Category → Apple
I’m STILL a PC!
I know a rant on this subject many times but if there is anything in the world that bothers me is to watch a bunch of followers. Over the last couple years I have been noticing the tech (follower) community such as Leo Laporte, and his groupies singing the praises of the Mac. First let me say that I have nothing against Apple or Leo Laporte but sometimes I see people shamelessly promoting a product in the spirit of “I’m cooler than you are”. To be a Mac owner means you are better than everyone else. I do not buy this and an I think most people are beginning to agree.
One thing that is certain in the world is that if it has the Apple brand name it is going to be over priced and that is undisputable. In some cases the Apple product is actually better but good enough to equal the disproportionate pricing for their products. The Apple Mac crowd has been emboldened by Microsoft’s poor release numbers of Windows Vista. Vista has been plagued by so many negative press stories relating to the slow release, to security issues to even “it’s just to darn big”. Despite this negative press, Microsoft Windows’ market share dwarfs anything that Apple can produce even with all the free press they get by appearing in almost every Hollywood film produced since 2000.
We have listened to the virtues of Apple Macintosh to a point where it is nauseating over the last couple of years. I must admit that I am a little stubborn and tend to be motivated by going against the crowd. With that I have gone out of my way to avoid anything Apple such as the iPod, iPhone, and especially the Mac. I just see these products as being over priced and embarrassing to be seen with. To be seen with any of these products tells the world that I am proud to be gouged and that I knowingly allow people to overcharge me all in the name of a perceived “coolness” factor.
Lately Microsoft has been running an ad campaign called “I’m a PC” to combat all the pro Mac press.
Microsoft is going to be releasing the much anticipated Windows 7 later this year to put the nightmares of Vista behind them. For the record I have Vista on four of our computers and it works very nice. In the beginning it did seem to be a little flaky but has since become very stable and has some nice features. In fact this very post is being posted using Microsoft Vista. For those that are about to accuse me of being a hypocrite for paying for four computers I will explain. As most people have probably noticed the depreciation value of a computer is as bad as a car. When your computer ages, you will never get enough money for it to equal what it is worth to you. So we have decided to keep them and pass them down into our family instead of throwing them out. My children could make better use of them than the dumpster. Now I will get back on topic.
In recent days their appears to be evidence that “I’m a PC” may be working. I stumbled on this story from Boy Genius about Apple sales declining while PC’s are increasing. I do not find pleasure in Apple declining. My point in this post is that I sometimes think that all the hysteria over Apple is not proportional to their market share. With a company that has less than ten percent of all computer sales, you would think you would hear less than ten percent of all praising. Instead I find that with every tech blog, movie, celebrity known to mankind singing the praises of Apple Mac as the best computer ever built. Again, I am not saying their products are not any good but just pointing out that it seems that you have a crowd that is putting a lot of energy into praising this company’s products while not pointing out the over priced factor in all this. To use an Apple computer, you have to have their hardware and their software.
Apple is way more proprietary than Microsoft ever was. At least on a PC you can use Microsoft Windows or Linux but certainly not Mac operating system (OS). You cannot even legally put anyone else’s OS on an Apple computer. I fin it hard to find value in this from the consumer’s perspective. At least on a PC, I can choose any number of hardware manufacturers and choose the better buy. Not with an Apple! You must by their over priced hardware and their over prices operating system. This is just one of the reasons that I refuse to buy any Apple products. I can get an mp3 player for a cheaper price from ANYONE! There are dozens of manufacturers that make mp3 players and every one of them is cheaper than the iPod. I do not even want to get started on the iPhone because I think it has faults that speak for itself and those begin with AT&T.
Although I am not necessarily a Microsoft fan, I do think the PC hardware is better for the consumer. You can buy hardware piece by piece from virtually any electronics store in America. You can buy disposable Dell, HP/Compaq, Gateway, Acer, or any other brand name. You can choose to install Windows, or any variant of Linux for a fraction of the cost. Maybe that Macintosh is better than my PC but it is not good enough to justify the price. It is not good enough to justify my being locked into one manufacturer for my piece parts. It is not good enough to sit on my desk either. You can keep your Mac, iPod, iPhones. I will go with something that will not have me being in the crowd that asks the government to buy out their mortgages. So with that I will just reaffirm that “I’m a PC”.
I’m Still a PC
Am I the only one that has noticed all the Apple hysteria these days? If you turn on the television, watch any sitcom, or movie you will see everyone with a Mac. If you go onto social networking sites or blogs around the world you will find similar sentiments. This has become another follower story similar to the Google follower story of about two years ago. Remember when Google was the equivalence of the second coming of Christ? This is what is happening with Apple these days and it is almost nauseating.
Let’s have some sanity in this argument. Apple products are just plain overpriced and I refuse to use them when they continue to be that way. Even their Itunes software is not very attractive. The iPhone is off the charts too expensive and so is ANY iPod. I mean seriously… You can buy virtually any mp3 player with more storage space for 50 to 75% of the iPod price. The Apple advertising story is to say that to use a PC means that you are vulnerable to attack with virus’ worms, or any sorts of malware. The truth is that Microsoft still carries 80+% of the market while Apple only has 10%.
Think in terms of a terrorist since most virus authors are just that in their own way. If you had to blow something up and weapons were very expensive or time consuming wouldn’t it make more sense to focus on a target that would do the most damage to the most people? In other words authors of malware and the like target Microsoft because they are the most used, not because they are the least secure. This is a message that Apple will never tell you, nor will their followers. They only have the appearance of being more secure because they do not have enough market share to make cracking them worth while.
Despite the never ending barrage of attacks from the Apple loving, Microsoft haters Microsoft still makes very good products. The small exception of the initial release of Vista is hardly the rule. Microsoft Vista has actually become a very nice operating system from what they were in the beginning. This is not an attempt to attack Apple for making bad products but rather an attempt to combat some of the over zealous hysteria around their overpriced products.
Many of the people that I hear swearing allegiance to Apple are the same people that I use to hear bashing Microsoft for their proprietary ways. The ironic thing about all this is that Apple is far more proprietary than Microsoft is. They will not even allow you to use their software on hardware that they did not make. Of course this can be done but not without violating the end user license agreement (EULA). I watched four movies this weekend and everyone of them had Apple Macintosh computers on their desks. I watched a Christmas episode of House just yesterday and he was not only using a Mac but was holding an iPhone. I am not saying this is bad for a person to use their products but rather to say that Hollywood’s portrayal of Apple is that everyone uses them and everyone wants them. This is simply not true and I am one of them. I have zero desire to purchase any products by Apple and I know I am not the only one.
In all honesty I have to hand it to Apple for making some pretty good products lately and I have nothing against them other than their pricing for similar PC products. The thing that bothers me is the disproportionate love fest with their products among the tech world and Hollywood. The tech world mainly for the hypocrisy of bashing Microsoft for being proprietary while their love child Apple does the very same thing. Hollywood for their continued habits of trying to create spin while they are supposed to be entertaining. They do this all the time with their subtle hints at liberal slanted topics and social issues. Instead of just doing a performance to entertain which is what their audience wants to see they try to use this monopolistic platform to try to shape people’s minds. I guess it is no secret that I am no fan of the entertainment industry.
I have been a computer enthusiast for more than 20 years and I still love them. I am no expert with computers, rather an enthusiast that loves learning about new gadgets. I claim no expertise in any way but I have been around long enough to see how trends come and go and this Apple hysteria is just another example of groups of people following the crowd paying twice what a product is worth just because of the perceived “coolness” factor. Somehow these days it is seen to make you cool if you own a Mac despite paying a higher price for the same product. If you are in the “IN” crowd you think this makes perfect sense while those not in the “IN” crowd see it as lunacy.
An analogy that could compare would be the guy that drives down your street playing the stereo so loud that the bass shakes the dishes in your home. To the deaf guy in the car and his buddies, this is so cool that it gives them chills to see people look in their direction. To them this is the height of attention and in their eyes everyone is looking at them with envy. To the people outside the car looking in the same situation is seen with disgust. The person inside the car is looked upon as a person with not enough brain power to save his own hearing. The same situations seen from two completely different perspectives. The Apple Mac buyer walks around with his overprices Mac with chills as people glance his way. He sticks his chest out knowing that everyone that glances his way is looking upon him with envy. To all those that are in agreement with him they support his lack of budgeting skills and cheer him on. Those others “NON COOL” types look upon him with pity. They see this poor soul as one that was so caught up in pleasing his friends that he paid twice the price for a product than he had to. They get down on one knee just before bed to ask God to forgive them for they know not what they do. 
I know I know… That is a little over the top but I sometimes find that a little tongue in cheek sarcasm can be used to illustrate a point. To all my Apple friends you are in my prayers .
Scary Trends
I understand the temptation for signing up for the newest toy that comes out. I have been paying attention to the computer industry for more than a decade. One thing that has consistently been the story is the hatred people in the computer industry have for Microsoft. Some of the stated reasons were because of their proprietary ways trying to control the market. This constant complaining about Microsoft is about their licensing methods and desire to maintain control. These complaints have been growing over the last ten years yet Microsoft has continued to have the greatest market share.
In the last two years I have seen a pattern shift and the roots seem to be around the San Francisco self appointed experts in the computer industry. They call themselves tech experts so they can increase their influence over phones, cameras, and other electronic devices. This shift to Apple products by these groups has been building the last couple of years. I have heard at least one of them admit that he has stock in Apple and Google. This is interesting since Apple is even more proprietary than Microsoft. Their products are consistently over priced for equally valued products from other companies. Apple is even worse than Microsoft in that they require you to use their hardware in addition to their software. I am not saying their products are substandard but rather they are way over priced. In fact, I almost bought an 80 GB iPod lately until I realized that a Microsoft 80 GB Zune was cheaper and it even had an FM radio tuner built in. Let’s face it Apple products are just too expensive. It is almost like a teenager drinking because his friends are drinking. Most people say beer is an acquired taste so that means they did not like it the first time. If you did not like it the first time, why did you try it a second time? It was that desire to do what your buddies are doing. I believe it is the same thing here with the Apple frenzy. Their products are so expensive but you acquire the taste anyway so you can do what your buddies are doing. I have a real problem with being a follower and those that are.
My observation is that the self appointed tech elites are all followers. There is a group of about 10 people in San Francisco, that I will not list, that join every social networking system that comes out and then adds everyone that will add them to their friends list. These individuals add 20,000+ people to their contacts list and then post about the newest toys that come out and pine over Apple products. Keep in mind the above comment about owning stock in the company. While they tend to have credibility because of their previous jobs being connected to the computer industry, they lose credibility with the admission that they are stock holders in these companies. People listen to them because a couple of them have been on technology related programs on satellite. Another one use to be a blogger at one of the larger computer software manufacturers.
With their background and their proximity to major computer, and Internet companies, they have taken on a celebrity status among computer enthusiasts including myself in the past. I see many fads based on people following those they see as celebrities. I know this because I have fallen for them myself. I love technology and have found myself adding these individuals to my list as well and following their advice with the group. It is almost like a cult following that has grown out of control. Before you tell your friends that I said it is a cult, you need to remember I said it is “like” a cult the way people just follow these people by the thousands.
It is very enticing to be a part of the group and feel as though you are part of something big and have inside information about the newest toy coming out before anyone else knows about it. It gives the impression that you are also an expert in your circles and people come to you as though you know everything there is to know about computers. I still have people come to me to ask my advice on computers and I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I love computers but I am not an expert. I guess one of the things that woke me up from this trance was the constant confrontation with those with views that conflict with my religious views. This should not surprise anyone because as much as California tends to be pretty liberal in their political slant, San Francisco has a reputation of being so far out there in their anti-morality views and they are very proud of them. One day I stumbled on a post from one of them telling about how intelligent people cannot believe in God. At first I engaged the argument and it kept coming up over and over again. I finally realized that I have no place in their circles. As painfully as it was, I removed them from my contact lists. There are many scriptures that tell about befriending non believers when they refuse to accept God’s ways. I have nothing against them but realized that continuing to be around those that are so confrontational with my religious views is not only bad for me but for them as well. I made a decision a few weeks ago to remove myself from the celebrity worship of those self appointed computer experts from San Francisco.
I canceled my Friendfeed account, Facebook, Myspace, Zooomr, as well as other accounts. If you really think about it, the main motivation for joining them is to join this celebrity worship group. I could have mentioned the San Francisco people that I am referring to but thought that would have been counterproductive to my cause. If you are one of them in the group that follows them, then you know who they are. Some of them are very pleasant to be around and very friendly. It does not help one’s testimony though when you are befriending those that are famous for their opposition to your religious beliefs.
The Apple/Google/Firefox/Linux worship that I have encountered can be traced back to this celebrity worship on all these social networking sites. You have thousands of people proud of themselves for their friendship with their perceived celebrity friend. They can walk around telling their friends that they are friends with ______. You will find that whatever _______ says, it is followed without question. This is not to say that Apple, Google, or Firefox have bad products but rather, their appeal is that _______ uses them. I have found many friends that will join AT&T and pay for their most expensive program just so they can own an Apple iPhone. These same people have a history of bashing AT&T for being in bed with “THE MAN”. They hate AT&T for cooperating with the Bush administration (their worst enemy). Nevertheless because Apple has an exclusive contract with AT&T, they will look the other way. I firmly believe this same celebrity worship is directly related to the demise of Yahoo, a pioneer on the Internet. They have been a victim of the endless and relentless condemnation of this group.
With the invention of these social networking web sites and social news pages that allow people to vote stories to the top and bury other stories they disagree with, we have witnessed a formidable force on the Internet. Microsoft has reason to fear them because I have seen them work. There are a couple of these social news pages that post about a story and then vote it to the top. This produces so much traffic to third party web sites that their servers cannot keep up with the demand essentially bringing it down for hours. This gives the effect of a denial of service (DOS) attack. I have heard those that use these social new pages brag about this power and have given a name to it. I will not reveal the name because it will reveal the name of these sites that I am talking about. I do not reveal these sites because I do not want to make myself liable for my opinion of them. This practice is real because I have been a part of it for several years. As a ham radio operator, I have always enjoyed programs that allow you to communicate with each other making myself a vulnerable target for these types of pages.
I often wonder how long this will go on. I will venture to say it will get worse. While this is not some moral debate, I do believe we are living in a generation that has rejected God and his standards. Whenever there are no standards, there is anarchy. People are desiring to have meaning and cling to these groups to have worth. I have heard people brag about how many contacts they have even though they admit they do not know most of them. We are living in an age where people have no idea what is right or wrong and base their beliefs in what the crowd believes. This moral relativism is a dangerous way to live because the media has a lot of power to convince the crowd. Remember, it was not that long ago that the American majority thought it was acceptable to have black slaves. Without a standard that never changes, we have no standards at all. Who will be the next victims?
iThis and iThat
With Apple being the newest fad of the day and the ridiculously overpriced iPhone coming out this week, I thought this pretty much summarizes my thoughts. I honestly do not have anything against Apple except that they are way overpriced and that the same Google followers, are Apple followers. If you have ever spent any time out on Technology related web sites, you will see a trend. You have the same names out there which I will not mention talking up Google day in and day out. When they are not talking about Google they are talking about Apple products. Since these same guys add 20,000+ total strangers to their Friendfeed, Facebook, and other programs, you cannot get away from it.
Just get on Friendfeed and all you hear about is this ridiculously overpriced cell phone. I passed by the AT&T store yesterday and just wanted to laugh at all those people standing out there for hours on end so they can throw away $500 on a cell phone and then gripe for the next two years about how AT&T is ripping them off. Until Apple can get a computer that is reasonably priced, I will stick with my PC. Until they can come up with a phone that is competitive, I will stay away from them. Even the iPod is overpriced. At least with the Zune, you get a radio tuner in there. Maybe I am just getting too old for this but I think it is crazy myself.
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