My company is getting me a laptop, so I've been researching what kind to get. The majority of the writers, designers, and web team I work with have Mac laptops. When I mention to any of them which laptop I'm thinking of getting (a very cute little Dell), they first look aghast and then insist that I should lobby the powers-that-be to get a Mac. When I tell them I actually prefer a PC, they look very puzzled...and some have proceeded to tell me lies about why I absolutely need to get a Mac! But first...here's why I prefer PCs.
1. Much of my college years was spent in the Mac Lab. I knew no other computer because I believed that creative and cool people used Macs and nerds and geeks used PCs. This actually did have some truth back then--design software was originally only available for Macs in the 80s or so. My first major purchase in my life was a Mac desktop. I remember how I saved up all my money for so long to get one, and how excited I was to have my own computer with the ubiquitous fish-in-an-aquarium screensaver. And then I got my first job and used a PC for the first time. I was astounded. I could not believe that a computer wasn't actually supposed to freeze up and die every 2.5 minutes! I couldn't believe that I wasn't losing my work every five minutes because of all the crashes! I couldn't believe that a computer didn't have to take five minutes to save a file! I felt really duped. I'd saved up my money to buy a computer that I'd always believed was the computer to buy, and only later did I realize it was a piece of shit. I'm sure that Mac performance has improved since the mid-90s, but if a company screws me on a major purchase, there is 0% chance that I'll give them another try. (This is the same reason why I'll never buy an American car.)
2. Performance aside, I think Mac popularity today is mainly the result of brilliant marketing. Like Harley Davidson, Apple has created a culture around its products. A Harley is a symbol of freedom to its followers. And a Mac is the symbol of coolness. If you, poor sap, buy a Mac, you'll be instantly cool! So much cooler than those dorky people who use PCs! You'll be part of the in-crowd! My issue is that I don't like to be marketed to. I want to buy a product based on its own merit, not because a corporation tells me I'll be cool if I use it.
So, back to work and the lies. My co-workers have told me that the fonts we use at my organization aren't available for a PC; that InDesign files can't be shared; and that (this is the best!) Adobe software isn't even available for a PC! All lies--I've checked.
Hey, isn't it interesting that the word cult is in culture? Thanks, but no thanks, Mac people: I don't want to join your cult!
PS: Dave feels the same way. He researched MP3 players for over a year because he absolutely refused to buy an iPod and finally bought a nice touchscreen MP3 player last weekend.
PSS: Sorry if I offended the 7.51% of viewers of this blog who use a Mac, but you should leave the cult now, before it's too late.
5 years ago
