Windows vs. Mac
I have grown weary. Weary of the Microsoft juggernaut. With all due respect to all my friends that work there, I have to say that my era of running Windows is crashing to a halt (how appropo). I have used Windows since v. 2.0. I am not bashing its basic capabililties, for it has served me well, if not without bluescreens and other wierd errors. Vista is a snorefest. About the best feature in it is the Parental Controls. Other than that, all the Wow! that Microsoft has been hyping during the long lead up to the delayed Vista release is lost on me. Snore…
I think culture is yearning for a warm experience. That’s why I believe we are seeing the resurgence of Apple in the tech culture, as well as culture as a whole. We all want to feel something good, whether relationally or otherwise. Windows is just a hyper-techincal experience frosted over with a veneer of usability and user friendliness. In the end, its just bloatware that 80% of people use merely a fraction of a percentage of. Or so they tell me as I sell them computers on a daily basis. (I read somewhere years ago that Windows XP had about 40 million lines of code. A space shuttle mission on the other hand, needs only about 400,000 lines of code for it to complete an entire mission, liftoff to landing).
Apple on the other hand, has crafted a elegantly seamless and friendly experience. I have used Apples on and off for years, starting with the first Mac. I can honestly say that I have felt like they have been my friends, as opposed to adversaries like I have felt numerous times with Windows machines. No, Macs are not perfect, but they are less “not perfect” than all of the Windows machines I have used (Windows 2000 is still the most stable Windows OS that I have ever used).
And now Apples can run any Windows software simultaneously with Mac software. The days of platform dependence (the idea that you have to have one operating system or another to run the software you need to run) are over.
We’ve all been to movies where we have walked out feeling like no time had passed. We were so engrossed in the story and characters, that we felt part of them. And we have also been to movies where we have looked at our watches and realized that we were watching a movie, thereby detracting from the story etc. Macs have the ability to engross us to a point where we can focus on creation and utility. Windows forces us to look at our watches.
The day will come, I predict humbly, where it won’t even matter whether you have Mac or Windows. You’ll just be able to use it like you use your phone. Pick it up, dial it, and it you can have a conversation. When’s the last time you wondered what chip is in your phone, or if it had to be compatible with the person’s phone you are calling? The ultimate technology is transparent. You don’t even know its there. But it sure helps you get things done.
Printed word? Technology. Glass? Technology. The wheel? Technology. We take them all for granted. Computers ought to be the same. Who should have to care about whether its Intel or AMD, or what front side cache it has, or whether it is 802.11g compatible. It’s all gobbledygook that confuses real people with lame techno-terminology that confuses an already techically confused populace.
So then, I am switching over. My Windows days are done. I am only biding my time.
