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Also see the relative growth of /r/buildapc vs. /r/apple: http://redditmetrics.com/r/buildapc#compare=apple http://redditmetrics.com/r/buildapc#compare=apple (c
by vijucat 10y ago
Also see the relative growth of /r/buildapc vs. /r/apple: http://redditmetrics.com/r/buildapc#compare=apple http://redditmetrics.com/r/buildapc#compare=apple (click on Total Subscribers). March 2013 was the crossover point.
I'm trying to compare Apple on it's own turf here (tapping into the enthusiasm of retail / consumer folks). That's a lot of mindshare lost, IMHO, by defining themselves as the "Bose of computer hardware".
Important mindshare at that: young people. Once these young folks struggle with BSODs, fiddling with BIOS settings, NVidia drivers, screwdrivers and thermal paste, and get a rig up and running, it becomes an addiction. I find it ironic that it is the very opposite of what Apple offers, a trouble-free "It just works" experience, that is the appealing factor of /r/buildapc.
The one thing they should have learned from Steve is: everything has a context; it's OK to change your opinion.
- akgerber 10y agoI'm not sure I believe your assertion that building a PC makes people love it for life— I built a PC in high school, then switched over to a Macbook for college and haven't looked back. Now that fiddling with computers is my job, it's less appealing as a hobby.
- electic 10y agoAgree. I used to build PCs as well. I even had a review site that received 2MM uniques a month and manufacturers would send me motherboards and top end video cards, for free, to review. I loved making PCs but would I trade my Macbook Pro and go back to a PC/Windows setup, no. I don't imagine anyone would want to go thru that. Getting a case, fiddling with screws, power supplies, Video Card, and CPUs. Even worse, it is highly error prone. Do something wrong and POOF that 800 dollar CPU you bought is toast.
- quickben 10y agoArguably, you a trading the chance to lose 800 with a guaranteed loss of around that much, just by paying the Apple premium.
- electic 10y ago800 is the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot that "just works" in an Apple ecosystem.
- CamelCaseName 10y agoI was briefly an Macbook Pro user for four months (recently went back in late Dec.) could you talk a bit more about features that "just work" in Apple?
- eecks 10y agoI also built a PC and then went straight to using laptops and now a macbook pro
- vijucat 10y agoI wouldn't bother with building one myself, either; it's a huge time investment, not to mention the art of thermal paste application, cuts from sharp motherboard edges, and losing my BIOS settings to static electricity (although I totally appreciated the end-result of being able to upgrade my CPU and Windows accepting the hardware upgrade, bless Microsoft). My assertion was more about the huge number of other people that seem enthused about it.
- robotjosh 10y agoI was all in with apple and went there for pc building help after the weak macbook update. I can get all the pcie ssds and ram upgrades I want now. Skylake integrated graphics somehow drives a 4k display snappier than a max 2015 macbook pro. Windows 10 isn't bad after you give up on the idea of multitouch trackpad and get a nice clicky-pointy mouse. I am thrilled with getting better performance for my needs at 1/4th the price with the freedom to incorporate any new technology that comes out. The best part about going pc is that this i5 cpu with stock cooler is completely silent compared to the macbook pro that revs up like a jet engine whenever anything is connected to it. My only complaint about the pc world is that all the high end stuff is brightly colored plastic when I'm looking for brushed aluminum.
- itchyouch 10y agoBeen in both camps. I finally built my own PC after a decade or so of using Macs to be able to play games.