Harvey's Profile

Chris, one observation about you blog in general: I have read several of your articles in the past, and like this one, they all had a very negative slant towards Apple's products and its users. Yet you've named you site "Apple Matters" which seems to be deceitful. From the content of your writings you are being duplicitous with this title, giving the initial impression that this is a Web site with useful information for users of Apple products. You have snagged me, as well as many other users of Apple products into visiting your site with this deception. It would be more honest for you to rename your site with a title that is more inline with the content and intention of your articles.

I use Macs, but I'm not a Mac! It's the idiots at Microsoft who saw Apple's Mac & PC commercials, and just didn't get it. They don't comprehend that Justin Long is acting as an anthropomorphic Mac, and John Hodgeman is an anthropomorphic PC. They literally represent a Mac and a PC. They DO NOT represent Mac and PC users! This is what makes the ads so funny. At no time are Mac users or PC users called "Mac" or "PC". Yet, in Microsoft's commercials they have PC users debase themselves and declare "I'm a PC" as if they are not human beings, but actually machines (which explains a lot about PC users ;-) So, I'm not a Mac. That job is taken by Justin Long in Apple's commercials. I'm a human Mac user, and happy to be one :-)

"Read the article again. Take the blinkers off and consider what it is really about. From my very opening statement I am alluding that it’s how they look at it, not you." Yes, we have read the article. If you're point is that some Windows users just want to by the cheapest priced computer without any consideration for what they are getting for the money, then we have all agreed that's true. You can buy a Linux/Windows netbook for about $300, and Apple doesn't make any comparable cheap, low-quality, low performance products. Again, we all agree with that. "The way we should look at the Mac vs PC cost camparson is who's buying. In particular, home users and what's their budget. Mums and dads for example." Yes, agree. But this mentality is changing. Here is one of several examples I know of just in my own circle of family and friends. My friends Sam & Sandy, and their two college-age kids, up until a couple of years ago was a family with 4 Windows PCs. One of their kids replaced their Windows notebook with a MacBook. Shortly after, the other one did also. Now, all 4 of them have their own Macs. Sam tells me often, without prompting, that they will never go back to using Windows PCs again. Your article is entitled "Are Macs More Expensive?", and you write that Windows users believe that Macs ARE more expensive. They believe this because there are no equivalent low-end, el-cheapo Macs to compete in this arena. This is something we can all agree to. All of these comments are not disputing the fact that there is this belief among some Windows users, just as they still believe that Macs only have one mouse-button. It's a mentality... but it's not reality. That is the point we are all making. And this mentality cuts both ways. For example, today on Egadget there is an article (http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/dell-latitude-xt2-multi-touch-tablet-with-11-hour-battery-now-of/) about another highly over-priced Windows computer. It's a 12" Dell notebook with really low-end specs (1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics, etc.) and it starts at $2,399.US! That's TWICE the price of the much better spec'd MacBook!!! But the same Windows users who believe that Macs are too expensive will pay twice as much for this inferior crap, simply because they don't take the time to do a real-world comparison. There are some misconceptions that can't be changed easily. But the point we are all making is that Apple is not in the business of pandering to these people ;-) What we are

@Chris Howard: "They’re not going to buy the Sony any more than they’ll buy that Mac, UNLESS that’s in the budget they have." As I wrote in my first comment: "This is because Apple makes a limited number of models that don’t compete with the least expensive Windows PCs, nor do they compete with the ultra expensive Windows PCs." People should not be surprised, or complain, that Apple doesn't make $200 netbooks, or $500 notebooks, or even $5,000 gaming machines. Even if Apple wanted to, there is no way that they could have an alternative product for every other Windows PC out in the marketplace. It just isn't feasible. And if they ever tried to be all things to all people it would mean financial ruin for the company. One of the main reasons why Apple is not currently producing cheap computers is because low prices means low quality (something that goes against what Apple products are known for), and it also means low profit margins (which would put Apple in a precarious position financially). In the example I gave, Sony Vaio vs. MacBook, this comparison is valid because they are two similar products. Again, yes there are cheaper (in every way) computers than Apple's. But Apple is not trying to compete with these cheap computers. "But that’s not how many PC users shop." The fact is that there are currently no cheap Macs for those users. The sooner that these Windows users (and Mac users) realize this and stop complaining about it, the sooner they can get on with their lives.

If you try to compare a cheap PC to a Mac of course the Mac will always be a lot more expensive. That's like saying that a Toyota Camry is more expensive than a Ford Escort. The fact is that Apple doesn't make bottom-end computers. There are many less expensive Windows PCs than Macs, but it's also true that there are Windows PCs that are much more expensive than Macs (some gamer rigs can cost 3 times as much as a Mac Pro). This is because Apple makes a limited number of models that don't compete with the least expensive Windows PCs, nor do they compete with the ultra expensive Windows PCs. Apple's computers are at a reasonably priced mid-range level. When comparing Macs to similarly featured and configured Windows PCs, all things being equal, Macs are usually no more expensive than a comparably priced Windows PC, or it may end up being slightly more expensive. This is the reality. When you add in the value of the excellent software included in the price of the Mac (e.g. the iLife suite) and the additional savings of not having to buy anti-virus software subscriptions and the down-time caused by Windows malware, Macs are a bargain compared to Windows PCs. But when making an informed, intelligent decision on buying any expensive item (such as a computer or a car) purchase price is not the only factor that we consider. For example reliability. Would you have buy a Toyota Camry if you knew that it wouldn't start some mornings, or it burned more gas than other comparable cars? How much is your time (or frustration) worth per hour to have to reformat your computer and try to recover all of your important files every time you get hit with a Windows virus? How much is it worth to you to know that your identity (credit card numbers, SIN numbers, etc.) isn't being stolen without your knowledge by Windows spyware? Other important factors when buying a computer, a car, or a house are build quality and expected life span. On average Windows computers get replaced every 3 years. The useable life span of a Mac computer is easily twice as long as that of a Windows PC (all of a sudden PCs are a lot more expensive than Macs ;-). For example, I have a Mac that is 10 years old (bought in 1999) that still runs perfectly. It runs the current Mac operating system and all current applications at a reasonable speed. I wonder how many Windows uses have a 10 year old PC, and can it run Windows Vista?

Typo: "Most Mac users I have had contact with know a lot more about the hardware and operating system they use than the Windows user I have known." Should read: "Most Mac users I have had contact with know a lot more about the hardware and operating system they use than the Windows users I have known."

Chris, excellent article. These are the same points I've been putting forward every time a Windows user hears about a Mac Trojan and says "see, Macs have viruses just like PCs". The sad fact (and I hate to sound like a PC bigot, but facts are facts) is that in general Windows users seem to be more ignorant about computers and malware than are Mac users. This is ironic considering the deluge of viruses and other malware that Windows users contend with, and accept as a way of life, every day. Because of Mac OS X's UNIX underpinnings we have never had even one virus in the almost ten years that we have been using OS X. And it's highly unlikely that there will ever be one. In contrast, Windows users are affected (and infected) by many thousands of viruses, and new ones are popping up each day. And yet, they totally disregard this "Microsoft tax", even when it means losing the use of their computers and having important files accessed or deleted without their knowledge. And Windows users accuse Mac users of blindly following Apple and not seeing the "light"??? WTF!