Apples and Oranges
So I have recently been using a MacBook Pro (2006-2007 version) and have come to grapple with the advantages and disadvantages of Apple. Interestingly, the same types of concerns span the entirety of the Apple line of products (Ipods, Iphones, Mac books, Macs – I rarely use Mac Software so I don’t know if this is similar for their software).
Apple, IMHO, is a great device for non technical users. Apple technology is the closest approximation to an appliancized computer (think “washing machines” and “laptops”). It does what it does relatively well. But it comes at a cost: no hardware freedom. What does this mean? Well, Washing machines have lifespans of 10 years or so. For Apple appliances it seems to be 2 years (new Iphone, new Ipod, New Macbook Pro).
The accepted diatribe about this issue is that Apple provides better service than Microsoft: Say what?
On any Abit/Thinkpad/Dell (read PC) while true that hardware support comes from hardware vendors, it is mostly there. Unless the vendor goes belly up, there are drivers usually developed for quite a few years after the delivery of the hardware. Not so for Apple. Sure – it is a one stop shop – but service doesn’t exists.
(BTW – I am pretty certain that many people assume Apple provides service are the sharp ads on TV with a cool “Mac Guy” and a “Plump PC guy”. Well these ads are indeed very deceiving.)
As an example: Macbook Pro uses the Intel ICH 7M AHCI SATA II controller, which supports native command queing and 3Gb transfers. Nice hardware – right? Well yes for the marketing department, but not for the user. To enable the AHCI mode, the Intel option BIOS has to be installed. Apple does not support the option BIOS so users are stuck in IDE mode.
So much for good hardware which is – supposedly – faster than a PC. Well, it isn’t.
Built in obsolence (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence), as in using high end components but preventing their usage is a complete turn-off for me, so this will be the last Apple for me.
/Assaf