The thrill is gone

By the way, sorry for the long post! That is about 10 times longer then the longest post I have ever done in my life. I guess I just felt inspired, and a need to let people know how I feel about Macs.
 
Hey, the longer, the better (even if it requires more time to read). There need to be more switchers like you, Biz Guy. That's simply a wonderful story, and I think with a little editing, it could be worthy of a "special column" in a Mac magazine.

Wow, 4 Page Downs... probably the longest post I have ever read on this forum.

Even after you've outgrown the extensive tools and toys that every Mac comes with, there is a whole cornucopia of software out there for you to discover. If iPhoto is too limited, upgrade to some version of Adobe Photoshop. When you want more control over your movies, graduate to Final Cut Express or Pro, and DVD Studio. If you'd like to make your pictures jump out at you, there are lots of 3D programs ranging from $400 to $2500 and up.

Unfortunately, the Wintel side still has us pegged in the game industry, and everyone says that the situation is improving, but it's not improving quickly enough. However, I am sure that someday Windows users will be envious of the range and quality of games that are made only for Mac.

Biz Guy: I'd like to know what company you work for. Private message me if you feel like sharing.
 
BuzinezGuy: Wonderful post! That is pretty much a summary of why I use the Mac. I never switched though :D.
I mean sure, my Dad has a PC and all, so I use it occasionally, but I've been using Macintosh computers since OS 6 - since I was 4. Lucky me! :)
 
Hi Biz Guy, thanks for the very thoughtful reply/post! In some ways I can relate to your history, though I was a Mac user/buyer since 1987. Still, I use PCs all day for my job and it is true that after all this time, so many simple things have yet to be solved for computer users. I still use W2000 for work and it is aweful and I can pretty much set my calander by system crashes and other issues. Also, you would think achieving reliable printer servers are equal to landing a man on the moon. I hear XP is better in many ways, but this is long over due for PC users.

I guess I feel "the thrill is gone" because there does not seem to be a next step in computing. Reliable OS's should be achieved NOW and business or home users should not tolerate anything less anymore. Any way, the next step I would like to see is more integration of hardware, software, the network, media and, of course, data. I want to get anything anywhere. I realize we have a lot of this today, but it has yet to be put together in a real slick way. I feel Apple could lead the way in all of this.

I think your post and your computer experience detailed the major "paradigms" in computing. For example:

1. Personal computers.
2. GUI
3. Multi media
4. The Web

I'm sure we could squeeze in others like wireless, PDAs and more, but what is the next biggie? Funny, but when you look at the things I just named, Apple was a major player in almost every one!

Sadly, I think the next big thing is somewhat delayed due to the lack of real competition out there. Thanks to MS and other predators who have achieved their goals of dominating the market, new ideas are too costly and/or risky. Again, I think the next thing could or should be more integration between devices - computers, PDAs, media (audio/video), communication and more. Apple has started on this path and could continue at a faster pace if they weren't constantly watching their back. However, it seems that radical innovation is what always gives Apple the edge. I think they are playing it a little too safe these days.
 
Originally posted by arden
...Unfortunately, the Wintel side still has us pegged in the game industry, and everyone says that the situation is improving, but it's not improving quickly enough. However, I am sure that someday Windows users will be envious of the range and quality of games that are made only for Mac...
Click to expand...
Rumor... New PlayStation II compatible Apple/Sony G5 "cube"...

Remember the Pippin? Same idea, only better...
 
Originally posted by karavite
......I feel Apple could lead the way in all of this.
...Sadly, I think the next big thing is somewhat delayed due to the lack of real competition out there.
...I think they are playing it a little too safe these days.
Click to expand...
Actually I think it is simply the bad economy... I'm sure Apple it quietly thinking up cool things*, but with a slimmer workforce.

*See Above...
 
Originally posted by TommyWillB
Actually I think it is simply the bad economy... I'm sure Apple it quietly thinking up cool things*, but with a slimmer workforce.
Click to expand...

I'll buy that, but there are other contributing factors to the IT economy outside of the general worries and problems. I think one reason the economy is poor in IT specifically is the lack of competition resulting from illegal and predatory practices by you know who. This started well before 9/11. I think we are all getting a taste of what we were all warned about - monopolies stifle innovation. Consumers and business are locked in to using lousy PC technology and are loath to spend more on IT when precvious purchases have yielded so little. I would argue that IT isn't slowing down because we have reached a certain point in technology (though thank god some of the hype has faded), but that it is largely suffering due to a lack of competition or the ability for innovators (the little and medium guys) to compete and/or knowing that the minute they come out with something great and new, you know who will do everything they can to steal, buy, copy or force out the new product or idea (just like they did with the GUI, business apps, web browser...)

I can't find the article, but I remember reading that MS loses money on EVERYTHING except Windows and that their profits on Windows are obscene at something like 80%. All the rest are losers - XBox, Office, IE, .Net, consulting... you name it - none could stand on their own as a business. Had they been broken up by the courts, the whole IT market would be open and just imagine the rush of all kinds of superior competing IT products we would be seeing today.
 
Hey Arden,

Unfortunately, I'm not able to IM you with that information. I'm under an NDA. It's nothing earth shattering or interesting, that much I can tell you.

With that said, I guess the point I was trying to make was, there are PC users who are stuck under a platform they don't understand. That is a compelling reason to be excited about the Mac platform, and to try to convert people over to this platform.

Apple has a quality product, and it is amazing they don't hold a higher share of the market place. It's not good to see a company selling an inferior product be the dominant software company in the market.
 
I just love my new 12 inch pb, 10.3 beta and also isight. The future of G5 seems great to me!
I still own my 6200, and I do remember working the first time on the little Macintosh Plus machines we had at 'high school' (we don't name it high school in the Netherlands). Yes, i felt limitations :) but this was more a finacial thing. Now apple's are quite payable.
And thereby, even though for me there are no real limitations in power for the work i do on my lap, future ideals do ask more. Apple is working towards it, with a great design around it!!!
For me the thrill is very active, and not gone at all...
 
Get a pc for a few weeks, or maybe just on "Master Blaster Saturday", then come back to Apple and see if the thrill is still gone. :D
 
As my sig suggests, I have 'old' hardware... but I still enjoy it.

The last big thing to get me excited about hardware and software was... well, everything. As a college student with a Junior standing, heading into the electronics and software fields, it interests me in a different way that it does others.

I am one who likes taking things apart, finding out how they work, putting them back together, and then building an improved version of it. :)

So, although Apple doesn't make me want to jump out and grab a G5 (I can't afford it, and the Lombard is what I need more, and just got)... the new stuff does make me a little excited because I want to know how it works and how to reproduce it.

I would rather take a laptop apart and explore the innards than explore all the software... the machine itself is a tool for work and communcation for me. However, I love to know how the tool works. :)
 
Of course, the machine is useless without the software to run on it. Believe me; a new computer is a boring computer until you actually install something.

You can always try to dissect a program, if you have sufficient programming knowledge, though this isn't necessarily in the same way as a computer's hardware. But you never know what you'll discover.

Will you be propagating the new Hypertransport 2 technology then? ;)
 
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