Interesting demographics on Mac users

[RANDY P]

Starbucks tastes like Battery Acid.

That video actually looks like a lot of urban Seattle's under 35 crowd - to a tee.

rjp

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Mule

Mac=Starbucks. Over hyped, not that good compared to real quality.

Nah. Mac is more like Peets. Windows is like Chock Full 'o Nuts.

[gprsh924]

I'd like my next laptop (1-2 years away) to be a mac, but in order for that to happen, it will have to price out within $150 of a similarly spec'd tell. When I got mine 18 months ago, my Dell was over $300 cheaper than the very similar MacBooks that all my friends got. So far everything has worked out for me.

The other thing I dislike about Macs is the keyboard. I really don't like how it is flat, I wish it had some definition between the keys, although I suppose I would get used to it over time.

[Moses]

It really is pretty simple.




or...

[stevepaa]

Mule, I have heard the software argument for 15 years. For work related stuff a MAC was and is fine. Lockheed was all MAC for general work until they were consumed by Martin. CAD was done on SUN or some other special workstation computer.

The problem that plagued wintel machines, 386, 486, etc., was the lack of uniform hardware specifications, like the MAC had. The IT guy would try two different HDs and then two different HD driver boards until he could find a pair that would work together. That same issue continues now. I had an IBM laptop two years ago for which I had to spend two weeks back and forth with IBM Software group to finally find the right patch to make the IBM wireless card work. Ridiculous.

Note, I try not to call wintel machines "PC" as in reality Apple created the first personal computer, PC, but lost the marketing logo to IBM.

Over the life of the computer, the cost per year is less on a MAC, always has been, always will be. The quality is built in.

What Apple has done is switched to Intel chips. The current MACs can run the best PC OS, MAC, or run XP, and Vista better than on wintel machine. You deserve it to yourself to take another look.

[gassy]

Mule = Yawn. bababababababababababababababa

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Mule

Apple doesn't have 5% by accident.

Actually they have 6.1. Right behind Gateways 6.4 and ahead of every other PC manufacturer sans Dell and HP.

A huge chunk of Dell and HPs 20+ share comes from supplying corp america with servers and run of the mill desktops for the workers.

Apple and the others do not compete in that category so it's an unfair comparison.

It's like dinging Porsche for their lack of market share in the front end loader market. Can't count it f they don't compete in it.

[WI wide body]

Yeah, all those PC's and Microsoft stuff was soooooo reliable and trouble free.

[stevepaa]

It is quite evident that the reason MACS are less than 10% of the "PC" market compared to Wintel machines is the numerous low cost and cheap machines issued by too many "PC" manufacturers, i.e. garage assemblers, that saturated the market with cheap machines in the 90's. Wintel bought the market place. The momentum was huge and businesses bought poorly made wintel machines for many years based upon short term fiscal analysis.


That is also a commentary on MS, Bill Gates. He is in business for the buck, first, last and the only reason he went into the business. Quality doesn't even come into the picture.

[WI wide body]

Originally Posted by stevepaa

It is quite evident that the reason MACS are less than 10% of the "PC" market compared to Wintel machines is the numerous low cost and cheap machines issued by too many "PC" manufacturers, i.e. garage assemblers, that saturated the market with cheap machines in the 90's. Wintel bought the market place. The momentum was huge and businesses bought poorly made wintel machines for many years based upon short term fiscal analysis.

My computer smarts are just about equal to Mule's Super Bowl knowledge but my kid insists that if not for the Apple guys there would be no Billy Gates empire today...or if the Apple guys had known how to take control of the market as did Microsoft. That's his opinion.

[Seahawk]

So, Mac'ers: My son starts High School next year and wants a Mac/Apple laptop, which one do you recommend?

I have absolutely nnooo dog in this fight. I think computers are essential in HS so he gets one just like his older sister...she wanted an HP, he doesn't.

Since DoD is MS, I've always gone that route so I know nothing about Macs.

Now, MacDonald's, I'm good to go.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

So, Mac'ers: My son starts High School next year and wants a Mac/Apple laptop, which one do you recommend?

I have absolutely nnooo dog in this fight. I think computers are essential in HS so he gets one just like his older sister...she wanted an HP, he doesn't.

Since DoD is MS, I've always gone that route so I know nothing about Macs.

Now, MacDonald's, I'm good to go.

ANY Mac laptop will do what he needs. The only software he'll need is the Microsoft Office suite. I've heard that it can be downloaded, free, at Limewire.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by WI wide body

My computer smarts are just about equal to Mule's Super Bowl knowledge but my kid insists that if not for the Apple guys there would be no Billy Gates empire today...or if the Apple guys had known how to take control of the market as did Microsoft. That's his opinion.

Actually Bill and Steve used to hang in the same circle and were a bit more than just acquaintances.

The "Big Bang" for Microsoft was due in large part to a critical mistake by IBM.

Apple pretty much owned the PC market at the time. IBM wanted a taste of it. Macs were proprietary as was the OS. No opportunity to reverse engineer it.

IBM rushed out a box built with off the shelf chips (mistake 1, see reverse engineer) then went shopping for an OS which they got through Bill.

Mistake 2 was IBM's position that the OS did not matter, it was about the hardware so IBM licensed the OS from MSFT instead of buying it outright.

That left the door wide open for knock offs (enter Toshiba) that ran the same OS as IBM's boxes and by extension the same applications.

The rest as they say is history.

[stevepaa]

http://www.apple.com/macbook/ is all he will need for many years to come. It will also run most if not all wintel specific code that a school may require for use.

[motion]

In addition, he can use it for 2-3 years then sell it for 50-70% of what he paid for it. Not kidding.... one of the benefits of Mac ownership

[kstar]

Seahawk - my Daughter (9yo) has a MacBook that I got her a bit over a year ago; she's an ace on it. She's rough on the machine and it has survived and has not required any service. She does her own software updates and gets around the file system very well. She can also make a slideshow, movie and even create songs on Garage Band and has her own website created on iWeb.

Her school is also all Mac, so the choice was even easier for us.

On the superficial side, none of her friends get excited when someone gets a new PC (Windows).

Best,

Kurt

[Mule]

Originally Posted by stevepaa

It is quite evident that the reason MACS are less than 10% of the "PC" market compared to Wintel machines is the numerous low cost and cheap machines issued by too many "PC" manufacturers, i.e. garage assemblers, that saturated the market with cheap machines in the 90's. Wintel bought the market place. The momentum was huge and businesses bought poorly made wintel machines for many years based upon short term fiscal analysis.


That is also a commentary on MS, Bill Gates. He is in business for the buck, first, last and the only reason he went into the business. Quality doesn't even come into the picture.

Steve, I was there. The only reason Apple even exists today is that they used to give them away to schools in hopes that on graduation, the kids would continue to use them. The better clones "garage machines" were as reliable as any Mac ever built. Spin it how you like. I'll help, 94.9 percent of the market is not smart enough to figure out what you all did. I'm done.

[WI wide body]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Actually Bill and Steve used to hang in the same circle and were a bit more than just acquaintances. .

Can you elucidate on this please? They certainly never refer to it in any of the articles I've seen.

[lendaddy]

We just got the a Macbook Pro and I feel 10 years younger, I've added 15 yards to my drive and I can eat spicy food again!

Highly recommended.

[kstar]

Originally Posted by lendaddy

We just got the a Macbook Pro and I feel 10 years younger, I've added 15 yards to my drive and I can eat spicy food again!

Highly recommended.

Improvements in both length AND girth, too?

Best,

Kurt