This is not an Apple vs. PC post. The Apple vs. PC discussion is dead, not to mention highly irrelevant. Instead i want to tell you guys how i came to love Apple and why i have now indefinitely purchased my last Apple product.
Until about a decade ago i was a PC guy. Whenever friends of mine flaunted their aluminum designer boxes i went on lengthy rants about how Apple is really not an innovative company but a design kitchen that merely grabs other peoples innovations, adding some garlic and pepper to it and then runs off ostentatiously yelling how genius they are. This presumptuous attitude towards Apple persisted until i purchased my first iMac in 2005.
When i started using OS X it instantly became clear to me that Windows was a handicap. Error messages upon error messages, lack of pre-installed drivers, popup hell, you name it. OS X was clearly a much more streamlined and user friendly OS. Because of this, i started using computers in a much more productive manner. I started realizing that because i was working with a machine that was so well designed, both inside and outside, my interaction with it was completely different than with a PC. Over the past ten years an OS X device crashed on me once(!) Ten years, one crash. This is a phenomenally low number especially considering how many Windows machines have munched away my files, shutting down randomly at will. My attitude towards Apple and personal computing in general completely shifted, i had drank the Apple kool aid and was convinced i would never touch a PC again.
Until now.
Android, the new Windows?
Apple's premium approach to product development is its greatest strength, yet simultaneously its greatest weakness. Microsoft initially won the personal computing revolution and John Sculley wasn't the only reason why it did. People bought PC's because they outperformed Mac's and did so for only a fraction of the cost. The same is now happening with mobile operating systems. When i started using my 150$ Android device i was baffled by how well it performed. Like many people i end up using roughly 10% of all my applications frequently. Phone, maps, email & DM seem to be the most important players along with an occasional game while in transit. Apple's cheapest phone is currently priced at 399$ and offers overkill specs for general day to day use. Like many others i came to the conclusion that there is simply no point in paying so much for a device when i can purchase a device that perfectly accommodates my needs for only a fraction of the cost.
Would you like some more apps?
Much has been said about the post PC revolution. It is hailed as the next paradigm in personal computing and Apple and Google are the Ronaldo and Messi of the game. The ongoing effort to switch the majority of users to what Jobs coined: 'baby software' is one that leaves many questions. For starters iOS and Android's latest iterations aren't as powerful to the user as a 90's desktop OS. Multi tasking is still a joke and applications marketed as 'Pro' are merely sidekicks to what is running on your desktop. The emphasis on simplified user experience seems to carry with it the cost of robustness and power. Because of this Apple's current line up of 'Pro' iOS devices seem to balance on a demographic cusp. Attempting to serve both consumer and prosumer however not fully accommodating either leaving people wondering, who is this really for?
Needs vs. wants
As a professional user looking to squeeze every bit of processing power out of my budget i have to make a conscious decision between UX and raw power. Macs are incredible machines, if one was to assemble a PC using similar components and design (if at all possible) he or she would inevitably conclude that Apple's current line up of Mac OS machines are in fact reasonably priced. However an increasing number of people are wondering if the ultra thin, magsafe, retina screens &,butterfly mechanised keyboards are actual necessities. Need is an important component in marketing a successful device and the fiasco now known as Apple Watch only proves that it is.
Not turning my back
Apple's position in the industry is indeed a very unique one. As pioneers of the personal computer it is a company that has amazed the world several times over. The Macintosh and the iPhone were truly revolutionary products that have spawned entire industries and changed the course of history. However Apple seems to situate in a fail / prevail position as opposed to the rest. As the threshold between disruptive product and its more cost efficient counterpart decreases Apple will find it increasingly difficult to maintain its user base. It has experienced this before and will undoubtably experience it again.
Lets hope the folks in Cupertino continue with what they know how to do best. Which is gobsmack the industry with an out of this world product.
indeed.
intend to agree!
When i was getting my first ibook and short after this a macbook PRO back in 2002/3 it was just amazing .. Back in the days the macbook series and also the other macs were more "beast working tool for designers, cutters, animators etc" .. people within the creative scene who just want to focus on design and not on how to get the computer running.
The Switch to B2C
Over the past 10+ years apple switched IMO the focus from B2B to B2C! The Focus is more on mobile and average joe computers .. just for surfing and looking some pictures ..Pity as i'm also thinking more and more about to switch ..! They should start focusing on B2B again IMO ..
disposable products
The customer service at least for me worked just before buying this product .. after this u will get fast lost within this helpdesk pain ... as apple seems more and more to produce disposable products then sustainable ones. Every small repair has to get send to apple in US and most retailers aren't able to repair anything on your macbook or mac anymore ...
Hmm, where to start...
Okay, similar boat to you - used PCs for years and never could justify the price of an Apple product. Until I bought an iPhone 3. Way ahead of everyone, and the latest 6s is faster and more useful by far to me. And yes, I use about 10-15 apps regularly, almost daily.
PC laptops were cheaper to me until I started to worry about weight and size, then suddenly a MacBook Air was practically the same price of my Dell XPS 13. I tried an Air and was hooked. Like you said, preinstalled drivers, not having to constantly fiddle with stuff, etc, is great.
But, I also use Windows desktops frequently, and I must say that for much of what I do, I am by far more productive on my MacBook Air than I am on a decent Dell desktop with 2 or 3 monitors.
I've had a few iPads, including my latest, a 9.7 iPad Pro. All have been great, but I could see why the latest greatest doesn't seem to have the best bang for the buck over and older iPad, other than lightness.
But here is the difference: using the entire ecosystem just makes life easier. I frequently text with my MacBook, and I use my iPhone to secure my laptop. I pick up webpages from one device to the other, and for some crazy reason, almost every website works on Safari (rarely have to startup Chrome or Firefox on my Mac - on my PC, I never knew what website would crash with what browser, and of course, some forced me to use IE. (Don't think you will get the same results with Safari on PC, though)
So if you look at individual price/performance points only, then I agree. But Apple products, including iCloud, are worth much more than the sum of their parts.
In My Humble Opinion
nice post
Thanks!
good
Just "good" ? That's all you wanted to say?
Now you seem like a bot saying that to another bot.