What makes one a Prosumer User?!

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
My thoughts on this:



A pro user is obvious - one who uses Macs and their software for their professional life, and so need the biggest grunt in the box, and all the features in the software.



A Consumer does your basic surfing, e-mail, photo management, video editing etc.



At what point does a consumer become a Prosumer? For me, the answer is simple - when a single monitor hinders the creative process.



I'm only saying this because I have the G4 FP iMac, 800Mhz and the power of the machine is by far sufficient. What isn't sufficient is the screen size - I'd love to hook up another monitor as I'm doing a lot of photoshop with iMovie / iDVD work and the single screen is a pain!



So, for me, I've decided I'm a prosumer and my next Mac (not for a while) MUST have monitor spanning. Anywone know if there's a hack for my machine ;-)



Cheers,



David
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 21
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    I would disagree. It's when users have a two-button mouse.
  • Reply 2 of 21
    dfilerdfiler Posts: 3,420member
    To properly design a categorization scheme for anything, it is first neccessary to decide the motivation for categorization.



    For instance:



    A 'Light Truck' would mean different things if you're talking to a soccer mom, a car sales person, a construction foreman, or a mining equipment supplier.



    The same goes for 'Prosumer'. Coming up with a hard and fast definition is pretty much useless without first defining the context of use.
  • Reply 3 of 21
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    I would disagree. It's when users have a two-button mouse.



    And I'll disagree. As a pro user, I use tons of keyboard shortcuts when editing, etc, so my hand is already on the lower left side of the keyboard and hitting cntrl doesnt slow me down. So there.
  • Reply 4 of 21
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    There are no hard and fast rules for a Prosumer.



    It has nothing to do with mouse type or how many monitors IMO.



    I look at a prosumer as a person who makes money from their equipment or software.



    The reason why a prosumer is better than a consumer in many cases(from a sales perspective) is that they can justify spending a bit more on a program or piece of hardware because they will be generating income.



    Of course my opinion is no more valid than anyone elses. Just my $.02
  • Reply 5 of 21
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    A prosumer is some who DOESN´T make money on their equipment but won´t admit he is a mere consumer.
  • Reply 6 of 21
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Anders

    A prosumer is some who DOESN´T make money on their equipment but won´t admit he is a mere consumer.



    Bingo.



    It's a marketing term for those people that use "pro" level applications (meaning ones that aren't totally crippled) or gear and don't make much if any money with them.



    [edit] Not that the "pro" and "consumer" marketing labels really reflect anything in the real world anyway.
  • Reply 7 of 21
    kraig911kraig911 Posts: 912member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by iMac David

    My thoughts on this:

    ...

    At what point does a consumer become a Prosumer? For me, the answer is simple - when a single monitor hinders the creative process.

    ...





    I even as a prosumer can never get enough working space. Its all apart of the necessary evil in doing what we do. I think the difference is a prosumer knows what they are doing, can do it fast, on budget (most of the time ) and with a sense of professionalism.
  • Reply 8 of 21
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    I would put anybody who actually edits their home videos in the prosumer category. But maybe that is an antiquated notion now that iMovie and iDVD are true consumer applications.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by iMac David

    Anywone know if there's a hack for my machine ;-)



    David: Just download the Screen Spanning Doctor, hook up a second monitor, and enjoy spanning!



    Escher
  • Reply 9 of 21
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kraig911

    .... with a sense of professionalism.



    I like "sense of professionalism." Are prosumers really just wannabe professionals, or quasi-professionals that simply choose to make a living with something else?



    Escher
  • Reply 10 of 21
    toweltowel Posts: 1,479member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Anders

    A prosumer is some who DOESN´T make money on their equipment but won´t admit he is a mere consumer.



    Or someone who wants the professional gear at consumer prices.
  • Reply 11 of 21
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    I would disagree. It's when users have a two-button mouse.



    Excellent post!!!



    The term "prosumer," as far as I can tell, was coined by ArsTechnica. Within that sphere, you're a prosumer if you build your own x86 machine with a window panel, a ThermalTake Volcano (in case you decide to 'OC' your chip), and some internal neon lights. You will use this machine to:

    1) Post on Ars

    2) Play the latest 3D games

    3) Post on other news groups about how macs are for "lusers"

    4) Say at least once a day "my boxor roxors."





    Seriously. In the end, we are all consumers. A lot of professionals use old hardware, and I've met plenty of coders with iBooks. A lot of people also buy high end G5's and do no more than use iMovie and surf the web.



    Above all else, "Prosumers" are people who define their status by their computer rather than by the work they do on it.
  • Reply 12 of 21
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Anders

    A prosumer is some who DOESN´T make money on their equipment but won´t admit he is a mere consumer.



    Wanna see my pay checks?
  • Reply 13 of 21
    zapchudzapchud Posts: 844member
    It's been said before, but my opinion is that a prosumer is a person that buys pro-level hardware, uses pro-level software, and uses his stuff for fun, not for a living.



    At least, that's what I do. :-)
  • Reply 14 of 21
    cubs23cubs23 Posts: 324member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Zapchud

    It's been said before, but my opinion is that a prosumer is a person that buys pro-level hardware, uses pro-level software, and uses his stuff for fun, not for a living.



    At least, that's what I do. :-)




    That is the best one I have heard yet.
  • Reply 15 of 21
    imac davidimac david Posts: 286member
    At least in my case, I would disagree that a prosumer defines themselves by their machine.



    I have the 800Mhz 15" FP iMac, long way from the latest available. Power wise, I see no need to change it - so a G5 will render my movie quicker - so what? I'm doing it for fun, not a client, so I'll watch TV/interact with real life (!).



    But, I'm creating movies with photos, and it's a pain with a single screen as the photo icons within iMovie are just too small to look at properly for cropping purposes. I've lost track of the number of times I've wanted to have Photoshop (Elements) visible while I play with iPhoto, iMovie or MovieWorks.



    So I need more screen! BTW Wscher, thanks for the link. Guess what, though? My iMac is wone of the unsupported ones.......



    And ipodandimac - if you get a paycheck, you're a professional, not a prosumer.



    I don't think owner ship of pro software defines a prosumer, either. I mean, there is no way I could justify buying FC, FCE, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and the Adobe multimedia apps for my fun and games.



    Of course, could just be that I'm a consumer after all........



    Cheers!



    David
  • Reply 16 of 21
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    I hate the term prosumer the same way I hate the term SUV.
  • Reply 17 of 21
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Bancho

    I hate the term prosumer the same way I hate the term SUV.



    agreed, it is just a label for power users and geeks who use high end stuff becasuse they like it and can afford it, as opposed to the pro who usees it to to make a full time liveing.



    as for SUV

    Sport? the only thing even remotely sports related that the modern crop of SUVs do is drop jimmy off at the soccer field, they would have a hard time going through a mud puddle, let alone the terain that the SUV was intended for



    Utility? just give me an F-250 any day 'nuff said



    Vehicle: well one out of three aint bad.



    this description does not apply to the hummer (H1 or H2) as they kick mega a**
  • Reply 18 of 21
    imac davidimac david Posts: 286member
    re SUV - oh come on! It isn't the vehicle's fault that 95% of the buyers don't need one!



    For those of us that do, they are a great compromise between comfort of a saloon and the work horse that is the Land Rover.



    I tow a 1300kg boat around the country alternate weekends, pulling it in and out of rivers. Without my SUV (Nissan X-Trail for those who care) I'd be buggered (or buy two cars which I can't afford to do).



    I tried towing my boat with my old car, a VW Passat, as in theory it had the power capacity - only thing is, I shredded two front tyres the first time I pulled my boat up the slip.



    But you're right, SUVs are OTT for most buyers. BTW, reminds me of a poster ad for, I think, the Jeep Cherokee. Tag line was "Some people say the Cherokee is over-engineered for the school run - and what, precisely, is the problem with that?"



    Anyway, I certainly don't think prosumer is a bad term - after all, Apple is trying to get us to do more with our creative juices - surely we need a better term than mere consumer (which implies, to me anyway), someone who does basic email, surfing, letters, and slideshows.
  • Reply 19 of 21
    resres Posts: 711member
    There are a couple of different meanings to the word prosumer. It was first coined by Alvin Tofflerin in his book, The Third Wave, as a blending of producer and consumer. He used the term to describe a future of mass customization, where consumers become part of the design process making every individual a market of one. This meaning of prosumer seems to have mostly died off, replaced by its current popular meaning.



    Nowadays prosumer is a marketing term that combinds professional and consumer, and describes a purchaser of equipment who wants to obtain goods of a better quality than consumer items, but can?t afford professional gear. Before they started using prosumer they used to call such equipment semiprofessional.



    It doesn't matter if you make a living using the equipment or not (I know several pros that use prosumer equipment and amateurs that use pro-level equipment). Prosumer items are a step up from the mass of consumer goods, but a step or two down from the pro-level equipment.



    Unlike many items which are fairly easy to put into consumer, presumer and professional categories (e.g., film and digital cameras, etc.), computer equipment and users don't really fit the paradigm. (When I perched my Wallstreet G3 you could not call it consumer, prosumer or professional, it was just a portable computer).



    You can dived computer users into users and power users, and the equipment into personal computers and big iron, but I just don't really see a prosumer category. So when it comes to computers, there is nothing that will make you a Prosumer User.
  • Reply 20 of 21
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Res

    ...You can dived ... the equipment into personal computers and big iron, but I just don't really see a prosumer category. So when it comes to computers, there is nothing that will make you a Prosumer User.



    personal also has differant "levels" there is the person who uses it at home to send email and look at pics of little joey, there is the office/corprate user, there is the home-office user (not a home business per-sey but used for simmilar tasks), there is the moble user, which can also be broken down further, there is the pro level, the kinde of guys who think $20,000 for a good editing rig is a deal, and then there is the dabbeler, a group totaly ignored by apple, a group who need more than a e/imac could ever offer but cant justify $1799 for a G5 when an equily configured AMD 64 unit can be aquiered for 1000$ cheaper.
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