Technology Apple

S. Fourteen

Well-Known Member
#11
Herd Mentality

Friday, 23 October 2009
Conformity is a powerful instinct. There’s safety in numbers. You have to be different to be better, but different is scary.
So of course there’s some degree of herd mentality in every industry. But I think it’s more pronounced, to a pathological degree, in the PC hardware industry. It was at the root of long-standing punditry holding that Apple should license the Mac OS to other PC makers, or that Apple should dump Mac OS and make Windows PCs. On the surface, those two old canards seem contradictory — one arguing that Apple should be a hardware company, the other arguing that it should be a software company. But at their root they’re the same argument: that Apple should stop being different, and either act just like other PC makers (and sell computers running Windows) or else act just like Microsoft (and sell licenses to its OS).
No one argues those two points any more. But it’s the same herd mentality that led to the rash of Apple needs to get in the “netbook” game punditry that I claim-checked earlier this week. I could have linked to a dozen others. The argument, though, is the same: everyone else is making netbooks, so Apple should, too. Why? Because everyone else is.
I think there’s a simple reason why the herd mentality is worse in the PC industry: Microsoft. In fact, I think it used to be worse. A decade ago the entire computing industry — all facets of it — was dominated by a herd mentality that boiled down to Get behind Microsoft and follow their lead, or else you’ll get stomped. That’s no longer true in application software. The web, and Google in particular, have put an end to that.
But the one area where Microsoft still reigns supreme is in PC operating systems. PC hardware makers are crippled. They can’t stand apart from the herd even if they want to. Their OS choices are: (a) the same version of Windows that every other PC maker includes; or (b) the same open source Linux distributions that every other PC maker could include but which no customers want to buy.
Apple’s ability to produce innovative hardware is inextricably intertwined with its ability to produce innovative software. The iPhone is an even better example than the Mac.
It’s not just that Apple is different among computer makers. It’s that Apple is the only one that even can be different, because it’s the only one that has its own OS. Part of the industry-wide herd mentality is an assumption that no one else can make a computer OS — that anyone can make a computer but only Microsoft can make an OS. It should be embarrassing to companies like Dell and Sony, with deep pockets and strong brand names, that they’re stuck selling computers with the same copy of Windows installed as the no-name brands.
And then there’s HP, a company with one of the best names and proudest histories in the industry. Apple made news this week for the design and tech specs of its all-new iMacs, which start at $1199. HP made news this week for unveiling a Windows 7 launch bundle at Best Buy that includes a desktop PC and two laptops, all for $1199. That might be great for Microsoft, but how is it good for HP that their brand now stands for bargain basement prices?
Operating systems aren’t mere components like RAM or CPUs; they’re the single most important part of the computing experience. Other than Apple, there’s not a single PC maker that controls the most important aspect of its computers. Imagine how much better the industry would be if there were more than one computer maker trying to move the state of the art forward.
 

dilla

Trumpfan17 aka Coonie aka Dilla aka Tennis Dog
#14

One of the few things I don't like the way Apple does it is the App Store. Although I'm a pirate, it's pretty shitty to still have this thing just sitting there unused.

http://i.tuaw.com/2011/07/16/five-ways-apple-can-improve-the-mac-app-store/

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-hp-apple-notebook-pc-shipments-2011-7

i was talking to the marketing guy in my dad's clinic (he makes brochures, business cards, etc. for my dad). He uses PCs until the office manager (a lot of titles being thrown around here, I know) let him uses his MB(P?) and Adobe Creative Suite. He was floored at how easy the OS was to navigate, and then how Adobe worked with such fluidity.

I'm no musician or producer, but even my dumbass can make a beat on GarageBand and then, Logic Pro, and send it to someone and get SOME kind of positive feedback. Not saying I can produce, but it can take the shit that's in my creative section of my mind and actually help me make it look or sound nice.

This is probably one big reason people are making the switch at such a fast rate. I can speak for people my our?) age...college kids and slightly beyond. 18-30. They are starting with either MBPs or iPhones and then move to the iPad. I'm even at the point where I'm suggesting my mom get the new MBA, whenever it's out, and that when our POS Dell and HP desktops die out, we switch to an iMac for my parents and a Mac Mini for my younger sister. They will probably never call me for help from 800 miles away ever again.

I'd mention my experience with Apple's Geniuses three weeks ago, but I've already ranted enough.
 

Pittsey

Knock, Knock...
Staff member
#15
^^

A lot of people get into Apple because they are soooooo cool.

Personally, I am happy spending less than 30% of the price on my PC, than on a Mac. Maybe if I needed it for more than surfing the net, I would change my mind.
 

masta247

Well-Known Member
Staff member
#17
^^

A lot of people get into Apple because they are soooooo cool.

Personally, I am happy spending less than 30% of the price on my PC, than on a Mac. Maybe if I needed it for more than surfing the net, I would change my mind.
I think it's the opposite. If you needed it for more than surfing the net you'd have even more reasons to get a PC. Most MAC users are people who only surf the net and believe that MAC is better/easier for simple tasks.
If you wanted to play games or use professional programs you'd go for the PC.

Now it's a totally different story with these charts. Actually it's a model example of a misleading chart. Most of all HP haven't released a good model in years, so no wonder that their sales are dropping. People don't buy HP laptops like they used to.
Another point is that I can't find any info on which regions the data is from. Apple devices sell in America, not so much outside of America except of a few developed countries heavily hit by globalization.
Now worldwide ASUS will have better results than Apple (a few times better in percentage, dozens of times better in millions of devices sold).
For Apple which still is a minor player on that market (worldwide, compared to big notebook PC companies) a growth of 50% is not significant at all. In an average country it might mean a growth from 0,5% to 0,7%. Not to mention how retarded it is to compare Apple's growth as a company to a market in which this company doesn't even exist.

Now the market for notebook PCs is already damn huge, it's one of the biggest one of all electronics. The fact that it doesn't fall in the era of netbooks, tablets and smartphones means that it's doing awesome. So here you go.
 

masta247

Well-Known Member
Staff member
#19
If you like something and it suits your needs then go for it. However having money doesn't mean that you have to spend them on something overpriced. People buy Apple laptops mostly because they're from Apple - they have the logo and design from Apple.
I'm just pointing out that Asus creates great laptops lately. They are much, much cheaper than Apple laptops while offering more performance and good quality so they sell better.
 

dilla

Trumpfan17 aka Coonie aka Dilla aka Tennis Dog
#20
If you like something and it suits your needs then go for it. However having money doesn't mean that you have to spend them on something overpriced. People buy Apple laptops mostly because they're from Apple - they have the logo and design from Apple.
I'm just pointing out that Asus creates great laptops lately. They are much, much cheaper than Apple laptops while offering more performance and good quality so they sell better.
Right. Performance usually comes with better parts, but in Apple's case the OS plays a big role as well. Power management is a key to why a year after its purchase, my MBP still lasts 9 hours while word processing.

People buy Macs because they hear from other users how reliable they are. Whether it's true or not, people value those testimonies just as much, if not more, than the professional reviews. Here's a pretty recent one:

ASUS did just as well. But when you read testimonies of customers, it's the last four columns that make the difference. And look...that's where ASUS fell just short.

It's hard to justify the premium, for just that. But you can't overlook the fact that Apple builds these parts to work in unison, instead of just slopping together whatever the customer wants into a bundle, even if they may cause problems later on down the line. i.e. the case of the notebook can barely fit around all the parts crammed into the small space.

HP hasn't made a good notebook recently? What's all the buzz around the Envy line that's supposed to be a "Macbook substitute?" I mean, shit, they try so hard to make their grey models look identical to Apple's MacBooks. You have to give credit to Apple using this design since 2008 and only now have manufacturers been able to replicate it. Until Apple is toppled from the top of these reliability and customer satisfaction surveys/reviews, it'll be very hard to speak ill of them. On the other hand, it'll continue to be hard for the average Joe to obtain one due to the pricing.

I realize the Apple Premium is exaggerated overseas, where the gap between Apple computers and Windows machines is much bigger. I speak with my experience here in the States. Perhaps in Poland, hell, all of Europe, the gap isn't merely $100-200 but instead more like $500+ (when converted to USD). But most of my friends (computer geeks and average Joe users alike) use Apple products. All use MacBooks, most own iPhones as well as iPod Touches (prior to owning their iPhone 4s). A few have iPads.

Now, I don't hang out with elitist shits. They bought and pay for their services and products. But their experiences with their past notebooks (two HPs, a dell, mine was also an HP, and a Toshiba) have them using MBs. As for the iPhones, that's beyond the subject of my post. But on college campuses, Apple is making its presence more known. Especially since the iPhone 4 came out and the new MBPs. So just over a year. Give it time and it'll be a bigger portion of computers bought for personal use. The business world is a huge reason for Windows market share.
 

Latest posts

Donate

Any donations will be used to help pay for the site costs, and anything donated above will be donated to C-Dub's son on behalf of this community.

Members online

No members online now.
Top