Rodney O. Lain - 2000.01.16
This article was originally published on The
iMac.com, a site which no longer exists. It is copyright 2000 by
RAC Enterprises, which also seems to no longer exist. It is thus
reprinted here without permission (which we would gladly obtain if
possible). Links have been retained when possible, but many go to
the Internet Wayback
Machine.
You can tell when someone's attitude toward you has changed. I
noticed one person's change some time yesterday (Saturday).
For those who don't know, I'm the "Mac guy" at a local CompUSA
on some weekends. It's not always the most ideal situation for me,
since it is a thankless job, but it is a good way for me to pay for
my "toys." I also get to talk with Mac users and get a constant,
first-hand view of the state of the Macintosh in the retail
sphere.
One thing I've noticed over the last year is the changing
perception of Apple's resurgence. Many have said that Apple is
back, but that news is only recently sinking into the minds of the
general populace. There were always major pockets of disbelief in
Apple's coming back from the corporate dead.
Case in point: many of my CompUSA coworkers never took seriously
my Mac boosterism, seeing me as a little odd, since I was one of
the few people unabashedly supporting a "dying" computer platform.
There were the usual jokes and sly, knowing grins that other sales
people gave one another whenever they heard me talking up the Mac
to customers. Sure, it felt like a constant, uphill battle to deal
with the insults, the indifference and the open antagonism towards
my unPC affinity, but it does seem to be paying off.
I won't say that Apple and the Mac now has respect in the retail
chains, but I can say that everyone at the very least tolerates its
(and my) presence.
Yesterday, we had a very steady flow of customers in the Apple
section. I've been away for a while with Macworld and all, so it
was kind of chaotic as many customers discovered that there was a
"Mac guy" present. It's embarrassing how little I know about Macs,
yet many are just grateful that there is a sales person around who
is willing to talk excitedly about the platform. Among the things
that happened:
- I let a few people touch me after I told them I'd met Steve Wozniak
;)
- We had two refurbed iMac DVs on sales; we sold three (yep,
three were sold, even though two were on display - more were in
back).
- I had a long talk with a elderly couple trying to decide
between an iBook and a PowerBook.
- Ditto for a father of two who was weighing the respective pros
and cons of the Power Mac G4 and the B/W Power Mac G3 that we still
had in stock.
- I sold a few iMacs with CompUSA's extended-service warranty
(and gave my home phone number and e-mail address for future
questions and support).
But the most gratifying experience was the following:
I've related in times past that the Intel rep isn't Apple's
greatest fan. Today, however, I found him actually standing in the
Mac section, talking with a customer that was interested in the
iMac DV Special Edition. He asked me if I could give a comparison
between the iMac and a comparable PC. He normally spins even such
requests for help into a pitch for the PC, but this time he just
asked me to help.
He even stayed around while I talked to them for the first few
minutes.
The first thing that I did was quickly assess what he said (and
didn't say), and saw that as a good opportunity to extend a
nonverbal olive branch to him while I talked to the customers.
Here's what I did'
I asked the customers what they were looking for in a computer.
They said e-mail, Internet and word processing. I replied that the
PC and the Mac are both good platforms. I added that there are some
things that I'd never recommend the Mac for and ditto for the PC.
They asked what was the Mac good for. I deflected that question,
saying that they both are good for the basic tasks, but that Apple
computers are favorites who perform complex functions like
multimedia; I hastened to add that the iMac is now a favorite for
people who want an easy-to-use setup.
I also added that Apple and Microsoft have been cross-licensing
many features, resulting in the Mac OS and Windows becoming more
compatible and even starting to look alike (I showed them the alias
on the Mac and the shortcut on the PC). I talked up Mac OS X, the
G3, USB, etc.
They revealed that their computer needs to be compatible with
the Macs at the school where the lady worked. I mentioned PC
compatibility, in case she needed to coexist with Windows
machines.
At this point the Intel rep allowed me to finish talking to them
alone. Mind you, that usually, he'd pick at me and at Apple, but
this time, he just let me talk. It didn't hurt that I avoided
Wintel bashing'
My point is this: the age of OS wars should be declared over.
I've said this over and over again, but it needs to be repeated for
the next few years. I'm all for quiet Mac arrogance, but the days
of in-your-face evangelism can not cut it the way it once did.
That is the lesson that I've been learning at CompUSA. I think
many of the most Mac-bigoted people I know need to take up working
the retail stores for a while until they learn this lesson first
hand.
Fini.
- Rodney O'Neal Lain
Rodney O. Lain is The iMac's Associate Editor. A
former professor, he lives in St. Paul, MN, where he is a freelance
writer and a supervisor at a major US corporation. He enjoys comic
books and pencil drawing. He adores Mike Royko, Zora Hurston, Lewis
Grizzard, Maya Angelou, John Byrne, bell hooks, Frank Miller and
Henry Louis Gates. He also writes for Low End Mac, Applelinks and
My Mac Magazine. When no one's looking, he rants and raves on his
home page
Free Your Mind & Your Behind Will Follow.
