Think Better

So I was on Google Reader earlier this morning checking the RSS feed for the NYT's Most Emailed Articles. There, down at #10 on the list was an article titled "What’s Online: Apple Cult Becoming a Religion", by Leander Kahney. As the author of Wired's "The Cult of Mac" blog, Mr. Kahney may not be the most objective arbiter of the computing scene--nor perhaps (as a Mac fan) the most apt person to make the distinction between a cult or a legit religion--but it seems like EVERYBODY is drinking the Apple Kool-Aid these days.

And you know what? They're right. Apple is experiencing a well-deserved resurgence. Because, right now, Macs *are* better than PCs. And OS X *is* better than Windows. And it's not even close.

Call me a heretic: because I am. I've always been all about PCs. I used to hate Macs with a passion. Back in the day, when I worked the computer help desk at my college, I was always confounded as to why somebody would own a Mac, yet alone use one. Although the networking options were nice, the staid monochromatic/2-D look of OS 9 was archaic, troubleshooting a nightmare (paper clips anybody?), and compatibility a huge pain. A few years later, we were subjected to the "Think Different" and "Switch" marketing campaigns which ranged respectively from being overly fanciful, to making me want to stink a pencil in my eye... for lack of being able to hurt the actual tools giving those idiotic testimonials. Even today's "Hello I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC" ads can come across as a *little* condescending. As effective as the ads are, that PC guy is endearing as a loveable dweeb whereas the hipster Mac guy almost always comes across as a jackhole. No disrespect to either of the actors, but if push comes to shove, we all know who's back we'd have in a bar fight.

But ever since the introduction of OS X (the "WOW" started six years ago on the Mac. Watch this video, if you don't believe me), the ubiquitous adoption of wireless, and the shift of workflows away from the desk to--dare I say it--the internets, the momentum of the OS wars has changed. The shift is palpable--much like in Rocky IV when, around round 13 or so, the entire Russian nation actually starts rooting for Rocky and against Drago.

Macs offer by far the most reliable and rewarding personal computing experience there is. Why? Because having a stable OS matters. Because being able to boot up from suspend mode in 2 seconds, and connect to the first available wireless network without any user input, matters. Because being able to open a PDF file natively, in a fraction of the 25-30 seconds it takes Adobe Acrobat to launch on the average PC, matters. Because being able to create a PDF natively matters (business users, are you listening??). Because not having to worry about viruses and spyware matters. Because being able to share a printer or hard drive across a network with ease matters. And finally, because even though it is grammatically incorrect to start a sentence with the word "because" without an ensuing clause, design matters.

The d-word. I know... it's totally played out but I would be remiss if I didn't bring it up here. To borrow from O.D.B, design and Apple go back like babies and pacifiers. It's not that Macs necessarily look better. Sony and HP have come out with some gorgeous looking hardware of late, but Apple has long cemented its reputation as a company that allies form with function. The iPod may not be the most feature-laden portable music player out there, but it does what it says it will do, all exceptionally well. As for the iPhone--well I can't claim to have seen it--but it's something straight out of Minority Report!

And I hate to admit this: but when you think about it, for the price, you can't beat all that immediate out-of-the-box functionality you get with an Apple. Built-in video conferencing with the iSight, and media center like capabilities through Front Row now all come standard. Again, notice I said functionality as opposed to features. Sure, you could probably build something with similar or better specs yourself for cheaper, if you knew what you were doing. Or you could install third-party apps and hardware and hope to get the same results on your Dell, if you knew what you were doing... but the operating words here are: if you knew what you were doing.

Philosophically, I think there is another ingredient that underpins Apple's resurgence. Simplicity. Why, after 6 years of development, Windows Vista ships in 5 differently priced versions, all with a separate set of features is beyond me. And it should be beyond you. It's confusing as hell. What is this, Medicare Part D?? There is such a thing as too many choices being a bad thing. If you have time, check out the work of Swarthmore Professor Barry Schwartz. If you have 20 minutes, watch this video from one of his talks at TED, it's truly edifying.

With OS X, you get all the bells and whistles in one SKU, probably because the accounting people at Apple were able to calculate a weighted average price whereas their counterparts at Microsoft weren't. Okay fine, that's probably not the reason. Still, you gotta admit, why it is that Vista ships in so many different configurations? For certain, Apple may not give you full latitude in spec'ing out your machine. They're often accused of a little too much hand-holding, and forcing certain parameters/features down your throat in their products. But that sure beats you f***ing up your Windows registry all by your own little "look-at-me-I-have-so-many-options" self.

Now this is not to say everything is hunky dory on a Mac. If you are in the market for a new computer and are thinking about an Apple, like the millions who have fallen under Steve Job's reality distortion field (this blogger included), you should know that Macs, at least in their current incarnation, do suffer from some curious lapses.

• The lack of keyboard shortcuts when using Microsoft Office for example is HUGE. In fact, it's maddening. There's no reason why I shouldn't be able to access all menu items by simply pressing a combination of the Alt key + the highlighted letter corresponding to the item I wish to use... like on any Windows PC. I spent my first years in consulting mastering Excel's keyboard shortcuts to a point where it became an intangible competitive advantage. I became The One. Seriously, I could take any investment banker out with my Excel skillz. King Kong ain't got s**t on me! This lapse is a HUGE impediment to power users. Sure, there are documented ways to map your own shortcuts, and you can even set up Parallels to run the Windows version of Office on your Mac... but I would take the time and money to do that why?

• While on the subject of MS Office, you will be pleased to know that file compatibility with Windows is no longer an issue. What is, on the other hand, is that the current version of Office available for OS X is not Universal. That is to say it was coded for the PowerPC chips, before Apple switched to Intel. This causes Office to run quite slowly, because it does so through a built-in emulator running in the background called Rosetta. There's a quick fix to this problem. Load up on RAM. Don't settle for the 512 Mb, upgrade to at least a 1 Gb. 2Gb if you can afford it. The long-term fix for this will be Office 2008, which will be universal... and glorious.
  

• Safari, Mac OS's own web browser, is useless... if you use the new Yahoo! Mail Beta version... or if you use the web-version of Outlook that many corporations now roll out. For some odd reason, the technologies underlying those web applications are not supported by Safari. The answer: Mozilla Firefox.
  

Many of these nuisances/inconveniences can be classified as business related... which is why I *did* say at the beginning of this post (*cough* copout *cough*) that Macs provide the most rewarding and reliable personal computing experience. It may be a while before you see businesses adopting Macs, and by that time we may all be using Linux. But you can't ignore the trend. More and more, people around me are using them at their workplace without any major issues.

Hey, they got Macs at CTU too. If they're good enough for Jack or Chloe, they're good enough for me.