3 ms·

Yeah, it used to be embarrassing to use anything but a mac in silicon valley and other tech circles. That seems to be changing now, I keep hearing people are no

by azakai 14y ago

Yeah, it used to be embarrassing to use anything but a mac in silicon valley and other tech circles. That seems to be changing now, I keep hearing people are not buying a mac for their next machine. And when you see someone without a mac these days, the first assumption isn't that they lack style, it's that they are willing to compromise on another machine in order to not support Apple's patent warfare.

Stratoscope 14y ago
You are still making the wrong assumption. You're not taking into account that there are many of us who prefer ThinkPads (or other PC hardware) over Mac hardware and prefer Windows 7 or Linux over OSX. We're not "compromising" on another machine, we're choosing the machine that best suits our needs. Of course, every machine and OS has its own compromises. As much as I love ThinkPads, Lenovo has really cheaped out on the display panels the last several years. I hope the Retina MacBook spurs them into returning to the high-quality displays ThinkPads used to offer. But still, I enjoy using my ThinkPads and Windows much more than I enjoy my Macs. I find them more pleasant to use and more productive. A notebook without a TrackPoint [1] has no appeal for me. When I see someone using a Mac, I don't assume that they bought a machine for style and are unaware of how superior a ThinkPad would be. I assume that the Mac meets their needs better than the ThinkPad would. After all, I only know my own needs and preferences, not theirs. What I've never understood is why so many in the Mac-loving tech community have looked with such disdain on people who prefer other systems. I respect people who choose Macs over ThinkPads; it would be nice to receive that same respect in return. (Don't get me wrong, I didn't take your comment as being disrespectful; I'm just talking about an attitude I've gotten from other Mac enthusiasts from time to time.) [1]: http://www.google.com/search?q=love+trackpoint http://www.google.com/search?q=love+trackpoint
- arrrg 14y ago
  I only ever experienced disdain in the other direction, PC users constantly griping about how anyone could be so stupid and buy a Mac. I do not think that either Mac or PC users are more likely to do something like that.
  - Stratoscope 14y ago
    That's a very fair point. I'm sure I notice more anti-PC prejudice than anti-Mac prejudice. It's certainly a natural human tendency to feel that "my stuff is better than your stuff." I'm no saint myself and I have to make a conscious effort to see that other people's choices are as valid as mine.
- azakai 14y ago
  > You're not taking into account that there are many of us who prefer ThinkPads (or other PC hardware) over Mac hardware and prefer Windows 7 or Linux over OSX. We're not "compromising" on another machine, we're choosing the machine that best suits our needs. Sorry, yeah, I didn't mean to say that. I was trying to say that there is a strong "style" element in picking a machine. People should be rational as you say and pick the one that is better for them, but often whichever is "cooler" is more important - again, until recently, having a non-MacBook in certain circles would get you odd stares and you would feel like you didn't fit in. That seems to be changing now though.
  - Stratoscope 14y ago
    Very true, and thanks for not taking offense at my comment. Did you ever see the movie Legally Blonde? There was a funny scene where Elle was tired of being seen as a dumb blonde, so she bought a MacBook of whatever vintage they made back then and brought it to class. (She was wearing her Playboy bunny outfit when she bought the machine, but that's another story!) She took the Mac to class and there was one great shot of the whole class from the front of the classroom - so what you saw was the top lids of everyone's laptops. They were all solid black - presumably ThinkPads but they hid the logos - and she had the one lone Apple logo. Guess she didn't fit in after all! How times change... :-)

by azakai 14y ago

Stratoscope 14y ago

You are still making the wrong assumption. You're not taking into account that there are many of us who prefer ThinkPads (or other PC hardware) over Mac hardware and prefer Windows 7 or Linux over OSX. We're not "compromising" on another machine, we're choosing the machine that best suits our needs. Of course, every machine and OS has its own compromises. As much as I love ThinkPads, Lenovo has really cheaped out on the display panels the last several years. I hope the Retina MacBook spurs them into returning to the high-quality displays ThinkPads used to offer. But still, I enjoy using my ThinkPads and Windows much more than I enjoy my Macs. I find them more pleasant to use and more productive. A notebook without a TrackPoint [1] has no appeal for me. When I see someone using a Mac, I don't assume that they bought a machine for style and are unaware of how superior a ThinkPad would be. I assume that the Mac meets their needs better than the ThinkPad would. After all, I only know my own needs and preferences, not theirs. What I've never understood is why so many in the Mac-loving tech community have looked with such disdain on people who prefer other systems. I respect people who choose Macs over ThinkPads; it would be nice to receive that same respect in return. (Don't get me wrong, I didn't take your comment as being disrespectful; I'm just talking about an attitude I've gotten from other Mac enthusiasts from time to time.) [1]: http://www.google.com/search?q=love+trackpoint http://www.google.com/search?q=love+trackpoint

arrrg 14y ago
I only ever experienced disdain in the other direction, PC users constantly griping about how anyone could be so stupid and buy a Mac. I do not think that either Mac or PC users are more likely to do something like that.
- Stratoscope 14y ago
  That's a very fair point. I'm sure I notice more anti-PC prejudice than anti-Mac prejudice. It's certainly a natural human tendency to feel that "my stuff is better than your stuff." I'm no saint myself and I have to make a conscious effort to see that other people's choices are as valid as mine.
azakai 14y ago
> You're not taking into account that there are many of us who prefer ThinkPads (or other PC hardware) over Mac hardware and prefer Windows 7 or Linux over OSX. We're not "compromising" on another machine, we're choosing the machine that best suits our needs. Sorry, yeah, I didn't mean to say that. I was trying to say that there is a strong "style" element in picking a machine. People should be rational as you say and pick the one that is better for them, but often whichever is "cooler" is more important - again, until recently, having a non-MacBook in certain circles would get you odd stares and you would feel like you didn't fit in. That seems to be changing now though.
- Stratoscope 14y ago
  Very true, and thanks for not taking offense at my comment. Did you ever see the movie Legally Blonde? There was a funny scene where Elle was tired of being seen as a dumb blonde, so she bought a MacBook of whatever vintage they made back then and brought it to class. (She was wearing her Playboy bunny outfit when she bought the machine, but that's another story!) She took the Mac to class and there was one great shot of the whole class from the front of the classroom - so what you saw was the top lids of everyone's laptops. They were all solid black - presumably ThinkPads but they hid the logos - and she had the one lone Apple logo. Guess she didn't fit in after all! How times change... :-)