How Could One Not Know What Type of Computer One Owns?

she represents the majority of computer users: they don't care what it's called, how it does it, who made it, and what advanced functions it can do - so long as it does what they need it for they're happy.

My mother has an iBook, but she refers to it as a laptop and nothing else. a couple of times I have asked "where's your iBook", and she gives me a blank look until I add "your laptop".

If the general public truly understood the computers they used - truly understood the differences between a PowerBook and an IBM Thinkpad, or between MacOS and Windows - everyone would be using a Mac. But people don't get it (not because they are dumb, it just doesn't interest them, in the same way landscaping doesn't interest me)

Same reason why Internet Explorer is used by most people - most don't understand precicely what IE does, or what alternatives there are. Again, if they DID know why IE is so bad, no one would use it.

Frustrating for us geeks in the know...
 
Mr. Cheese, you make a good point. Especially since I can relate: I really don't care about landscaping.
 
I'd find it funny if I met someone who didn't know they were using a "PowerBook", too, but I certainly wouldn't consider it a personality flaw. I wonder if my sister would know she has an iBook if she didn't hear me call it that all the time.

Granted, it has a name on it, but I sure don't notice every label on every item I use. I couldn't for the life of me tell you what company made my stove, much less what model it is. I'm sure the company logo and model name/number have entered my field of vision many times a day for many years. I might even have noticed it from time to time, but it's certainly not in my consciousness. Couldn't tell you the company that made my TV, either. Is it Sharp? It might be Sharp. But it might also be Panasonic. I really don't know, and I don't see why I should, even though these were major purchases. The only major household appliance whose maker I can confidently name is my fridge, and that's only because I need to order new water filters from that company every three months. If I didn't need to maintain it, I wouldn't remember anything about it.

For that reason, I think cars are a bad analogy. Cars require much more conscious awareness and maintenance than computers (or at least Macs :) ).

I could've sworn my alarm clock was a ConAir, but I just turned my head, and it's a Westclox! I really like that alarm clock, too. Go figure.

If you didn't follow the Mac world like we all do, then the model names wouldn't hold much significance, and so they probably wouldn't stick in your consciousness. *shrug*
 
Amie said:
Yeah, sorry, gotta disagree with you there. People should know what they purchase and what they use. Period. If you drive a Honda Accord, you should know it's a Honda Accord and not just "a four-door sedan of some sort." Case in point, if you own a PowerBook, you should know it's a PowerBook and not just "some sort of notebook."
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I went to a cafe the other day and saw this guy drinking a diet coke. I was quite impressed and walked over to ask, "Do you know you are drinking aspartame?" The guy looked clueless and replied "Aspar-wha? I'm drinking a diet Coke". I start to get annoyed, I mean, how can you drink a cola and not know what goes into it? I point to the ingredients list on the can, and it says 'sweeteners - aspartame'. Seeing as the guy was a completely clueless noob, I proceed to explain to him the side effects of aspartame to which he has no idea. I mean, how sad is that? Dammit, people need to learn to read better. Why can't everyone be as 1337 as me? :D
 
Again, everyone seems to be missing the point. No one is especting someone to know that their laptop has a PowerPC 7457B (G4) CPU with 512k L2 cache, ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 AGP 4x, and a 100 GB 5400 RPM ATA/100. Heck, I had to even look up all this and I'm a computer tech! But almost everything that's purchased has a name and it's usually plastered in plain site of the person.

Viro, your analogy doesn't work since you are describing what goes into a Diet Coke. But I'm sure the person knew it was a Diet Coke. I'm sure that person didn't blindly pick a soda can since the name is plastered all over it. I'm also sure that if it was a fountain drink that this person asked for it by name. I'm sure this person didn't say "let me have a dark colored soda" since they might have gotten regular coke, root beer, Dr. Pepper, or some other dark colored fountain drink.

Again, I can understand if this thing was borrowed since the person might not have that much insight into the various models. However, this person DID have to learn how to use it or must have had some prior knowledge. It's not like we're talking about a whitebox computer, in which case I can understand.

I guess in retrospect I'm sure it was fine that she identified it as a Mac laptop. <shrug> Heck, some people even get Coke and Pepsi mixed up so I guess it's not that big a deal. I give up. Much ado about nothing I guess... :p
 
It is much ado about nothing, since there are some people who just see computers as a tool, and as such don't really care about what brand/kind it is. I agree the coke analogy is trite, but it does illustrate the point. You may care a lot about something, but that doesn't mean everyone cares about it too.

The person in the original 'case' study is a just a person who sees a laptop as a kind of tool. Much like how I would view a pen. Do I know the brand/kind of pens I use? I don't know and I don't care. All I care about is that they are blue/black.
 
fryke said:
You don't know her. Know nothing about her background. You expect her to know something. She doesn't. You judge her. That alone is sad, in my opinion.
You create a thread about it in a public space. Want to know what people think about that "pathetic girl". You get opinions. Disagree with them. Have a definite opinion about how people need to know the product name of their notebooks and cars. That's sad, too, in my opinion.
What's the point here?

You say: "People should know what they purchase and what they use."

Yes, they should. But what defines the PowerBook she's bought? She calls it a "Mac notebook". Fair enough. She could've called it a PC and would have been right, because it's very _much_ a personal computer (hers, even). She could've said it's a tool to get work done and would've been right. She could call it Leopold and would've been right, because it's hers to give a name to. If you expect other people to always meet your expectations, to share your views and opinions or you'll shun them and diss them, you're not going to know a lot of people well. In my opinion.

Come on! I _know_ the PowerBook's got a "PowerBook" logo below its screen. I _know_ that I'd expect a PowerBook owner to know it's called a "PowerBook". If I meet a person with a PowerBook who doesn't know it's a PowerBook, I'd be interested to find out why this person doesn't care about that. Maybe there's something to be learned from that person.

Wow. Moral speech. Sorry. Ignore me tonight, if you must.
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LOL

Calm down, boy. ;)

I'll make it short and sweet:
1. I wasn't judging. I was observing.
2. The answer to your question is: Because I asked her if it was a PowerBook and she said, "No, it's a notebook." True, it *is* a notebook. But she said it *wasn't* a PowerBook, and that is *not* true.
3. This is a public thread. We're allowed to disagree. :)
 
Viro said:
I went to a cafe the other day and saw this guy drinking a diet coke. I was quite impressed and walked over to ask, "Do you know you are drinking aspartame?" The guy looked clueless and replied "Aspar-wha? I'm drinking a diet Coke". I start to get annoyed, I mean, how can you drink a cola and not know what goes into it? I point to the ingredients list on the can, and it says 'sweeteners - aspartame'. Seeing as the guy was a completely clueless noob, I proceed to explain to him the side effects of aspartame to which he has no idea. I mean, how sad is that? Dammit, people need to learn to read better. Why can't everyone be as 1337 as me? :D
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I think I saw that guy sharing his diet Coke with some girl who was using a PowerBook. ;)
 
I know a lot of people that don't have any concept of what it is like not to have clean water, to have to live on a dollar a week (if you're lucky), to lose one's parents to AIDS, to go blind as a result of a preventable disease....

For the love of God, it's just a computer, even if it is a Mac!
 
It goes to me as weird as not knowing any more than of having a "blue car". So take your "blue car" to a car mechanic to have it fixed... when you have no clue if it says cinquecento, explorer, smart, or something else as model, and a zero clue for its manufacturer.
 
rhisiart said:
I know a lot of people that don't have any concept of what it is like not to have clean water, to have to live on a dollar a week (if you're lucky), to lose one's parents to AIDS, to go blind as a result of a preventable disease....

For the love of God, it's just a computer, even if it is a Mac!
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Yes, but those people are lucky enough not to ever have to worry about what type of computer they have. ;)

I'm sorry if that was in bad taste. Just trying to make light of a rather downcast issue. Yes, it's sad. It's equally sad that people are often oblivious of their surroundings, etc. Not everyone is going to agree with each other, and that's OK. It's what makes the world go 'round.

It doesn't matter, really. I never anticipated that this thread would grow into a whole debate about my simple observation on a Sunday morning in a cafe. LOL

Peace! :)
 
Giaguara said:
It goes to me as weird as not knowing any more than of having a "blue car". So take your "blue car" to a car mechanic to have it fixed... when you have no clue if it says cinquecento, explorer, smart, or something else as model, and a zero clue for its manufacturer.
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Yep, I know. Ssshhh. Don't waste your time. ;)

By the way, I LOVE your Hello Kitty avatar. I've been a huge Hello Kitty fan since I was, like, 7. Never quite grew out of her. :)
 
LOL. I had thought about that when the name was officially announced. But to be honest she would still have been wrong since now the MacBook refers to an Intel Mac notebook and not the one she had. :p
 
Yep. From now on, we can safely call the PowerPC a processor for "computer games", since it'll basically be developed for game consoles. Not that they're bad or anything, just that for "real" computers, they're not the right stuff anymore. ;)
 
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