Apple Grrl

Hi, I’m Leslie, and I’m a Mac addict. Can I build a PC from the ground up? Sure. Have I used PCs and Macs in dual networks? Absolutely. I’ve worked at companies that were PC exclusive, Mac exclusive and those that had a little of both. Through it all, I’ve been a Mac loyalist for over 20 years – ever since my first Apple IIe. Remember those, and the days of Basic? I do.

I am a Mac loyalist because I truly think, after years of using both, that their computer is superior to the PC in all areas but one (I’ll go into that in a minute). Even so, no computer has been built that doesn’t have room to be even better. Don’t tell that to a card carrying Apple Fanboy or Fangrrl, though. You may get beheaded. Why am I writing this on my Apple Grrl blog, where I usually show nothing but love for All Things Apple? Because a few bad Apple fans are spoiling things for the rest of us. These fans have collectively become known as the Cult of Apple, and have generated the kind of lampooning and dislike (and occasionally outright hatred) that can be found on this funny page by Maddox. The problem is that all Apple users are beginning to be seen that way, and it really chaps my hide.

Here’s the thing: Apple is awesome, but it isn’t perfect. No company is perfect. There is always room for improvement. Whether you stand behind the world of Gates or Jobs, in the world of computers it can only get better. Always. Technology moves at breakneck speed, and that in itself means no design or concept or software program is ever really “finished”. To not acknowledge that hobbles your argument, and to not have your users call you on it when you need improvement hobbles a company.

Apple has promoted the concept of their computers as a “lifestyle” since they first came out. They have marketed their computers using the “Cult of Apple” concept, and they have done a beautiful job creating the atmosphere of Mac users as a family. They have tapped into the minds of people everywhere – wanting to connect and be part of a whole in this isolated technological age. It’s been 20 years of marketing genius. Even their commercials today (I’m a Mac. And I’m a PC.) tap into the subculture they’ve created, one where Mac users are told they are somehow cooler and smarter than PC users.

This is starting to backfire on Apple. What is happening is twofold: first, when your customers buy into this concept they stop telling you when they have issues with your products, preventing you from fixing any problems and second, they become so insufferable no one else listens to them when they try word of mouth marketing for you, and you loose sales. Sure there are some reasonable Mac users (I like to think I’m in that camp), but there are a lot more Mac users who are insufferable, holier-than-thou bores.

I know, I may be lynched by a Mac Mob for saying so, but hear me out. I love to convert PC users to Macs, because I think they are better overall, in spite of their flaws. I have the hardest time doing so, because as soon as I try to open a dialog about it, the PC user assumes I’m just like any other fanatical Mac user, only able to spout marketing jargon from Apple’s vast reservoir of catch phrases. I never get the chance to compare PC and Mac use side by side, showing my experience with each and why I think that particular person might benefit from a Mac. That is the most irritating feeling in the world, being lumped in with a handful of loonies.

I’m hoping that this article will serve as a wake up call for at least a few of the members of the Cult of Apple. You are killing your product. Apple will continue to have a minor market share if you continue to push PC users away with your shrill, honking, cooler-than-you, better-than-you, Apple-is-perfect attitude. You have become the Rosie O’Donnells of the computing world. You may be smart and funny, but no one takes you seriously because you are annoying, loud and shrill. As one Mac loyalist to another, I’m begging you – please, please, please get off your high horse so we can improve Apple, and sell more of them in the long run.

What would I like to see Apple improve? Several things, actually. Let’s take a look. Everyone who uses Apple computers knows they are gorgeous machines, that use gorgeous software. Part of their appeal is the time Apple has spent on the design as a whole. Everything about it is truly pleasing to the eye. In many cases I’d even call it soothing – it’s as if they designed their computers and software with the intent of making their users feel safe. It’s one of my favorite things about Apple. Could PCs look this way? Absolutely. I have no idea why they don’t try harder to be… just, nicer all around.

In spite of the beauty of the interface and the ease of use, there are Apple programs I don’t use. Two programs at the top of the list? Safari and Mail. I would love to be able to use Safari. It is gorgeous, and it makes the whole Internet prettier as you surf. It simply doesn’t work 80% of the time, so I use FireFox instead. Apple needs to take a look at the fact that many web sites, whether Apple likes it or not, are made for Internet Explorer and FireFox functionality. When you surf the Internet and forms don’t work because you are on Safari and Safari refuses to be compatible? That hampers your Internet use. Apple needs to do what FireFox did – find out how to make Safari compatible with all forms and such online, even the ones geared for IE. Then it might get back people like me who work online and have to have 100% functionality.

As for Mail, I am not sure where to start. My big issue with Mail was that it refused to see half my email accounts. It allows them to be input, but you never get messages from them. This mainly happened on the email accounts I run from my own web sites on my own server. Obviously that is a huge problem, so I switched to Thunderbird. With Thunderbird I’ve never had a single issue retrieving my mail from any of my 20 or so email accounts. Personally, I also didn’t like the Mail interface – it was too simplistic (a frequent complaint about Apple). I don’t mind if a program comes with it’s settings set for the computer idiot, but I should be able to reset the settings for someone like me, who wants more control over my experience. Mail does not allow that.

In other Apple issues that I’d like to see improved… gaming. Apple used to be cutting edge for gaming, but not so anymore. It made me very angry that I had to shop for my budget, getting a MacBook instead of a MacBook Pro. The MacBook should be perfectly good for what I do – I’m a writer. But I also like to have fun, and the only thing I wanted MacBook to have that it didn’t was a decent gaming card. I have no idea why Apple chose to put in a non-upgradable GMA 950 card into its MacBooks and iMacs, but they did. And if you game at all, you know that card stinks like two week old gym socks dipped in curry. You can’t even play Myst Online with that card! Apple, Apple, Apple. I love you, but what were you thinking? How about letting those of us stuck with the GMA 950 bring it in to the local Apple Store for a free or low cost upgrade? Oh right, you stuck it on the motherboard for some reason so it isn’t that easy. Have I mentioned how much that sucks? Not even the Genius Bar can help this issue.

Are you beginning to see how never acknowledging Apple having room to be even better can hamper your Apple experience? Apple has had these issues for years, and has yet to fix them. Why? Because its users are so loyal that they won’t demand better from the company they are so loyal to. I’m begging you, Apple users… be loyal, but be practical. Don’t be afraid to tell Apple when you want something better. They have great customer service, they always have – if enough voices speak loud enough, they will start to change for the better. Join together to be better, kinder, less shrill Apple users. It will only benefit all of us in the long run.

Woz weighs in on Apple Fanboys

Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved

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