Dumb or Dumber? Mac or PC users?

[Rapscallion]

and have a ton of great built-in software

You know, I find it ironic that when M$ builds software into its OS, people scream blue murder, yet when Apple do it...

Rapscallion

[Phite]

Depends in the OS 7 8 and 9 days, I would have to go with Mac hands down. Most of the people i dealt were barely able to tell me what was on the screen let alone operate it.

Macs, dating back to the Lisa were designed for those exact people. Those who didnt know how these blasted little things worked, and could care less. As you know when people are faced with something broken and they dont understand why, they get frustrated fast. This and some... interesting choices by the higher ups in Apple... have lead to a small market percentage of Macs out ther today. This is why your repair costs are high, lower market=high cost.

Now Macs have branched out. With OSx being based on Unix, a whole new type of people have been attracted to them. However these are the same people who will not go to tech support simply because they dont need the help. So the public view remains unchanged.

I personally run manymany computers here. I have my windows boxes (Wintendo XP), a linux box (SuSE) and my powerbook (OS X). Whenever a computer goes down and i need to research its PoST code, or download new drivers, the Mac is up and running to get the task done. And everysingle time i have work to get done, of any sort, I reach for the Mac. Not because I feel elite and force it upon myself, but because it works, and it works without my telling it to do so. So from my personal experience, Windows is the toy, Mac is the tool. But what do i know

edit: Formatted the wall of text into managable chunks.

[Mixed Bag]

I've found that the Mac users are smarter, but are bigger SCs. I dunno, maybe they have an inflated sense of self-worth by using a Mac.

Most rants on this board are about dumb SCs--Mac apparently just happens to bring out the smart kind, and being a smart refourmed minour-league SC myself, I can tell you in all seriousness that it's hard to see why others won't adopt our great suggestions to make things more efficient--especially when, through no fault of their own, they haven't been supplied with a satisfying explanation.

I was advised to write an RMA# below the address when sending my Mac board away for repair. This shop had just graduated to 5-digit numbers, so the Post Office read it as a NYC zip code (here I thought I'd save money over UPS since I wasn't in a hurry). Not only did they not acknowledge my letter about how THEY didn't warn me that THEIR instructions caused my board to rove the country a few extra weeks, they charged $25 for diagnosing the problem without telling me (I got the credit card company to veto it).

I prefer the feel and psychology of Macs even as the differences diminish--the desktop is easier to use, for one thing, and drives can have real names--but Apple is really selling out by going for gloss over durability and compatibility in their ipods, adapters, etc.--if they're trying to overcome their intelligent image, I think they're succeeding.

As for Windows, I can't imagine why anyone would prefer to work with menus that only display certain commands unless you move the cursor to the arrow at the bottom of the drop-down ; I assume this is more a reflection of Gates' mentality than that of Windows users.

[Phite]

As for Windows, I can't imagine why anyone would prefer to work with menus that only display certain commands unless you move the cursor to the arrow at the bottom of the drop-down ; I assume this is more a reflection of Gates' mentality than that of Windows users.

My theory is M$ simply has no reason to change. They dominate the market with little to no signs of stoping. Why waste money?

As for selling out, if you never sell out to atleast a small degree, you never sell anything. Besides, their making iPods only work with iTunes not only boosted sales for ipods, but forced a new market for legally downloaded music. and now video. I think it was brilliant. However in a year or so they might want to loosen the reigns or they risk loosing them.

but again, what do i know =D

[symposes]

A friend, a coworker, and I all agree that windows is a headache. IF it werent for the large range of games availible only on the PC, i know i personally would either be using a mac, or some version of linux...
Nothing like getting called a criminal(basicly) because im trying to activate a piece of software (xp pro) and have done so too many times, because I had problems and had to reinstall/reformat my machine almost every 6 months.
"Why are you reinstalling the os?"
"Because something broke, and this was the only way to fix it. Believe me i tried every other thing i could think of, this was it."


My friend had a laptop with alot of important stuff from a game he codes on, somehow it died, disc was fine, but he could not launch the recovery console from his OEM install disc, and was told by a microsoft csr that he would have to buy a "real" copy of the os to get it.
So he dug and dug and eventually found a program that let him get his data off that laptop, he is now systematically switching all the windows machines in his office, to anything other then microsoft products, ie mac and linux (he owns the company so its not like anyone can stop him. hehe)

[Phite]

A friend, a coworker, and I all agree that windows is a headache. IF it werent for the large range of games availible only on the PC, i know i personally would either be using a mac, or some version of linux...
Nothing like getting called a criminal(basicly) because im trying to activate a piece of software (xp pro) and have done so too many times, because I had problems and had to reinstall/reformat my machine almost every 6 months.
"Why are you reinstalling the os?"
"Because something broke, and this was the only way to fix it. Believe me i tried every other thing i could think of, this was it."

Do what i did. Buy a Mac, or set up a linux box if your prepared to learn it, then leave your old windows machine just for games, i.e. Wintendo. As for buying windows. For me to buy it again they need to release a new version. and it better be worth the price.

[Reyneth]

Every morning, when I pass the store, someone attempts to enter. Yes, there are people in the store getting ready for the day, and the lights are on. But, they will keep pulling on the locked door, at least three to four times, before looking at the hours posted on the door. Also, I've noticed that these same people tend to walk past other people on the street without noticing anything going on (tunnel vision), ignore red lights to cross the street (and the cops here will write tickets for that), etc.

This seems to occur every morning I walk past this store.

They could always be people looking for iPods and such, not actual Mac users, remember!

[pbmods]

My Life as a Mac Troubleshooter

When I used to be a computer consultant at one of the colleges I later dropped out of (ahh...), I was the Mac Support Specialist at my call center.

What did that mean?

I took calls from PC Users (and 99% of the time, "solving" the problem meant putting the customer on hold and asking my buddies for advice; in retrospect, they were VERY patient with me ), and then I had to work with the ONE problematic Mac User on campus who was getting around 80 years old and EXTREMELY senile.

On the one hand, I NEVER know what's going on when a PC is having problems (sometimes I don't think anybody does). But when the only computer that I'm able to troubleshoot is o&o'd by a man who doesn't understand anything until it has been repeated to him no less than five times and even then might not understand you anyway....

Actual quote:
"It's ok. I just bought a bunch of different wires from RadioShack. I'm going to plug them into the back here and see what works."

Wires? Like bare copper wire? I hope to goodness he meant 'cables'.... Incidentally, we never saw him again after that.

After I left that job, my supervisor referred all of her (infrequent) Mac Users to call me (presumably to help me bolster an independent consulting business of my own). I got maybe 2 calls and 4 emails in an 8-month period.

This means one of two things: Either Mac Users had WAY fewer difficulties using their machines than PC Users, or else only the stupid people on campus (myself excluded, of course ) owned Macs. Or both.

[mrtauntaun]

I'm need to point out here that "Mac" should not be in all caps. It either makes it seem like you're emphasizing it without a point or confusing it with a "MAC address", which should be in all caps. (Yeah, there are two tech terms there. Macintosh Computer, and MAC address).

Sorry about that, my current job has me deal with things called MACs which are completly different from Macintosh and networking. Since I type that in all day at work, must have leaked through as a habit.

[Dips]

My youngest younger brother is an upper-level manager at Microsoft who married an Emmy-wining children's animator (my avatar is one of her creations), who does all of her work on a Mac and swears by them.

The marriage is working quite well...as long as they don't discuss, politics, religion or operating systems.

[protege]

Macs, dating back to the Lisa were designed for those exact people. Those who didnt know how these blasted little things worked, and could care less. As you know when people are faced with something broken and they dont understand why, they get frustrated fast. This and some... interesting choices by the higher ups in Apple... have lead to a small market percentage of Macs out ther today. This is why your repair costs are high, lower market=high cost.

Does Apple still have restrictions about their parts? Years ago, we had an Apple III (basically a II that ran a crude form of DOS), and getting parts for that thing was difficult, not to mention expensive. At the time, you couldn't go down to your local computer store or Radio Shack and say "I need an XYZ cable for an Apple." You had to order everything from Apple directly. Needless to say, the Apple was soon replaced with a used IBM 286

[Phite]

Does Apple still have restrictions about their parts? Years ago, we had an Apple III (basically a II that ran a crude form of DOS), and getting parts for that thing was difficult, not to mention expensive. At the time, you couldn't go down to your local computer store or Radio Shack and say "I need an XYZ cable for an Apple." You had to order everything from Apple directly. Needless to say, the Apple was soon replaced with a used IBM 286

To some degree, yes. But Cables no. This laptop has non-Apple branded RAM and Hard drive in it and is working fine. They also started using mainstream Graphics cards. But if you have to replace the Mobo, then yes, it will coem from Apple and only Apple.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

All I know is this: When I was at Kinko's and I was taking an order, one question I asked was "is this a mac or a pc file?" They would say either "Mac." or a variation of "Uhhhh........" or "Um. Windows?" or just look at me like a deer in headlights (upon which I would just nod and write down "PC."

[LostMyMind]

As for Windows, I can't imagine why anyone would prefer to work with menus that only display certain commands unless you move the cursor to the arrow at the bottom of the drop-down ; I assume this is more a reflection of Gates' mentality than that of Windows users.

Some folks like having things they don't use often hidden. I'm one of those folks that don't like that "feature". But I'm also one of those folks that know you can turn it off.

[Kusanagi]

I hate Macs with a passion, for the sole reason I was forced to learn Bryce and Maya on an iMac of all things, for 3 semesters. Got a PC, did all my projects on it at home which took me about half as long (god bless having three mouse buttons and a scrollwheel!)

I use a PC, and my iPod Nano runs Linux on it. I can import games, full length movies and TV episodes, and it even has a Game Boy emulator.