You Are Without an Excuse: Get a Mac
01/13/2005 19:25 Filed in: Technology
...a Mac mini, that is...
See that box above? That's the computer. Yep, the whole thing. Meet the new Mac mini . It debuted at MacWorld in San Francisco on Tuesday. It costs only $499, and so now you are without an excuse.
Everything plugs into the back. This is a great machine if you already have a computer (and who of you doesn't?) because you don't need to buy a new monitor, keyboard, or mouse. Even if you have a Windows machine, your peripherals can be plugged into the back of the Mac mini. In fact, if you are a Windows user, you are one of the primary targets that Apple is aiming for with this computer. Lots of you have had Mac-envy for years, but you've been afraid to take the plunge. Well, at $499, this is the lowest-priced Mac ever made.
I would imagine with the Mac mini being so small (6.5" x 6.5" x 2" and under 3 lbs.), some people will treat it almost like a laptop. Keep a monitor, keyboard, and mouse at work and another set at home and just take your computer back and forth. It will fit into a bag or backpack and you can transport it back and forth.
For those of you who are skeptical, let me make my pitch...
The majority of you reading this are doing so from a Microsoft Windows-based PC. Odds are that right now as you read this, every site you visit on the internet (including this one) is being transmitted to a third party who is selling that information to marketers. You have to update your computer everyday downloading updates from Norton Antivirus, McAfee and the like to make sure you aren't infected with viruses and worms. You have to run Ad-Aware to remove the spyware that the majority of Windows machines like yours are eat up with. Microsoft sends out near-weekly updates to WindowsXP because after three years, they still haven't really completed the operating system.
Well, guess what? On my Apple Macintosh computer, I don't have to do any of that. Yes, there are occasional OS updates from Apple, but not near the number that come from Microsoft. And yes, I do have anti-virus software on my Mac, but guess what...in seven years of being a Mac user (I switched from Windows in 1998 after one crash too many) I have never had one of my Macs infected with a virus. I run anti-virus software because it's better to be safe than sorry, but I've never been infected. Yes, some of you have sent me viruses via email after your Windows computer was infected, but those viruses don't affect the Mac operating system. It's like bullets bouncing off Superman's chest.
I've had the Mac PowerBook I'm writing this blog on for a couple of years. A couple of months ago, just as a precaution and because I was kinda curious, I downloaded and ran a program that looks for spyware, trojans, and dataminers (the hidden software that send information about your internet habits to other companies). It didn't find ONE single instance of such a program on my computer. NOT ONE. I need you to understand the significance of this. If you are a Windows user, there are so many vulnerabilities in your OS, that you can't run a Windows computer for ONE WEEK without having dozens of such programs on your computer. Don't believe me? Download Ad-Aware right now and check. If you've had your PC for a while and you've never run a program like this, don't be surprised to find hundreds of these little parasitic programs. And you wonder why your computer runs so slow these days? As a Mac user, I don't have to worry about these things. They just don't affect me.
I referred above to having one crash too many when I used to be a Windows user. I remember trying to create a presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint running on Microsoft Windows98 and every few slides I built, the computer would crash (this also happened to Bill Gates last week at CES ). Finally, I had enough. After a lot of research I found out that PowerPoint (and the rest of MS Office) began on Macs and then was ported over to Windows a few years later. I made my switch to the Mac. I use programs like PowerPoint and Word for the Mac everyday. Unlike Bill Gates last week, I don't remember the last time PowerPoint crashed or locked up on me.
In case you misunderstand me, I am not anti-Microsoft. I think Microsoft makes some great software and I use Microsoft Office 2004 everyday. I just don't like Microsoft operating systems, that is, Windows of any flavor.
Windows on "IBM-compatible" PCs was an afterthought when Apple refused to license the Mac OS to PC companies (this was around 20 years ago, believe it or not). Windows is and always has been a cheap, clunky knock-off of the Mac operating system. The Mac OS, however was built from the ground up to be a graphical operating system. If you are into digital photography or video editing, the Mac is hands-down the platform for such things. Windows PC's can't even come close.
Simply put, creative people use Macs. Granted, we're talking about machines here, but Apple makes computers that tend to inspire people. They are elegant...practically works of art. This includes not only the hardware, but the software and the entire user experience. Think about it for a minute.... every once in a while, you are driving down the road and you can spot the Mac users by the little Apple decal on their vehicle. When was the last time you saw a Windows sticker on a car? When was the last time someone told you he was passionate about his Dell?
And granted, the Mac mini is not the most powerful computer Apple makes--not at this price point. However, I will tell you that it has a faster processor than any of the three Macs I have regular access to, and I wouldn't consider any of my Macs slow--not like the chug, chug, hard drive grinding PC's that I sit at every now and then when I am trying to help someone with their Windows machine.
There's no reason not to switch to the Mac. Windows XP hasn't been upgraded since 2001 (unless you count the plethora of patches, critical updates, and service packs). The Mac has had three major upgrades in that amount of time.
Software is not an issue. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is available for the Mac. Microsoft makes this suite for Mac users and believe it or not, they are more stable on the Mac (where they originated) than on Windows computers. File compatibility is not an issue. I send Windows users Word documents created on my Mac all the time, and they open them just fine. And they send me documents created in Excel or Word for Windows and they open on my Mac without a hitch.
The future of the company is not an issue. Apple reported yesterday to the highest quarterly earnings in their entire history . And whereas companies like Microsoft had a drop in stock prices over the last year (Microsoft was 3% down for the year), Apple is up around 185% (look for the stats at the end of this CNBC video clip to see for yourself).
You know for the longest time, the only real excuse folks had was that Apple computers were just more expensive. I had to give you that one, although I would have been quick to point out that you get what you pay for. Mac users tend to get more life out of their computers and replace them less frequently because they are so well-built and long-lived.
However, now with the Mac mini, starting at $499, you don't even have the cost excuse anymore. The price is right. Stop wasting time and get a real computer. Get a Mac.
One final note: Priced as is, the Mac mini comes with only 256 MB of RAM. These days, I recommend both Mac and Windows XP users get at least 512 MB of RAM. With computer memory, more is always better. The base-model Mac mini is $499 ($479 for students and teachers) and upgrading it to 512MB of RAM will up the final cost to $574 ($546 for students and teachers). Either way, it's still bargain-basement prices. GET A MAC.
See that box above? That's the computer. Yep, the whole thing. Meet the new Mac mini . It debuted at MacWorld in San Francisco on Tuesday. It costs only $499, and so now you are without an excuse.
Everything plugs into the back. This is a great machine if you already have a computer (and who of you doesn't?) because you don't need to buy a new monitor, keyboard, or mouse. Even if you have a Windows machine, your peripherals can be plugged into the back of the Mac mini. In fact, if you are a Windows user, you are one of the primary targets that Apple is aiming for with this computer. Lots of you have had Mac-envy for years, but you've been afraid to take the plunge. Well, at $499, this is the lowest-priced Mac ever made.
I would imagine with the Mac mini being so small (6.5" x 6.5" x 2" and under 3 lbs.), some people will treat it almost like a laptop. Keep a monitor, keyboard, and mouse at work and another set at home and just take your computer back and forth. It will fit into a bag or backpack and you can transport it back and forth.
For those of you who are skeptical, let me make my pitch...
The majority of you reading this are doing so from a Microsoft Windows-based PC. Odds are that right now as you read this, every site you visit on the internet (including this one) is being transmitted to a third party who is selling that information to marketers. You have to update your computer everyday downloading updates from Norton Antivirus, McAfee and the like to make sure you aren't infected with viruses and worms. You have to run Ad-Aware to remove the spyware that the majority of Windows machines like yours are eat up with. Microsoft sends out near-weekly updates to WindowsXP because after three years, they still haven't really completed the operating system.
Well, guess what? On my Apple Macintosh computer, I don't have to do any of that. Yes, there are occasional OS updates from Apple, but not near the number that come from Microsoft. And yes, I do have anti-virus software on my Mac, but guess what...in seven years of being a Mac user (I switched from Windows in 1998 after one crash too many) I have never had one of my Macs infected with a virus. I run anti-virus software because it's better to be safe than sorry, but I've never been infected. Yes, some of you have sent me viruses via email after your Windows computer was infected, but those viruses don't affect the Mac operating system. It's like bullets bouncing off Superman's chest.
I've had the Mac PowerBook I'm writing this blog on for a couple of years. A couple of months ago, just as a precaution and because I was kinda curious, I downloaded and ran a program that looks for spyware, trojans, and dataminers (the hidden software that send information about your internet habits to other companies). It didn't find ONE single instance of such a program on my computer. NOT ONE. I need you to understand the significance of this. If you are a Windows user, there are so many vulnerabilities in your OS, that you can't run a Windows computer for ONE WEEK without having dozens of such programs on your computer. Don't believe me? Download Ad-Aware right now and check. If you've had your PC for a while and you've never run a program like this, don't be surprised to find hundreds of these little parasitic programs. And you wonder why your computer runs so slow these days? As a Mac user, I don't have to worry about these things. They just don't affect me.
I referred above to having one crash too many when I used to be a Windows user. I remember trying to create a presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint running on Microsoft Windows98 and every few slides I built, the computer would crash (this also happened to Bill Gates last week at CES ). Finally, I had enough. After a lot of research I found out that PowerPoint (and the rest of MS Office) began on Macs and then was ported over to Windows a few years later. I made my switch to the Mac. I use programs like PowerPoint and Word for the Mac everyday. Unlike Bill Gates last week, I don't remember the last time PowerPoint crashed or locked up on me.
In case you misunderstand me, I am not anti-Microsoft. I think Microsoft makes some great software and I use Microsoft Office 2004 everyday. I just don't like Microsoft operating systems, that is, Windows of any flavor.
Windows on "IBM-compatible" PCs was an afterthought when Apple refused to license the Mac OS to PC companies (this was around 20 years ago, believe it or not). Windows is and always has been a cheap, clunky knock-off of the Mac operating system. The Mac OS, however was built from the ground up to be a graphical operating system. If you are into digital photography or video editing, the Mac is hands-down the platform for such things. Windows PC's can't even come close.
Simply put, creative people use Macs. Granted, we're talking about machines here, but Apple makes computers that tend to inspire people. They are elegant...practically works of art. This includes not only the hardware, but the software and the entire user experience. Think about it for a minute.... every once in a while, you are driving down the road and you can spot the Mac users by the little Apple decal on their vehicle. When was the last time you saw a Windows sticker on a car? When was the last time someone told you he was passionate about his Dell?
And granted, the Mac mini is not the most powerful computer Apple makes--not at this price point. However, I will tell you that it has a faster processor than any of the three Macs I have regular access to, and I wouldn't consider any of my Macs slow--not like the chug, chug, hard drive grinding PC's that I sit at every now and then when I am trying to help someone with their Windows machine.
There's no reason not to switch to the Mac. Windows XP hasn't been upgraded since 2001 (unless you count the plethora of patches, critical updates, and service packs). The Mac has had three major upgrades in that amount of time.
Software is not an issue. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is available for the Mac. Microsoft makes this suite for Mac users and believe it or not, they are more stable on the Mac (where they originated) than on Windows computers. File compatibility is not an issue. I send Windows users Word documents created on my Mac all the time, and they open them just fine. And they send me documents created in Excel or Word for Windows and they open on my Mac without a hitch.
The future of the company is not an issue. Apple reported yesterday to the highest quarterly earnings in their entire history . And whereas companies like Microsoft had a drop in stock prices over the last year (Microsoft was 3% down for the year), Apple is up around 185% (look for the stats at the end of this CNBC video clip to see for yourself).
You know for the longest time, the only real excuse folks had was that Apple computers were just more expensive. I had to give you that one, although I would have been quick to point out that you get what you pay for. Mac users tend to get more life out of their computers and replace them less frequently because they are so well-built and long-lived.
However, now with the Mac mini, starting at $499, you don't even have the cost excuse anymore. The price is right. Stop wasting time and get a real computer. Get a Mac.
One final note: Priced as is, the Mac mini comes with only 256 MB of RAM. These days, I recommend both Mac and Windows XP users get at least 512 MB of RAM. With computer memory, more is always better. The base-model Mac mini is $499 ($479 for students and teachers) and upgrading it to 512MB of RAM will up the final cost to $574 ($546 for students and teachers). Either way, it's still bargain-basement prices. GET A MAC.