I have been anti-Mac for a long time. It isn’t a stubborn bias, but one rooted in a set of formulated opinions. I am a flexible person and I’m willing to change my stance on things if given good reason. Apple seems to be coming closer to doing so.
From a business perspective, I am not a fan of their exclusivity. IBM essentially invented the PC, but it was successful (and affordable) because dozens of companies emerged to make their own versions of it and make the market competitive and drive innovation. Apple has also been innovative, but on their own terms (and more importantly at their preferred price points). So while I appreciate the direction they have pushed things, I don’t really like paying the Apple premium for it.
From a technical perspective, the Mac OS always seemed to cater to a simpler user. I appreciate ease of use – things SHOULD be easy to use. But the Mac OS seems to limit use and access. With PC’s, I’ve always liked learning how to tweak things and what is under the hood. If I had the time for a hobby, I’d probably be using Linux. The Mac OS seems to have a harder shell around its inner workings and I don’t like that.
From a usability standpoint, it only seems desireable from a distance. For instance, the OS seems easy and user-friendly, but there are elements that can tend to be hidden that I’m used to being visible. A single-button mouse may make a statement about the simplicity of use, but I like more buttons and don’t think there should be a premium to pay for that. And outside of the Mac’s themselves, many of their innovative designs seem to come at a cost (e.g., iPod – beautiful design, but you can’t remove or replace the battery; iPhone – innovative touch technology, but missing some important features such as a caps-lock and easy cop-paste operations).
But they’ve been making steps that have been drawing me closer. The switch to Intel processors means I can have the best of both worlds. I’d love to own an iPhone and a MacBook and sleak-looking iMac (or maybe a G5 with dual-screens on a single mount) … but I can’t do it. Mostly I can’t afford it. But also it just doesn’t feel right … not yet anyway. I have been anti-Mac for a long time.
Do not be afraid of MACs’, soon enough they will rule the computer world as Google has ruled the internet world. We should always be open to change, no matter how it comes.