# Mac users - why do you like so few choices? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949 "2011-10-07T22:57:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/1 "2011-10-07T22:57:56Z")
When I buy a product I like to have a lot of choices. For a car, TV, clothes, furniture, watch, radio, guitar, beer, wine, etc. I can choose from many different models and styles from many different companies. But Mac users have 1 source to choose from and a very limited number of models. Isn’t that really strange? I can’t think of any other products like that but I guess there are some. ---
**Author:** ![WILDJC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cdc98d/32.png) [@WILDJC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILDJC)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/2 "2011-10-07T23:16:27Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > When I buy a product I like to have a lot of choices. For a car, TV, clothes, furniture, watch, radio, guitar, beer, wine, etc. I can choose from many different models and styles from many different companies. > > But Mac users have 1 source to choose from and a very limited number of models. Isn’t that really strange? I can’t think of any other products like that but I guess there are some. Because Macs have a robust OS, the best out there, and they do have various models to choose from. RIP Steve Jobs. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/3 "2011-10-07T23:19:45Z")
Because I have a choice of computers and operating systems to choose from. I just happen to chose the Mac. Dell fans also have one source to choose from and a limited number of models. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/4 "2011-10-07T23:22:51Z")
That’s like asking why high-end car buyers like having so few choices. When you decide that you are going to buy the best, you don’t need a lot of choices. Apple produces a range of Laptop, Desktop and Professional machines. One of them is sure to satisfy a potential buyer’s needs. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/5 "2011-10-07T23:25:38Z")
Because I like their philosophy\*, and I think having too many choices from one company is a bad thing. It’s not about how many of something there is, it’s about how they’re all integrated. Apple (Steve’s) philosophy was that they “made the whole widget”, in that if you stick with all Apple products across the board, you’ll find an ease of use and a level of integration between the products you just can’t get from buying your PC from Dell, your OS from Microsoft, your monitor from Sony, your MP3 player from Apple, your phone from Nokia, and your tablet from HP. \*imagine a 4-paneled grid. The columns being Consumer/Pro the rows Desktop/Portable. Top-right would be consumer/desktop = iMac; top-left is pro/desktop = Mac Pro; bottom-right is consumer/portable = Mac Book; bottom-left = Mac Book Pro. And within each of these categories are umpteen configurations and a host of offered peripherals. ---
**Author:** ![AlienVessels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@AlienVessels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlienVessels)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/6 "2011-10-07T23:32:12Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > When I buy a product I like to have a lot of choices. For a car, TV, clothes, furniture, watch, radio, guitar, beer, wine, etc. I can choose from many different models and styles from many different companies. > > But Mac users have 1 source to choose from and a very limited number of models. Isn’t that really strange? I can’t think of any other products like that but I guess there are some. Because on average, my Macs last twice as long as my PCs and require half the maintenance. I’ve had one of each on my desk at home and/or work since 1984. I’ve been a computer support tech since before that time. The choice you talk about is a false choice. If someone is buying a car, they aren’t going to look at every model of car. The features and finishing they want already limit the field of choice. And the bottom line is I don’t think the other manufacturers have a competitive model. They don’t run Mac OS (for the most part). ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/7 "2011-10-07T23:44:35Z")
“I will not go back” is all I have to say and “fewer choices” is simply irrelevant. The only thing that I can’t do is I can’t update “Defender” speed trap/red light camera GPS location data to my radar detector which requires an archaic PC program. Mom and pop radar detector companies can’t afford to offer Mac compatibility so you work with these things best you can. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/8 "2011-10-07T23:58:08Z")
> [@AlienVessels](#): > > Because on average, my Macs last twice as long as my PCs and require half the maintenance. I’ve had one of each on my desk at home and/or work since 1984. I’ve been a computer support tech since before that time. > > The choice you talk about is a false choice. If someone is buying a car, they aren’t going to look at every model of car. The features and finishing they want already limit the field of choice. > > And the bottom line is I don’t think the other manufacturers have a competitive model. They don’t run Mac OS (for the most part). They are not going to look at every model of car, but they are going to look beyond one make/brand. Except in a few cases they are not going to look at just Ford, or Toyota or Chevy. Even though all of those brands have a wide variety of models. Of course Toyota, Ford, etc. would love for people to not consider other brands, but that is not very common. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/9 "2011-10-08T00:10:59Z")
The question is not worded fairly. > [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > When I buy a product I like to have a lot of choices. For a car, TV, clothes, furniture, watch, radio, guitar, beer, wine, etc. Why not add computer to that list? Then choosing a Mac makes sense. ‘Car’ (using your example) is a general category, Mac is not. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/10 "2011-10-08T00:16:07Z")
I have a MacBook. Nearly five years old by now and running just fine with some warranty work. Now, it’s possible that I could have bought a laptop running Windows and have it be in the same condition, but I rather like the form factor. Besides, I can either boot into Windows or virtualize any operating system I want. I wouldn’t buy a Mac for gaming; I’d build myself a Windows box instead. But for something that is not easily user-serviced like a laptop, I’d get a new MacBook. And there are things to be said for not having to fight drivers or other hardware issues because of the hardware/software intergration. I’ve lost entire weekends working on my Windows box due to problems like that. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/11 "2011-10-08T00:17:02Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > They are not going to look at every model of car, but they are going to look beyond one make/brand. Except in a few cases they are not going to look at just Ford, or Toyota or Chevy. Even though all of those brands have a wide variety of models. > > Of course Toyota, Ford, etc. would love for people to not consider other brands, but that is not very common. But I **have** looked at other brands of computers, and have found them wanting. As was already pointed out, my Macs have lasted much longer than PC’s before needing upgrading, and the ease of networking/printing hooking up cameras and peripherals has made me happy. The quality is high, and I like the relative lack of viruses. Each time I have needed to make a purchase of a new computer, I have looked at all the options, and have gone with a Mac. In a previous life, I looked after hardware/software purchase and maintenance for 10 Macs and 10 PC’s. The Macs were all easy to work with. The PC’s not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/12 "2011-10-08T00:17:11Z")
But once somebody chooses a Mac, they can’t go outside Apple without changing their OS right? So you are locked in after that first choice. BTW, for work I use Linux about 90% of the time. Our Linux servers come from various makers such as HP and Dell. If we don’t like the deal from 1 company we can talk to another. We are not locked in to any one company. We could also change the type of Linux we run. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/13 "2011-10-08T00:30:53Z")
I’m not sure what you mean. Apple dropped PowerPC completely and everything is now an Intel architecture. On the consumer side, you can run just about anything on Apple hardware, as long as you have the drivers for it. But that’s true for anything. I can’t run my desktop sound card under Windows 7 because the sound card is 10 years old and nobody wanted to make a Windows 7 compatible driver. As for OS X Server, I don’t really know how much use it gets. These days it’s just Lion with some additional functionality. But again, there’s no reason you couldn’t buy the server hardware from Apple and then install a different server. A quick check of Wikipedia tells me that I could actually be triple-booting right now on my MacBook. Besides XP on, Boot Camp also supports x86 versions of Linux, Solaris, DOS, BeOS, and BSD. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/14 "2011-10-08T00:32:15Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > But once somebody chooses a Mac, they can’t go outside Apple without changing their OS right? So you are locked in after that first choice. > > BTW, for work I use Linux about 90% of the time. Our Linux servers come from various makers such as HP and Dell. If we don’t like the deal from 1 company we can talk to another. We are not locked in to any one company. We could also change the type of Linux we run. I could choose to run Windows on my Mac. Or Linux. Or when I buy a new computer I could get an HP or a Dell or another Mac if I choose. What’s your point? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/15 "2011-10-08T00:35:13Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > But once somebody chooses a Mac, they can’t go outside Apple without changing their OS right? So you are locked in after that first choice. I run Microsoft Office on my Mac. I hook up a Canon camera. I have an HP printer. I use a Cisco router. I use Firefox to browse the internet. I just bought a Dell mouse and keyboard. I have a Lacie external drive. I have a variety of USB keys. Gosh, I feel so restricted! ETA: LG external monitor! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/16 "2011-10-08T00:36:32Z")
How many people run Linux or Windows on a Mac? I’ve never met anybody that does that. If you try that you are in for an adventure for sure since that software is not designed or tested for a Mac. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/17 "2011-10-08T00:39:39Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > How many people run Linux or Windows on a Mac? I’ve never met anybody that does that. If you try that you are in for an adventure for sure since that software is not designed or tested for a Mac. I run Windows on my Mac every day. No kidding. I opt to run mine in a virtual machine, but you can also very easily install it via Boot Camp and start the machine directly into Windows. Ooh, I just switched to a Windows program in another window. Now I’m back. I just switched over there again! Now I’m back again! It’s like magic. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/18 "2011-10-08T00:43:45Z")
I just said I dual boot Windows XP on my MacBook. OS X Tiger and on comes with a program called Boot Camp, which partitions the drive and installs the drivers for the hardware. The only problem is that the keyboard is set up for a Mac, which means that I often hit the Apple key (which is mapped as the Windows key) when I mean to hit the Ctrl key instead. Pure muscle memory at that point, as normally I’ve spent some time on my MacBook in OS X before booting into Windows. I also virtualize XP64 using VMware Fusion. I used to virtualize Ubuntu to play around with it. I see no reason I couldn’t install Ubuntu (or any other Linux flavor) and run it natively with Boot Camp to get the drivers set. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/19 "2011-10-08T00:45:17Z")
But you don’t run Mac OS on a Dell or HP or Lenovo do you? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949/20 "2011-10-08T00:45:55Z")
**asterion** , you may know this, but in VMWare you can remap the keys. I have mine set up so that the Command key works as the Ctrl key, so I avoid that issue. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-why-do-you-like-so-few-choices/598949.md?page=2)