My first Apple product was a 4GB iPod Mini - my first ever MP3 player. I fell in love with it - the touch wheel was fantastic, iTunes was intuitive, it was small, and let me carry around way more music than my CD Mp3 player I had been using. I paid $249 for it, if I recall correctly. I loved it, it went everywhere with me, and I can say without a doubt it's what got me through the last year of highschool. Then about eight months after I'd bought it, the batter died. Good thing it was covered by warranty - I got it replaced in quick fashion (kudos to Apple's support division). The few days in between sending out the old and receiving the new was occupied with a painfully clunky 512MB SanDisk player. But I got the new one. Woo! Six months later, the battery was fried. Because the warranty of the original iPod was long run out and the replacement (a refurb) was only covered for one month, I had to get this one fixed DIY style. $40 later, I had a new battery and replaced it. I mangled the case a bit, and aside from looking a bit nasty I had to use some masking tape to keep the top panel on. But it worked. Seven or so months later, the battery was starting to go again.
But hark! What's this? The iPod Touch, a device of pristine sexiness. Look at the slim factor, amazing +20hr of battery life, internet/browser connectivity and that big and wonderful touch screen! You can't take it apart to replace the battery, but surely that issue has been resolved by now! It's kinda stupid that all I get in terms functionality is web, music, and videos, but that should be okay. They have those stupid lil' web apps that should keep me occupied in a pinch. Besides, with a device like that it must be a matter of time until proper OS-based apps arrive, right? Basically, I desperately wanted a device that melded the functionality of my Palm Zire 72 and my (rapidly expiring) iPod. So I paid ~$300 for the 8GB model and got me an iPod Touch. So sexy. The interface was brilliant. But the months rolled by, and no apps made an appearance. Apparently Apple had zero intention of bringing such a feature to the device. Well, that was stupid of me to purchase something like that without checking out the companies intentions. But it's pretty stupid of the company to have a device like that and rob it of the capability to run proper programs. What's this? There's a thing called 'jail breaking' that'll get me a bunch of cool (and free) games and utilities? But it'd void the warranty and there were stories of bricked iPods/iPhones. Then a few months down the road as jailbreaking was becoming incredibly popular, Apple delivers the AppStore. I raised my eyebrows at that one. Really, Apple? You only deliver what should be a no-brainer feature only after some hackers make it painfully obvious how valuable it is? Looking back, of course, the App Store must've been in development for some time, but still. Either way, I was elated! Horray! I'll finally get the basic programs iPhone users had (calendar, notes, calculator, maps, contacts) plus support for 3rd party apps and games, and they won't void my warranty! Where do I sign up? Oh, right here next to my credit card that'll get charged $10? Wait, what? Seriously, Apple? Especially for something so retarded obvious that 90% of early adopters were expecting?Who the hell charges for firmware updates? Especially when one of the components, the App Store, is made so that we can spend out money anyways? Wow, just wow. Palm never charged for firmware updates. I've never heard of Google, Microsoft, HP, Sony, Nintendo, Motorola or Nokia charging for firmware updates. In fact, the only other devices I can think of that charge for updates would be GPS devices. So I pirated that update. That's what I get for being an eager, early adopter. And right here is where I started to dislike Apple.
I hate their proprietary file formats for music and video. I've purchased a grand total of two albums from iTunes, and I will never do it again. iTunes has become increasingly clunky as the years roll by and my music library grows. I've grown to absolutely despise their secretive policies for application submissions, and how they continually lock out Flash from their mobile platforms so they can keep a tight reign on generating revenue from Apps. "But Flash is such a huge power drain on the battery!" SHOCKING! THIS JUST IN - USING PROGRAMS INCREASES POWER CONSUMPTION! If it wasn't about money, they'd let Adobe release a mobile version of Flash and let the performance results speak for themselves. But instead they skirt around the issue with half-answers and hide behind their incredibly secretive and one-sided application submission policy. This issue of total control and exclusivity is also kind of obvious in their aggressive stance on Google/Android and Microsoft, and their pursuit to prevent others from using (what many think to be) straight forward phone features. Funny, all this hoopla coming from a company that is "shameless about stealing good ideas".
Moving on from my rant-like state to give credit where credit is due - my iPods have been fantastic devices. My Touch is starting to die - every once in a while (I haven't figured out the rhyme or reason) it mysteriously gets quite warm and dumps 95% of its charge in about 10-15mins. It happened a few times within the 1yr warranty, but I was an idiot and thought it was an isolated incident. Now, just over two years after I got it, it's still truckin' along. The battery life is down to about 15hrs of music (what I primarily use it for), and any internet use really eats up remaining charge quickly. But again to reiterate - it's a well designed piece of technology. The interface is simple and incredibly intuitive (especially for sorting through music), and the form factor and bright display are still stunning. And the touch response and how it's implemented to browsing and interaction is brilliant.
But let's get down to the ugly topic about Apple. Let's face it folks, a large part of it is a social thing. It's the way capatalism works - whoever can hock their wares the best wins. And Apple has done a great job convincing the population that their products are, without a doubt, cool. But I can not stand their standard Mac vs PC ads. "Quick, let's advertise our products by attacking the competition using stereotypes and gross over-generalizations!" And yes, they're well done. They're funny. And they are, above all else, most definitely effective. But just because something is successful, it doesn't mean I need to like it. The buy American campaign has done a great job at keeping consumers coming back for years to buy cars from the big three North American manufacturers, even though their leadership is messed up, the products incredibly mediocre, and the Civic across the road was made by just as much by Americans in Ohio as that Chevrolet was made by Americans in Detroit. Perhaps it isn't the best analogy, but it gets the point across. Something effective isn't necessarily the most honourable way of doing business. But that's capitalism, and I recognize that. This is a personal, point-of-view issue, and ad firms working for Apple get paid well because they do a good job.
But back to that social thing. Okay, let me put it this way. Apple does the same thing in their advertisements against PC users, so I'm going to use that as an excuse to stereotype Apple users. This laser year at school has absolutely confirmed every negative notion assiciated with the ideas of the average, hip Mac owner. Thinks of themselves as fairly artistic and creative. Not very technically savvy. Thick-rimmed glasses. A love for expensive, freshly brewed caffeinated beverages with fancy names. You think I'm joking. Okay, cut out the 'artistic and creative' bit (you'll tend to find that at an art school). I can say about 80% of the Mac users at school drink expensive coffee and/or wear designer fashions, especially glasses (Mind you, going by that logic, if your eyesight has not decayed enough to warrant corrective lenses, you are more likely to drink coffee). I thought I'd give it a fair shot, so when I started school I talked to people I ran across using Macs and asked them why. They'd pretty much just paraphrase the PC vs Mac stories. I hate to break it to you, but I honestly can't recall the last time I've downloaded a virus. You see, I've used the internet more than twice and know that the "Free Smiley Pack" and "You are the 100,000th Visitor!" banners are going to give you a bit more than you bargained for. And that German website advertising FrEe GaMeS aNd WaRez with porn links in the sidebar? It may not be reputable. But in Windows nothing works and everything that does breaks easily! Uhm, no it doesn't. In fact, I just installed Windows 7 last week and was blown away at how streamlines and simple and stable things have been so far. But I won't gloss over it - sure, a Windows machine can take a bit of extra love once in a while to keep the gears turning. But I appreciate the fact that I know how to poke through a config file in Notepad and secretly enjoy getting up to my shoulders in a computer case. I think I have a better understanding of technology for it. But saying that this is an advantage over a Mac would be like saying you should buy a Volkswagon because you'll learn to be a great mechanic with all the time you'll end up spending under the hood.
But I'd tell those same people I asked about why they got a Mac about why I was hesitant about getting one, and their eyes kind of glaze over. Then they make some remark about how Microsoft copied everything good in Windows straight from the Mac. Which, as we know, is something Apple would never ever do. But not to oversimplify things to much, there are, of course, exceptions to the rule. My roomate is an exceptionally intellectual and technologically-savvy fellow, and his go-to machine is a Macbook Pro. My best Miami Pal Ever who writes technical/computer documentation also swears by Apple products, and used his shiny new iPhone 4 to record his son's birth.
I'm not saying this is universally true, I just think many people have Macs and people want Macs because they're cool. There's is definitely merit to the points of engineering and usability, but as a whole that's not what's moving product off shelves. I talked to many people at school not involved with software/computer-based programs (jewelry, painting, sculpture, etc) who use their Mac for taking notes and browsing Facebook. Wow, you consciously paid for a premium product to do tasks that absolutely every single netbook on the market can do just as well. Ok, fine, whatever - people have the right to get whatever they want with their money. I even bought Moby's Hotel dual-album. But as far as buying a computer because it's cool... I'm not a cool guy, I never have been, and I probably never will be. I take a certain amount of pride in being slightly off-kilter and antisocial. I guess you could say it's a desire to be different, which is exactly the reason many Apple owners buy what they do. So instead I side with the likes of Google or Microsoft, which almost everyone and their dog uses. I like to tell myself I have good reasons for choosing the way I do. But it really makes me wonder - if I was in a setting where Macs were not the norm, would I be more likely to get one?
But, ok. Let's take all this over-analyzation and incredible bias and put it aside. I like to think that I can be somewhat reasonable from time to time, and can take a look at the facts with an open perspective. I need a laptop for the next three years of school. The requirements say 2.54GHz processor and 4GB of RAM minimum. My personal requirement is that it needs at least 1000 vertical pixels. And I should get something reasonably portable with three years of extended warranty to see me through the end of my schooling.
My brother recommended to me the Lenovo ThinkPads, which are pretty decent, buisiness-quality laptops extensively used in the company where he works in IT. Ok, the T510 with discrete graphics and full HD screen looks like it'll fit the bill. It's only a 15.6" display so it'll have a pretty dense DPI, but I'm alright with that for the smaller form factor. I want it to last me, so I'm alright with spending a bit more on the specs to make a bit more powerful. We'll go with the 2.66GHz i7 processor, 4GB of RAM, 7200RPM 320GB HD, and (because my bro insists it's cool) I'll get the fingerprint scanner. Grand total is $2318. Thinkpad is one of those stupid stores that has a constant SALE! discounts to make you more likely to purchase, which knocks the price down to $1923. They like to offer other sales in addition to these, using any excuse they can find (Father's Day! Canada Day! 72 Hour Employee's Discount!), and a current sale knocks off another 25%. The grand total, if I order before July 12th, is $1524.50.
The school guidelines suggest a Macbook Pro. Ok, the only model with 1000px vertical is the 17", so let's take a look. Full disclosure - the 17" Pro has a 500GB HD and 1200px display as standard, so that means I'll be getting 180GB and 120px extra than the T510. It also has a funky magnetic power cord thingy and a webcam (WOOOOOWWWWW!) Configured the same with similar warranty, it comes to (wait for it)... $2848. "But Chris, what about the Educational discount?!". That knocks it down to $2617. "But you get a free 8GB iPod Touch (that won't require a paid-for firmware update... probably)!" Assuming I could sell it for full retail value, my net expense is $2398.
Which is a far cry from $1524.50. By $873.50. Even if you were to scratch Lenovo's Stupid Constant Marketing Sale and their Any Excuse for a Sale Sale, the Macbook Pro is still $80 more. Which, considering the extra 180GM/120px/webcam/powercord, is quite reasonable. The matte/non-glare screen, offered on the Mac but not Thinkpad, would probably even be worth the extra $47. But, my friends, these are not the circumstances. As far as I know, Macs seldom go on sale as is, and I'd be VERY hard pressed to find a sale that gets me more than $450 off (what I'm saving with the education discount and iPod Touch). Since I've started investigating the Thinkpads about a month and a bit ago, they've always had the Stupid Marketing sale and gone through at least three other 25% off or more sales.
To give you a really simple idea of what's going on here, let's look at one component - the processor. The heart, the brain, the center. The Macbook Pro and Thinkpad both come with the 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 as standard. And both have the option to upgrade to the same 2.66GHz i7. It costs $70 to add it to the Thinkpad. And how much for the Macbook (wait for it again)... $189. That's WITH the educational discount, by the way. It'd be $200 without. That's more than twice as much for the same. Friggin'. Part. As it turns out, you hear a lot about that "Apple Tax" thing for a reason.
I've taken a quick peak at the 15" models, official refurbs and buying a used Pro out of the classifieds, all of which are still slightly more expensive than a brand-new ThinkPad. I honestly, hand-on-heart, went into this with an open mind. I'm an incredibly dollar-oriented guy, and if the Mac was cheaper I would have thrown away my other reservations and gone for it. But I'm sorry, taking into account the Apple discounts and even discarding Lenovo's, it was a stupidly large difference. Add in the full sales, and Apple has gone FULL RETARD. $870 is a lot of money for, essentially, the same thing. It's more than 50% of the T510's value. With that money I can buy the entire Adobe CS5 Master Suite from school. Or I can save it, and it'll put me that much closer to a Porsche.
You see, it's that kind of a gap that makes me wonder why Macs sell as well as they do for as much as they do. It kind brings that 'cool' thing back into play, and the technologically clueless stereotype. I'm not saying it applies to everyone. I know people who know exactly what they're buying and for what reasons. $870. It's kind of boggling.
My only reservation is that, being a Mac-centric school, I'll need have OSX for specific assignments or criteria. There's an "Intro to Digital Technology" course, even. Which should be worth a laugh. But what if I actually, earnestly need a Mac? I even emailed the department head and got a rather vague response. Well, it's best to be prepared. I think it'll take a bit of elbow grease, but I'll take the same approach as I did with the $10 iPod Touch firmware. 'Cause I ain't payin' that.
-Cril
I've never been frightened of being enlightened
But some things can go too far
Though sometimes I stammer and mix up my grammar
You get what my meanings are
These apples are delicious
As a matter of fact they are, she said
Can all this fruit be free?
Barenaked Ladies - These Apples
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