I’m not a Mac. I’m a Google.
UPDATE: I sincerely appreciate all the comments people have left. I’m shocked anybody found this blog, but good on ya. I’m not going to argue against anybody. You’re all right. I think it boils down to two things:
- It just didn’t feel right…for me. I wanted to love it, but I didn’t. It felt wrong, to me. It’s different, but not different enough to blow my mind. It’s different enough to annoy me.
- I wasn’t unhappy with my existing system. I wasn’t unhappy or unsatisfied with my experience in Windows. Therefore, I had no real motivation to switch. The fact that I have a lot of work to get done is a motivation for me not to switch.
Ultimately, my experience lead me to stick with XP until Google OS or something similar comes along.
And now back to the original post…
You know those popular Apple ads featuring a smug, partronising Mac boy? The computer itself even comes shrink wrapped in that same smug, partonising state.
I found the Mac OSX experience to still be incredibly flawed. Despite so many top designers gushing over it, I have to say that it is a really poorly designed product - both the hardware and software. I am truly baffled how anyone can tolerate it, let alone gush over it and pay a premium, to boot. Then again, label whores do that. They love to suffer, as long as they are making a fashion statement.
The fundamental flaw was the nose dive in my productivity. I completely acknowledge that there’s a necessary learning curve when making such a conceptual leap. There’s a period of adjustment. I recently switched from Photoshop to Fireworks, which is widely acknowledged to be a relatively significant mental switch. So it’s not that I can’t switch, or that I’m not willing to switch.
So why do I dislike the Mac so much?
- Expose looks sexy, but it’s worse than a schizophrenic girlfriend. Once you start using it, you quickly realize that it seriously disrupts your workflow, often inadvertently. A simple flick of the mouse and you’re suddenly thrown into an unwanted screen warp. It’s like getting tangled up in a fishing net. On the other hand, when you actually do want to quickly jump to another document, then the travel time to get your mouse over to the opposite corner of the screen takes forever, at which point you need to bring it all the way back again. That’s when the real fun begins: it’s time to start guessing which of the puzzle pieces is the one you want. It’s like doing a jigsaw. Is this it? No. Is that it? No. It’s not just a first timer issue - I’ve seen Mac zealots doing the same head twirling jigsaw hunt. In Windows, I can instantly locate my document in the task bar; it takes a fraction of a second to jump to the proper place.
- All of the Macromedia and Adobe apps are dogs on the Mac. They look twice as ugly and they run half as fast. I spend a large portion of my life working in those apps. That alone is a deal breaker.
- iPhoto is pitiful. I rely on Picasa, not only for my personal photos, but more so for my screenshot collection. I have 4500+ screenshots that I’ve collected over the years. When I grab a screenshot in SnagIt the image instantly shows up in Picasa, automagically. On the Mac, Snapz is the closest thing to SnagIt, and it can’t grab a scrolling window. That in itself is a serious problem. I wound up installing the ScreenGrab Firefox extension - which partially solved things. Then with iPhoto I needed to import the images manually, so more wasted time and effort - assuming I could even remember everything I captured. It also meant that I had two copies of every image, archived in different places, in different ways. My blood was boiling.
- Welcome to the Micky Mouse Club. The Mac is a computer that begrudgingly has a keyboard attached to it. Apple would love to ship with just a mouse. The only reason they provide a keyboard is so people have a way to activate the right-button keyboard combo (yes, I do know that the clit mouse does have right button functionality).
- ClearType? Is that supposed to be a joke? Design wankers love to point out the typographic superiority of the Mac’s font rendering. The simple truth is that computer screens cannot render small type sizes properly. Blurring fonts to render them more “accurately” only makes it more obvious that screens are still low resolution. Most importantly it’s harder to read. I don’t care how theoretically accurate it is.
Shall I go on? I could, but I’d rather not. I am a little ashamed that I made a stink to get the Mac, only to give it up so quickly. In the end, I just wasn’t able to get things done on it. And I did sincerely try. After I made the final call to end the abusive relationship, I was overcome with a powerful sense of relief to get back on my Vaio. I immediately started getting things done once again.
I’m pretty confident that my next platform is not going to be Vista or OSX. I’m holding out for Google OS. I love Gmail, calendar, docs, spreadsheets, Picasa, maps, Earth, etc etc. Bring on Google OS.
I am a Google.
Posting your comment
kefumna | December 14, 2006 @ 11:28 pm
me too
Mike Holman | December 15, 2006 @ 12:15 am
Exposé can be activated using the F9, F10 and F11 keys that exist on the keyboard.. so you don’t need to move your mouse all over the place at all and the keyboard has at least one purpose right there. You may not realise if you are new to Macs but the Adobe and Macromedia apps are not yet universal binaries - this means they are running under emulation and hence they seem slow. Perhaps if you rely so much on these applications you should have waited until universal versions were released before buying a Mac. The SnagIt vs Snapz issues is irrelevant as you are comparing third party software - it has nothing to do with OS X.
Storm | December 15, 2006 @ 1:33 am
Expose? Come ON. Go into preferences and turn off the Active Screen Corners. Then use your function keys (9-12) to activate what you need. If you actually use expose enough to claim that it is a burden you aught to be able to learn these pretty quickly.
Macromedia/Adobe apps. This is unfortunately true. There aren’t yet any universal binary versions of these apps.
iPhoto eh? After the Expose thing it’s not apparent to me that you actually took the time to learn about what these apps can do.
Part of being a Mac user is understanding that you are still a second class citizen when it comes to software availability (I guess that’s part of the whole ‘underdog’ thing). Maybe this will change, probably not. You’ve been branded by the Windows experience. It is much easier for you to bash the system than actually forget what you ‘think’ an OS should be and start relearning how to get things done. That’s likely what it would take for you, but you know, I doubt it would be worth it to you. It’s the ‘old dog, new tricks’ thing. I mean, complaining about the fact that there is a lot you can do with the mouse is just reaching man… Please, stay with your Vaio and don’t look back.
wogo | December 15, 2006 @ 1:41 am
At the risk of being called a “Mac nut”…
Your complaint list looks pretty lean for someone who is “fed up” with the Macintosh experience. Also, many of your complaints have easy solutions: Expose and font rendering behavior are customizable to avoid the problems you have. I’m not sure what your problem with the keyboard is, but *any* 2-button mouse will work the way you’d expect (not just the Mighty-Mouse).
The problems with Adobe & Macromedia software are not Apple’s fault, they are Adobe’s fault. And I assume you’re running them on an Intel Mac… If you do most of your work in not-yet-universal-programs then maybe it would have been a better idea to get a PPC Mac.
That leaves iPhoto… well, you got me there… iPhoto probably doesn’t fit your needs… But there are other options: iView Media Pro, Aperture, Lightroom…
Luke | December 15, 2006 @ 2:13 am
Wow - not happy eh?!
Feel compelled to respond to a number of your issues.
1> Expose. Firstly, you don’t have to have it assigned to a mouse button so it doesn’t need to get in the way. Secondly, it is only ONE way of switching apps - you can still use Apple+TAB (works same as Alt+TAB) …except that your mouse CAN interact with the icons displayed and can select from them - rather than just having to continuiously toggle…. And minimised windows on the Taskbar sounds pretty similar (thought not identical) to having your windows minimised on the Dock. I personally use a mix of Expose and Alt+TAB. At least Expose lets you view the contents of the full window, unlike Vista’s new 3D ALT+TAB approach which still tiles and obscures much of the window
2> I’m assuming you’ve bought an Intel Mac….? If so, then you must be aware that all the Macromedia and Adobe apps are NOT native and are running under emulation (Rosetta). Reports suggest that the native versions, with a beta of Photoshop rumored to be released tomorrow, are very quick and you would not have an issue. If they are key to you then, like most of the design industry is, you would be better waiting for native apps.
3> Admit it could have better integration with other online services
4> You can set-up the keyboard and shortcuts pretty much however you wish… don’t see what your issue is….?
5> No major experience on this so will not comment.
I’m an IT consultant who works a a global consultancy and work with Windows every day - at home, I use Macs. Lots of friends and colleagues have decided to buy a Mac in the past couple of years and EVERY single one has had a positive experience and has not regretted the purchase.. though they obviously had a few things to get used to that were different.
No system will be perfect (unless perhaps you designed and built all the hardware and software yourself to meet all of your own requirements) but in all my experience, I can honestly say the Mac gives me less hassle and lets me get more done than any Windows PC I have ever had… and that’s not taking into account viruses, spam, spyware, etc which are just an added ‘feature’ of Windows.
Good luck with whatever system you’re going back to - would love to know much time you spend on getting/keeping your system working versus how much time the machine is working for you….. ;-)
PS - I also give Google a huge thumbs-up for what they’ve done and where they appear to be heading.
SteveN | December 15, 2006 @ 3:48 am
As a decades-long Mac user, I appreciate your comments. We don’t ask enough of the Win/Mac world in terms of user ease and delight. Windows simply dozes. And MacOS crows about how it’s years ahead of Windoze. Which puts it decades behind where it needs to be.
“Businesses offer love to get money; consumers offer money to get love.”
lee | December 15, 2006 @ 4:14 am
Well all i can say is having tried to use your website i can see you are more PC than Mac. Its badly designed and illogocal!! why can you not click on the thumbnails to see the actual sites? Pointless bloody pointless.
Jim | December 15, 2006 @ 4:25 am
As someone who uses both MacOS X and Windows XP on a daily basis, I couldn’t disagree with you more. Neither OS’es are perfect, but for me Mac OS X is simpler, more intuitive and does not make you jump through hoops to do things. XP, on the other hand, aggravates me on a daily basis with some of its clunky behavior. It sounds to me like you wanted to find reasons to dislike the Mac, and you did. Funny how self-fulfilling prophecies work.
I’m not here to rebut your issues point-by-point, but a few things, such as lack of a two-button mouse and slow-running applications can now or will soon be rectified. Two-button mice work great in Mac OS X, and have since Jaguar. Once productivity applications such as Photoshop are released in Universal Binary, they’ll be every bit as fast as on a PC. And your comment about apps looking uglier on Mac than on PC…well beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.
Peace.
Robert Pritchett | December 15, 2006 @ 5:34 am
You really ought to check us out at macCompanion and follow the other conversations others have had regarding their experiences with their Macs and non-Mac systems.
dumbass alert | December 15, 2006 @ 5:35 am
Wow, did you even read the manual or activate Help. If you had read the manual or at least explored the system, you would have found answers to all of your gripes. Deactivate screen corners, get a new mouse(don’t tell me you use the MIghty Mouse) FYI, most Mac users never use the mouse that comes with their computer. Program your mouse buttons to use Expose. Adobe/MM apps dog slow? Real-world no difference. Did you actually time the shit? Picasa is a 3rd party app. IPhoto has much more functionality and comes with the OS. Picasa is nice, but nothing special, just free. Snagit is a 3rd Party app as well. The Mac loves the keyboard. It has more keyboard shortcuts than windows, also has a better keyboard control for disabled users as well. Did you really use the Mac? Fonts on Windows, I’m sorry they do trully suck. Clear Type on Windows uses Antialiasing as well. You can also turn this off in the System Preferences. Honestly it doesn’t sound like you really even owned a Mac. And if you did, why wouldn’y you just install Windows on it, would be much better than any Vaio. Good luck with a google os. Anyway opinions are just like they say, so to each his own. Seriously though, you are so full of it it’s not even funny, I’m not even a MacFanboy, but if you want to make an argument at least have some facts straight.
charlienixx | December 15, 2006 @ 6:27 am
wow, i think your story is a weird one. most people love osx. in i suffered more with my windows pc than with my mac. im planning on switching my grandmother to a mac because she has a hard time doing things on a windows pc that are completely mindless tasks on a mac.
Peter | December 15, 2006 @ 7:22 am
Well, sorry to hear it didn’t work out. Just a couple of comments, though…
In regards to Expose, I agree–I don’t use the screen corners because I guess I’m a little “wild” with the mouse. I’ll use a function key to activate it.
The mouse one I thought was funny–no offense intended. I’m an old-time Mac user and, therefore, am very comfortable using the mouse. I’m always reminded of old PC users who hated using the mouse and, therefore, would not. Thus, if they ever actually had to use the mouse, it was a painstaking chore to dig the mouse out from under the papers and such that had accumulated over it and get it positioned so that they could use it. “I’ve got to use the mouse? What a pain in the ass!” they’d mutter. Of course, if they actually used the mouse regularly, they might find it easier to use.
I’ve heard complaints about how “good” Apple keyboards are. I’ll admit–despite all the coding I do–my favorite keyboard is still the one I got with my old Blue & White G3. Since I use the mouse, I don’t really worry about the small arrow keys (and for games, I can usually map them to the keypad). But I know people who love Macs but hate Apple’s keyboards. They usually go out and buy those “ergonomic” keyboards.
As for the font size thing, unfortunately, the problem is with the displays. I’m sure you have the same problem on your Viao. One of the big deals of Vista and the next version of Mac OS X is “resolution independence”, which will allow for higher resolution displays that don’t end up shrinking everything down to miniscule sizes. Of course, you’ll have to go buy a new display…
Anyway–and, believe it or not, this is from a long-time Mac user–use what works for you. Computers are supposed to improve your productivity. If you find the Mac difficult to work with, don’t use it. Personally, I find Windows completely annoying, so I don’t use it.
Faisal Ali | December 15, 2006 @ 7:44 am
You can disable the mouse activation for Expose in the System Preferences. I admit, setting that feature to the mouse by default is irritating, but you can turn it off if you want to.
As for the jigsaw puzzle comment, well Expose never seems to bother me like that. In fact, I get along great with it. I guess it’s just a matter of preference.
Macromedia and Adobe apps look twice as ugly? Again, maybe that’s just a matter of preference. I use Photoshop on both Windows and Macs at work and I’ve never had a problem going back and forth. That’s mainly due to the face the layout is the same on both, and really, that’s what counts. Of course, I think the Mac version looks better, but that has little to no influence on my workflow.
Yeah, for now Adobe’s stuff runs slower on the new Macs, but when CS3 comes out next year, that shouldn’t be a problem. Right now CS2 is still designed for the PowerPC processors Apple was using. Running it on one of the new Intel based Macs means that is has to run in kind of an emulation mode (they call it Rosetta). It’s a temporary fix, but for now, at least I can still use it until Adobe gets an Intel native version of Photoshop ready to ship. So yes, I’ll give you that one, the Windows versions are faster (at least for Adobe’s stuff, I don’t use an Macromdia software).
I beg to differ with you keyboard comment. The Mac OS is based on Unix, so if you want to (as I frequently do) I can go straight to command line and bypass the mouse all together.
I don’t think iPhoto is pitiful, but it could use some work. Mostly I just use it to keep a catalog of my artwork and photos. But I do agree with you, having to drag and drop the image into the iPhoto library, thus resulting in two copies, is a process that needs to be streamline. Beyond that, I never really use for much else. I can create slideshows and such with it, but I prefer to use something more robust, like After Effects for that. For what it is, it serves me just fine.
I think all boils down to what kind of workflow a particular individual is used to. You are used to Windows, so no matter how easy us Mac people tell you it is, for you it won’t be, simply because it’s different from your usual workflow. I do know one thing though, knowing both systems at least reasonably well immediately puts an individual at an advantage over others. My girlfriend recently got her first Mac. And sure enough, she was frustrated with it at first. But once she got used to the idea that things don’t have to be just one way, she was fine. In fact, her Vaio laptop hasn’t seen any use in the past five months. And now, she can feely move from one platform to another without anxiety. With Macs becoming more common these days, that’s a big plus. Of course, Windows is still the dominant platform, but seeing a Mac at work or at school is no longer like catching a glimpse of a unicorn. Plus, I no longer have to play tech support for her. She was always calling me with some problem or another on her Vaio. With the Mac, she nows calls just to talk to me, instead of calling for a computer fix.
Anyway, I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t like the Mac, but, as I always try to remember, it’s your money. Spend it on what you feel most comfortable with.
Take care!
Jeff | December 15, 2006 @ 1:22 pm
Other respondents have made good points to counter some of the misinformation in the article. However, no one has pointed out that you can change the preferences in iPhoto such that it does not duplicate the file when its added to the iPhoto library. You will find an option that allows you to leave the photo in its current location under the Advanced tab in iPhoto preferences.
SuperMatt | December 15, 2006 @ 3:08 pm
Why not at least do 5 minutes of research on how to do something before you write a huge rant about how you can’t do it? Also, if you just want everything to work exactly like the kludgy way it works on Windows, then why did you even switch your OS? What a waste of money if you have no desire to try something new or discover a more efficient way of getting things done.
Philip | December 17, 2006 @ 7:00 pm
Rather than responding to each comment, I’ve updated the original post with my response. Thanks to those of you for taking the time to comment. Cheers. Philip
rich | February 10, 2007 @ 6:42 am
I use macs and PC’s
both have good and bad points
all things considered
I prefer mac
XP is good in that
THE DOCK THING WORKS BETTER
because applications close when you close the last window.
-in os x its too easy to wind up with a whole bunch of open applicaitons hidden that you have to go back and close.
BROWSING FILES IS FASTER
because xp uses a simple cascading set of menu opitons
and you have the opiton of always having the path displayed.
Its an opiton in os x but its not always displayed and more difficult to use.
MOUSING IS EASIER
because right click is contextual and therefoer more versitle and right clicking is also faster than keyboard sortcuts
BUT XP IS UGLY AND A UNSTABLE
Xp is uglier than Mac os x but the other problems with the xp interface can be overcome by installing plugins and tweaks (such as google apps).
The big problem with xp is that softwware and hardware installs are more difficult and the OS eems to degenerate over time and requires much more maintance.
Mac is good in that
THE OS PRETTY
Mac OS X is pretty and fun to use.
MENU OPTIONS
are more logical and settings are easier to find and remember
THE WAY HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE INTERACT
The Mac software and hardware are much more seamless and require less maintainance.
if your running xp on a thinkpad or Vaio the hardware itself may be really nice
but any special features of the hardware that interact with the os are usually clunky, redundant, prone to breakdown and often require maintaince.
BUT
Mac versions of Microsoft applications are crappy and I really DO need to use MS office because complex word and excel files still dont transfer well between mac and pc versions.
-i now this is not apples fault but thats another issue.
Iphoto is inferior to Pcasa and theres no picasa for the mac
other services i really like are pc only
for example launchcast personalized music streaming
- like i said before, I now this is not apples fault but its still an issue.
IN SUMMARY
With plugins and good hardware and other extras, the xp interface can be almost as good as os X. But the more stuff you add to xp the more likely it is to degrade and start requiring maintance sessions.
perhaps vista will be better.
but i bet it will still be more of a pain in the ass than os x.
given the stupidity of all the different versions and copy protetions excesses of vista
plus the continuing crappy state of other ms software products
and also the lamenss of zune
I’d be surprised if Vista turns is bbetter than mac os X.
god posting this was a waste of time!
I should be out girl watching or something ….
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Dean | May 15, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
Well, as much as I love my mac, I will definitely compliment you on your approach to this subject. While I personally have no gripes about any of the things you mentioned, I can see where they might be a problem for some people. Mainly, I think it was important how you approached this “anti-mac” blog with maturity, and gave legitimate reasons for disliking the mac: so many PC users just sit there and say “macs r gay. windows rules,” and it is very frustrating to know that such a moron even thinks they have a right to complain about macs, when they have no grammar skills at all, and usually know nothing about macs. So, thank you very much for being respectful-ish in your blog about how you don’t like macs! It actually made me happy. If only more PC users were like you, lol, then we could all get along.
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