Mac fanboys excoriated

profdlp (profdlp)

February 6, 2007 1:33 PM ET in News,

Charlie Brooker at The Guardian writes one of the most scathing anti-Mac articles seen yet – and that is really saying something.

I have never cared for the extreme viewpoints often found on both sides of the Mac vs. PC issue. I will admit, though, that Apple’s recent “I’m a Mac” advertising campaign has pushed me firmly into the ranks of the anti-Mac crowd. Put away the smug attitude, guys; it’s not going to sell me anything. With a market share stuck below five percent, you have nothing to be smug about – except, perhaps, your ability to con elitist suckers into paying twice as much as they need to for what is essentially an ephemeral product.

17 Comments:

  1. Winga
    6 Feb '07, 8:35 pm

    Excoriated: to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally

    Damn! Prof I had to call up the dictionary for that one.

    The man may be flaying Mac's but hes written some very funny things doing it.

    I love this one:
    "I hate Macs", and then I think, "Why has this rubbish aspirational ornament only got one mouse button?" Losing that second mouse button feels like losing a limb. If the ads were really honest, Webb would be standing there with one arm, struggling to open a packet of peanuts while Mitchell effortlessly tore his apart with both hands. But then, if the ads were really honest Webb would be........... repeatedly congratulating himself for looking so cool, and banging on about how he was going to use his new laptop to write a novel, without ever getting round to doing it, like a mediocre idiot.

  2. Sledgehammer70
    6 Feb '07, 8:38 pm

    LOL, in most ways I agree with this funny guy

  3. primesuspect
    6 Feb '07, 8:50 pm
    Quoting prof

    I have never cared for the extreme viewpoints

    ...

    Quoting prof

    elitist suckers into paying twice as much as they need to for what is essentially an ephemeral product

    I dunno.. I guess I, and millions of other highly skilled and qualified tech people who find the elegance of a modern, smooth GUI on top of a solid unix core like BSD, and high quality engineering to be something worth paying extra for, not to mention all those video professionals in the world's largest entertainment industry who use software that doesn't even exist on PCs, are all "elitist suckers"

    To call us elitist suckers seems somewhat "extremist" to me. That's just me though.

  4. Sledgehammer70
    6 Feb '07, 9:08 pm

    , most industry professionals who use Mac’s are fine with me, as they use them for what they are made for, but it is the chump morons who are swindled into buying them because they think they are better, to come to find out Microsoft still got their money when they bought their Xbox 360 to supplement themselves because of lack of gaming and when they found out gaming was still needed on the PC and they run Boot camp...

    Do you know how many idiots try to claim the photo editing software on Mac’s is better than PC’s? that is bull**** with a capital “B”

    And to be honest I have seen and used much better looking hardware than what Mac makes... maybe it is just me.. I'm the PC guy

    **Sledge prep's for a lashing**

  5. profdlp
    7 Feb '07, 12:20 am

    I tried to make it clear that Apple's latest ad campaign is what had pushed me from being a somewhat disinterested spectator toward a more "extremist" attitude.

    As for the "suckers" comment, I have no gripe with people who know what they are buying and why they are buying it. However, for those who needlessly spend way more money than they have to just to cultivate an image, sorry, but you've been played for a fool.

    I remember when a certain friend of mine was considering buying his first Mac. He was catching a lot of (mostly good-natured) grief for even thinking about it. As I recall, I was one of the few people who stuck up for him.

    In that particular case, I knew him to be well-qualified to make an intelligent decision concerning his next computer purchase. For too many of the people who fall for what I feel is a deceptive ad campaign, they will be spending a ton of money for the sole purpose of buying their way into what they mistakenly believe to be the "in" crowd. If there was a tax on shallowness, the "I'm a Mac" ads would be playing the role of the IRS.

  6. primesuspect
    7 Feb '07, 12:48 am

    I wasn't too familiar with the "I'm a Mac" ads, so I familiarized myself with them today. They are indeed trite and stupid. Especially the Vista "cancel or allow" ad - Mac OSX is exactly JUST AS BAD as Vista with the not allowing you to do anything without authorization.

    I just don't want the general public thinking that short-media is necessarily anti-mac when in reality one of the owners of the site uses both Mac OS and Windows XP (and Vista now, too). Each platform is wonderful in its own regard, and for its own reasons.

    To be perfectly honest, I've never met a Mac owner who ever purchased one "for the image" - every Mac owner I've ever met, supported, and worked with over my career has all had very clear and concise reasons for owning a Mac.

  7. RWB
    7 Feb '07, 1:06 pm
    Quoting Winga
    View Post
    Excoriated: to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally

    Damn! Prof I had to call up the dictionary for that one.

    The man may be flaying Mac's but hes written some very funny things doing it.

    I love this one:
    "I hate Macs", and then I think, "Why has this rubbish aspirational ornament only got one mouse button?" Losing that second mouse button feels like losing a limb. If the ads were really honest, Webb would be standing there with one arm, struggling to open a packet of peanuts while Mitchell effortlessly tore his apart with both hands. But then, if the ads were really honest Webb would be........... repeatedly congratulating himself for looking so cool, and banging on about how he was going to use his new laptop to write a novel, without ever getting round to doing it, like a mediocre idiot.

    Forget the rest, why is it that on the internet people feel the crushing desire to feel specially smart by using these drastic words to exemplify their fiendish delights? Notice I use these words all wrong, maybe because my vocabulary is down right ****ty, but I never, EVER hear people talk like they write in real life. I guess because they don't have a dictionary and thesaurus handy at any given moment.

    Ohh yeah, and I have no major quarrel with Apple except that their pricing is sometimes a bit high. I know last year I thought of getting one of their laptops vs. a new PC laptop due to pricing at the time being comparable.

  8. Thrax
    7 Feb '07, 1:17 pm

    People always think and write differently from what they say. Always.

    For example, you just used "Exemplify their fiendish delights." I reckon you probably don't walk around saying that in the IRL.

    Writing allows us time for pause, to choose our words, to craft something particularly funny or witty or well spoken. That's why, for example, we write speeches.

  9. Sledgehammer70
    7 Feb '07, 5:01 pm

    "I have a Dream"

  10. Leonardo
    7 Feb '07, 11:13 pm
    "I have a Dream"

    Wonderful. Now snap out of it and get back to work!

    People always think and write differently from what they say.

    Unfortunately, many just skip the thinking stage altogether.

    Exemplify their fiendish delights

    Prof got arrested for that and now has to register with the cops every time he changes addresses.

  11. RWB
    7 Feb '07, 11:47 pm
    Quoting Thrax
    View Post
    People always think and write differently from what they say. Always.

    For example, you just used "Exemplify their fiendish delights." I reckon you probably don't walk around saying that in the IRL.

    Writing allows us time for pause, to choose our words, to craft something particularly funny or witty or well spoken. That's why, for example, we write speeches.

    That would be why I said it, it annoys me when people do that. It's a peeve of mine, and any time I talk like that you can rest assured it's because I got annoyed at someone else talking crap like that.

  12. profdlp
    8 Feb '07, 12:46 am
    Quoting RWB
    View Post
    That would be why I said it, it annoys me when people do that. It's a peeve of mine, and any time I talk like that you can rest assured it's because I got annoyed at someone else talking crap like that.

    Most people choose their words a little more carefully when they take the time to write them down. It's not a bad habit - why not give it a try sometime.

    Quoting Leonardo
    View Post
    ...Prof got arrested for that and now has to register with the cops every time he changes addresses.

    If I could stop laughing long enough I might take exception to that.

    By the way: It was all a setup, I was framed!

  13. Buddy J
    8 Feb '07, 1:25 am

    It's a shame we, as a society, don't put a higher value on eloquence these days. While I'm all for the casual, there is something to be said for propriety. At least it still has its place in writing.

    As for the Mac ads, I find them entertaining. For the most part, I think they're right. The PC can be pretty uptight. The Mac is laid back. For surfing the web, working on documents, chatting and media work, I prefer using the Mac and OS X. But, when it comes time to get down to business, Windows is where I go. Thankfully, with Bootcamp on my laptop, I can use both on one device (I've yet to try Parallels).

    Each OS has it's strong points. For the average user, I think the Mac is an excellent choice with a friendly interface and a stable core that is safe from the uninformed. It's pretty hard to screw up. Is it perfect? No. But it also is not inferior to Microsoft's offerings.

  14. airbornflght
    8 Feb '07, 3:46 pm

    I use both on a daily basis. And I have to admit, I like the Mac OS fro what I do on it, which is graphic design and multimedia work. The interface offers a quicker workflow if that makes any sense at all.

  15. lewicron
    11 Feb '07, 4:20 am

    If I could play games on a Mac and I could afford one, I'd probably get one. I still love that article, though.

    More funny stuff from Charlie Brooker. Warning - bad language ahoy:

    http://www.tvgohome.com/

  16. airbornflght
    11 Feb '07, 5:27 pm

    well, I plan on getting a Mac for college next year and running paralells.

  17. Buddy J
    12 Feb '07, 3:39 pm

    nVidia has teamed up with TransGaming to get more games on the Mac.
    http://stuff.tv/news/id-4877/

    Soon hopefully, you'll only be held back by the price lewicron.

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