at home due to travel disruption. She had never used a Mac for business uses and was trying to operate it like a PC. She was pulling bits of information from the internet, together with other documents and pictures. She was selecting text and going to the edit menu, selecting copy, then pasting it into notepad to get rid of the formatting, then copy and paste into word and then reformating it. I then said to her, forget how a PC works and do what you would prefer to do to achieve the same task. She selected the text and then dragged it to where she wanted it, let go of the mouse and it worked. Same with pictures, and the other data. She then found the various other tools to grap screen areas, etc. She found it a lot easier and more intuitive. I've since shown her how automator works as well as grapher and other nice tools. She now prefers to work at home on the Mac as it's easier.
I never have owned a PC that was not a piece of garbage
me neither!
and I have never owned a windows product that was not also a piece of garbage.
me neither!
But then... wait... I never owned any PC or Windows product at all
How much money would MS have to pay you to;
1. Give up your Macs, iPods and iPhones and only work with PCs, Zune, WinMobile phones from now on?
2. Spread the word of how wonderful MS Windows, Zune, WinMobile, etc are?
3. if you worked in an Apple Store (with benefits such as staff discounts!!), to move to an MS store?
Phil
As a point of reference, IIRC the '91% of the $1,000 market' statistic only applied to sales through brick and mortar stores, and did not include online sales, so that caveat needs to be added.
:P
The Steve Ballmer Delusion Tour:
Ballmer: Apple won?t dominate the smartphone market - September 25, 2009
Microsoft CEO Ballmer gets $25,000 raise as company profit plummets 17% - September 19, 2009
Ballmer grabs Apple iPhone from Microsoft employee and ?stomps? it into ground - September 11, 2009
Steve Ballmer calls Apple?s Mac market share growth a ?rounding error? - July 31, 2009
In a roomful of Macs, Ballmer promises ?really amazing? non-Apple PC hardware coming this Christmas - July 30, 2009
Ballmer attempts to laugh off Google?s Chrome OS challenge - July 14, 2009
Ballmer: Bad economy is good news for us; who?ll pay $500 for an Apple logo now? - March 20, 2009
Who?s afraid of Apple? Not Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer - March 06, 2009
Microsoft CEO Ballmer dismisses Apple?s iPhone as hype, says Windows Mobile has market momentum - February 28, 2009
Update: Office 14 slips to 2010, Microsoft copies Apple some more, Ballmer still nuts - February 24, 2009
House Democratic Caucus resort retreat to host Microsoft CEO Ballmer to talk ?innovation? - February 04, 2009
Ballmer ordered to testify in ?Vista Capable? class-action lawsuit - November 22, 2008
Microsoft CEO Ballmer implicated in ?Vista Capable? debacle - November 14, 2008
Microsoft CEO Ballmer dismisses Google Android as financially unsound - November 06, 2008
Microsoft CEO Ballmer says Windows 7 is Vista, just ?a lot better? - October 17, 2008
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer doesn?t know that Macs can run Windows - October 06, 2008
Microsoft CEO Ballmer advises Apple to separate iPhone hardware and software - October 02, 2008
Microsoft CEO Ballmer: Apple?s iPhone and Mac will lose - September 26, 2008
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer?s retirement date: Never - September 22, 2008
Microsoft CEO Ballmer on why Apple is thriving - July 24, 2008
Ballmer idea drought: Microsoft shareholders concerned - July 24, 2008
Microsoft CEO Ballmer: I?m outta here in 9 or 10 years; as soon as my last kid goes away to college - June 05, 2008
Microsoft CEO Ballmer grilled at Four Seasons resort; Windows 7 yet another attempt to copycat Apple - June 03, 2008
Gates, Ballmer preview Windows 7: Multi-Touch and a Dock; Steve Jobs must be so proud - May 28, 2008
Microsoft CEO Ballmer continues to overstate Zune market share - October 08, 2007
Ballmer: ?Vista doesn?t get done by three people in a garage in three days? - July 27, 2007
Ballmer: R&D is how Microsoft stays ?ahead? - May 24, 2007
Ballmer: ?I run every morning? - May 24, 2007
Microsoft?s Ballmer: ?No chance Apple iPhone is going to get any significant market share? - April 30, 2007
Ballmer: Apple not a hot brand, our partners will make look-alike iPhones, I gotta go - March 27, 2007
Microsoft CEO Ballmer talks infected feet, profuse sweating, and Windows Vista - February 21, 2007
Ballmer says pirates to blame for poor Vista sales - February 19, 2007
Ballmer calls Apple ?cute, little tiny niche guy? - February 15, 2007
Microsoft CEO Ballmer laughs at Apple iPhone - January 17, 2007
Ballmer: Zune?s Wi-Fi will help Microsoft challenge Apple?s iPod+iTunes - November 14, 2006
Ballmer: I?m Microsoft?s ?primary champion of innovation? - July 27, 2006
Microsoft CEO Ballmer spends two days unsuccessfully trying to clean Windows PC malware - June 05, 2006
Couldn?t you just buy a Mac and run Windows? Microsoft CEO Ballmer: ?No, we prefer real PCs? - April 29, 2006
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer admits to brainwashing his kids not to use Apple iPods - March 28, 2006
Microsoft CEO Ballmer promises ?amazing wave of innovation? in 2006 - March 23, 2006
Microsoft?s Ballmer: It?s true, some of Windows Vista?s features are ?kissing cousins? to Mac OS X - September 18, 2005
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: ?We love to be first? - January 25, 2005
Microsoft CEO Ballmer: ?Apple iPod users are music thieves? - October 04, 2004
Microsoft CEO Ballmer on the digital home: ?There is no way that you can get there with Apple? - October 03, 2004
The Donger say -- you need a hobby or girlfriend. But not my sexy American girlfriend.
I never have owned a PC that was not a piece of garbage and I have never owned a windows product that was not also a piece of garbage. Garbage is still garbage no matter how cheap it is.
You know the hardware inside a mac right now is the same hardware available for PCs right? That's like making fun of a Chevrolet Camaro when you own a Pontiac Firebird.
Steve Ballmer is a salesperson so he is really good (or really not) at blowing crap thru his mouth. He's squirting nothing but bullsh*t.
me neither!
me neither!
But then... wait... I never owned any PC or Windows product at all
You're just as qualified to bash Windows as 99% of the PC users who bash Mac are!!!
There are some great advantages of having PCs at work.
It takes ages to boot up, connect to the network, load all of the security software and system tray tools, so I can have a nice coffee, chat to my colleagues and have a pleasant 30 mins start to the day.
Then, it works really slowly, with all of that security software so I don't have to work too hard. My manager understands when I don't achieve everything he wanted me to because he has a PC as well, and knows how slow they are.
And when it crashes or freezes, like it does about 2 or 3 times a day, I have more breaks!
I hope my company doesn't do an assessment of how much money it would save switching to Mac!!!!
Macs and IT wouldn't mix.
Macs and IT wouldn't mix.
Good point. IT guys wanting to hold on to their jobs in this economy are certainly not going to recommend switching to anything that would make their positions unnecessary!
So Steve Ballmer says that MS is all about lower costs and that consumers get it and are cost conscious now, so my question is is why does Windows 7 still cost more than Snow Leopard. I mean if MS were really about lowering costs (as if they really care to) then they would really lower the prices of their software such as Windows and their Office programs. But have they? only by a smidgen.
Steve Ballmer is a salesperson so he is really good (or really not) at blowing crap thru his mouth. He's squirting nothing but bullsh*t.
I think the point is you can pick up a PC for 500 dollars and it comes with the OS already installed... unless you are upgrading an old PC their isn't any extra cost to getting Windows 7. Sure that 500.00 PC is no where near what you get with your 1199 iMac but that's not the point... it's a numbers game and Joe blow with 500.00 to spend can't afford the difference regardless of the experience he will have with said products.
You know the hardware inside a mac right now is the same hardware available for PCs right? That's like making fun of a Chevrolet Camaro when you own a Pontiac Firebird.
I guess you never home-built your own PC before? Tell me if you can tell the difference between a cheap motherboard and an expensive motherboard. One works reliably and the other causes blue-screens of death or other problems. You never use the cheapest components when building your own PC. But hey, I guess to you, it's still all the same.
I think the point is you can pick up a PC for 500 dollars and it comes with the OS already installed... unless you are upgrading an old PC their isn't any extra cost to getting Windows 7. Sure that 500.00 PC is no where near what you get with your 1199 iMac but that's not the point... it's a numbers game and Joe blow with 500.00 to spend can't afford the difference regardless of the experience he will have with said products.
True point, but Microsoft still doesn't sell a PC. They sell software. They should be speaking on their own terms of territory.
You know the hardware inside a mac right now is the same hardware available for PCs right? That's like making fun of a Chevrolet Camaro when you own a Pontiac Firebird.
Except that one runs OS X and has the highest customer satisfaction rates in the industry, while the other doesn't.
ballmer speaks like an undereducated kid. I wonder why Microsoft shareholder allows someone like him stay at the helm of Microsoft.
Maybe because he is Caucasian?
While I agree with your last sentence, and the bit about Photoshop, I don't agree at all with the larger point.
Although you say you do not agree, I cannot find any point on which we are not in total agreement. If you mean the bit that I don't see much difference in the 3 platforms and you do, let me try to be more specific by offering an example: BMW, Chevy, Toyota. Very similar. Bentley, KIA, Kenworth. Very different. I think it is simply a matter of degrees, but I would argue that the former is a more accurate comparison than the later in the OS situation.
I use Linux at work (mostly because that's what our servers run and it's just simpler to use the same OS and my other choice was Windows, which just isn't nearly as stable) ...
EDIT: And I forgot to even raise the stability issue. My uptime on Mac OS is basically the period between system updates. I don't think very many Windows users can claim that.
No you didn't forget to mention stability.
Maybe because he is Caucasian?
do you know what caucasian is? look it up in the dictionary...
he's definitely not all caucasian i'd say...