[LINK] Silicon.com on Mac vs PC users

[Ivan Trundle]

On 02/02/2008, at 9:48 AM, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:

> Also according to the Advertising Age article, Mac users also
> have a tendency to be more open (tarts), environmentally aware
> (are you listening Greenpeace?) and socially and politically
> liberal (tarts verging on slappers).

I love these causal extrapolation fantasies that marketing people  
dream up. Combine this with odious market-branding comparisons, and  
you've stepped into the same puddle that all pundits splash about in:  
the implication is that all vehicles function the same, but some cost  
more/look flashier/etc.

In contrast, my brother-in-law has been very generously treating me to  
the new experience (for my family) of plasma TVs, set-top boxes, and  
HDD recorders. Whilst I enjoy technology, and have been immersed in it  
for years, the experience was more accurately representative of the  
Microsoft vs Mac comparison, and left me equally exasperated.

All I want is a simple environment, with as few choices as needed to  
show movies, or watch terrestrial TV. Instead, I now have 120 more  
buttons - on 5 remotes - than I need to press: I've even gone so far  
as to investigate 'all-in-one' remotes, to see if this will make my  
life simpler. I'm drowning in choices and options, yet my television  
experience is not enhanced appreciably - it's actually a lot more  
complicated.

I don't believe that I should have to pay more money for simplicity,  
but the cheaper the control or audio/visual device, the messier and  
more complicated it gets. Some control systems for the cheaper plasmas  
and HDD recorders are downright laughable, and incredibly obtuse in  
both operation and function, requiring considerable learning and  
mastery. It's the same with PCs (sic) and Macs: the latter prides  
itself on offering complexity, whilst the latter is often seen as  
being 'too simple'.

But back to the article: To me, 'have a tendency' is about as flaccid  
as jelly on a plate. But my self-satisfaction must be verging on  
smugness to say that.

What is possibly more interesting is that the 'Get a Mac' campaign  
failed miserably in the UK (even when translated for the locals),  
whereas it still remains a hit in the US. Perhaps this demonstrates  
that generalisations fail across borders.

iT