Each spring one of the critical tasks of my teaching position is to
complete an Annual Case Review for each of the children I teach. It's
an involved process, full of forms and legal stuff that's enough to
bring on migraines or early retirement from the most enthusiastic
educator. I've previously described the
process and the hardware and software I
employ to cut through the paperwork as expeditiously as possible. In
short, I'm obliged to do most of my computing one month a year using
Windows compatible machines.
After another month of intensive use of the Windows operating
system, I find that . . . it really wasn't too bad. I'm not the first
(nor will I probably be the last) Mac columnist to say such a thing.
During the one week of solid conferences where I was constantly using
the Windows based IEP program (even though on my G3/7500 through an Orange Micro PC
card), I didn't have a single crash that could be credited to the
operating system. Actually, there was only one crash and that came from
operator incompetence. All I'll say about it is that I
did something foolish trying to show another teacher Elf Bowling that was on a
Zip disk. (My boss was not amused!)
Probably the biggest impression that comes from my annual month of
intensive Windows use is a respect for how much the Windows operating
system has improved over the last few years. At one time the difference
between the Mac OS and Windows was staggering. While System 7.1 could
be horribly unstable, it was friendly. In contrast, Windows 3, and even
3.1.1, were anything but user friendly.
How this applies to the current Macintosh situation is interesting
and a bit sobering. Starting with Windows 95B, Microsoft's operating
system certainly became "good enough" for regular use by the non-geeky
masses. John Martellaro noted this week in his column
on Mac Opinion:
- If you have been following the history of Apple, you know that they
floundered for many years with a corporate aversion to Unix combined
with an incredible arrogance regarding the legacy Mac OS. That
arrogance cost Apple a critical loss to Microsoft when corporate
America moved, in 1994/5, from the idea of mildly networked desktop PCs
to the idea of enterprise level servers and networking. (Windows
NT)
Among other reasons, that's probably a big reason why over 80% of
PCs sold use some variant of Microsoft's Windows operating system.
While we Mac proponents can spew the usual Mac propaganda about the Mac
experience and the elegance of the OS, the advantage Apple once held in
operating systems has seriously eroded. To provide a little balance to
such observations, you might give Del Miller's current Mac
Opinion column a read.
What this means for Apple and Macintosh users is that Apple must
have something uniquely better or more attractive than all of the PC
manufacturers or they will be left only with a dwindling loyal
following. In the past few years, that something has clearly been the
iMac. It has rocked the computer world out of its charcoal and beige
complacency.
The Windows world has fought back with its own "me too" computers of
color, but really has its strength in hardware features, availability,
and price. Macs, even iMacs, have typically had
less memory, smaller hard drives, and slower processors than their
Windows counterparts while extracting a premium price. The current rage
in PCs is built-in CD-RW drives, along with a DVD drive as well. PCs
also generally are shipped with a rather comfortable keyboard and
mouse.
While you can find computers for sale nearly everywhere except your
local McDonald's, Macintoshes
are only available at a few retail outlets. While I'm not sure I'm
ready for a drive-through Big Mac and iMac outlet, retail visibility of
the Mac has been painfully slow in returning since Apple purged its
retailers in 1998. CompUSA, Sears, Best Buy for a short
time, and soon Circuit
City aren't enough to override the flood of PCs available in nearly
every nook and cranny. I just groan when I occasionally see
discontinued iMacs disappear at an incredible rate at our local Sam's
Wholesale Club, thinking of the countless lost sales Apple suffers
because of its lack of retail outlets.
Apple's iBook looked like a killer
laptop when introduced, but since that time the Windows world has
overtaken
Apple in the price wars with
economy laptops priced in the $1,100 range. When compared to the
$1,599 iBook, a prospective buyer has to have a real appreciation for
the Mac OS, a lust for color, or way too much disposable income to
choose an iBook. Even so, iBook sales continue to sail along at a good
rate.
So I've spent another month ignoring my taxes and working on
schoolwork with some pretty nice Windows hardware and software. Am I
ready to switch? Not a chance, but the nagging worry I find from such
an experience is that for the first time computer buyer, there's not
all that much difference in ease of use and features to justify
purchasing a Mac instead of a considerably more affordable Windows box.
This worry is confirmed as I regularly hear of fellow educators
choosing a Windows compatible computer for home
use.
As I gray a bit as well, there's always the "hernia factor" to
consider with computers. The first two years I faced the annual Windows
computing requirement, I did my IEPs on our Acer Aspire at home and
then lugged that machine to school for the week or so of conferences.
For the last two years, I've used my Mac at school with an Orange Micro
PC card in it for the conferencing. Neither of these alternatives is
terribly attractive. When I face this task again next year, I think
I'll probably not transport my Mac with its Orange Micro PC card to the
office again, but consider a Windows laptop and printer. Right now, the
IBM ThinkPad 240 for $1,069 looks like an excellent option. If there
were a fast Mac laptop with Virtual PC available for something under
$1,300 (the ThinkPad requires an optional $110 CD-ROM reader), I'd go
for it.
Odd Thoughts While Shaving Between Paragraphs
If some of my comments on Orange Micro PC cards have sparked your
interest, you might want to keep an eye on the various auction
services. While it's too late now, a recent
eBay Dutch auction featured 5
Orange Micro 626 PC cards that went for $185 each. They were new
units in sealed boxes. There's a similar
auction for just one item ending 4/19/2000. The last time I saw
this happening, with the Orange 530 card, Orange apparently was dumping
cards on the market somewhere before officially changing their product
lineup. At any rate, an Orange card that usually goes for around $550
for $185 is a good buy.
Low End Mac has added a number of talented new writers in the last few months. Publisher
Dan Knight has always been good about giving folks a chance to say
something of value on his web site. It was a real kick for me to see
two newcomers appear on Low End whose names I know from some
interesting email exchanges.
Adam Robert S Guha has a column posted on Mac Daniel, Picking an Older Power Mac. It's a good look
at some low-cost options for getting into Macintosh computing with a
Power Mac. Adam and I have 
traded emails over the last
six or eight months about our Mac
IIfxs. It seems that when his is working, mine isn't, and vice
versa! Welcome aboard, Adam!
Welcome also to Scott Atkinson who is featured on Mac Musings with
an interesting story about his
PowerCurve clone. Scott is also a
knowledgeable and fellow Orange Micro and PM 7200 user. He posed an
interesting question to me last week in an email: "How many Macs is too
many?"
I'm not really sure how many is too many for others, but I've
noticed that my Annie's usually tolerant smile has slightly dimmed as
the stack of vintage Macs has grown in the sun room.
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