Inside the Case

Apple has recently been on the move, but although the technology and innovation that the company has put out has been quite good, they are constantly making assumptions about what their users want. I believe their entire philosophy about what people want and how the product should be delivered has been horribly wrong. And that's not so good.

The MacBook Pro, one of Apple's latest releases, is a 2.4GHz laptop with the capacity for 4GB of RAM. This is unbelievable power from a 17-inch notebook and the technology that's been packed inside the case is quite a remarkable achievement. So why wouldn't I buy it?

1. The Operating System - Leopard sounds great, but it's still a Mac OS, and nobody wants to be running a Mac OS. At least in my opinion, there's no reason to be running it (this is the part where Apple fans begin getting angry with me... but please read on). Gamers don't want it because it can't run all their games (Blizzard has been doing a good job supporting their games for the Mac, but most other gaming companies don't). Developers don't want it because it's loaded with a whole bunch of extra junk and huge aqua icons and all sorts of fancy gadgetry, and it can't run a lot of necessary software. A Mac OS system does not provide a developer anything that a Linux system doesn't already have. And I believe, the average person wouldn't want it either because of all the limitations on what programs it can run, usability, the highly annoying inability to configure the GUI, as well as the fact that all sorts of stuff already comes pre-packaged with it.

The only people I can imagine who might consider the using the Mac OS are designers/artists/photographers, older people and perhaps the average developer who wants a Mac to test stuff on. But still, all that said, the Mac OS doesn't offer anything that a Windows or Linux platform doesn't already have. If anything, it offers less. And why would you ever want to settle for less?

And at one point, I think, Apple realized this. The ability to boot Windows on the new Macs was, in my opinion, the best feature that Apple has ever put on their computers. But what does that say about the Mac OS if Apple feels it needs make this change? The way I see it, the only reason to buy a Macbook Pro is because of its powerful hardware. But if it came with Mac OS only, with no ability to use any other OS - I wouldn't buy it (and I'm a designer/artist that falls under the category of people who might consider it in the first place). I also wouldn't buy it because I can't stand the semi-translucent, dingy, plastic, sissy, toy-like, 1960's casing, but that's really just a personal preference... and I guess I could get one in black... and then strip the casing and make it myself out of some nice aluminum and chunky bolts... sigh... looks like I'm going to have a lot of work on my hands.

Let me be honest now - yes - developers can in fact make use of the fact that Mac OS is built on Unix. And yes - the average person might actually like the fact that a whole bunch of software already comes pre-packaged with the Mac. But I would take "choice" over all those things any day. It's always better to have a selection to choose from. Even if you are that particular person that can make use of all the features the Mac comes with, that still doesn't make the Mac superior. Chances are, you can get a better version of the same PC equivalent, for cheaper and still have more options available to you.

2. The Closed Case - My biggest problem with Apple to date is the fact that they've completely shut themselves off from the rest of the world. They've been getting better at this recently with the switch to Intel chips and the ability to run Windows, but it's still a major factor. If I had to pick one reason why I wouldn't get a Mac, it's because as soon as I do, I lose way too much freedom and ability to improve, upgrade and enhance my system.

This is all part of Apple's continuous philosophy that they know what's right for their users. How could they? Everyone uses their computer for completely different reasons and in completely different ways. Why would a developer need to have a computer with a webcam built-in? Or a whole bunch of photo-album creation software? Why would my grandfather need a computer with GarageBand pre-installed? People should have the ability to select and customize their computer to their specific needs, not choose a package that someone else put together for them. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want to pay for all those unnecessary features if I'm not going to use them. If I want a webcam, I'll buy it when I need it. If I want an audio editing program, I'll take a few minutes out of my day and run to the store and choose one that I like. I don't want somebody else to make these decisions for me, unless what they're giving me is the absolute best. And in Apple's case, it's not even close to "the best".

This is not only a problem with Apple's computers, but the iPod, the iPhone and all their other products as well. And, coming from the perspective of a company, I don't see why Apple would do this at all? Isn't it cheaper and faster to put out products that don't have all these features included already? Isn't it easier to just provide this software, hardware, add-ons, etc. as individual products? It allows users to purchase the items they want without the unnecessary garbage (and at a cheaper price too) and it makes life easier for the company because they don't have to pre-load all this junk. This is what all other companies have been doing for years with their PCs. Why does Apple all of a sudden think that they know what's right for users? It doesn't make any sense.

One other great example of this, is the latest release of Safari for Windows. The very first thing I noticed when I opened a website in it was, "Dear lord, what the heck is going on with the fonts?". At first I thought the website itself has some sort of strange thing where it turned all the text into anti-aliased images, but then I realized that it was probably Safari and Apple's obsession with smooth fonts. So, like a lot of others, I went into the settings to turn it off so that I could actually read the text. What do you know... you can't turn it off. This one simple, tiny feature, was enough for me take the browser off my computer and never put it back again. All that Apple had to do was give users a choice to turn it off completely. That's it. In fact, this is already too late. What they should have done in the first place is not have it turned on by default like everyone else, and IF someone in fact wants it on, they can go into their settings and enable it. Not the other way around. Which brings me to...

3. Customization - Now this may be not a big deal to a lot of people (in fact I know that it's not), but it's a huge deal to me and I think it's worth mentioning. I like (in fact, I must) have the ability to fully customize the look of my desktop and computer in general. If I can't have an environment which works for me, it really slows down my ability to work quickly an efficiently. I like my font sizes and icons as small as possible so I can fit more stuff on my screen. I like my menus bright and clear, and if my windows look nice and pretty - I'll be in a happier mood.

For Windows and Linux, there are tons of options - WindowsBlinds, and LiteStep and all sorts of stuff. Surely there are customization options for Mac OS as well (at least, a quick Google search seems to find a few), but they are no where near the same in terms of ability and options. Let's say I want to get rid of the Finder application all together and replace it with my own shell. At the present time, this is impossible and I can't seem to figure out why.

The same applies to Apple's hardware. Up until recently if I wanted to, say, replace my motherboard, the only way to do it is to ship the whole thing to Apple and ask for a replacement. It's impossible to build your own Mac. Why?! Why is Apple so concerned about keeping all their hardware to themselves? Why can't I buy my own case, my own motherboard, my own CPU, my own RAM, choose my own version of Mac OS to install and ... have an Apple PC? Is this not the most logical, and rational approach to building a computer? Or am I simply... an outcast... This is very frustrating since I don't want to buy a whole new computer when we want to upgrade my gear.

For me, if I'm in a gaming phase and I need a better video card, I'll go out and buy the best one out there. If in a few months I find that I'm not having enough RAM to record my music - I'll go and add some. If a couple of months after that my motherboard seems to be behaving strangely, or if I find that it's too small for what I need, I can run to the store and grab a new one. I have complete control over my computer. But if I'm using an Apple PC, each time I want a hardware upgrade or replacement, I basically have to get a whole new computer. It's absurd.

4. The iPhone - This is a great device. I won't deny it, it really is. But I won't buy it. I won't buy it for the following reasons:

1. It's not an unlocked GSM device. Now, some people think it's not Apple's fault (it's the phone companies'), but that's not true. It's Apple's device, and they should stop striking deals with phone companies and just release it as a solo device to let people do with as they please. This is how most other companies handle their products. However, Apple lives in a closed little universe of their own, and surely enough they aren't going to let people run around with a device that can be used anywhere by anyone. To Apple, if everyone could do as they please and if everyone had choices, why... it would be anarchy!

2. It's running yet another Mac OS with no ability to put anything else on it. Why can't I put Linux on it and do with it as I please? Why can't I write my own software for it? What's it to Apple? This is very frustrating.

3. And since I can't put any other OS, I'm stuck with terrible software like Safari and whatever the iPhone uses as its Calendar/Contact manager (some version of iCal I'm assuming). If I want to, say, put Firefox or Sunbird on it - I can't.

4. It's an iPod. This partly ties in to the other points, but it's a major point on its own. We all know that the iPod is surely not the best MP3 in the world (far behind Cowon, Toshiba and even Creative) and we all know that iTunes is quite simply the worst music manager that has ever been created. And if you don't know this, you clearly haven't done a simple Google search for MP3 player comparisons. Again, we have no choice and no selection. We simply have to accept what Apple gives us - or we can choose to not buy the iPhone at all. That's a choice I've made.

5. I'm also a little worried about the touchscreen Qwerty keyboard. I'd probably get used to it pretty quick, and seeing videos on YouTube of people using it quickly and effectively is reassuring, but then again, watching the guy on Apple's iPhone feature tour using one finger to type stuff was quite scary. I'm really interested in seeing how this new double-touch screen technology plays out in the next few years.

And there we have it. So far, Apple hasn't convinced me that their way is the right way. I don't even see this as a Mac vs PC war. I see it as a battle between Apple and the free world. While we are out in the free world we have all the choices in the world. We can do whatever we want, wherever we want and as much as we want. But if we dare venture into the world of Apple, we are immediately locked in Apple's cage where the only thing we can use and buy and touch is Apple's products.

Instead of approaching the IT world with an alternative, "Hey guys, looks what we here at Apple have done. You should try it in comparison with your other stuff, " Apple has decided to approach it like an invasion, "Hey guys, our way is the right way and the only way. 'Make the switch to Apple' and you'll never go back." This is simply unfair and I don't understand why this is happening.