Now I remember what I don't like about Apple and Macs
Apple products are beautiful and functional. Many people brag about their iPod or Mac's stability, but there is a good reason that Macs are so stable. Apple is very restrictive as to what others are allowed to do with their systems.
For example, if you have a iPod, you can only use iTunes if you want to sync music to it. If you have another brand of media player, it will not work with iTunes.
Most standard hardware such as keyboards, mice and printers are compatable with both Macs and PCs, but when it comes to software, Apple has some very strict standards that developers must meet and money must exchange hands to apply for Apple approval.
This week, Apple pulled the biggest "Apple move" of all, they released an update that rendered $500 iPhones unusable because people had changed the devices to run on cell networks other than those approved by Apple.
The iPhone was designed to run on AT&T here in the States and it could only run software that had been approved by Apple. Resourceful hackers found a way around these restrictions and released a few small software patches for free that would allow users to customize their iPhones more and run them on whatever cell network they were currently subscribed to.
Apple could have allowed the changes and sold more iPhones, but their relationship with AT&T was more valuable than the relationship with those who had paid $500 for the device.
So, they released an update to fix some functional issues with the phone and along with it, they broke the phone and voided the warranty for anyone who had installed theses unapproved patches.
Now, many iPhone users who bought the iPhone because they wanted to be one of the cool kids and conform to the hype are learning their first lesson in the drawbacks of Apple products.
Apple products are beautiful, they are easy to use, they are sexy, and they are cool, but like other cliques, they don't like to play with anyone outside of their circle.
Even for Apple though, this is the biggest bully move they have ever made. I wouldn't be fix is released in a few days or weeks that will restore the broken iPhones to factory standards but with updates that prevent the previous hacks from working.
This is an important business technology story to follow. If they get away with it, it could set a new precedent for other companies. If they get trampled and their reputation becomes tainted, it could mean that Apple loosens their restrictions more in future products.
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pc v mac
I can buy parts aneywear cheap and make a pc .you can only get apple at apple
You can install linux on a Mac
You can install another Operating System on a Mac, I'm sure Apple is not happy about this. Linux Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn is on three Macs I own. I have Two I Macs, one a slot loader 400 Mhz and the other one a second generation 333 Mhz, and a G3 Blue and White. All three contain Ubuntu 7.04 for PPC.
The Ubuntu forums contain information on how to do this. No matter what I always used the alternate installer for any Ubuntu I installed on a computer, be it a PC or Mac.
http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=133
There are a few issues to note when installing Ubuntu on a Mac, make sure it is a "New world" machine, use enough Ram, Make sure the OS is for PPC, use the alternate installer, make sure you are using the main video output (if you are using two video cards on the G3 Blue and White)...
For easiest Ram upgrade on the IMAC ...the slot loader IMAC 400 MHZ uses "Generic" PC 100 SDRAM DIMMS and the bottom there is a cover to lift for easy access to the Ram slots.
....However...the older IMacs you have to take the whole thing apart to upgrade ram and those IMACS use 144 pin SO Dimms, which is the same as laptop SO dimms.
The best thing Mac ever did was with the G3 Blue and White tower, lift the handle on the side and the whole motherboard swings down...You can swap out RAM in those machines in two minutes flat.
devil's advocate
I enjoy a good debate and enjoy "stirring the pot" even more. Mac computers are 15-20% more expensive at the time of purchase than an equally configured PC.
BUT, a $1300 Mac computer will be cheaper to operate and maintain than an $800 PC and outlive the usefulness of said PC by 3-4 years minimum...in the hands of the average computer buyer.
A strong computer hobbyist can effectively maintain the health and welfare of a PC on the cheap, but it does take a lot of knowledge and work. On the other hand, a Mac is easy to setup, maintain and use and thus has a lower cost of ownership over its lifetime.
Why don't I own a Mac? Price and the fact the Mac users don't require the kind of help that PC users require. If and when Mac's gain more than 20% of the computer market share (they are well under 10% at the moment), I will purchase one and learn it as well as I know the PC so I can support it.
For the record
I agree with 112 percent of everything Rick posted here. My complaint wasn't about the functionality of Macs. In fact, I pointed out in the original post that they are superior in many ways.
I just don't like their attitude. They take for granted the fact that they could put out white, glossy, CRT monitors and call them iTubes and their users would go crazy for them and ditch their flat panel screens. Essentially the iPhone is just that, a sexy device that is a sub-standard smartphone.
I know someone is going to point out the sexy screen and nice browser and ask how that qualifies as "sub-standard," so, I may as well define.
By substandard I mean that it is a lousy phone, limited use PDA, slow web browser, non-expandable storage device, with buttons that can't be used by anyone with less than perfect vision and dexterity. Oh, and if you try to add functionality to it you run a risk that Apple will break the phone and render it unusable for anything.
But, it is sexy and does that cool fluid scrolling thing with the beautiful screen.
hmmm
>> you have to have a lot of money to operate a mac.
not true, apple now cost same or less then dell or hp or any good brand name computer
>> not much free software, and the software you buy is expensive
not true, there is plenty of free software for mac, and for example Adobe, Microsoft, EA etc. software cost same as Windows platform
>> and it takes a long time to learn the system...
not true, long time M$ user (my good old friend) adopted Mac OS X in less then a month. My father, 60y old guy, adopted Mac in less then a two weeks and his last computer was C64
>> but they are pretty
true
Apples to Apples (no pun intended)
First, anyone who things that we are anti-Mac only needs to search for the word "Mac" on our site to see how much good we have to say about them. My article above wasn't saying that Macs are bad. It was simply an honest criticism of Apple's militant proprietary standards.
As for Apple's being just as cheap, you have to compare apples to apples - or rather, apples to PCs. There are $700 Macs and $700 PCs, but that is the only comparison. From Dell you can get a Intel CoreDuo processor, 2 Gigs of RAM, 250 gigs of hard drive, a CD/DVD burner and a 19" screen for $600-$700 in a case that can be upgraded and repaired by any computer repair shop.
Now, go find that on Apple's site.
Apple's Operating System and ease of use are where they excel and that is all that really matters.
But, you also have to be honest when comparing the two, simply arguing that Macs are superior in all areas is not accurate. They are not cheaper, they are not just as easy to find software for and they are definitely not easier to find help for.
See - I'm not alone
It appears that I am not alone in thinking that Apple has delt a dirty hand here. I am still getting emails from upset Mac lovers who think that I am unjustified in my complaints about Apple's proprietary standards.
Don't confuse me with the facts!
I read the article you linked. I hope "hmmm" isn't a "don't confuse me with the facts" type of person.
It's exactly those types of consumer-unfriendly proprietary standards about which I share your resentment. Let's hope lots of consumers do.
I think you were 100% correct
Looking for POWER, I surfed both the Apple website and the Sun work stations website. For $16,000 I can get the customized Mac I want: two quad-core processors hooked in tandem with 16gigs of RAM, two 30" wide-screen monitors, plus all the bells and whistles imagineable.
I can't see anything controversial in your original post. Nobody, including you, Adam, ever said Macs weren't good — just expensive. Two of the most talented computer users I know are Mac guys. Both Apple and MicroSoft "borrowed" Xerox technology anyway, so nobody involved is a candidate for sainthood.
If I had the money, I would probably buy the above-mentioned Mac, put the software on it that allows it to run Windows softwares, run softwares written for Windows when I needed to, and run Apple softwares when I thought those better served my purposes.
I don't have a clue as to what the reader you responded to was talking about. I suspect he doesn't, either. To paraphrase your words, "go find a cheap Mac pc on the Apple website." I sure couldn't find one. THEREFORE, UPON THE FOREGOING (ya dig the lawyer lingo?!), I completely agree with what I thought was the point of your post.
Sincerely,
Mustut
macs (apple)
you have to have a lot of money to operate a mac. not much free software,and the software you buy is expensive, and it takes a long time to learn the system...but they are pretty.
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