8 Comments

• 
  Aerin February 17, 2009 at 2:48 pm

  It has nothing to do with being old. NOBODY likes Vista; it sucks.
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  Allan February 17, 2009 at 7:13 pm

  “Vista”? What is this “Vista” you speak of.

  Sorry, I’m an Apple asshole and I’m morally obligated to dig it in each time I get.
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  wayne February 17, 2009 at 8:41 pm

  I have to admit, so far one of the biggest reasons why I don’t own an iPod or any kind of Mac is actually because of the users. So far the vast majority of my experiences with Mac owners has been similar to encountering dyed-in-the-wool Objectivists in college; they seem to be jerks that actually believe in an inherent superiority to their fellow humans purely as a result of a product they didn’t even build, but simply bought and use. If I could actually find a sizeable group of NICE Apple users that might change my mind, but the prevailing group contempt for anyone that doesn’t own the product is extremely off-putting to me and makes me avoid the products just to piss them off. It’s like a bizarre, post-modern Nerd Rejects Athletics To Spite Hurtful Jocks reaction, but within the Nerd Pool itself.
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  Allan February 18, 2009 at 6:09 am

  But then have you ever considered there might be a reason for our smug superiority? Dude, once you go Mac you can’t go back.

  And it’s been my experience that there are just as many if not more smug PC-using assholes, they’re just better hidden because there are so many more PC users overall.

  Seriously, you’re only hurting yourself….
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  wayne February 18, 2009 at 3:40 pm

  I dunno, man. This is admittedly more personal bias than anything else, but it’s hard for me to jump into a community that accuses my wife of not being an “actual creative person” because she doesn’t use a Mac. That really soured me on the Mac group once I realized that they’re actually thinking her artwork or my writing is somehow inferior to theirs simply because of the platform it was created on. I’m in no hurry to associate myself with a group that doesn’t think my work is “legitimate” unless it was created on an Apple product. It may be wrong of me to think this, but I sincerely believe that good writing or art can be created just as easily on paper, or a PC or a Mac, and the use of the Mac itself doesn’t instantly make the work “authentically creative.” I may be wrong on that, but I’m willing to take that stand.
• 
  Allan February 18, 2009 at 5:09 pm

  Truthfully, though I’ve heard about people such as you describe, I myself have never actually met one. I’ve simply found that once exposed to all that the Mac operating system has to offer, most people find it difficult to accept the myriad flaws found in the more popular option. I’ve personal convinced several people in the past to make the transition and not one of them regrets it.

  I don’t actually believe owning a Mac makes me a better person than anyone else (and for the life of me I can’t imagine anyone seriously arguing that owning one is integral to being a writer) but if it seems that way it’s only because I’ve owned both kinds of computers and find it difficult to understand why so many people are willing to accept the flaws inherent in every latest Microsoft debacle when a better (in my opinion) option exists. To some this may read as arrogance, when it is actually far closer to confusion.

  My problem is that to my ears, your argument essentially sounds like this: I’d rather buy a computer with a shitty operating system than one I might prefer because some pricks were mean to me in the past. Tell me, would you wear shoes that hurt your feet because you were once mocked by a group of people who wore sandals? How does it make sense to make your own life miserable just out of some vague sense of spite? Wouldn’t it be better to not give a shit what anyone else says or thinks and just make up your mind for yourself? Why does buying a computer have to mean becoming a part of a community? I think you’re enough of an individual to be able to own a piece of hardware and withstand indoctrination into some sort of lame groupthink. It may turn out you hate OSX with a passion and genuinely prefer Windows, but by refusing to even consider it you only limit yourself and life is full of enough limits, why create more?

  Just a thought.
• 
  Aerin February 18, 2009 at 6:29 pm

  I am slowly accumulating pennies to buy a new laptop and it’ll be a Mac when I do. I’m actually surrounded by computer geeks who claim to prefer PCs to Macs (I didn’t think such a breed existed and suddenly I’m surrounded by them!) but I’m strong. Sure, if you have the skill and interest to write your own software, it’s probably fine, but if you’re going to use someone else’s product – why not spend your money on the one that works?

  I’m with Allan, I’ve met some smug Mac owners, but never anyone as dense as what you describe! I can’t imagine them influencing your decision making on anything else – why on this?

  That’s my two cents.
• 
  wayne February 18, 2009 at 10:04 pm

  It’s probably just because now it’s personal. Like I said, it’s biased, but once I heard the sentiment “You’re not an artist because you don’t use a Mac,” that pretty much put me into “No one says that about my wife mode” and made me think “I’d rather die than join a bunch a posers like you. If owning this piece of product makes you think that I’m one of one you, that makes me sick to my stomach and I don’t ever, ever, EVER want you thinking that I’m someone as snooty as you based on product ownership. People wrote books just fine before the Mac came out, and believe it or not, it’s not required for creativity.”

  It’s not rational, but that’s my reaction.

  I guess the other part if you want to be more rational is the amount of control you get with a PC. You can swap out parts that you don’t like an upgrade to new ones whereas a Mac essentially forces a re-buy every few years because it’s integrated, much like a game console does. The other big concern is that the Mac absolutely SUCKS for games. I can’t play Half-Life 2, Homeworld, System Shock 2 or even more retro stuff like A Vampyre Story or the old LucasArts adventure games on a Mac. I suppose if I could get titles like Bioshock or the Half-Life episodes on the Mac that would be a more compelling argument for me to seriously consider it, but those titles aren’t available.

  And me buying a Mac merely for word processing and e-mail and gaming would be like buying a Porsche to tool around the golf course in between holes. Sure, I could do that, and it would definitely get the job done, but it’s a bit silly to spend such a ridiculous amount of money on doing something so basic, but shinier and with added elitist snob approval so they can say “Now that you’re using a Mac word processor, you’re a better writer, right? RIGHT?!? IT JUST MAKES YOU BETTER SOMEHOW AND ONLY COST YOU THREE TIMES AS MUCH!!”

  But basically it still boils down to outright hate. They told my wife she’s not a real artist based on the equipment she uses that made me jump into Luke Skywalker “I’LL NEVER JOIN YOU!” mode, because of a now horrific fear that owning this equipment will somehow make me just as bad as them by default, and I really, really, REEEEEEEEEALLY don’t want to look down on someone and think I’m more talented and more worthwhile as a human being just because I bought a more expensive computer than they did.