- The Elusive Mac

I talk to people all the time about the Macintosh. They want to know how it's doing, what it it can do and where Apple is going. In these discussions, I find there are many misconceptions about Apple. Someone could write a book on this topic alone. It would include the usual naïve remarks that people make about Apple. These 'Apple unawares' claim that Apple went out of business last week, doesn't build computers with cd-roms, or, the best remark of all, builds computers that are harder to use than Wintels and crash twice as many times. They don't know what they're talking about! This fact alone could possibly be the principal contributor to Apple's sales problem. In this article I hope I can clear up many misconceptions and convince people that Apples are out there and will be out there for a while. 

Let's talk about the current Mac population. Many misinformed people do not buy Apple computers because they think no one uses them. They obviously don't get out much. Apple computers occupy desk space of many more people and companies than one would think. Yes, it is hard to find an Apple at the John Doe accounting agency or the Jane Smith insurance company because all one needs to run a company like that is a calculator! And a simple calculator, my friends, is all a Wintel computer is, except it's much bigger and has many more problems. In fact, I bet that if half the Wintels that businesses use were replaced with a calculator, these businesses would run much more smoothly. On the other hand, the reason that one doesn't find a Wintel computer in a graphics design company, a special effects studio or a web designer's workshop is that it cannot handle this type of work. Sure it can add, subtract, divide, multiply and maybe even print if you're lucky, but it can't perform the incredible task of rendering a 3-D dinosaur destined for a movie in the seamless way that the Mac does. The point I am trying to make is that one will not find a Mac in certain places because the job it would be doing is far below its capabilities. Where would one think that Apple got the 'Think Different' slogan? It's obvious. Someone who wants to do something different from normal will need a computer capable of doing it -- the Macintosh. It is saying that one should not do something just because the typical computer can't handle it or because it goes against the norm. This clearly relates to the Mac because a Mac can expand and accommodate new and revolutionary ideas. 

I hope I have made the point that Macs are out there, just in different places. They are found where a revolutionary computer, a "renaissance" computer or a powerful computer are needed. And a Macintosh, my friends, is all of these. 

Written By Brett Boshco
brettcb@excite.com

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