Well, B., every Mac user I've known always seems to prosthelytize for Apple. When you suggested he consider a Mac it sounded like one of those Apple ads.
I think you have a long memory.
There was a time, in the mid-1990s, when Apple were in DEEP trouble. Deep deep throuble. At it's worst there was about a month's money left before they would have to file for bankrupcy.
At that time the amount of Mac users was small, and the only Mac users left were real die-hards. They were very emotionally attached to their precious Macs, and it showed in both positive and negative ways. The positive was the vibrant community of Mac User Groups which is still providing free IT help to many today, the bad was a pseudo-religious attitude to computeres, and no small amount of proseltising.
Times have changed though. The single biggest computer manufacturer operating today is Apple. That does not mean there are more Macs than PCs being sold, just more Macs than Dells, than HPs, or than Lenovos. There are millions uppon millions of Mac users these days, and most of them are regular peeps rather than religious freaks.
I know you work in IT and I'm sure you are very knowledgeable about hardware too. I'm sure Apple products are superior to those with Microsoft Windows.
It is true that Apple do above-average quality hardware, but they are not alone in that. The Thinkbook line formerly from IBM and now from Lenovo are legendary for being almost unbreakable, and some of the high-end Sony's are superbly built too.
Appropriately for this discussion, it's actually the OS that sets Macs apart. It does one of those 'have your cake and eat it' things that are so rare - it is a fully certified Unix, so it has all the under-the-hood power of Linux, but, unlike Linux, it has a really user-friendly UI sitting on top of that power. That's what makes Macs so appealing to people in my line of work - it's a computer without compromise - power, usability, and good build quality.
I don't use Macs because I'm an Apple fan-boy. I'm a fan of Apple because they make the best computers I've ever used, and I've used a LOT of computers!
The cost of Apple products puts them out of reach for many. When possible I'm sure they would prefer to have the superior Apple product over Microsoft.
Macs are no more expensive when you do like-for-like comparisons. I just went through all the paper-work to prove that at work, because had it not been true my new work computer would have been a Dell.
What is true though is that Apple do not play in the cheap end of the market.
Macs don't have to cost an arm and a leg though - the Mac Mini is a great little computer, and the starting price is $499.00. I've also bought a number of my Macs from Apple' refurb store - you get good deals that way. And finally, students and teachers get about a 10% discount via Apple's education store.
You CAN spend thousands uppon thousands on a super-uber-fast mega-mac, but you really don't have to. (as an experiment I once tried to figure out how expansive it was possible to make a single Mac - the answer: $15,000)
You've commented on Windows before. You and I spoke about the W10 upgrade before I took up that offer. I trust your opinions on all things digital tech.
Every day I come into contact with Windows PCs, Macs, and Linux servers. It's literally my job to know about all kinds of computers, and all kinds of operating systems, so I get a flavour of them all.
I know the strengths and weaknesses of them all, and I know what features I find important, and what features I don't, so I know that the best computer FOR ME, is my 27" iMac. I also know that different people have different needs and different likes, so you will NEVER catch me telling anyone that X computer is 'the best', because that statement has no meaning. What matters is what is best FOR YOU.
Sometimes, though, the Apple thing just gets to be too much. We know Windows sucks. When we ask for advice or help it's not helpful to be told to get a Mac. That's what I meant.
When someone says they hate their OS, it would be nuts not to suggest they CONSIDER an alternative. They may well consider it and decide that Windows fits their needs better after all. But to not even consider the alternatives when you hate what you have now strikes me as the behaviour of a fanatic!
Finally - I don't think Windows 10 sucks. If you have Windows 8, the move to Windows 10 is almost a no-brainer. It is a much improved OS.
The one fly in the Windows 10 oitment is that Microsoft seem to be taking a leaf out of Google's book, and hoovering up data as if it's going out of fashion. I don't like that trend. I prefer to pay for something and be the customer, than to get something for free and be the product. Windows 10 is being given to consumers for free, but Microsoft is a profitable corpotation - how? Follow the money, then decide if you personally are happy to pay in privacy instead of in dollars. You will pay, you just have to decide how.
B.
