Is Apple a Cult?

[krashkart]

An interesting little article from Al Jazeera:

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2...648184415.html

In other news, Steve Jobs has founded his own nation:



And be sure to watch your favorite TV shows and movies for product placements of Apple's latest ingenious device:



Here's an oldie but goodie:

[XabbaRus]

Yes yes and yes.

A cult like scientology I do believe....

You see to reach the next generation you have to pay more.....

[tater]

So you're saying that liking macs is a religion, and it's OK to make fun of them for that reason. Gotcha.

Hater.

I own a PC for games, but our laptops and one desktop machine are macs. Wife has an iPhone—which is cool, but I prefer a good signal everyplace vs bells and whistles, myself.

Best things about the macs? They are completely, totally quiet. if the CD/DVD is spun up they make drive noise, that's it. No fan, nothing. Second best is an uptime literally measured in years, they only ever get rebooted for system updates that require it. They are appliances, and they work (and as a UNIX guy, I like having a unix box <shrug>).

I always have a built-myself gaming rig, too. I feel like a shade tree mechanic though, keeping it running (and even though I tried to build a quiet one (PS, fans, and box specifically picked for low noise), it sounds like a hair dryer sometimes). To be fair, if I were using my PC for the day to day stuff we use the macs for, it would be pretty bulletproof with XP Pro (SP3), too. It's the gaming crap that makes my PC a PITA. One exception is some Java stuff that is work-related (x-ray viewer) that only runs on IE on a PC, and breaks if you mess with Java, or have IE set to be even slightly safe to use. Not the PC's fault, but the idiots who wrote the radiology applet. Still, keeping it working is also a PITA for that.

PS—is caring at all about someone else's choice of technological hardware a cult? I certainly don't care about someone else's choices unless they affect ME.

PPS—on topic, yes, for many it is a cult. I know "religious" mac nuts, and I know PC people who "religiously" attack macs, too. Liking the iPad, for example. I just don't get it, and Apple calling it "magical" is, well, kooky

[XabbaRus]

I'm not a hater, just being sarcastic.

I just get vague amusement at teh mac lovers who gush over it.

They look cool as does the iPhone but I don't get it.

[nikimcbee]

I'll say yes.

No software selection and overpriced hardware.

[Task Force]

I never got macs... have one, dont really use it.

[stabiz]

Is Apple a Cult?

Yes. Either that or there is something in the water.

[tater]

Software selection?

If you mean games, then yeah, that's why I always have a PC, and have for years.

But what do you use a computer for most of the time? My mac is in the den, and what I like is that it fits the small built-in desk, makes zero noise, and takes zero attention of mine to keep running. What does it get used for? Surfing the web, organizing pictures and home video, email, the occasional video chat so the kids can talk to grandpa. It does all of the above perfectly well. So if you need a machine for that functionality (or other stuff like presentations, etc), it's a fine choice, particularly given the small footprint in both size and noise. Again, it's an appliance, nothing more.

As I said above, I bet using the same trivial apps, my PC would be just as easy and stable as my macs—except for having to worry about viruses, etc, I suppose (AVG seems to do a good job though). In effect it's the wide variety of software (read: "games") that makes the PC unstable, and a PITA. I've never even thought about video drivers on my macs, for example. Not once—why would I, I don't push them, lol. On my PC though, it's a constant battle to try this driver, works with Il-2, breaks SH4, yada, yada, yada. A major PITA, and all because I have too many games

But, the mac bashers will still bash, and the mac loons will similarly ignore me when I say that their macs are only more stable because they don;t beat them up with more games (since there aren't any )

[UnderseaLcpl]

I'm no computer guru, but I love my iMac. It's fast, efficient, easy to use, sleek and sexy-looking, and most importantly; very stable. If it were a woman.... well, I guess I can't imagine a stable woman so forget the comparison
In any case, I've been running the same copy of Windows Vista on three different computers since 2007 and this is the only one that hasn't had a critical motherboard fault. Best of all, when Windows inevitably screws up catastrophically and won't even start, I can restore everything from the Mac partition on my hard drive.

I'm also partial to the customer service that Mac provides. If I drive down to the local Mac store at the proper time, they'll give me free classes on all kinds of applications and utilities. Last time I had a problem with my Mac (physical hard drive crash courtesy of the USPS), they repaired it for free even though the warranty was expired.

By contrast, Microsoft flatly refused to repair or replace my Xbox 360 on several occassions when that piece of junk failed to work properly and their worthless Hitachi drive burned rings in my game discs unless I paid them $150. I ultimately ended up pulling the last one apart and fixing the stupid miscalibrated (and un...recali...brate...able..., is that a word?) laser aperture myself with duct tape and a piece of foam. I still have 3 copies of Halo 3 that are unreadable because that *%&^$(*&^% laser burned the hell out of the innermost data rings.

My Mac does everything a PC can do, with the notable exception of alowing me to tinker with it. That is my only complaint about this machine. For $1200 I got a first-rate (at the time) gaming platform that has served me well for three years and never failed me even once. It runs lousy Vista like a dream, and it never crashes. Did I mention that it looks really cool, too? And it comes with a webcam, and a microphone, and like, 12 USB ports. I have no use for most of them them, but it's nice to have 'em. Also, it looks really cool.

If Mac is a cult, give me a ticket to Guyana and a glass of Kool-Aid.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

By contrast, Microsoft...

You know the only thing you really need from Microsoft for a PC is its OS. And you don't even really need that anymore.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

You know the only thing you really need from Microsoft for a PC is its OS. And you don't even really need that anymore.

Preaching to the converted, my friend. The way Mac has adapted to the Windows GUI is fairly obvious to me, and I love it!

[Bubblehead1980]

no apple is a successful company with loyal customers

[Torvald Von Mansee]

It does seem like a certain person uses a Mac. You know the kind: they draw fists to their faces like black holes grabbing comets. The desire to punch them is overpowering.

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

no apple is a successful company with loyal customers

Heh....sort of like Scientology?

[PeriscopeDepth]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

I'll say yes.

No software selection and overpriced hardware.

I have been using one the past couple months for work. The hardware/software integration impresses me. The only software that is missing is games, but computers do have purposes beyond gaming. The machines themselves are more expensive but the overall design, support, and OS/included software quality has won me over. I don't think I'll purchase a PC box again unless it is primarily a gaming/media center. And the media center justification is purely for onboard HDMI.

PD