Tag Archives: Computers

Mac vs PC (Still?)

Posted by Tim on

I’m going completely off-topic for a moment. For the last few months, virtually everything I’ve written about has been related to politics. Due to a friend’s never-ending harassment on Twitter, I feel I need to use this blog to do a bit of “arguing” (for lack of a better word) in regards to computers, operating systems, and the whole “Mac vs PC” thing. Bear with me. The rest of this post is directed at one person – you know who you are!

I’m not really a “computer” guy. I have a computer (obviously) but I don’t really know much about them, nor do I care to. Some people like computers, some people like cars, some people like carpentry. I know a lot about politics and economics, a fair amount about music and exercise/diet. As far as computers go I am a consumer first and foremost. The specifications of computers mean as much to me as the specifications of the circular saw I recently bought. I don’t know anything about the saw, but it works, so I like it. The same goes for my computer.

macvspcCurrently, my computer is an Apple Macbook Pro 13” running OSX Snow Leopard. There has been at least one update since Snow Leopard, but I never bothered to upgrade because… it cost a whopping $30. Nah, I’m just lazy. The OS I’m using right now works perfectly for me. I like the keyboard shortcuts (“spaces”), I like having a row of icons at the bottom of my screen (“dashboard”), I like inverting the screen when I’m typing.

My work computers are all Windows – various versions of XP, 7, even an old computer still running 98! I constantly have problems with them. Freezing, slowness, glitches, etc. I know – this could be a problem with the software, with the whole IT system in general, or with a dozen other things. That isn’t the point. What I’m saying is that I use both OSX and Windows everyday. My family uses computers with Windows. I also have an iPhone, but I also have an Android tablet. I’m not an “Apple” guy, okay?

Because I’m not a computer tech, the only thing that matters to me (and the majority of consumers, by the way) is if I like a product. At the moment, my own experiences with both Windows and OSX, and Android and IOS, are that I like the Apple products and operating systems better. I have no glitches with my Apple phone or computer, but I have countless problems with my work computer, and a fair share of problems with my tablet (a tablet that is rated as one of the best on the market).

The price of these products is a non-issue. I don’t buy new gadgets that often, so spending a extra couple hundred dollars on one product or another isn’t a big deal. If a computer cost $5000, then yeah – I’d opt for a cheaper model, but paying $1200 for an Apple laptop instead of $800 for a Asus or HP laptop – eh, whatever. Not a big deal to me. It may be a big deal for some people; I understand.

My experiences are not unique. Apple has come in 1st place for user satisfaction for 8 years in a row! By and large, people love their Apple products, whether its a phone, tablet, or computer. In the end, isn’t this what matters? Consumers love Apple products, and these people don’t mind paying the higher price. Could they find a non-Apple product that meets their satisfaction the same? Its possible, but in the last 8 years it hasn’t been as likely. If a consumer doesn’t care about price, their best bet to attain “satisfaction” is to buy an Apple.

As a business, Apple is doing many things right, and their own profit numbers show it. By marketing their products as “elite” and “trendy” they have created a demand that supports a higher price. The customer satisfaction contributes to demand because people are willing to pay more for products that receive high reviews. The reason I bought my Macbook Pro was because a friend had one and he loved his. In fact, I know a number of people who have Macs, and they all love ‘em! Word of mouth is the best advertising, and word of mouth worked on me.

androidiosBecause of all-star advertising and great reviews from customers, Apple is able to sell tons of computers, phones and tablets, and all of them for high prices. This has boosted Apple’s profits exponentially. Apple has more cash on hand than any other business in the world. Apple could buy Wal-Mart! Apple has more cash on hand than the US government! As a business, Apple has done an amazing job. No one can argue with that. Profits and losses are the way the market tells a business whether it is doing something right or wrong, and Apple is doing something right.

In the end – who cares? We’re talking about computers here, not liberty. If someone buys a different computer or phone than I do, I don’t really care. I can only suggest products based on my experience with them. If my experience is good, I’ll tell people about it. If it isn’t, I’ll tell people about it. If I like Apple more than Microsoft, don’t blame me – blame Microsoft. Somehow they lost me as a customer and that is their fault, not mine. The customer is always right. But remember that each customer is unique, has different experiences with products, has different uses for those products, and has different knowledge that influences their decisions.

Notice that throughout this I didn’t bash Android or Microsoft. I’m pretty fair. I hope that Microsoft and Google come out with products that are better than Apple’s because it will force Apple to come out with better products. Competition is a great thing. It forces different companies to provide better products to win customers. Without Apple, would Microsoft or Google even have bothered getting into the smart phone and tablet and MP3 player business? Maybe, but would they have been pushed as far as they were? Probably not. If you love Android, thank Apple because Apple forced Android to put out better products, and vice-versa. Android forces Apple to up its game. Both Android and Apple force Microsoft to work on their own operating systems. Everyone benefits from competition, no matter what product they buy.

My experiences are mine, and yours are yours. As long as you like what you have and I like what I have, then what’s the problem? I’m not saying Apple is better, I’m saying that I like Apple better, and that is the only thing that matters.

The End of the Library

Posted by Tim on

I touched on this earlier – the fact that I personally don’t go to the library, and neither do any of my friends. I read. I read a lot. But I don’t spend any time at the library, and while I have my reasons which may be very valid, I’m still a little troubled by the lack of use of our nation’s public libraries.

Now, there are two issues at hand. The first is just the absolute stupidity of the majority of the youth in America. I’ve written on this before, but let me reiterate. The numbers of kids who read books is dropping. The numbers of kids who sit in front of a screen for half their day is rising. They’re screen time isn’t spent typing on a blog, by the way – it’s used on Facebook, usually. I wonder how many high school seniors have been to their local public library in the last four years of their education. I imagine it’s pretty few, and the ones who did go to the library did so for a single school project, not for fun.

No, the library is just not as fun as it used to be. Other forms of media have grabbed people’s attention, and since there are only 24 hours in a day, that means less attention goes to books, reading,  and learning. The radio, the TV, the personal computer, and now the cell phone. There are plenty of devices begging for our time, and books aren’t one of them. Libraries have noticed this. That’s why they’ve been trying to “change with the times.” Most libraries now offer CDs for rent, DVDs for rent, free internet and rows of computers to use, and often free WiFi. Some libraries even have little coffee bars.

It sounds like a good plan to get more people into the ever more unpopular reading facility. But last time I was in a library I was one of a handful of people actually looking for a book. Most people were sitting at a desk doing some “social networking”. (Which, by the way, ISN’T “social networking” if you’re just talking to the same people you talk to in real life.) This was over a year ago, and I doubt things have gotten any better. There are probably more computers, and more homeless people checking out 15 year old girls’ internet pages. This is what the library has turned into. A free internet cafe for homeless people.

The reading of books has shifted to bookstores, and that’s part of the problem for libraries. There was a time when giant megastores like Barnes and Noble didn’t exist, and your only chance of finding a book was going to the library. All that has changed with huge warehouses, huge inventories, and huge warehouse-style stores with huge inventories. The internet has changed everything too. Rarely do you need to pay full price for a book anymore. Amazon has used books for a couple dollars. If that’s the case, why bother going to the library to rent the book, when you could just buy it for the price of gas to get to the library? Megastores, the internet, and abundance of material has cost libraries their customers.

But these people were never really “customers”. They never bought anything. Even when the library was in it’s heyday the only revenue it saw was from late fees. But our government is becoming stingier and stingier. Wait – no it’s not. But it is becoming dumber. Some programs need to be cut, no doubt, but our government seems to have a pattern of cutting the wrong types of things. I really fear that libraries across America will soon be on the chopping block. The argument can be made that no one is using them, that the costs are too high, and that their contribution to society is minute in modern times. Are we set to see our libraries disappear?

Best Screensaver?

Posted by Tim on

I’m not a computer geek by any means. I like what I use, but I couldn’t tell you much about it other than “Um… It’s a Mac.” It works. That’s all that counts. I do, however, recommend stuff to people all the time. If I like it, I’ll tell everyone I know about it and try to get them to jump aboard. They say word of mouth is the best advertising, and I’m it. I’ll advertise guns, books, politicians, and just about anything else that catches my attention and moves me a bit.

But as long as we’re on the computer kick, I’ll talk about the best screensaver ever!  Seriously, I’m not joking. It’s called Electric Sheep, and it’s awesome. I can’t really say a whole lot about it, but it’s cool. It’s also available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Watch the video below to see what it looks like. And click the link to download it for FREE – Enjoy!

Mac vs PC

Posted by Tim on

Uh oh. Not another Mac vs PC opinion piece. Really, we don’t need that. There have been a million articles written on the advantages of each since the big battle began. Windows vs Mac OSX, Microsoft vs Apple, Bill Gates vs Steve Jobs. But, since I occasionally comment on computers, and have a few friends who are into computers, I’m going to write this post for them. Feel free to tune out if this doesn’t interest you.

For most of my life I was a PC guy. I had Windows Millennium (I know, scary) and then moved up to XP. Later I bought a laptop with Vista on it. Over the years all of these computers started fine, and then began to slow down. It started with little things like internet not loading as fast as usual, and then progressed to the point where I had to restart the computer almost every time I used it. With my last PC, it began crashing anytime I would attempt to close Mozilla FireFox. I ended up smashing the computer over my knee, breaking the screen from the keyboard.

It just so happened that a Mac-Head friend was in town. A few nights before I broke my computer he’d been showing me his MacBook Pro, and it was working so well. It was fast, easy to use, and it looked great. So, two days after I smashed my first laptop I went to Best Buy and bought a MacBook Pro for myself.

I must say that I was resistant to the Mac-fever. Everyone was into this new Mac thing, and I refused to be a part of it. Macs are trendy computers that pussy college kids type poetry on at the local coffee shop. I didn’t want to be perceived as that. That stigma still sits with me. I see so many people that I want to punch using Macs. But I got past it. Turns out that Rush Limbaugh is a Mac guy. So… even if every long haired, unshaven, sandal wearing, college campus hippie likes Apple, so does Rush Limbaugh. And he pretty much makes up for all of them combined.

I must say that I’ve been absolutely thrilled with my purchase. Switching to Mac is a decision that I’m very happy about. Whereas my computers used to be a stressor, now they’re a stress reliever. I can type, talk, socialize – all without a crashing computer, slow startups, or any of the problems I used to have. It’s been a year and a half, and my MacBook Pro is as fast today as it was the day I bought it.

I have to say that the Mac vs PC battle is a little ridiculous. In the end, just buy what works for you. There are upsides and downsides to both. Macs work great, but they’re expensive and some software won’t work on them. PCs are less expensive and are compatible with just about everything, but (in my experience) they just don’t run as well. For what I need a computer for – blogging, social networking, email, occasionally doing some video editing – it’s great. Other people I know have tried Mac, not liked the interface, and went back to Windows. That’s fine. Like I said, in the end, it’s user preference.

I hope that both companies continue to compete. When one company grows and starts putting out a better product at a lower price, the other company ups their game as well. One day I might switch back to Windows if I need a new computer and can’t afford a Mac. Who knows. I’m not counting anything out. (I’m actually looking at the Asus Zenbook. Hmm) Use what works, and keep an open mind about the future. This isn’t morals or religion; this is computers.