I've been noticing that there is something of an attempt to draw
a line between PC users and Mac users. Phrases like "Mac users have
a deep relationship with their machine" seem to be common. But what
these people are ignoring are the simple things that show that
die-hard Mac users and PC users aren't really all that
different.
Have you ever gone into a library or computer lab where iMacs
are present and noticed someone commenting on how if they were PCs,
they would work better? I know I have. It doesn't really bother me,
though, since I'm comfortable with both Windows and the Mac OS, and
I don't mind using either platform for most things.
But walk into a PC lab sometime. You'll probably hear, "If only
this was a Mac, I could get this project done much faster."
Now all of a sudden the Mac users are going to say, "See, that
guy is devoted to the Macintosh platform." Yeah, that's probably
so, but what about the PC user? Isn't he devoted to the PC?
It seems that Mac users don't realize that there are people just
as devoted to the PC as Mac users are to their Macs. In fact, I
knew one person who refused to upgrade her old 100 MHz Pentium
tower because she liked it so much and thought that she could never
like any other computer as much.
There's devotion to a PC for you.
You have to understand, however, that the things people like
about the different platforms aren't all that different. You see
people who are devoted to PCs from specific companies. There are
those who only buy Compaqs. There are some people who love IBMs and
refuse to buy anything else, because in their mind, there is
nothing close to being "as good."
Mac fans buy Macintoshes because the hardware is elegant and
easy to upgrade and maintain.
However, people buy IBM laptops because they like the durability
of the machines, not necessarily because of the OS that comes
installed on them. People buy G4
PowerBooks because of the features and appearance, not
necessarily the durability. Both crowds are just as loyal; they
just have different ways of showing it.
Then there are those who are in the middle - the "fence sitters"
of the computer world - who don't side with one platform or the
other. The PC fanatics and the Mac fanatics may try to convert
these people to their own side, but they will probably never
succeed in permanently converting any of them.
These people are probably a good deal of the consumer audience
that Apple and other companies are trying to win over. These
people, as I've said before, are not brand loyal and do not care
what type of computer they buy as long as it has the features they
want and is available for a price they can afford to pay.
Those who are strongly devoted to a platform, whether it be Mac
or PC, have one main thing in common: Their opinions will never be
affected by any advertising from the opposing side.
