Why do people hate the Mac so much?

Friday, August 4, 2006 by foreverserenity | Discussion: Personal Computing


I can’t understand it. Why is Macintosh so disliked by so many? I used to use the Mac a couple of years ago at one of my jobs. The boss liked Macs and only bought Macintosh. As a PC user at the time and having never used the Mac, I didn’t really feel intimidated by it.

It took me a couple of days to get the hang of it and I actually liked it! There was no big deal to it. After having used it for over three years (my time at that position) I actually loved it!

At my next position it was back to PCs again. Once again, it was no problem to get back with the flow of using it.

I came across some comments recently on a blog site and I can’t believe how much the each person either really hated or really loved Macintosh. I mean the things those people wrote, they got personal!

Is it really that serious? Can’t there just be some people who really, really love the Mac and some really, really love the PC? You know what? I blame that commercial that’s on right now. It’s their fault there’s all this ‘be hating’ around now. That or it just picked at a boil that was always under the surface and have opened up a really ripe wound!

These are some of the comments I read on the NY Times. It was an article that wasn’t even so much about PCs or Macs it was a totally different topic. I won’t post the article itself since it had nothing to do with what I’m talking about here, although it (the article) was interesting, that is for another blog at another time.


__________________-

“Mac users always fail to realize how few they are. It is a pain and expensive to create a parallel system for so few people. Don’t believe the product placement in movies, only 6% of our website’s visitors for example come from mac users (almost 3% use lineux for comaprison).
It would be like demanding MTV translate its site into spanish NOW, but at least there are a lot of people who speak Spanish.
You wanted an expensive white computer, and now you have it. Just don’t expect the rest of the world to jump.
Andrew
www.boomchicago.nl
— Posted by Andrew Moskos”





“macs suck
— Posted by Dom”




“Macs have an influential presence online which makes that 4% feels like 75%.
lonelygirl15 sounds like a show already.
— Posted by Ajit”


“# 1: Trying to mock Mac users by pointing out how few of them there are doesn’t work. In fact, that’s the key to Apple’s cult-like appeal. If everyone really started buying Macs, hardcore Mac users would be emotionally devastated. And if there are so few of them, why waste your breath baiting them, anyway?
— Posted by ted”



“Ted,
As a Mac user, I have to admit you’re right. If everyone’s computers ran an operating system as intuitive, beautiful, and straightforward as OS X, I’d be seriously upset at having lost my elite status.
Now if only we can get Microsoft to redesign the iPod, maybe I’ll switch back.
— Posted by Nick vdK”

“Mac users are very influential, much bigger than whatg they represent online. Only a single digit porcentage of people using Macs (4%) does not mean they are not important or influential. As an example, 45% of Wired Magazine users, a magazine read by influential people interested on advances in technology, life and culture, are Mac users (by the way, Jews are 0.5% of the world population but they account for more than 20% of Noble prizes).
— Posted by Max
“Andrew Moskos” is only partly right: Mac users are numerically a minority, but like “Ajit” notes, we have a disproportionate influence on the culture. We cluster into info. and other related media jobs, which control the mental world of all you PC hacks. Kind of like gay people. Oh, yes, I remember, the word is “elites”: few but strong!
— Posted by Tdawwg”



“August 3rd,
2006
4:36 pm
Mac Users may only be 6% on your site, but we are also better educated, make and spend more money and dominate the artistic and media-driven world. Once you go Mac you never go back.
— Posted by Mark Flora”
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cygng
Reply #21 Saturday, August 5, 2006 9:34 AM
Sorry, the Jew argument does not work, it is only a religious distinction. Most Jews are Caucasian and more and more are becoming secular and getting assimilated into the whole Caucasian community, thus get excluded from being Jewish. If you can exclude that religious definition, there are many many people who are descended from Jews.

Personally, I like the Macs because they are beautifully designed. The OSX interface is also gorgeous. But performance wise I can't tell any difference. However, I dislike Steve Jobs' constantly hyping OSX but greedily won't release it for other computer manufacturers. And then turn around and whine about how no one is willing to go for the OSX ride. Sorry, the world does not revolve around Steve Jobs, it revolves around Benjamin Franklin's.

Keikonium
Reply #22 Saturday, August 5, 2006 9:52 AM
To much to read, so I'll toss in my two cents.

Like you said, those commercials don't help at all. They portay PCs as boring hunks of plastic with a screen (and pie charts). Then portay Macs as the "fun" machine. I personally have more "fun" with a PC than a mac. Those round mice were just stupid. The eye bleeding colors of the machines weren't all that great.

I do however very much like the way they operate. With all the special effects and especially how smooth everything looks. PCs are all squared (visually... like windows and such), and when attempted round, looks kinda crappy.

Just merge the companies into Macrosoft to get rid of the hate .

But right now, those commericals just make mac users look like pricks (which isn't true... I've got good friends who live by their macs ), and I never would have used a Mac over a PC anyway (to much software I use thats PC only ).

WebGizmos
Reply #23 Saturday, August 5, 2006 10:39 AM
Not me! I hate those dang Pepsi people! Now those suckers have got to go!   

Personally I think the Mac/Pc feud is just plain silly!   

Chuckf1
Reply #24 Saturday, August 5, 2006 12:41 PM
I used to drive a Dodge. Now I drive a Honda. Do I feel the need to trash Dodges? Nope. It's just a another car to drive to get me where I'm going.

I used to drive a Mac. Now I drive a PC. Do I feel the need to trash Macs? Nope. It's just another OS to "drive" to get me where I'm going.

UBoB
Reply #25 Saturday, August 5, 2006 1:35 PM
I don't hate macs, just snotty mac users. (but only the snotty ones).

Gideon MacLeish
Reply #26 Saturday, August 5, 2006 1:54 PM
I don't like macs because they are far too expensive for the work I do on a computer, and because I can't "build" a mac. I like the fact that PC's can be cusomized more easily.

But for someone who wants a mac, more power to ya!

HG_Eliminator
Reply #27 Saturday, August 5, 2006 2:36 PM
theres twits on both sides thinking that the OS on their PC's some how makes them superior(and yes unless you have a main frame in your place you are using a P.C. or personal computer). its like the chevy vs ford argument, its all about a few zealots needing to feel "included and superior" in a sub culture. Driving a ford or chevy, just like having XP or OS X dosent make you superior to those who use the latter.

To the zealots it's all about "feeling" superior.

And yes i have used both MAC and MS based Personal Computers. both have their good and bad points but I see no "Be all end all" to either that would make me want to worship one or the other ...

Just my 2 cents:

Gideon MacLeish
Reply #28 Saturday, August 5, 2006 2:51 PM
To the zealots it's all about "feeling" superior.


(mutters something about winning the Special Olympics and still being a retard).

Sorry, folks, can't help it. "Smarmy Gid" is at the helm today!

UBoB
Reply #29 Saturday, August 5, 2006 3:17 PM
Driving a ford or chevy, just like having XP or OS X dosent make you superior to those who use the latter.


Yikes, I drive an Audi. What does that make me in this metaphor?

Dr Guy
Reply #30 Saturday, August 5, 2006 4:33 PM
A company is telling me that first a PC is Windows only and that I can't do neat things on it because it’s not a Mac. Hogwash!!


Reminds me of a comment I made on another blog. I stated that I was expecting home automation since the PC (not windows) became ubiquitos. The author corrected me and said they run their stuff on Linux, not PCs.

Oops!

Dr Guy
Reply #31 Saturday, August 5, 2006 4:37 PM
Yikes, I drive an Audi. What does that make me in this metaphor?


if it was a BMW, then you would be an inverted Porcupine!

But Audis? Auf Deutsch, you are a Mercedes wanna be!

SirSmiley
Reply #32 Saturday, August 5, 2006 6:56 PM
Zealousness aside. Statistics can be used to anyone's advantage. Massaging of statistics has long been a big companies game. Apple learned & used/uses guerilla tactics to market their product. On the marketing front there is no disputing the genius (asides from the recent campaign) of Apple's marketing & it's excellence in design & innovation. Smaller, faster companies can often accomplish this. If anything Apple's existence raises the bar on all levels.

With that said, many zealots often think that Microsoft wouldn't have existed without Apple...maybe so, but some other company would be there. Apple's best decision is also their most flawed decision. Keeping everything in house. Over the last few years we have seen the number of independent Mac developers increase. However, this still lags behind other platforms.

If Apple had grown to the size of Microsoft based on their exclusionary practices then they would have definitely broke up for clear anti-trust issues.

Being well educated doesn't make you well educated. Being both educated & wordly with a grasp of reality most likely does.

From my perspective the real inovation going on is amongst independent developers , the open source community, various universities across the world, and of course the customization/skinning community.

If you dig deep enough I'm sure the truly well educated don't care what particular system they use as long as it can accomplish what they want. Most often I suspect this is a multi-platform environment utilizing the best of all worlds.

PICHIN
Reply #33 Saturday, August 5, 2006 9:01 PM
I'm going to let all of you in on a little secret. I work in IT, and all the workstations, and servers that I work with are Windows based. But I lead a secret life, I use a Mac at home. I too was sucked into the world of Windows ever since the days of Win 3.1. One day after I somehow managed to get a virus on a brand spanking self built machine, and even though I had every firewall, popup blocker, and spam software available I decided to look into the Mac. I was surprised to learn that there is a really small percentage of people that use Macs. So I was a little skeptical at first, but thanks to my wife who has been a lifetime mac user I made the transition. At first I was like, "uhhhh ok, where's the START button,and sometimes I'd be a bit confused because I didn't know what this or that was or how to do such and such thing. But all in all there's nothing I can do in a PC that I can't do on my Mac. I LOVE IT! Those are my 2 cents.

MasonM
Reply #34 Saturday, August 5, 2006 9:11 PM
I'm currently developing my own operating system. It will only work on the hardware I provide, will be invulnerable to electronic virii, and will require a minimum of training in order to use. You'll be able to send mail without fear of spam or electronic virus infection.

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HG_Eliminator
Reply #35 Saturday, August 5, 2006 11:33 PM
Yikes, I drive an Audi. What does that make me in this metaphor?


hehe I drive an Eagle, so I too dont fit in the metaphor .. but I hear the arguements at work between chevy and ford owners .. it still amazes me the morons really believe the one they drive is superior and that makes them a better man or woman than those who drive the latter... ive seen the same with both sides of the OS battle.

It's sad to say some people really believe an exterior device can improve the person within......

Peter McKenna
Reply #36 Sunday, August 6, 2006 6:33 AM
I have a Dell. I have a MacIntel Mini (it really is a Mac, 'cuz I watch it load OS X). I have them networked together. They share a common internet router, printers and harddrives. It's really no big deal, this owning a Mac thing, except that it doesn't crash. Ever. Nada. Zippo. It's reliability cannot be equalled by anything this side of Bill Gates own home (and I'll bet he even has one in it!)

You can, quite literally, do everything on a Mac (ok, not everything, there is no OS X SQL Server, but let's not split hairs.) that you can on a WinPC machine. Sun Microsystems (the JAVA folks) have this open source Office suite that can create and read .doc,. .xls, .ppt, .vsd files, so if you have a platform (OS X)that's more stable than one that's perhaps a year from a major upgrade (Vista), why not stay with it. You lose nothing, and you get to be a snob like me!

Jafo
Reply #37 Sunday, August 6, 2006 6:41 AM

You lose nothing, and you get to be a snob like me!

But what if you want to be a higher-order of snob?....


Rodster
Reply #38 Sunday, August 6, 2006 7:36 AM
Probably because their most vocal pundits are so insufferably smug and misguided.

The computers themselves are 'fine'...


The first comment is the one that got it right.

foreverserenity
Reply #39 Sunday, August 6, 2006 10:11 AM
I can say that the "Apple" store, which is by the University of Washington campus, is a great place to go in and tryout a Mac computer


I noticed a trend with Macintosh, they love university campuses!


getting assimilated into the whole Caucasian community, thus get excluded from being Jewish.


Interesting observation. But for a different blog and from someone more equipt (ie knows more about it), but interesting observation.



Just merge the companies into Macrosoft to get rid of the hate


Oh blasphemy! Could be quite an interesting turn though!



Personally I think the Mac/Pc feud is just plain silly!


Silly and deliberate!


used to drive a Dodge. Now I drive a Honda. Do I feel the need to trash Dodges? Nope. It's just a another car to drive to get me where I'm going.


Chuck, we know it's all just about advertising and getting people to talk. Look how much 'talking' have gone on since those ads came out. People are being more vocal as someone else observed.


don't hate macs, just snotty mac users. (but only the snotty ones).


Bob, I think that's how most people feel. And from what I've read on those blog comments, good grief those people need a life!



But Audis? Auf Deutsch, you are a Mercedes wanna be!


LOL! Doc, you better run for cover, the Audi lovers are gonna get you!



I like the fact that PC's can be cusomized more easily.


This is what most people have said Gid.

Apple learned & used/uses guerilla tactics to market their product. On the marketing front there is no disputing the genius (asides from the recent campaign) of Apple's marketing & it's excellence in design & innovation. Smaller, faster companies can often accomplish this. If anything Apple's existence raises the bar on all levels.


Good points!




But I lead a secret life, I use a Mac at home.


Oh the horror Pichin! Say it ain't so! Couldn't resist!LOL!


I LOVE IT! Those are my 2 cents.


Thanks!


I'm currently developing my own operating system. It will only work on the hardware I provide, will be invulnerable to electronic virii, and will require a minimum of training in order to use. You'll be able to send mail without fear of spam or electronic virus infection.


M you're such an idiot!LOL! I love it!



but I hear the arguements at work between chevy and ford owners .. it still amazes me the morons really believe the one they drive is superior and that makes them a better man or woman than those who drive the latter...


It's amazing that we humans argue over stuff like that. When you think about it, this is exactly what these companies want. That's why they will keep building and producing better, faster, stronger (and in the case of some cars, they are NOT stronger) products for us to want and keep buying. Don't get me wrong, having an improvement is good, technology is fantastic, but when we start fighting over which is better and who is better than whom, and some people take this stuff pretty darn seriously, this is where we should question, what's the fuss about?


You lose nothing, and you get to be a snob like me!


A happy snob by the sound of it!





The first comment is the one that got it right.


I guess you're right. Although it was said by a few others too. They all got that right! Of course if they were only happy snobs like Peter! We could laugh with them!

Frogboy
Reply #40 Sunday, August 6, 2006 10:33 AM

Those new Mac commercials explain it well.

You've got some pompous jerk pimping the Mac acting like the PC can't do all the same things as the Mac.  That's the image Apple is intentionally projecting and it's the image we have of Mac users - a bunch of smug, elitist dweebs who are clueless about what you can do on a PC.

And they completely ignore their own problems:

Mac user: "So, I just got done using my new Mac to edit a totally rad DVD."

PC user: "Me too."

Mac user: "Yea, but is it as good as iDVD?"

PC user: "Well, in the sense that my camcorder is one of those new MiniDVD camcorders - which are totally awesome btw, it is better. Can iDVD handle MiniDVDs?"

Mac user: "Well..um no but MiniDVs - the tapes - are better for that kind of thing anyway."

PC user: "Yea, back in 1995 they were. Welcome to the 21st century."

 


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