Why I will never use a Mac
So many times I've gotten suggestions from my friends to 'just try' using a Mac, promising that I will have a superb user experience. Nor am I blind to the benefits of MacBooks - stable and mostly trouble free performance, long life, good service, no need to use Anti-Virus - the list goes on and on. And if this were not enough, the compatability between Mac and Microsoft has improved steadily over time. As a friend pointed out on Twitter, I can boot a Mac into Windows, run Office programs and generally use it just like I use my PC.
There was a time when I would have not been able to afford a Mac - but that is not the case now, when Apple is discounting aggressively and giving great promo offers. And yes, I can afford to splurge now, which I would not have earlier.
Also there is a part of me that feels, if I love tech, I should be able to use and learn all platforms. I believe that a blind bias or refusal to learn something new, limits me and my knowledge.
In short, I have every reason to use a Mac. Yet, I probably never will.
I understood the real reason for this last month, when I was working with my business partner on a presentation that we were making jointly. She was creating a PowerPoint deck on her (brand new) MacBook and I was creating one on my Dell XPS. Sometimes she would ask me to help her out "How do I edit this video clip?". Or "How do I increase the size of this object?" To my irritation and frustration, I could not help her at all. I couldn't figure the mouse. I could not figure the video editing program + the way the mouse works. Once I was trying to tell her how to format a thumb drive. "Just right click and select format" I told her. Only to realise that the menu of options she was seeing was different from mine.
I have spent 14 years mastering Windows and PowerPoint on a PC. To re-learn how to use stuff on a Mac/ Mac OS, I would be increasing my learning curve. I have learnt to do things mechanically, even blindly on a PC. And I am not prepared to suddenly go back to school. I cannot afford to 'waste time'. This is not about a hobby or a passion, it is about business productivity and it's where the shoe pinches. I will not give up my mastery of a PC - it's a business asset.
The same logic does not apply for a cellphone. I would be more than willing to learn an iOS or even a Blackberry OS. That's because the phone is still a toy, a gadget for me. But my PC is a holy cow. It earns me my bread.
That's the real reason why I will never use a Mac. At least, not until I can afford to have one purely as a fun machine to learn on in spare time. It can never be my mainstay.
There was a time when I would have not been able to afford a Mac - but that is not the case now, when Apple is discounting aggressively and giving great promo offers. And yes, I can afford to splurge now, which I would not have earlier.
Also there is a part of me that feels, if I love tech, I should be able to use and learn all platforms. I believe that a blind bias or refusal to learn something new, limits me and my knowledge.
In short, I have every reason to use a Mac. Yet, I probably never will.
I understood the real reason for this last month, when I was working with my business partner on a presentation that we were making jointly. She was creating a PowerPoint deck on her (brand new) MacBook and I was creating one on my Dell XPS. Sometimes she would ask me to help her out "How do I edit this video clip?". Or "How do I increase the size of this object?" To my irritation and frustration, I could not help her at all. I couldn't figure the mouse. I could not figure the video editing program + the way the mouse works. Once I was trying to tell her how to format a thumb drive. "Just right click and select format" I told her. Only to realise that the menu of options she was seeing was different from mine.
I have spent 14 years mastering Windows and PowerPoint on a PC. To re-learn how to use stuff on a Mac/ Mac OS, I would be increasing my learning curve. I have learnt to do things mechanically, even blindly on a PC. And I am not prepared to suddenly go back to school. I cannot afford to 'waste time'. This is not about a hobby or a passion, it is about business productivity and it's where the shoe pinches. I will not give up my mastery of a PC - it's a business asset.
The same logic does not apply for a cellphone. I would be more than willing to learn an iOS or even a Blackberry OS. That's because the phone is still a toy, a gadget for me. But my PC is a holy cow. It earns me my bread.
That's the real reason why I will never use a Mac. At least, not until I can afford to have one purely as a fun machine to learn on in spare time. It can never be my mainstay.
Anyone who thinks Macs don't need antivirus is just asking to be one of the poor saps who get hit with a Mac-compatible/designed virus.
ReplyDeleteThey aren't such a small portion of the market share that they are totally ignored, my friend.
Also, if you ever had the time to donate to learning Mac OSX (or whatever they're using now...lol)
It's possible to hook up a mouse with three buttons like everyone else uses and get things to work The Windows Way.
Looks like you are less frustrated with Apple and more frustrated that they don't do things exactly like Microsoft. :D To each their own.
Also- Dell XPS. We have the same computer, haha.
:) you're quite right. I prefer the Windows way. Definitely when it comes to work. Force of habit. But I cannot get why anyone would want to load Windows and use a 3 button mouse on a Mac. Why clone a Windows PC on a Mac?
ReplyDelete