Yakkity Mac (Don’t Talk Back)

Posted on 07/02/07 @ 11:56 pm

apple-sucks Last week, this whole PC/Mac thing officially reached its boiling point with me. Here’s the deal.

I’ve been straddling the fence now for damn near two years on deciding if I want to make "the switch" from PC to Mac. If you’ve been reading this blog for any period of time, you’ll know that I’m a pretty avid PC user. I’ve been using them exclusively for about 10 years, excluding 1999 when I worked primarily on a Mac in the local community college’s computer lab. However, PCs have been giving me fits ever since them. Windows is hardly a safe and stable system. I’ve had computers die unexpectedly, I’ve brought them back from the brink, I’ve upgraded, downgraded, switched out, swapped out and networked more than my fair share. And especially since I’ve gotten more into design these days (with my last three jobs being a corporate web designer), the increasing chatter to jump over to the Mac has been growing from a whisper to a bullhorn.

You design, therefore you use a Mac, sayeth the zealots. (No, not the casual Mac user. I’m talking the hands to Jobs, evangelistic, tunnel-visioned, ’just take the plunge’ users. That much fanaticism about a damn computer is a bit off-putting, especially when manifested as I’ve seen it. I’ve been had a one guy pull one on over on me, promising I could buy 2 Macs from him on 2 separate occasions, and then when I get all excited about it, shamelessly rescinded the offer. I even had an Apple Store rep go blue in the face trying to rationalize why I should get a Mac outside of ’because it’s awesome’.)

Needless to say, I’m not 100% convinced to switch yet, and here’s why:

I don’t like the Apple Stores I’ve been to at all. The employees have been condescending and snide and don’t represent the shiny happy Apple brand that the zealots keep force-feeding me. And yes, I’m primarily talking about the ones at Perimeter and Lenox Square, with Lenox being the biggest offender. (And Tamar, I asked to speak to Mark at Lenox, but was told he wasn’t in.) Heaven forbid when I actually get a Mac and the damn thing suffers some malfunction that I have to take it into those pricks. (Reading about my buddy Ryan’s issue with his Macbook is also something that, quite frankly, would have me showing my ’Bama pretty damn quickly.)
I still don’t know if I can use my external HDDs with the Mac in a way that both Mac and Windows can read and write to them. I usually get the runaround from the zealots about this and none of them will (or can, I don’t know) give me a straight answer. One of them alluded to HFS+J, but I’ve gotten mixed messages on that.
I have two devices which I use regularly — my phone Calliope and my mp3 player Euterpe II — which are both Windows devices. The mp3 player is a Windows PlaysForSure device specifically. When asked if there’s a way to sync those to a Mac, I was told by the jerk at the Apple Store to "just sell them and get an iPhone and an iPod." Just kiss my iAss, OK? Ain’t happening.

So in making a real effort in trying to switch over and learn about the Mac, I signed up for their One to One service. And I already told them right off the bat I don’t want to be sold to; I just want to learn about the OS objectively and don’t want any "better than Windows" or "just buy a Mac" type pandering, or I’m getting my money back, plain and simple. I can get preached to about the Mac for free.

My first session is next Thursday, so I’ll keep you posted.

Filed under: Technology
Comments: Comments

Comments

Karsh,

I'm excited that you've finally decided to switch over to a MAC. I'm an avid Mac user(actually I was a manager at Lenox until the beginning of May). I had never turned on a MAC until I started working for Apple and to tell you the truth I can't imagine going back to PC's. Everything is so much easier on a MAC. I'm sorry you previously had a bad experience at Lenox. I can honestly say that most of the staff loves the product and are passionate about sharing their knowledge with all of the customers.

What most people don't understand is that Mac Specialists are being pulled in a million different directions and many customers require 30 minutes to an hour before they are sure about the perfect solution for them. To customers waiting for service this can seem unprofessional and rude, don't take it personally. It's great that you've booked a One To One session, you'll be coming home with your new MAC real soon. And oh… you will want an iPod once you get your computer…you're a machead in the making, I can see it now.

Said by Darian — 07/03/2007 @ 2:04 am

To address your, ahem, concerns:

Condescending and snide is not limited to Apple Store employees. Try being a Mac user seeking as much objective information as you say you have seeking and experience the joy of someone at Best Buy, the late and hardly lamented CompUSA, Fry's Electronics or any other computer outlet and watch them not only be snide and condescending, but ouright ignore you if they can. At least Apple Store employees KNOW what they are talking about when it comes to information whereas you have a better chance of getting Isaiah Washington work in the next Gus Van Sant movie than a straight answer out of some those other yahoos.
The answer is simple: Your external drives can be written to by Macs and Windows. To the Mac, your external drive is nothing more than a storage device while to Windows…well, God only knows, how it defines your external drive. But the bottom line is that your drives should work with both systems UNLESS your drives are specifically formatted for Windows. Then, dump your data, using your Mac refomat your drive to the universal HFS-J format (that will be one of the options when you reformat depending on what software you use to reformat), put your data back on the dirve and you're all set.
As far as the "jerk" at the Apple Store telling you to sell your MP3 player and Phone, exactly what do you EXPECT him or her to tell you? They are SALES PEOPLE. It's THEIR job to sell you THEIR products! I can't speak to his or her attitude, but come on now…stop yer whinin' about that.

Now, finally since it appears you really haven't done any homework on Macs, I'd like to point out that you can run Windows NATIVELY on a Mac computer. That's right WINDOWS. Macs can boot into either the Mac OS or Windows since all new Macs for the last year have Intel chips. Or, if you don't want to boot up each time to use Windows, just use an emulator like Parallels, which will run Windows on TOP of the Mac OS. All of your peripherals will work. All your syncing will work. All your do-hickeys will work.

All of this and tons more information is available on the Apple website. You should really give it a look and do your research instead of listening to condescending blowhards like me. BEcause even I, one of those Apple "zealots", wouldn't plop down good money for a shopping service when 95% of the same infomation they'll give you is available for free on their site.

Said by John — 07/03/2007 @ 2:40 am

@Darian: We'll see about me becoming a Machead. I don't see it. (I certainly don't see buying an iPod.)

@John: To address your, ahem, ahems:

I get your point there, but I haven't seen any of the Apple Store employees in the stores I've been to show that fount of knowledge. Perhaps that will come through in my One to One session.
Yeah, my external HDDs are formatted for Windows (NTFS). There's probably going to be a good amount of data swapping and drive formatting going back and forth should I switch.
Yeah, spare me that bullshit. A simple "no, they probably won't work" would have sufficed from that employee. "Just buy an iPhone and an iPod"? Try buying a clue, first.

And since you've labeled yourself as a condescending blowhard already, it certainly saves me the trouble of keeping the kid gloves on. I know the Intel Macs can run Windows through virtualization. What I don't know is if I'd still be able to sync and use my Windows devices through that virtualization. Or if files could be moved and/or converted from Windows to Mac through virtualization. I haven't found any information thus far that can tell me that.

And as far as the whole 95% of the information being available for free…that's true. But I'm a try before you buy person (yes, even with PCs). I test ran my current mp3 player and phone and PC all before I bought them. As did my printer, and DVD player and any other electronic device I was about to plunk down money to purchase. Reading avidly about something does not equal really knowing how something functions. I guess that's what that other 5% is for.

Said by karsh — 07/03/2007 @ 6:49 am

Oooh, touchy, touchy aren't we? LOL

Now, I guess part of this "snide, condescending" issue you seem to be running into is as legitimate a complaint as any I have had about any number of places where I have conducted business, but it is not the norm (except the dude at the front counter pf the Roswell DMV…geeezuz!) So, if you've run into rude employees at Apple or ANY other place, I feel your pain.

But might PART of the problem also be that you are looking for rudeness and might — dare I say it? — be bringing a little 'tude to the table yourself? After all, all I read is hostility in your remarks about the very IDEA of switching to or using a Mac, almost as if you wouldn't even be considering it if Steve Jobs weren't holding your grandmother at knifepoint over a cliff. Isn't it possible that you MIGHT be getting a little bit back of what your are putting out?

My experience with employees of the Apple Store at Lenox and particularly at the smaller store at Perimeter has been rather pleasant and informative; only once or twice have I encountered minor "issues" with employee attitudes but nothing major.

Second, since you can't seem to take a lighthearted joke (red flag about the above observation!) let me take the kid gloves off too (your blog, but I say why not!). To that end, your profile says you are 26 years old. That means I expect you've done a fair bit of shopping in your day. So the whole "spare me the bullshit" line about store employees pushing the products they are paid to sell, strikes me as disingenuous, at best. Sure, the employee said your appliances probably won't work (actually as dedicated Widnows devices will NOT work with Max OS X), but their job is also to say "Get an iPhone! Get an iPod!" I don't fault them for that and I don't know why it puts your knickers in such a twist.

Next, let me make my previous answer a bit more plain about your external drives once and for all:

If you buy a new Mac, it can boot into Windows. Not as an emulator but ACTUAL, REAL, MICROSFOTIAN Windows. You will be able to hook up your Windows formatted drive and use it the EXACT same way as the you do on your current PC. No shuffling files around. No reformatting will be necessary. It's Windows, baby. (This is accomplished through using a progam called Boot Camp which, basically, allows you to boot into your Mac as a mac or, on a reboot, into a PC.) Your cell phone, MP3 player and your HD will work perfectly fine because…it's Windows. (CAVEAT: because it's Windows you'll have to deal with everything (viruses, malware, blah blah blah) you do on your PC. Because Windows is isolated, OS X won't be affected).

If you do use an emulator, it will not "change" your files in any way. Parallels is generally regarded as the best emulator out there, running Windows on top of OS X at native or near native speed and completely compatible will ALL your current files because it is Windows, too. (Same caveat as above).

In summary:

Install Windows on your Mac under Boot Camp and you will have basically two computers in one. In order to use Windows, you reboot your computer and choose Windows. To boot into Mac OS X, boot and choose that. Use all your peripherals as before.
If you don't want to reboot everytime you want to use Windows or your external HD, install Parallels and run it as an emulator. Almost all of your peripherals should work, but check with the manufactuer of the peripherals or Parallels or other emulator maker for compatibility).

In either scenario, you will be able to use your current Windows formatted external HD' without any reformatting and your files will not be changed, as well as use your peripherals.

HOWEVER

If do not want Windows on your Mac at all, then you would have to reformat your current HD to HSF+J using the Mac drive utility. Once done, you will be able to swap the HD between your Windows and your Mac machine without changes to your files.

A final note about trying before you buy versus research online. My non-subtle faux sarcasm aside, of course you should try before you buy if possible. I do it with every purchase I make — when possible. And personally, I think the One to One program is a fantastic idea for those people who need it. But Apple has always made test driving its products extremely easy — for FREE — in their stores. And you know what? It's STILL free. That's what most of those non-employees in the stores are doing typing on keyborads and playing with applications or, in more than a few cases, checking their email, doing homework, or checking their Adam4Adam. LOL So "try before you buy" in regard to Apple products was answered the moment they opened their very first store.

Yet, realistically, there is only so much you will be able to learn in store or from any employee or via any program until you get your purchase home and use it in the real world, with all of the variables that come from your specific set-up. That's why I, in all seriousness, say to research as much as possible online.

Now, if you can look past any issues you have with my "tone," I hope I have helped answer some of your questions to the degree that you are less anxious about them or can take them to an Apple employee to verify (or debunk, if I have mistakenly given any incorrect info).

I've been a faithful Mac user for going on 15 years, now having abandoned the drudgery of PC's and am more than willing to answer questions you might have as an additional resource to the others you have employed or are using. And if I don't know the answer, I'll look it up.

Either way, I hope some of the info here has been helpful.

Said by John — 07/03/2007 @ 11:18 am

Karsh,

Do not be deceived into just buying a Mac because others rave of its ease to use. As always invest in the best system for you and know what you are going to use it for and possible expansions you are going to need. I have put together many combinations of home networks that are composed of Mac and Windows systems (xpsp2,Vista, Server 2003), all working on a common network and being used for the task that best fits the operating system or applications. There are many options you just need to take the time to define what you need and then either upgrade to it or purchase. There is no fact lost that the Mac is a better built PC than your average Intel system that has Windows OS. However you can have similar results from a high end pc that is built to perform.
Research it and then make the best choice. Then again you can have the best of both worlds also.

Said by william — 07/03/2007 @ 10:41 pm

Sounds like you've been having some bad experiences. Sorry to hear that. I can't speak for the employees, but as far as the products go, I do prefer Mac. I work with both, but prefer Mac. The difference is mac is a more stable system and it's much much more user friendly. They don't make a habit of doing things that don't makes sense like Microsoft.

Said by Thundercizzle — 07/04/2007 @ 2:20 am

Like you, I'm a graphic/web designer and yeah, I see the Mac/Win debates all the time. I'll add that I've used Win most of my life and haven't had the type of experiences you describe.

I like the endless customizations and options with PCs. And when my laptop hard drive crashed last month (something I hear happens on Macs even more frequently), I pretty much just built the whole thing back – no middle man; no shipping; no Apple genius required.

In the end, it doesn't matter which system you choose. It's your personal decision. If you have the cash to switch over, and you feel like your life will be easier or people will think you're "cool", then go for it.

Said by j. brotherlove — 07/05/2007 @ 10:43 am

I've had lots of fun with my Macbook. I had a Windows PC but just got tired of all the crap associated with it. So I made the switch. I've had no problems with it, even though I don't really work the crap out of it. It took a little time to get used to it after working on PC's but now I'm smitten. BTW I got my Mac at the Lenox store and I actually just took the time to educate myself and learn about the Mac. I didn't want the "helpful" employee at the store try to sell me but just grab what I wanted and bring it to the front.

Said by Damon — 07/05/2007 @ 8:00 pm

I am not a graphic designer but I recently switched to Mac. I didn't encounter the level of rudeness that you experienced at your Apple Store, although the 'genius' that I talked to seemed bored or distracted even when I said I wanted to buy a laptop that day. I'm enjoying the ease of use so far and it's worth it to me to avoid the headaches I've heard and read about from Vista. Plus, my old PC was near dead after about seven years.

Good luck in your search whatever you decide.

Said by Didi — 07/05/2007 @ 8:14 pm

Karsh: over the last year or so, i've read your blog from time to time. One of the things i've noticed in your posts is the overall negative attitude you seem to have about life. Has it occured to you, you get back what you put out?

Said by GBreadMan — 07/05/2007 @ 10:05 pm

GBreadMan, has it occurred to you I don't give two shits what you've managed to glean from my blog "from time to time"? That "overall negative attitude" you're picking up on is my low tolerance for stupidity and assholes. Which these days are around in spades.

Said by karsh — 07/05/2007 @ 10:10 pm

Hey buddy! Ask for Mark again, or ask him to call you if he's not in when you are at lenox. And, congrats! Sounds like you made a brilliant move to invest $99 in tutorials for a year. This way, you get terrific personal help before you buy a system (or to help you decide not to buy). I just finished a year of Procare and will renew. the tutorials are amazing. i havebeen driving macs 25 years and all the changes are hard for me to keep up w. i need to slow pace tutoring at my speed in my language. look for me learning w bill;-) hope things work out. and as for condescending tudes… i agree, it is a drag. yet consider the folks w these attitudes are showing off their issues, not yours.

Said by tamar — 07/06/2007 @ 8:30 pm

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