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Apple Needs to Showcase OS X - But When? |
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 I use a Mac at work and at home. I'm a pretty big Apple fan and advocate so this shouldn't surprise anyone. What is surprising though is that most people still don't know what the heck this OS X thing is. Obviously I'm not talking about most of the readers of this site or the Mac Web in general, but just your average Joe.
Sure, everyone has heard of a Mac, but not many people know that Apple has debuted a beautiful new (well yeah, maybe old hat to most of us, but it's still only about 4 years old*) operating system with rock-solid stability, Apple's long-heralded ease-of-use, and a user interface that makes you want to lick it.
And yeah, Apple has come a long way in a short time, improving their educational sales, selling to corporate customers (mainly with the Xserve), and most notably with their retail stores. The retail stores let mall shoppers stop in and check out what Macs have to offer up front and personal, and according to Apple they're very successful. Being in high-traffic malls is good and bad - on one hand you catch people 'off-guard' and they get a hands-on feel for what Macs can do, but on the other hand the mall is not a place where someone is likely to shell out a grand or two on a computer purchase. No doubt, the Apple Stores probably plant a seed for a later purchase, but then again, I'm guessing that once it comes time to buy a computer, a lot of people see the ad in their Sunday paper for a computer that's like $499 after rebates and that's what they go with (not even realizing that you get what you pay for and that things like viruses and spyware simply don't exist in the Mac world).
So I think Apple needs to hit people over the head again and again with what OS X is, why it's better, and why they shouldn't put up with Windows any longer. Mac fans have been saying this for a long time - that Apple should go after Microsoft and run, well, basically attack ads on Windows. Apple could tout all the advantages that OS X has over Windows, like the ease of installing OS X, the ease of installing programs, how easy it is to uninstall programs (just drag the .app file to the trash), how easy it is to find stuff (which will only get better in OS X 10.4, a.k.a. Tiger), how secure OS X is, the fact it has no viruses, the fact it has no spyware, the amount of good applications it has, how easy it is to hookup a new digital camera/scanner/flash card reader/mouse (just plug it in most of the time) ... should I continue?
Anyway, Apple would surely love to point out their advantages over Windows, but I don't think they're quite ready to do so ---- yet. Microsoft holds some trump cards, like Office and (to a lesser extent) Virtual PC and Apple doesn't want to force its hand just yet. But soon, Apple will have all the Aces and no doubt will move "all-in".
It's rumored that Apple has applied for a trademark on the term "iWrite", indicating it is either revamping AppleWorks or creating a new word processing app or possibly entire suite of applications.
So Apple is slowly quelshing the things that Microsoft could ostensibly hold over their heads, and at some point in the near future could start a new ad campaign via TV, radio, print, Internet, and more that points out OS X's advantages. Could it be shortly after the release of Tiger? I guess we'll have to wait and see, but it's clearly (IMHO) something Apple needs to do.
Until then, I guess the rest of us Mac freaks will have to just show the world why OS X is so cool! You can count on 2 Guys to continue to deliver that sort of information, along with the obligatory idiocy, until Apple can find a way to go up against Microsoft. And after that, well, I guess it's just back to complete idiocy for us.
So Apple, hurry up and kick some Microsoft ass!
* Actually, much older if you count the NeXTstep heritage that OS X derived from. |
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August 26 2004, 11:42 AM EDT, by
 |
Comments:
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| nhmacusr |
8/26/04, 11:46 AM EDT |
From what I have seen, Mac OS X Tiger has taken even more from the FreeBSD code base amking it the most 'unix like' offering yet from Apple. I know that for most people this is a little mundane, but this is a major step in winning over the hearts and minds of the enterprise. Can't wait to get my hands on the final release.
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| sweetjimmyhugs |
8/26/04, 12:57 PM EDT |
I can't wait to get back to complete idiocy... and pants! I want to get my hands on some pants! Maybe Jonahan's pants...
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| Neal Eaton |
8/27/04, 3:10 PM EDT |
I had an idea a few years ago for an advertisement that showed 4 users in different environments using Macs.
Dig it..a 4 way split screen. The beginning of the ad is a start-up chime with the Apple logo in the center of each user's screen.
Then you show one of the people opening Office, one opening Photoshop and hooking up their digital camera, one opening Quicken, and one opening iTunes and hooking up their 'Pod. In each of these you move that user to the main focus so that viewers see what they are doing and can see the dock icons.
Then a voice over from all 4 users saying something like 'I use a Mac running OSX to make my life better'.
Fade to black with an Apple logo with Mac OSX type below it in the center of the screen. There could also be either logos of each company (M$, Adobe, Quicken) smaller and below the logo.
Pretty much says it all...and I think this would get people more interested in tring out a Mac.
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| dab2 |
8/29/04, 10:09 AM EDT |
Jonahan great article! Neal great idea!
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| demómac |
9/6/04, 6:22 AM EDT |
I'm working on a site at the moment which will hopefully help show the capabilities of OSX, should be fully finished by the end of September 2004 its:
www.demomac.com :)
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| jonahan |
9/10/04, 11:45 AM EDT |
demomac, that is awesome. We'll be sending folks your way :)
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