One day soon, referring to Windows, a salesperson will say, "You know Windows PCs are only good for running games"

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One day soon, referring to Windows, a salesperson will say, "You know Windows PCs are only good for running games"

Date Created: 20 Jul, 2006, 10:26 PM

I was confronted late Monday night with a dilemma.

Should I enter the old Mac vs PC game with a friend, or just leave well enough alone?

Now I have blogged here in a previous post that I no longer can be bothered pushing the Mac platform. If someone asks my opinion, I'll offer my experience as someone who runs both Windows Xp and OS X Tiger, and how I choose when and how.

Actually, it's pretty much dictated to me by the software I need to use to perform my tasks. Two applications I professionally employ which you won't find on storeshelves or mail-order, require Windows. Occasonally, some streaming media won't play on the Powerbook, so that's also left to the Windows box. Its hard drive is partitioned into two, with only one having internet connection software, the other not having the D-Link wireless card software insalled. This is where my "mission critical" software runs, and where Windows Xp is never updated.

It is an utterly stable installation.

The internet-enabled partition operates like the usual Windows installation: anti-virus software, and other malware filters, Firefox as the browser, and iTunes and Windows Media Player. This is where I use the Windows box to do the Bit Torrent thing while I do my creative work on the Powerbook.

It's a reasonable compromise, and the Windows box has not needed a reinstall since January last year. Not bad. Mind you it gets very selective use, and if it got the pounding the Powerbook receives daily, I doubt it would be half as reliable.

So come Monday night, the friend who is a highly successful businessman in a technical field, asked about upgrading his Windows laptop to another model. He tends to do things on the cheap, and occasionally consults me about purchases, such as iPods, and peripherals.

When he asked about what's good in laptops, I guessed he hadn't heard about the new Macbook range. Before I had a chance to answer he asked another friend sitting with us about his small 13" Sony 1.3lb. laptop.

He wanted an ultralight with the expectation of more airline travel this year. So while the two compared notes, I wondered if there was a market here for Apple, a 2006 version of the Powerbook Duo, if you like.

I had a choice sitting with my IT-savvy friends. Should I keep my trap shut and let the two of them carry on about which Windows unit to get, or put a word in for the new MacBooks?

Two things led me to open my mouth.

First the Sony he was interested (right) in retails for AUD3500. And second, he also was interested in the ASUS range, which is doing very well here in Australia.

So I suggested he looked at the MacBook which would be $1000 less than his Sony, with the same size screen.

Now you need to know that this is a person successful by backing his own judgement, being in the right place at the right time often, and is frequently consulted by others for his business acumen. He doesn't like to be told he's wrong or that he missed out on something by his own stubborness to listen to an alternative viewpoint.

The history here is that whenever I mention the Mac as a viable business platform he sneers at it.

It was no different on Monday when I ignored my better judgement and suggested he look at the new Macbook range.

And what followed was the usual tirade which you might think was so passé now, but evidently might be a view held by many within the Windows sphere of influence:

"Apple? They were good when you had to do graphics. But no one thinks about them now. Hardly anyone buys them. They would be out of business if it wasn't for the iPod."

Now, this "discussion" occurred the Monday before the latest highly successful quarterly financial results were published, indicating healthy growth of the Macintosh platform, contributing its fair share to Apple's coffers. Hardly, "we're taking over the world" stuff, but the trend's in the right direction!

And no, I haven't emailed him the various commentaries on this financial outcome to "prove" my friend wrong. He'll make his decision on his own as he usually does.

Although, a small concession was offered when he asked about the ASUS range of notebooks which he admitted to liking very much. To which I replied:

"Asus? Oh yes, they've been making Mac portables for a while now. They make the current range of MacBooks I've been suggesting you take a look at."

The matter rests there, and no doubt he will come over soon and show me his shiny new Sony 13" for which he paid a grand more than a MacBook with the same Intel duo core processor. That extra money goes to give him less to carry, but a greater burden to worry about when it comes to online vigilance.

But the point here is the carry-over effect still in abundance as to the "rightful" place of the Mac in the business world - for graphics.

This form of dogma - a hoary chestnut - you can test for yourself by going out this lunchtime into a PC store. Ask what Macs are better for compared to PCs and see what your average salesperson concedes. Once they've said "graphics" or some similar narrow usage confined to the creative, but not corporate enterprises, surprise them by asking,

"Why is it better than the PC for graphics?"

Note what responses you get.

Is it confined to better software choices on the Mac? A better user interface? Better graphics processor? Faster CPU?

Really try to pin them down.

Then, when you've collected the answers, ask why a system that has these advantages isn't suitable for corporate use. Then watch the squirming and justifications begin.

Then, when all is said and done, and the salesperson has done their song and dance act of justification (you'll know they're clutching at straws when they cite price and "upgradibility", neither of which can be sustained as a differentiator in 2006), ask if the current Macs can also run Windows, including Vista.

Then prepare to watch cognitive dissonance in action.

You see, one of these days, not far away, Steve Jobs will know he has succeeded in his efforts to make the Mac a sensible choice for all kinds of IT use, when you walk into a computer store, and overhear the salesperson say:

"You want a Windows PC? Are you sure? You know they're only good for running games. The rest of the time you don't want to trust them with your mission critical applications and data".