Weekend Reading
June 5, 2004
A busy weekend ahead, T-minus two weeks to the wedding day and there is plenty goin' on around here. I did want to post on something that has been on my mind the latter half of the week. But first, a story to set it all up....
As many of you know, I am a Mac guy and since the Powerbook came along in January, I have rarely touched my PC. It does remain open in my office, in case I need to test a website or something of that sort. However, for the last few weeks it has gone literally untouched, staying in standby mode.
So the other night I am sound asleep in my empty apartment when I awake to a loud woman's voice coming from my office. You can imagine my surprise and as I came to my heart just about jumped out of my chest. I started reaching for my baseball bat when I realized the noise was coming from my computer. When I got to my screen, I discovered that the woman's voice was part of a popup initiated by spy-ware on my machine. It had just picked this time to scare the living crap out of me. And what was the woman and her company trying to sell me? A program to block pop-ups. *Cuts irony with a knife*
I also spent the good part of Thursday night exchanging e-mails with a buddy of mine who's computer had been overrun with spy-ware and popups. After three or four exchanges we had pretty much come to the realization that he needed a fresh install of his operating system, or a new computer. Now, I would usually take this moment to wail away at Microsoft in a mac-aniac kind of way. But this is sad. Can a company take less care of its customers than this?
Take this example. Let's say you and I each bought a car at the same time. After six months your car was virtually undriveable, and when you could drive it, it was slow to run and slower to respond. Repeated maintenance only fixed the problems temporarily, before the problem crept back in to view. So a year later, you were back at the dealership, ready for a new set of wheels.
I on the other hand had no troubles with my car after 6 months or a year. It even was running better than it did when I bought it. Why is my car running better? Well the company that makes my car repeatedly updates it with much needed maintenance that might not have been available when I first bought the car. Preventative maintenance instead of reactionary maintenance. Big difference. Sure I paid a bit more than you did on the front end of things, but a year later you are dropping another wod of money while I wisk on with the same, solid car.
Now three years later I am still on the same car, problem free. Meanwhile you have been through two, maybe three cars in that same time period. And the most recent one still has problems. Why won't you switch? Well, you don't want to learn how to drive that kind of car, and they are just so darn expensive.
Sound silly? Well it is what millions of people do every year. They decry the price of Macs, while shelling out big bucks for a computer every 18 months or so, with each system beginning its' downward spiral 6 or 8 months after purchase. Meanwhile the Mac life span is documented as twice that of a windows machine. Don't believe me? Please, Doy tell them how long you have had that G3 Powerbook, and how it runs circles around PC laptops half its' age.
And spy-ware? None. Never has been. Viruses? There has never been a major Mac virus. These days, there is a major Windows virus every month it seems. Go ahead and say that no one cares to make a virus for Macs because hardly anyone uses them. So if you lived in a city filled with a deadly flu strain floating around and there was another city close by with clean air, but fewer people, you would stay put? Of course not...
Now, some of you windows folks will say that Microsoft is about to release Service Pack 2 for WIndows XP and all will be right in the world. Well, it doesn't appear that easy. One of the biggest Windows' Lovers/Mac Haters in the Universe, Paul Thurrott, is beta testing SP2 and was hit by a trojan horse this past weekend. If a guy like Thurott, who really knows his stuff on Windows, has this happen to him, is there any hope for the average user? The title of Paul's article was, "Still Waiting for a Truly Secure System". Well Paul, I think you are in the wrong line...
Enough of the metaphors and ranting, I just want you to know that there is an alternative. If we cut through the petty Mac elitism and get down to business, there is really a great product with unbelievable ROI (return on investment) there. A computer that works with you, and not against you. So next time your ready for a new system, think twice and truly evaluate cost and value before you buy.
Phew, I feel better...
For another great article on the subject, written much clearer than this one, read this.
Filed under Apple, Rants, Technology
Comments
KC says:
Great points Daily. And yes, I am the PC user he speaks of in the story. My computer is completely over-run with spyware and annoying pop-ups! I have tried everything I can to rid myself of this problem, and I have run spy-bot and ad-aware more times than I have run any of my "useful" programs, and I think my next step will have to be a complete reinstall of the OS, or a new computer. I will have to admit that I have very little knowledge of MAC's, but after the problems that I have had the past couple of months, I will seriously consider buying one. If anyone has any MAC knowledge to toss my way, It will be greatly appreciated!
Doy says:
For a desktop, entry-level computer, grab an eMac. Those things have a G4 in them with a Superdrive and they're comparitively cheap...or an iMac because they're cool.
iBooks are still a great value for what you get, if you're looking for a notebook.
As far as learning OSX, it's pretty intuitive and stays out of your way. ALL of your software files are in the Applications folder, and don't explode all over your hard drive like in another OS I know; the OS's finder works like a browser where pretty much everything you need to find is a click away; placing items on the dock (a very handy tool) is a matter of drag and drop, not right click > make shortcut > drag shortcut onto desktop; oh, and installing software on OSX: "Drag this icon onto your applications icon to install"...how's that for simple?
Don't worry...it's like riding a bike...a very luxurious bike that your friends envy...
KC says:
Thanks Doy. I am probably going to lean toward a notebook, to increase my desk space, and be able to mobilize everything I need. I am also going to purchase everything I need to go wireless. Any suggestions on the best notebook models?
Brad Daily says:
*clears throat*
There are two types of Mac notebooks. The iBook and the Powerbook. Check them out at www.apple.com. Next week, I will swing you by the house and let you have a look at a powerbook.
As far as wireless go, all macs are wireless ready. Some require the purchase of a wireless card, but only the two lowest iBook models do that, the rest are built in and ready. Apple also unveiled a very cool new gadget this week called airport express, which will act as a wireless access point, print server and will let you stream music from iTunes wirelessly to your stereo. How cool is that? All for 129 US.
I think the best deal in all this is the 15" Powerbook with a combo drive. (Writes and reads CDs) The powerbooks are very powerful computers and have a wide screen resolution, allowing them to be light (5.7 lbs) and thin (just over 1"). Let's have a look while your here next week...
KC says:
Sure Daily, becaue you are going to have all the time in the world to discuss the ins and outs of computers!! Looking forward to the trip! I will email you our flight information tonight!
KC
Comments are closed for this entry
Doy says:
Preach it!
I can testify...I got that G3 Powerbook new in January of the year 2000. I've had to replace the hard drive (made by IBM), which starting buggin' out in 2003, but it's been the most reliable computer I've ever used. It's now loaded with OSX Jaguar and still runs like a champ...do all my web and graphic design on it...and probably will continue to do so until it dies, which I don't expect will happen for quite a few more years, if it happens.
My buddy, Jim, is still using the first G3 Powerbook (the "Wallstreet," is it?)...the one with the metal black case. That's his office computer. I think he got it in about '95. He's about ready to upgrade, but only because he's finding his hard drive (2GB) a little too small.
I was on one of those Gateway cowboxes at my previous PR job, doing graphic design and web design on Win 98. If I had to do that again, I'd shoot myself...or do like that little girl's dad did back in '99 or so: bring the box into the Gateway store with a sledgehammer and obliterate the infernal thing.
That's what I call civil disobedience.
At any rate...I just don't feel like I have to argue the point anymore. I have a G5 at work and a G3 at home, and I'd never go back. Even if those cowboxes with WinXP started selling for eight dollars and 54 cents...still wouldn't be worth it.