So it went live and it got read a few times. About a million times in two days to be exact, the Mac article has already gone down as one of the most popular articles in AT history. I got a lot of people telling me I was Mac-biased, a lot of people telling me I was PC-biased, but I got far more people telling me they liked the article, so I came away pleased.
The top three arguments I got against what I wrote were:
1) My price arguments were wrong.
2) You don't need more than two buttons on a mouse.
3) You didn't mention ________ (fill in the blank with Unix, security, iLife, etc...)
To which I respond:
1) No they're not.
2) Yes you do.
3) I know.
:)
Ok, now to be a little more serious. The price thing I still believe firmly on; while you can spec out a Dell system to easily hit $3000, take a look at our Buyer's Guides and see what type of a system you can get for just $1500. Granted you don't get warranty, an extremely quiet case, etc... but let's be honest, price matters, it matters a lot - that's why there are tons of sub-$1000 PCs out there. Lots of die-hard PC users already think Dell's prices are too high, they aren't going to embrace Apple's. But honestly this doesn't matter as much, as the article wasn't very cost-centric to begin with, I just reiterated an age-old argument which some agree with, some disagree with and others could care less about.
The mouse issue may just be a personal one and I'll leave it at that; most of the article was personal opinion so there's not much more to be said there.
Now the final point is an interesting one, because after all of the emails I got asking why I didn't touch on any number of aspects of OS X I found myself wanting to write a follow-up to the 11,000 word article. I honestly don't have the time to tackle that right now but it's something I may contemplate doing in the future, or maybe I'll just save it for a review of the next iteration of OS X due out next year.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed but it looks like NVIDIA may just come through with a 6800 Ultra DDL for my upcoming Mac GPU roundup. They're saying about a week, we'll see what happens there. I'm still planning a trip to visit ATI's Mac team, but I've yet to hammer out a date as to when, so I'll keep you posted on that as well.
Right now most that's on my plate is PC related, but I'll definitely post anything Mac related as soon as I get word.
I'm still using the G5 by the way, this was posted from it and that article was written on it.
The top three arguments I got against what I wrote were:
1) My price arguments were wrong.
2) You don't need more than two buttons on a mouse.
3) You didn't mention ________ (fill in the blank with Unix, security, iLife, etc...)
To which I respond:
1) No they're not.
2) Yes you do.
3) I know.
:)
Ok, now to be a little more serious. The price thing I still believe firmly on; while you can spec out a Dell system to easily hit $3000, take a look at our Buyer's Guides and see what type of a system you can get for just $1500. Granted you don't get warranty, an extremely quiet case, etc... but let's be honest, price matters, it matters a lot - that's why there are tons of sub-$1000 PCs out there. Lots of die-hard PC users already think Dell's prices are too high, they aren't going to embrace Apple's. But honestly this doesn't matter as much, as the article wasn't very cost-centric to begin with, I just reiterated an age-old argument which some agree with, some disagree with and others could care less about.
The mouse issue may just be a personal one and I'll leave it at that; most of the article was personal opinion so there's not much more to be said there.
Now the final point is an interesting one, because after all of the emails I got asking why I didn't touch on any number of aspects of OS X I found myself wanting to write a follow-up to the 11,000 word article. I honestly don't have the time to tackle that right now but it's something I may contemplate doing in the future, or maybe I'll just save it for a review of the next iteration of OS X due out next year.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed but it looks like NVIDIA may just come through with a 6800 Ultra DDL for my upcoming Mac GPU roundup. They're saying about a week, we'll see what happens there. I'm still planning a trip to visit ATI's Mac team, but I've yet to hammer out a date as to when, so I'll keep you posted on that as well.
Right now most that's on my plate is PC related, but I'll definitely post anything Mac related as soon as I get word.
I'm still using the G5 by the way, this was posted from it and that article was written on it.
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Joe K - Monday, October 11, 2004 - link
I have to say I disagree with you, Mr. #5. While you can argue that Bush refuses to admit he was wrong about invading Iraq, and Anand also refuses to admit he's wrong about the price difference between Macs and PCs, I don't think you can take this evidence alone and reasonably conclude that Bush and Anand are alike. Lets look at a few points and see how the two stack up:Bush: Cheated his way into his current occupation
Anand: Pioneered an industry (pc hardware analysis) that has resulted in more jobs, more money flowing out of the Intels of the world and into small businesses and their employees (via advertising), and increased consumer awareness. AKA, earned his money and created his occupation the old-fashioned American Dream way.
Bush: Sends 138,000 American troops to Iraq for no good reason, gets 1000 of them killed, and kills many innocent civilians in the process.
Anand: No, not even close.
Bush: Illiterate
Anand: Quite literate.
Bush: Looks like a monkey
Anand: Looks like a person.
Bush: Filthy rich.
Anand: Not quite sure - i suspect he's rich, but in more of a clean way. We'll count this as a similarity, out of pity for the monkeyish looking shrubery.
Bush (and co.): will have me sent to Guantanamo Bay indefinitely after the FBI reads this, and everything else that i write that's anti-Bush.
Anand: will either laugh after he reads this, or think "stupid tard hijacked my blog for political/comedic purposes."
Bush: refuses to admit he was wrong about Iraq, because he's trying to get re-elected
Anand: refuses to admit he was wrong about the comparison he made between mac pricing and PC pricing because he wasn't wrong. Or at least because he's taken a good look at the facts and truly believes he wasn't wrong - that's what really counts.
In closing, we have more differences than similarities. Anand, I dub you "not very much like Dubya." Mr. #5 and Mr. Bush, I dub you "the painfully ignorant duo."
Anonymous - Monday, October 11, 2004 - link
I agree with #11: How many times does Anand have to tell you all that the article was his opinion, hence, no objective performance numbers or the like. The title of the article states, "a die-hard PC user's experience". It is his experience and it is his opinion.I bet people like #5 have no idea what they are talking about. I bet if you were to meet face to face with Anand and start a debate with him about technical stuff, he will easily beat stupid fools like you.
Macs are highly overpriced. Apparently you Mac fans can't see that.
gary - Sunday, October 10, 2004 - link
the crap anand has to put up with...listen people, if you can't quantify it, it's probably an opinion... and if it comes from anand and is about computers it's a @#$%ing expert opinion... he said it was subjective enough times to break the 11,000 word limit on the article
honestly, do you guys go up to everyone who isn't dressed like you and scream "hey, you paid too much for your clothes and they don't perform as well as mine!!"?
I mean thinking it all the time is petty enough (sometimes is ok), but to keep harping on it is just annoying
james - Sunday, October 10, 2004 - link
on last page you have a "to" instead of a "too."[ It's nice to know that I'm not to totally lost ]
icarus4586 - Sunday, October 10, 2004 - link
First, #5 needs to shut up. Both the George W analogy and the final (jc) comment ticked me off immensely.I have used Macs a good bit and like them a good bit. Like Linux, it's a nice change from Windows. But I am a firm [b]dis[/b]believer in the single-button mouse. Bad decision as i see it.
Excellent article Anand & best wishes with your marriange.
Anonymous - Sunday, October 10, 2004 - link
#5You are just like Kerry; distorting the truth.
Mac prices are indeed too high.
Anonymous - Sunday, October 10, 2004 - link
#5: Shut Up!Anonymous - Sunday, October 10, 2004 - link
Thanks for a great article Anand! It was completely unbiased, and is possibly the single most useful article I have ever read comparing the two Operating Systems.Although I am not going to be an idiot like #5... I would agree that the $1300 new iMac (2 inches thick) and the $800 eMac would compete directly with those $1500 dollar machines you are talking about. I currently own a $2000 (last generation) iMac and I love it! It won't be as fast as the G5, but it would definately be comparable to any $2000 Dell. Since I have had it (about 1 year now) it has only crashed once, never had a virus. I am truly pleased it came with iLife applications (something that is hard to put a price on, and I believe the most important thing left out of your article) iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and iTunes work so seamlessly together it is hard to describe... it just works.
anyway, thanks again Anand for a great article!
James Bond - Sunday, October 10, 2004 - link
The price arguement is still wrong. I can't beleive that you don't realize that you can easily get a new imac for sub $1500 price and will compete with the systems you talk about getting for $1500. You are like Bush and can't admit you are wrong. Jesus Christ.Jam - Sunday, October 10, 2004 - link
Hahah. That is a very good article. I'm pleased that you produced the pros and cons of the product. I, myself work in an Apple Center but have a PC prefference. For Apple, the price is merely a profit plan (not for Apple but the third party people who handle, ships, distribute... etc). The OS is simply "Idiot Proof". If only the prices were better......if...(This is a personal view, it has nothing to do with apple or it's associate companies).