On the current macintosh computers, there isn’t (much) vendor lock in; you can run OSX, or Windows, or Linux or BSD (not sure about Solaris, but you probably can), and run any program you wish that work with the installed operating systems without any hassle. If apple doesn’t want to sell their OS for other (99% compatible out of the box) hardware, I can live with that.
On the mobile appliances the story is different, especially on the iPhone/iPad store; it’s only possible to install “apps” that have to be approved by Apple. Current rules seem to include that any app showing pictures of “skin” - this includes anyone wearing a bikini - will be removed from the store. This particular rule has only been enforced for a week or two. Before that, non-actual-nudity was all right. Before that, it was permitted to publish a dictionary. Not any more; any mention of sex, genitals or other “dirty stuff” seems now to be forbidden. Tough luck developing and selling (or giving away) apps if Apple can just pull them from the only viable and “legal” channel.
Also: if you want to transfer files from your Ipod to your computer, you pretty much have to install software on that machine that is provided by Apple - and early versions of iTunes at least had a horrible record of messing with your music collection when syncing between multiple devices. Even on the mp3 player I got for free 3 years ago I can move files to and from the thing over usb using the standard “removable drive” system that works everywhere without any crappy software.
If the question is whether most of the mac premium is paying for “cool factor” then I would say no for the desktop and yes for the laptop.
The “mac premium” for laptops is significant, the “mac premium” for desktops is much smaller and similarly configured PC desktops often contain stripped down parts that make upgrading difficult, upgrading advantages become slimmer for laptops.
The biggest problems I have with the Mac desktop is the lack of a rightclick button on the mouse, many websites are not optimized for Macs (so the layout looks a little strange) and the peripherals are waaaaay overpriced.
I just wanted to say that this was my (admittedly rather tech-ignorant) take on it as well.
To the average, non-savvy customer (and I think I’m a good representative) one advantage Mac has is that you don’t need to be tech-savvy to do a lot of stuff with it. That may be the case with the newer PCs, I dunno, but it was not my experience previously.
Also, customer relations. The Apple store was good with that, I thought - very good in getting people comfortable with using their stuff.
All that counts for far more than any “cool” factor (which is basically a non-concern for a desktop for home use - I mean, no one sees it anyway).
No, you’re wrong. The drivers aren’t already installed for every device in existence, that’s a wholly bizarre claim to make. Like Windows they’re installed when you connect the device. No discs or anything needed, and it’s done without you even knowing. Maybe there were a few devices with XP that had trouble (never came across any myself - save a USB device for my piano keyboard, but that didn’t even work on the Mac anyway). But Vista onwards everything is auto.
I have a printer that won’t work with Macs too, but it’s quite old, so that kind of thing is expected.
If you really like the Mac GUI, you can even make Windows look like it. No idea why you’d want to though, I’m not really a fan of that dock thingy.
I have a list of nearly a thousand printer drivers when I open up my printer settings. I am currently running my Epson printer with a driver that is from an earlier printer that I never owned. I just like the way that driver works better, so that is the driver I use. At least for printers, the drivers are already installed.
I wouldn’t dismiss the importance of outdated information. Part of the selling point of any product is the reputation of the manufacturer. As of recently, that’s an advantage for Mac.
Everything I hear from those in the know (I don’t claim to be one) is that present-day Macs and PCs are just about as good as each other for most purposes as far as stability etc. goes - what Mac has going for it is a reputation, built over the last decade or so, for comparative quality.
Naturally, that can change, and should PCs prove trouble-free and as good as Macs on an on-going basis, folks will be less tolerant of paying more for Macs. But it is hardly irrational for people to make a business decision - whether to buy product A or B - based on their past experiences with the manufacturers of products A or B, and be willing to pay a premium for the products made by a company with a better rep for quality.
Not sure if you’re running a Mac or PC, but one of the most awesome things about the most recent edition of OS X (10.6 - Snow Leopard) is that all the printer drivers aren’t there by default. They’re downloaded when needed (quickly, I might add). Saves a TON of disk space. Yes, Apple’s presuming you’re on the Internet, but these days, I’d say that’s not an issue for an overwhelming majority of users.
Apple has supported mice that right-click for decades. They just didn’t make mice that did it. It was a form over function decision that I can understand (one of the key tenants of the Macintosh UI guidelines was that there be no invisible commands), but eventually the utility of multi-button mice made Apple’s resistance futile. Now Apple has mice that support gestures, something that AFAIK, no one else has.
I’m running Leopard, but I would hate to have them downloaded. It actually is an issue to get online sometimes. I don’t have wifi access at work for instance. At home we are on satellite internet, so are severely limited in the amount we can download. I have to wake up at 2:00 to get any OS updates.
I actually have a copy of Snow Leopard that came with the computer, but I haven’t had a reason to install it. Now I’m afraid that if I do, I will lose my drivers.
Yeah, that’s what happens with Vista, and it’s all done so quickly it’s sorted before you get time to click print. It seems a good few were included with XP, but it makes far more sense to have them download or more commonly I find - install from the device itself.
You won’t. The upgrade process keeps any drivers for printers you’ve actually used, probably based on the ones that are on your list of printers in the System Preferences.
I’m a huge Apple fan and iTunes is just awful and bloated. It honestly reminds me more of something Microsoft would design. If you just use it to manage your music library and put music on an ipod, no problem. Even managing all your video content be it movies or tv shows isn’t really a problem. Sure, “itunes” starts to become a misnomer but it’s hardly bloated. But then it becomes the one stop shop for updating and syncing your iphone or ipod. Want your calendar to automatically be on your iphone so you know when do do stuff? Load your music player! Want to download an updated operating system for your phone? Load your music player!
Now you could argue that those are not serious problems for users who can easily adapt but it doesn’t annoy me as a user. It annoys me as someone involved in software that Apple crams so many unrelated functions into their music player.
It’s been about three years since I last used iTunes, but back when I used it, installing it would often break some component of Windows, leaving me to figure out how to fix it. I also had a 700 mhz machine back then, and iTunes would bring that computer to its knees. Other media players, like Winamp, Windows Media Player, etc., ran just fine. I have no idea why a media player would need to be such a resource hog.
Now-a-days I run Linux, and I’ve decided that my life is much, much simpler if I never buy Apple products.
Aside from the things Superfluous Parentheses mentioned, there has been more than one occasion where Apple released “updates” for the iPod and/or iPhone specifically designed to break compatability with non-iTunes software.
What if I decided that I want to run OSX, but on non-Apple hardware? As I understand t, I’ll simply be SOL if I need any technical support.
Yeah, so far as I can find, multi-button mouse support has been around since OS 8.6 (at least that’s when contextual pop-up menus first had support.) That was 1997. So Apple’s been supporting multi-button mice for at least 12+ years now.
Anyhow, the first thing I did with my MacPro is replace the mouse. It looks pretty, but it destroys the hell out of my hand. I use an ergonomic mouse with four buttons and a scroll wheel, no problem for the OS.
