Okay it's old hat by now! It's a great slogan, a great different idea. But ask yourself what is its purpose? Well presumably it is to get more people to buy Macs. We cannot, can we, argue with this... but maybe we do subconsciously. As Mac users we have, indeed should have, a superiority complex over all PC users because we use the best that there is! Let's turn the equation upside down. What if everyone or nearly everyone was a Mac user then all the current Mac users would be PC users because they would want to be different. This is to assume that the only reason we use Mac's is because they are different and we want to be different. This really is a pretty shallow analysis of Mac user psychology - it's an analysis propounded by me so I can say that it is shallow. Hell it's very shallow!
We have to examine why Mac users use Mac's; a trait which is even more startling given the fact that most Mac users come across PCs in business/work contexts but stick with Macs at home, in the shed, in the attic or in bed, a laptop is certainly more comfortable! Coupled with the fact that the Mac is a more expensive investment this trait equates with madness and an apparent celtic self-destruct, spend yourself to death, syndrome. Add to this the fact that the equivalent software isn't always readily available on the Mac then the PC argument gains strength but then those Macites continue to dig their heels in. Is it really because they only want to be different?
I really suspect not. If you were to conduct a poll of Mac users (and I intend to via this column so please email your reasons for using a Mac to me ) then there would be a myriad of reasons for people electing to use the Mac: it's easier, more intuitive, more fun, the only way I know how, sexy, cool, how I've always done things, the only way I know no other, enabled me to become creative, helped me think laterally - and they are just mine. So the reasons for Mac users using Macs are, I believe, as diverse as the users themselves.
So how can this help Apple? It is, in my humble opinion, or should be a key element in the Apple marketing strategy. Take 20 Mac users worldwide; show them using their Mac where they use it; get them to say what they do and finally, crucially, get them to say why they do it on a Mac. Build your marketing strategy around the people who believe in your product. How do you get to find 20 people worldwide? Well use the Net, use Mac user groups, ezines like this, advertise for them in Mac magazines. I can help. I'll forward each 'why I use a Mac' email to Apple so that they can build up an user bank.
It's probably worth throwing in a couple of celebrities too but they must be genuine Mac users.
