NZMac.com - Supporting the New Zealand Mac community

Mac Switch?

Written by Pat Pilcher

Monday, 01 September 2003

NZ Macguide Issue 11

At the end of the day, no matter how anyone shouts, the simple fact of the matter is that most people, after doing some research, will choose a platform based on its own merits.

Apple seems to have adopted this line of thought, and is pretty confident that its rock-solid OS, stylish hardware (and some would argue, sloppy products from the competition) will win over die-hard PC users who're sick of living with ugly boxes and seeing blue screens. Its switcher campaign is already gaining a huge amount of momentum in the US as more and more people fall in love with Apple. But unfortunately Apple, in its infinite wisdom, has decided not to run its switcher TV campaign in New Zealand, so the whole Mac switcher thing hasn't had as high a profile in New Zealand as it's had in the US.

We're a curious lot at Macguide (and you know what they say about curiosity and cats), so we decided to take matters into our own hands and try some hardened wintel bigots and with Apples, in order to get a glimpse into the switcher experience.

The results speak for themselves. Apple's definitely onto a winner with its sleek hardware and eye-popping aqua interface, and here's what our Wellington switcher had to say.

The Switcher
Richard works as an industrial law advocate, completing a marketing diploma in what little spare time he has. He also writes for several community publications as a movie critic, and isn't afraid to speak his mind.

He's a long term Windows user, and Apple NZ Ltd kindly kitted Richard out with a 17-inch LCD iMac, running the latest version of OS 10.2, complete with all the trimmings plus a few extras we at Macguide threw into the pot for good luck. After four weeks of being Wintel free, here's Richards thoughts on migrating over from the Dark Side.

What were your first impressions as you unpacked your shiny new iMac?

I was impressed at how compact and light the computer is. It can't weigh much more than a standard monitor, which makes it easy to move and lift. The footprint on my desk is no more than a standard monitor too, which means more room to work.

How would you rate the out-of-box experience compared to configuring a Windows PC?

The iMac was very easy to set up indeed. The ports are clearly marked and there are only three things to plug in to get started - power lead, keyboard and speakers. It couldn't be simpler!

So I take it you were impressed??

I don't believe there is anyone who wouldn't be impressed with the look and feel of the iMac on first seeing it. It looks more like an art installation than a boring old beige box PC, and all the better for it! I was impressed at the build quality too, especially the steel joint linking the screen to the computer; it looks very robust. The speakers are particularly cool-looking.

So far so good - what about things you didn't like?

Although the speakers looked good, the sound quality was really quite poor, with lots of bass distortion. Audiophiles and hardcore gamers would be disappointed with the speakers' limited range. The mouse, while smart-looking, wasn't very comfortable. Repeated use left my hand quite sore after a while. I also found it quite hard to accurately click and drag compared to a traditional two-button mouse.

How did you find the iMac to use on a day-to-day basis?

Although the Apple User's Guide is helpful, it took a few days of playing around to work out how things worked on the system. In particular, the applications menu at the top of the screen took some getting used to when switching between different programmes, and the Control button was new to me. The interface is stunning to look at, even compared to the latest Windows XP. The bright jelly colours and buttons make it more intuitive to work with. I was also impressed at how easy it was to customise the Dock, just by dragging icons onto it. I particularly liked the way the Dock automatically made room for the new icon - very cool. Within a few days I had worked out how to access most things, and the three different ways of viewing files on the hard drive is a real step up in user-friendliness from Windows Explore.

So all went swimmingly, then?

I did have one problem, which was trying to install some old OS 9 software - it didn't work. I am surprised that the machine doesn't have backward compatibility, or come with OS 9 Classic.

So, aside from OS 9 hassles, the overall usage experience was a good one?

When I went to work the day after using the iMac for the first time I was amazed at how boring and cluttered Windows looked compared to Mac OS X. There were too many icons on the desktop, too many different and redundant menus and toolbars all over the place, and hardly any room in which to actually work. The iMac is much cleaner and simpler, and let's face it, cooler to work with.

So how did the Mac stack up? Did your previous Windows preconceptions make it harder or easier to get to grips with the Mac?

Coming from 10 years of PC use, I did not find OS X as intuitive as I had hoped it would be and it took me quite a bit of experimentation before I understood how things worked. For instance I couldn't get onto the Net for a few days, I couldn't figure out how to burn a CD, and I couldn't work out how to shut down some Norton programmes I had opened. Once I got the hang of it, though, I found it easier to use then Windows on the whole.

So what really turned you on about OS X?

Apart from the look and feel, I was really taken by the ease of installation of software. It's refreshing being able just to click and drag instead of work through lots of windows and options. Uninstalling was even easier. Using a PC I am used to installing software and being warned about .dll files and having to delete files manually. Dragging things into the trash to delete is so much easier.

Is there anything you liked better about Windows compared to a Mac?

[Long pause]?? It comes with a few games? I'm struggling!

So what were your most popular Mac apps?

I used Mac Word extensively, and this app alone could convince me to turn my back on PCs. The combination of anti-aliased/ rasterised text, a large working area, and no pointless toolbars cluttering up the screen is a real winner. Even the drop-down menus are nice and simple compared to the XP version, which often has multiple steps before finding the required function. But it's the real-time smooth type compared to the bitmapped ugliness of XP that makes it a dream to use and easy on the eye. I also played a bit with Photoshop, and the quality of the LCD screen made its presence felt - my photos have never looked so good!

So what were your overall impressions after a month with the iMac?

I have to confess that I have long been an admirer of Apple products, and have coveted an iMac for some time. My experience with the iMac for the last month confirms that Apples aren't just arty and cool-looking, but easy to use and require a lot less technical knowledge than a PC.

Is there anything that would be a switcher show-stopper for you to make the leap over to Apple?

The main problem would be cost - the iMac itself is not cheap compared to equivalent PCs, which are getting faster and cheaper all the time. Also, I have a large catalogue of PC software and none for the Apple, and that could only be replaced at great cost. Also, the standard PC now ships with a 3GHz CPU and a Gig of RAM, which makes the iMac look a little puny in comparison. Although they may not be directly comparable, there is the impression that Apple isn't keeping up in terms of hardware requirements. One concern with the iMac compared to the G4 tower is the ease of expansion in the future. Given its small size I wonder whether the iMac will be obsolete in a few years and un-upgradeable.

So what could Apple do to make the average switchers life easier?

I think the iMac should ship with more software bundled to save additional expense for those with PC software. I was disappointed at the lack of bells and whistles, like games and an Office-type suite as standard software.

If you could choose to keep either a Mac or a Windows system, but not both, which would you keep and why?

It would have to be the Mac for its look, style, ease of use and impeccable manners compared to my PC, which crashed again yesterday!

Now you've got to give the iMac back, will parting be sweet sorrow or a total relief?

Very much sorrow. The iMac has become much more integrated into my life than any PC, and I have been proud to have it on my desk for a month. I hope I'll have one of my own there sometime in the future.

© Parkside Media 2004
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