Love/Hate Relationship

I just read the PC World things about the Love/Hate relationship with Apple. I don't recognize whats-his-name, but there's a five syllable name that I seem to remember from the late MacAddict. Here's a brief synopsis of the whole thing, so you don't have to go to PC World and give them useless hits.

They hate Apple because:

1. Apple thinks stealing their trade secrets and publishing them for profit is bad.

2. Apple doesn't make a lot of empty promises followed by lame, late, and non-existent product releases.

3. Apple blames other people for Windows viruses, unlike Microsoft. Huh?

4. Apple has achieved brand recognition with the "i." That sucks.

5. No Blu-Ray drives. Unlike all those other computer makers who have been including Blu-Ray drives since...

6. Apple isn't perfect. (Note: I hate that, too. Bastards.)

7. Apple doesn't announce a schedule for security updates. Microsoft does. [I'm guessing that both Apple and Microsoft consider that it takes a certain minimum number of things to fix or patch to make an upgrade cost effective. Statistically speaking, Microsoft can more accurately predict the achievement of that number than Apple can. When you average 5 or 6 a week, it's easier to project a calendar than if you average 2 or 3 a month.]

8. No good for gaming? Okay. There's one I'll buy. I never got Half Life for my Mac. I lived. I can't play Eve Online. I'll manage.

9. Limited selection of machines that run OS X versus a wider variety of machines that run Vista or XP.

10. Doesn't play well with others. Of all the reasons, number ten is the lamest. It is easier to set up a Mac on a Windows network than it is to set up a Dell running XP on the same network. It's easier to set up a Dell running XP on a Mac network than on a Windows network. WMA is the audio format used by the rest of the world? Puh-lease! AAC and mp3 are the only formats anybody outside of Redmond gives a vista about. WMA is used extensively by all 37 Zune owners.

Things they love:

1. Apple's products are well designed.

2. OS X is the best OS.

3. Apple's products are reliable.

4. Steve Jobs isn't a puss. [I think Steve Jobs actually believes what he says. Some call that "honesty." It makes it easy to be courageous if you believe what you're saying.]

5. You can run inferior software on Macs now. [That isn't new. I've had the ability to run Windows on my Mac since late last century. Apparently PC World missed that one.]

6. Fake Steve Jobs. They love Fake Steve Jobs. I think FSJ is cool too. FSJ is one of my heroes. But, if you love Apple because of FSJ, then Santa Claus should be all the motivation you need to become a Christian. That one slips past me.

7. Apple has cool stores.

8. No malware.

9. Cool ads.

10. Great accessories from third parties.

Summary:

Two PC World writers were out of stuff to write. Instead of developing a real story they made up 10 things that are kind of negative if accorded any meaning, and ten things that would be kind of positive except it's all old news.

Synopsis:

The negative stuff is all bullshit (except the one about gaming).

The positive stuff is all old news (except the one about FSJ, which is just weird).

Dinner is ready.