Apple by design.
The first Mac was a well
designed machine, but sadly the Mac has become
associated with style over content in some people's
minds. When really it should be the content has
dictated the style, form follows function.
It wasn't always this way, I think people forget the
Mac existed for a long time between the first Mac and
iMac which helped bring the company back to life.
Macs were for a long time
light grey boxes and came in a variety of shapes and
sizes, and not all were that attractive. Just take a
look at Low End Mac.
Yes, that's a
Mac
For years I came across Mac
hating PC users, but style was never part of the
argument as to why Windows was superior. Nobody ever
said, "You're just a fashion victim". It was all mainly
about the OS, the speed of the chips, but not what it
looked like.
Besides, Apple had
licensed the OS in the early 90s and I
had happily used it on Mac Clone, a
Motorola Starmax. I never chose to use
Macs based purely on their design, it's always been
OS first. Which is why a lot of Mac ads have been
disappointing. So they should just focus on the OS,
and less on the case, or humour. Which is where the
iPhone adverts I think are more successful.
Motorola
Starmax
The people I know that
switched to Macs just use their computer more than when
they had a PC, I'm talking normal people at home. Mum's
and friends.
Apple have brought design to our attention, and
although I probably would still use a Mac if it wasn't
that great looking (being it's the OS first for me), I
have come to expect that a Mac will be generally
unobtrusive, which to me helps you focus on just
getting whatever it is you're doing done, with less
distraction (or at least not like it was manufactured
in the eastern block in the 80s)
Gateway PC -
It's a new one, honest!
Apple think more as
computer as appliance, not some sort of hobby in
itself. There are those who think the PC should
be some sort toy for those nerdy back-room boys, a
bit like train sets (not that there's anything wrong
with a train set), but a very male pursuit that you
tinker with and bash, like your old car you've been
doing up in the garage. Apparently it's a very
British thing?
(Oh, and Charlie Brooker,
Macs have had two button mice for along time. It just
doesn't look like it has.)
Why shouldn't a computer not look like a Frankenstein's
monster? Buttons splattered all over and you'd
certainly not want it where anyone could see it. An
ugly thing that you bash your shins on under the desk,
but great for flat pack companies who created a dozen
types of boxes to hide your shame away!
My eyes, will
someone close the doors!
Apple are not perfect, far
from it, but they do have a way of pushing new
technology into the mainstream, which is then copied by
all and sundry. I'm talking more software there, but
Apple were first to get rid of the floppy, and though
vilified at the time, who on earth really wants a
floppy drive now? You may also remember when the iMac
arrived, everything suddenly was coming in transparent
plastic and Compaq stuck coloured bits of
plastic on the front of their Presario PCs, this is design by
decoration.
Compaq Presario
- We do transparent plastic too!
Apple doesn't have an exclusivity on design, and there
are others I'd use if I could take my favoured OS with
me. I think now it's just normal to expect something
well designed, and if I ever end up running Linux, I
probably would want a non-hideous computer to run it
on, call me crazy.
To fault Apple over design
should also mean you're questioning all companies concerned with
improving design.
After years of many people not knowing what a Mac was,
I still find it strange that Apple has risen to such a
well known brand, so I guess they're bound to get some
people's noses out of joint.
So, my point? Macs aren't and never have been just for
those who are design conscious and design isn't just
how something looks, but how well it works as a whole.
Ah well, seems as a Mac user you can't ever win.
Further reading:
From Beige to Bondi
Blue
Mac images
courtesy of Apple Computer, Inc.