Are the Mac vs PC stereotypes true?

[alfredo]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/04/22/mac.pc.users/ind...

(CNN) -- Remember those Apple ads that cast the Mac as a 20-something, self-satisfied hipster while the PC was portrayed by an older, square-looking guy in a brown suit?

Well, those characterizations, unfair as they may be, appear to have some truth to them.

An unscientific survey by Hunch, a site that makes recommendations based on detailed user preferences, found that Mac users tend to be younger, more liberal, more fashion-conscious and more likely to live in cities than people who prefer PCs.

[RKP5637]

1. Wonder where that puts us linux users ... n/t

[alfredo]

4. Not sure. I was a Linux user for years.

[madokie]

10. I'm about one year in

in the linux world and love it. It was like I went out and bought a whole new computer when I finally did make the switch from windblows. I'm using ubuntu 11.04 beta 2 right now and can hardly wait for the final release on the 28th. Then I'll wipe my hard drive clean and install 11.04. The thing that held me back was Autocad doesn't run in linux but using wine I have autocad running as good as it ever did in xp.

screw mac's and screw pc's is what I say.

[retread]

20. I run kubuntu on my laptop. My pc is running Fedora 14. For free, these operating systems

are amazing. They take a little work to set up but once they are configured to the individual user's satisfaction they run forever.

[alfredo]

48. I"ve been trying to get Ubuntu 10.10 to run with VirtualBox

but I can't get it to work. I'm using the 32bit (recommended) version.

I get "cannot mount /dev/loop0." ...

[retread]

59. It seems you aren't the only one

From http://www.remastersys.com/forums/index.php?action=prin... ;topic=118.0

"That usually means the squashfs kernel module and the squashfs-tools versions are different. They MUST match.

What it means is that the filesystem.squashfs was built with a default option that your kernel module for squashfs doesn't understand or is out of the normal parameters for that version. This is why they have to match."


A fix?
"I booted into 2.6.28, ran remastersys, and it worked perfectly in VirtualBox and the LiveUSB.

Thanks!"

[alfredo]

71. I am going to drop back to an older version of Ubuntu

to see if it will boot. I have 8.04.

[alfredo]

74. I am posting in Ubuntu 8.04. I have it in full screen.

[TroglodyteScholar]

127. 8.04 isn't supported by Canonical any longer, is it?

I just installed Mint 9 after trashing the Natty beta I'd been running for a bit (crashed while updating something). Unity is pretty nice, but it's not nearly ready for prime time.

[alfredo]

142. I've had this laying around the house for some time. I have

lost touch with the Linux community.

[pokerfan]

82. I've been running Ubuntu for several years now

It just works. It never crashes and I've never seen a virus.

[alfredo]

83. There were a handful of Linux Apps that drew me to Linux,

but now that they run on OSX, I see little need for Linux. I do miss Linux, but right now OSX fills my needs.

[david13]

108. Wasn't the Linux user depicted on South Park, as one of the gamers?

I thought that was probably accurate. He comes up on googleimage search under South Park Computer geek.
dc

[MattBaggins]

22. If you have any devices running on Android

then you are a Linux user still.

Cell Phones
Tablets
E-Readers

[alfredo]

49. Yes, and iOS is BSD.

[pokerfan]

138. The Story of Linux

Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Linux with us. Watch the Story of Linux to remember - or learn for the first time - how Linux disrupted a market and has begun to change the world. Do you see yourself in its story?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ocq6_3-nEw

[yeswecanandwedid]

15. Think "revenge of the nerds"...

Just kidding, LOL.

[RKP5637]

42. Yep, LOL!!! n/t

[Aerows]

50. We're the cool

Ultra-liberals who secure the networks for the PC and Mac users .

[RKP5637]

62. Yep, absolutely true!!!

[hobbit709]

2. No serious gamer would be caught dead with a Mac.

[alfredo]

3. They would have a console.

[Orrex]

13. You're right--it makes a lot more sense to buy two systems where one would suffice.

Um...

[alfredo]

47. Some titles are for consoles only. The computer is for porn.

[phleshdef]

118. No console currently on this planet can touch my PC on gaming.

[Tesha]

6. And we Mac users are glad of that. (NT)

[Initech]

105. Steam is on Mac now. Steam = serious games.

Mac video cards still have a long way to catch up though.

[MH1]

5. People who prefer PCs are more likely to work at jobs where they use PCs

why have a Mac at home and a PC for work? why have to learn and deal with two different operating systems?

the whole having a job thing might also explain "older, square-looking" too.

[alfredo]

9. That's it. You can also frame it as PC's are imposed on you

and Macs are a choice. Macs are coming in the back door in enterprise in the form of iPhones and iPads. The creative arts and medical/research ventures have used Macs. My niece is in publishing and uses nothing but Macs. My wife's music was captured and edited on Macs. Nashville has a lot of Mac based studios.


I'm off line for a few hours see ya later.

[dotymed]

16. IF I could afford a Mac, I would have one.

My daughter who graduates from college this year has had one for years and it still is much faster, has better graphics and, overall, beats the hell out of the two cheap (Dell and Gateway PC's) that I have owned over the years.
I have never used a Linux. I am a disabled Union Carpenter, with a B.S. degree that I earned in the '80's. Maybe after my youngest child (14 y.o. son) leaves the nest, I will be able to afford a Mac. Currently, as a single, non-working (small pension but health insurance) father, I can only dream.
Last Christmas, I did buy my daughter and Son new i-pods and they have been terrific. For my daughter, this was an upgrade from the i-pod she has had since H.S., but the capabilities and reliability of these i-pods has just made me want a Mac even more.
I am not a very "tech-savvy" person AT ALL, but from what I have seen, the Apple Mac is a superior product. I can not say that I agree with the politics or beliefs of its founder Steve Jobs, on many levels. It seems that once you have been isolated from the "real world", especially the real America, after becoming a member of the uber-wealthy, your goals and recollections change immeasurably. This may not be the case with the very charitable (and, it seems, controlling and profit driven) Steve Jobs because I have no "stick" with which to measure his belief system from "then" to "now."

[Dawgs]

21. I am a tech person and prefer PC over MAC.

[RebelOne]

45. Macs are not expensive anymore.

I have a Mac Mini that I only paid $500 for not including the monitor. I bought a flat-screen 22-inch Samsung monitor for $139. So the total was only $639 about the same price as a PC.

[alfredo]

52. I bought a new Mac Mini earlier this month. It was $699.

I gave my wife my older Mini. Her 11 year old eMac that she kept on 24/7 finally gave up the ghost a couple hours after copying her drive contents to my computer.

[Dappleganger]

53. The new Minis are amazingly fast.

We have a really old mini (first gen) and another Mini which is 4 years old which still get used daily.

AND I have my old Cube running as a home media server (yes it's upgraded a bit but still is a workhorse). The main machine I use is a late 2007 2.3 ghz MBP, attached to a 24" dell screen.

[alfredo]

73. Though not perfect, I know what to expect from the Mac.

I got hooked into the Mac soap opera back in the 90's. One of their kernel programmers (MkLinux) filled me in on their long term strategy. I have watched it unfold with a little alteration to tactics. Back in the 90's they had their eye on becoming the content delivery system for Hollywood. QuickTime was at the center of this goal. That was why MS wanted to force Apple to "Knife the baby". (The baby being QuickTime) The DoJ investigation of MS probably gave Jobs enough leverage to convince Gates to back off and cut that deal.

[Nedsdag]

130. I was a PC user for years until I got a mega-virus on it which killed my Internet access.

That's when I decided to starve myself and buy a Mac. The only problem I have is I lose Internet access and I have to reboot my modem.

But all in all, I have no regrets.

[MorningGlow]

39. Nah.

I've always been bilingual--PC at work (when I was working FT) and Mac at home. Being forced to use a PC all day made me REALLY appreciate my Mac at home.

[Sherman A1]

Precisely

Plus, we Mac users get to sit at the "Cool Kids" table......

[alfredo]

126. It is what you associate with your computer. PC= Work

Mac = Fun. PC= Suit, Tie, and bad coffee. Mac= cutoffs, tee shirt, and beer.

[Hippo_Tron]

81. If you know how to use a PC, it takes 15 minutes to learn how to use a Mac

At work we use proprietary software that only runs on a PC. My laptop, however, is a Macbook pro. I'm also younger than the actor who plays "Mac" in the commercial.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. A big mac has more fat than a pc (potato chip) n/t

[Iggo]

63. Ounce for ounce?

[eShirl]

8. I've found that professionals in the entertainment arts tend to have Macs

thinking specifically of film editors

[Iggo]

64. Musicians, too.

[Bill McBlueState]

80. and scientists

Most of us in the astronomy community use Macs because of the seamless transition between the "unix-like" environment where we do all our data analysis and the "commercial-operating-system-like" environment where we do all our communicating.

[AlabamaLibrul]

135. And photographers, to continue the conga line

I'm not one, not that I wouldn't like to be.

[mmonk]

11. Nope.

Mac is a proprietary system that is more expensive and "crashes different". The primary reason it has less malware and virus attacks is due to its smaller market share (so less are written for it).

Apple says Macs don't crash.

[Ezlivin]

30. Less market share - Then explain Unix

Unix backs most of the servers running today; it has the largest "market share" yet it has no malware or virus attacks.

The Mac's OS is based on BSD Unix.

It has nothing to do with market share. If someone, anyone could infect all Macs they would have already done it just for the bragging rights.

[Silent3]

51. It's not an either/or issue

I think Macs do tend to have fewer exploitable vulnerabilities to viruses and other malware than PCs, nevertheless some real nasty vulnerabilities are discovered on a regular basis in Macs and other Apple products like iPhones. For some reason these vulnerabilities have mostly stayed in the lab and aren't often found in "the wild", however. Lower market share must figure into that, especially lower market share in places like Russia where a lot of the malware out there comes from these days.

[Egnever]

66. it is vulnerable just like anything else

I dont know where you get the idea Unix is not susceptible to virus or malware. Maybe apple marketing hype?

[Ezlivin]

68. I get the "idea" from the lack of attacks

Can you please provide evidence to the contrary? I would appreciate any data showing a widespread, successful attack on a Unix system.

And Apple did not create/invent BSD Unix; it simply uses as the foundation for the OS.

[Egnever]

75. You are now changing the framing

The first widespread worm was targeted at unix

The first internet based attack was the morris worm which targeted several versions of unix simultaneously. It took down many unix based systems. It even crossed over to Milnet and took down hundreds of military systems. That was well over 10 years ago.


There have been more since then...

Linux/UNIX threats
With the announcement of the Klez virus infection on Linux platforms, leading antivirus vendors started reminding us that Microsoft operating systems are not the only vulnerable OS when it comes to viruses. Even though users of Linux and other popular UNIX platforms may not be big users of the Microsoft bundled applications that transmit viruses, Linux and UNIX have their own vulnerabilities that may not be apparent at first glance.

Aside from Klez, other major threats affecting Linux/UNIX platforms are the Lion.worm, the OSF.8759 virus, Slapper, Scalper, Linux.Svat, and the BoxPoison virus—just to mention a few.

[alfredo]

85. Many need input from the user.

[Egnever]

100. As do most viruses today

only about 2 % of viruses today are able to use operating system vulnerabilities to install themselves, the vast majority require user input.

[alfredo]

103. That's one reason you don't see much problem with the Nix's.

The users are a bit more savvy.

[mmonk]

111. The Mac os is subject to malware, viruses, trojans, and key stroke loggers

as well.

[Orrex]

12. I prefer Apple products because I want Steve Jobs to know where I am every single second of the day

Also, I like Mac because it costs a shitload more than a PC to buy and maintain. That kind of deliberate and arbitrary market-gouging is a feature I simply can't do without!

[cameozalaznick]

93. I wouldn't go so far as to call it price gouging...

The fact is, I've paid more for my macs, but they simply last forever. My primary machine is five years old and a client was amazed at how fast it was compared to his much newer Piece of Crap (that must be what PC stands for).

[Orrex]

102. Well, here's my general response to experiences like yours

I have a friend who's a professional photographer. He bought a then-top-of-the-line Mac in 2006, costing about 5X what I paid for my (admittedly lower (but not 5x lower) performance) PC. In the space of a year, he spent far more in repairs on that machine than all the PC owners I've known before or sense, excluding business owners, that is.

As a result, he lost tons of irreplaceable data and compromised his reputation as a photographer because of the loss of countless image files. Sure, he had a great many of them backed up, but that's really beside the point.

In about 20 years of PC ownership, I've never had a hard drive crash except once, and that was directly due to an error that I made, rather than system failure.

So at the end of the day, I guess YMMV.

[nolabels]

119. This one is 8.5 years old

I have two newer better and faster ones but this one is still getting used because i believe in using everything till it wears out or doesn't do what i need it too. It's too slow for 7 or a Blueray player but it surfs just fine

[Heidi]

123. His Apple guarantee didn't cover repairs within a year of purchase? VERY odd.

My new MacBook Pro came with a one-year guarantee, with an affordable option to extend the guarantee.

[Orrex]

132. It covered some but not all, and it didn't do anything for his lost data

So even if he was able to get a new drive, that wouldn't really help him except with the basic hardware.

[eShirl]

14. personally, I wish there were more choices

each has its merits and its faults.

I currently have a refurbished PC running Vista since I (finally) found my Vista restoration disc. It was running Ubuntu for a year before that. I need something more universally compatible and a little more dummy-friendly than Ubuntu is so far.

[MattBaggins]

24. Android

scaling upwards at a nice clip.

If you really want to jump in and get your hands dirty; try Gentoo.

[ThomWV]

17. My wife bought me a MAC a year ago - I won't go back to PCs

[Logical]

115. I have used both. Hate macs. Too expensive and arrogant company. n-t

[pintobean]

18. "fashion-conscious"

That's it.

[MorningGlow]

40. I disagree

They're good looking, yes, but the reason I have always owned Macs is because they're just plain easier to use. That's it!

[alfredo]

88. That's all about that 18 to 35 demographics. That gets the

customer into the door. A good product keeps them coming back. Apple has been good at living up to the hype. Good design marketed well, backed up with great service and , innovative retail strategy is how they did it.

Everyone talks about Steve, but without the Jon Ives' ability to make real what Jobs envisions, Apple might not be the powerhouse it is today.

It's not enough to be hip, you got to deliver the goods.

[cameozalaznick]

94. Nope...

Macs are more reliable and last much longer. And they're easier to use. They're like the Honda of computers.

[sendero]

19. "more fashion-conscious"..

... that's it right there. The technical advantages Macs had over PCs ended over a decade ago. But some people just like paying more for proprietary stuff that looks cool and carries the aura, and only an aura, of technical superiority.

[bettyellen]

25. Mac has always been the choice of creatives in publishing, film,fashion, music and media because

they were always cutting edge in programs for those occupations It's goes quite a bit deeper than "looking cool" for these people, Macs are very reliable and very easy to use, and feel worth it if you aren;t and don;t care to be tech savy. I've gone back and forth between Macs and PCs, and Macs are much hatder to screw up, trust me, I have tried! My brand new Dell is a slow hot mess compared to my four year old Mac book.

[sendero]

26. Yes..

.... 15 years ago. No longer true at all.

[bettyellen]

28. Nope, now- Macs are still wildly popular because they perform well, they built up loyalty

in the creative fields abd they cemented it by providng elegant and intuitive systems (that make work a joy) that are very very durable, I freelanced all over NYC, and can't count the number of times I sat around doing nothing because PC based systems were down and no one could work. LOL. And these people thught they were saving money by buying PCs. Suckers.

[sendero]

31. Loyalty..

... is fine, but the advantages Macs had over PCs were over 10-15 years ago. I've saved plenty of money buying PCs - which have been as stable as Macs once we got to XP.

As for the vaunted prowess of Macs, I still remember when a girlfriend's Mac crashed continually as she tried to open a huge graphics file back in 1997. The idea that Macs never crash, well, bullshit.

Yes PCs were junk until XP came along. I get that, but that was a long long time ago.

[bettyellen]

61. all of the pro music and video folk I know say it;s far superior to the PC

but what do they know, they only have thriving careers, wow, you saw a Mac crash once, well that;s it- I'm done!

[Dappleganger]

54. Software integration is why I first began using Macs.

[retread]

23. Yes. If you allow corporate propaganda/advertising to guide your "thinking."

[alfredo]

92. You're right, but you need to deliver the goods. Apple has

been able, with a few hiccups along the way, to deliver a good product year after year.

They've had a business model that they have stayed true to. It's been fun watching their strategy play out.

[Taitertots]

27. They didn't ask about the biggest difference... Income

Mac users tend to be people who can afford to pay three times as much for the exact same computing power.

[cameozalaznick]

95. But ends up costing less if you amortize the price over the life of the

Equipment. Ten year old Mac? Just did my taxes on it. Can a ten-year-old PC do that?

[Taitertots]

107. A ten year old mac was obsolete 5 years ago

At least if you expect to be able to use new programs, which I expect to be able to do. So I would have to buy a new mac every three or four years just to be able to use it. You can do your taxes, can you even run Catia V4 on your ten year old mac?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

145. hardly, i bought my mac cos i got sick of the problems with pc's

and wanted a stable computer through grad school. in fact, i was at my poorest when i got my mac

[PBS Poll-435]

29. Now that a Mac is nothing more than a PC with a cute O/S, does it really matter?

Intel chips, DDR3, SATA or SS hard drives.

Not much difference except for the fluffy O/S and expensive packaging.

[NYC_SKP]

33. Those SS drives make me drool....

I just sold my MB Air for cash to put toward either another smaller air with SS drive or, gasp, and new Pro!

But might wait for the thunderbolt drive thingy to come out...

[PBS Poll-435]

36. Why are you up so early! It's Saturday!

[Dappleganger]

55. You forgot an important item: customer service.

Apple's customer service experience is overwhelmingly consumer-friendly and a major reason for brand loyalty.

[NYC_SKP]

32. I can't afford to buy PCs, that's why I have mostly Macs.

PCs would cost too much money. My first new PC, a VAIO, lost it's hard disk after about 7 months.

I still have a Toshiba for the few programs that need a PC platform, but it lost some functionality and the dealer wouldn't honor the warranty.

On the other hand:

I've had two iPhones replaced after warranty expiration.

This year alone, Apple replaced the keyboard and case top AND the battery on a four-year old Macbook, almost three years past warranty.

They also put a new hard disk in my Macbook Air, WHILE I WAITED!

Apple Store.

Apple Genius Bar.

Nothing fucking like it in the PC world.

I can't afford a PC.

[proud2BlibKansan]

58. Amen

My iPhone was replaced for free at the Apple store last year even though it was out of warranty. The reason they didn't charge me was because I had to wait quite awhile - I had walked in with a broken phone and no appointment - and they also had a lengthy wait on the phone with AT&T to get my new phone activated. The manager apologized and said he didn't feel right about charging me for my new phone.

Their customer service is just incredibly awesome.

[Taitertots]

114. You could buy three PCs for the price of one Mac

In more than 10 years of buying computers, I don't think I have spent enough on multiple PCs to have purchased a single Mac with comparable features.

[Bluenorthwest]

34. Mac for 'fashion consious' that is the stone of it right there

Apple's advertizing is so cynical and yet effective in building brand loyalty in people who think they are immune to advertizing and who in general think brand loyalty is passe. They are cute machines for those who don't want to know much about a system, who want baby sitter tracking, who prefer glitz to value.
To me, Mac users are people who claim Macs have no problems, yet they know all about dropping their Mac at the Mac store for repairs. When they get it back, they say 'Macs never break like PCs'. It is amazing to me.
They are computers and phones. To 'feel' things because of them is a sickness, not a bonus. Their ads are so new that they are old, they simply say 'buy our product and you are cool'. They say very little about the product itself. They comment on how they see users of the competition's products. Not how they see the competition's products, but how they see the users. Imagine a car commercial by Honda that said 'Ford buyers are like old boring men, buy a Honda and be smirky cool'. Or 'Those who do not buy a Lexus are unattractive'. The fact that this product is over priced, gimmicky, glitch laden and invasive does not matter, if you buy one, you are cool, like an Escalade or a case of Crystal.

[KatyMan]

35. Computers are tools.

For some types of work, PCs are best. For others, you should have a Mac. For others, you should have a *nix machine. The key is finding the right tool for the right job, and for most home users a PC is best. This debate is silly.

[Orrex]

37. Heh heh. You said "tools."

[KatyMan]

38. heh heh heh

[hunter]

41. Ford vs. Chevy. MacDonalds vs. Burger King.

Different flavors of consumerism.

I'm an artist. I make cars and computers out of trash.

My 1985 car has a salvage title and 250,000 on the odometer. My trash laptop runs LXDE on Debian.

If somebody gave me a shiny new computer first thing I'd do would be to install Linux. Maybe I wouldn't delete the operating system it came with, either Apple or Microsoft, but I'd certainly confine it to it's own tiny partition where it would remain unused and never booted.

I choose to live as a hunter-gatherer in a world of serendipity, not a world of predefined and externally dictated "choices." Life is not a bubble test demanding a number two pencil and True/False A,B,C,D,E right or wrong answers.

[RKP5637]

43. +1, n/t

[TroglodyteScholar]

128. +1 again

(Was supposed to be in reply to #41, no offense RKP)

[blogslut]

57. I like the way you think

New new new. Upgrade upgrade upgrade. Shiny shiny shiny.

Feh.

I'm typing this on my ten-year old Thinkpad that I bought for $80 a year ago. I run XP from a Dell recover disk that came with my refurbished Net-Vista that I bought for $150 five years ago. I just shoved in some xtra RAM on both machines and they run like a sweet, sweet dream. The desktop dual boots so I can run Kubuntu when I want it. I got Puppy on a stick that I can pop into the laptop whenever I feel like it.

MS and Apple can take their oppressive, bloated, proprietary planned obsolescence and bite me. These are my machines and I will run them the way I choose.

[NJCher]

69. Love that phrase!

I choose to live as a hunter-gatherer in a world of serendipity...

That's me, too! I never thought to put in such a clever way, however.

I was thinking about how I hardly ever go out and buy anything. I just absorb what comes my way and make it work for me.

Well, except for gasoline.

Stuff that I need just comes my way. Sometimes it comes my way and I don't even know I need it but I find out later that I do.


Cher

[CBGLuthier]

44. The guy who plays the PC has much better career. The other guy a better haircut.

I go with the guy with the career and not the haircut slacker wannabee.

[Dappleganger]

56. Actually, the smart one knows all three systems.

Many businesses use both macs and pc's (occasionally linux thrown in there). My brother-in-law's software sim business up in VA switched a couple of years ago to integrated, so they require that everyone know how to use Macs and PC's.

[RebelOne]

46. Totally wrong.

I am 72 years old and a Mac user and extremely liberal.

[WA98296]

60. Those ads are so great BECAUSE they are spot on.

I have both, and often wonder WHY people put up with the crashes and BS that Windows has to offer.

[ecstatic]

65. My cousin bought a mac and couldn't use most of her favorite Windows programs

as a result. I warned her but she got suckered in. However, there's a psych component involved because even though she was at an obvious disadvantage, she loved the feeling of having a mac. I'll consider a mac when every program that runs on windows can run on it. I also want to be able to use pirated programs if I so choose. "Choice" is the key word

[Elwood P Dowd]

78. You can run Windows on a Mac

unless it's an old as hell Pre-Intel PowerPC.

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=win...

[Pisces]

67. For a first time user, mac is the only way to go. Easy set up and easy to use. PC's require to much

trouble shooting and constant issues. For people who want to surf the net and send e-mails there is no other choice. Take the cool out of it and just base off of ease of use and mac wins hands down.

[Initech]

70. I'm a former Mac user who switched back to PC.

I have to say that Mac OS is so much more limiting to what it can do than Windows is.

[Rex]

72. No, it is all bullshit to get you to spend money on something you

believe is superior (which in some ways it is), because some actors told you so. MACs are no better or worse then our average modern PC. They do somethings better, but by and large have only one main advantage - little to no viruses on the MAC. Beyond that, you are paying those actors salaries.

[Quantess]

76. The mac operating system is better than windows.

PCs are cheaper, though.

I use an imac at work, and I absolutely love it. My PC at home is a disappointment to come home to.

[alfredo]

99. MS has had to code for a wide array of hardware, apple doesn't.

MS has had to be everything to everybody, and that makes their task much tougher.

[frylock]

77. home brewin is the way to go..

why not have a system with all three operating systems?

[pokerfan]

79. I was up all night building a website for my cat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg1-ywndVNc

[kenny blankenship]

84. Yes, all the stuff you see in advertising is true.

And the companies paying for the advertising and companies who craft these messages are just trying to help you out.

[alfredo]

86. The best advertising has a kernel of truth.

[kenny blankenship]

87. Clap On! Clap Off!

Clap On. Clap Off. The Clapper.

I remember it after all these years. You must be right.

CH-CH-CH-CHia.

And so on.

The best advertising is the purest bullshit that can be found or made in a laboratory.

[alfredo]

89. The clapper worked as advertised, same as the chia pet.

No amount a marketing can long make up for a bad product.

Apple's Mac/PC ad worked because they know their audience. They also work with Chait/Day, one of the best marketing company there is.


Sure it is bullshit, but it works. It works because it isn't total bullshit. There's some solid market research behind their ads.

[MrMickeysMom]

90. hee-hee...

(written on my new MacBookPro)

[MadHound]

91. I don't fit the stereotypical Mac profile,

But the reason I love Macs is a very practical one, they work, and work well. Yes, I have to pay a little more for a new one, but I don't have to worry about fits, freezes, blue screens of death, virus', etc. I simply turn my Mac on and it runs. And runs, and runs, and runs. My current eMac is now eight years old, and still going strong. I haven't had to do a thing to it, if fulfills all of my home computing needs.

Meanwhile, PC users that I know have replaced their own computers twice or three times in the same time span. I would rather pay the price for quality up front, rather than paying for mediocrity over and over.

[cameozalaznick]

96. I'm thinking all these cynical people who say...

"no difference between Mac and PC, blah, blah, blah" are obviously PC users who have probably not a speck of experience with Macs. I used pcs for 10 years and now ten years with Mac. The difference is astonishing. I occasionally have to work on a PC for some reason or another ( usually to help a friend troubleshoot a problem) and I say, "once you go Mac, you never go back."

[IndyPragmatist]

98. My parents bought me a Mac for college in 04...

It was very fast and I really enjoyed it. Then the motherboard died on me and it wasn't under warranty (2years).

I then bought a HP pavillion for the same price that the macbook was and I'm still using it without a single hiccup. Before windows 7, I would have given Macs the advantage because of the OS. Windows 7 works great, and I can get better hardware for a lesser price. I prefer a PC.

But then again, I know how to use windows very well and make use of many features that most people don't even know about. Some people would prefer a Mac because it is much more simple, and for those people, that's the best choice. But my Windows 7 machine is spectacular and I would much rather have a top of the line PC than a Macbook pro.

[MrMickeysMom]

97. So, as I agree... in the long run, you pay LESS

I have a 2004 PowerBook G4 and a new MacBookPro.

When you cost it out, there is FAR, FAR less upkeep, no viruses EVER (well, so far) and longevity and reliability.

[Cleita]

101. I always thought the comparison was about something

that needed to be fixed a lot and behind the times personified by the PC in the brown suit. Whereas the attractive Mac with all it's cool apps and frankly nearly perfect performance was personified by the handsome guy, who looks like he keeps himself fit by eating right and going to the gym regularly. After using a PC for nearly a decade, I finally got a Mac a couple of years ago and I will never do Microsoft again.

[alfredo]

104. The images were the message.

Computers have come a long way since BasicV on a mainframe.

[Bombero1956]

106. hate those commercials

and I hate stereotypes. To me what is says is that Apple is so insecure about it's product line that they have to insult the users of the other company's products. I feel the same way about Pepsi vs Coke and McDonald's vs Burger King. At the end of the day what has it gained Apple, Burger King and Pepsi, nothing because they're still second bananas.

[tabasco]

109. That's what I thought too.

The Apple "we're so cool" advertising reminds me of jerkoffs I knew in high school.

[alfredo]

112. You got to know the age group targeted by the ad. If anything, Apple is not

Insecure. They have a market cap bigger than IBM, they don't follow rules, they make them. They have no debt, they have at least 50 billion cash on hand. Their competitors are scrambling to catch up. Apple/Pixar insiders control much of the creative process at Disney. they have transformed the music industry.They have transformed how computers are designed and marketed. Their retail strategy is being copied by other computer companies. they have been able to dominate the mind-space of the public since the first iMac. They are on the offense, everyone else is on defense. They act, others react.

Insecure, no. Look at their charts over the last ten years, then compare them with other tech companies. Compare their chart with NASDAQ over the same period.
Compare them to Dell. Remember when Michael Dell said that Apple should give back their investor's money and shut down? Compare Apple's numbers to Dell's over the past ten years. They have clout well beyond their size.

[Paladin]

113. All That "Clout": And They Still Come Up With For-Shit TV Ads? (n/t)

[alfredo]

120. Those "for shit" ads have changed advertising. They are still

using the same ad company that produced the game changing 1984 ad. It ran once and changed TV advertising forever.

Those ads are about selling an image as much as the product.

http://www.spike.com/video-clips/26d5kr/virus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im5goVQ5FIk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ76p_K-0kg&feature=rela...

[baldguy]

141. If they're not insecure, why do they track their iPhone & iPad users every second of the day?

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/21/2817903/apple-slam...

Would a liberal company do that?

[Logical]

116. Yes, I was close to getting a mac when those came out. Then....

the stupid unattractive PC guy and the smart good looking Mac guy. Realized they were making fun of me so stuck with PCs.

[tilsammans]

122. Agree w/you

Much as I adore my Mac (I'll never go back to Windows), I find those commercials snobbish and condescending.

[brooklynite]

110. If you go to Macworld Expo....

You'll see more grey hair than purple. Macs certainly appeal to young tech-saavy hipsters, but they've also held onto the market that started out with them in the 80's.

[alfredo]

125. You know what to expect from their products.

[Logical]

117. Macs have more of a cult following.......

Like Harleys in the motorcycle world. No logic for it but more of a cult feeling. Like part of a private club.

If I was Apple I would sell EVERYTHING. They have a customer base that will buy anything with "Apple" on the label.

[alfredo]

121. They are smart enough to stay within their core business.

Apple has shown great discipline over the years.

Part of the cult following has to do with designing a machine that encourages an emotional connection. Look and feel the Mac Pro. It is a beautiful piece of metal. There are no seams, no sharp edges. Open it up and it is as clean on the inside as on the outside. Pick up and hold a MacBook Air or iPhone.

Try an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard. Push the on off switch and look at the light on the top right. When it goes off, try to find the light.
Attention to details is a strong suit with Apple's design team. Now feel how the keyboard responds to your typing. Pick it up and inspect it. See how it feels in your hand, and how it looks. You might think all this is trivial, but it isn't. It is part of how Apple has built a cult following and how they have kept that following all these years.

Their UI is soft, pastel, rounded corners. It is friendly. MS has made great strides in making a better looking UI, but they still haven't gotten the "feel" and the unobtrusiveness of the OSX UI.

Apple has an industrial design team that is the envy of the tech world. They lend credence to what marketing says. If they hadn't been able to deliver on the promise, Apple would had died a long time ago.

[IDemo]

124. The only Macs I've ever touched were at work

and that was simply to remove the existing hard drive so our developmental drives could be tested.

I have built (OK, assembled) well over 100 PC's of various capabilities and maintain them at work. I don't see myself moving to a platform where I'm expected to take it to a "Genius" whenever I require an upgrade or other service.

[Taverner]

129. Not even

Here is your PC user



And here is your Mac user

[Modern_Matthew]

131. These correlations are such bullshit. MACs are ovepriced with underperforming hardware...

You have a bigger selection with PCs.

[BOG PERSON]

133. probably a case of life imitating art

i.e. if you think advertising is an art-form.

[Awsi Dooger]

134. Stereotypes are nearly as wonderful as the Mac itself

As a sports bettor I don't know where I'd be without categorization. It's not Raiders vs. Chiefs, it's a sub-.500 team giving 8 points, and that's basically all you need to know. Negative expectation. Take the points and you'll win 6 of 10.

I'm always trying to steal 5 percent here or there to eliminate the bookmakers' juice. Stereotyping similarly allows a small edge in situation after situation. You don't apply it to specific individuals but in traveling as much as I do it helps alter conversation and expectation, depending on the state or group. For example, one of the great discoveries of all time is guys make lousy ice cream cones, barely threatening the top of the rim. When ordering, insist a female does it. They like 'em high. I hesitate to guess the reasoning. My friend says bodily related. I only know it works.

In the case of the famous commercials it's very simple: PC users didn't feel threatened for a decade or more. Apple was in decline, and mostly ridiculed. PC users likely didn't know anyone who used a Mac. Someone mentioned Michael Dell's famous dismissive comment. And it seemed like all you needed for job as tech analyst or writer was a few anti-Apple digs.

It was a homogeneous group, and happily so. Beginning with the iMac, Steve Jobs steadily changed the terrain, even if it took at least 5-8 years for PC users to turn around and get a hint that their cute jokes about Apple going out of business might not be so clever or valid.

The commercials stung because it coincided with their kids wanting an iPod and insisting Apple is cool. PC parents were jolted at the dinner table and during prime time a few hours later. They didn't like it, beer belly and all.

Regardless, I'm still waiting for the stereotype of the Mac as virus free to fall apart. Years and years ago when I touted Apple stock on this forum and elsewhere I was told repeatedly that Apple couldn't win, that if the company became more popular then viruses and crashes would automatically attach.

[HarveyDarkey]

136. I have a dual boot system

Ubuntu 10.4 which I use 95% of the time and micro$oft XP Pro which I boot to when I want to run software (Photoshop, Pinnacle Studio etc) that absolutely won't run on Linux. I NEVER go online with windoze.

[Odin2005]

137. In other words, they are Latte "Liberal" snobs and jerks.

I knew that already.

FUCK "FASHION".

[Tikki]

139. Yes more Lib, fashion aware...live near city....not

young.
Never owned anything but Apple products..

Know nothing about PC.



Tikki

[baldguy]

140. I hate Macs.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

143. which mean last year, i was an old white fat guy and this year i am a skinny white hipster guy

[Dappleganger]

144. We should add children in restaurants and breastfeeding to this thread for more win.