Apple vs. Linux: Which Will Win Disgruntled Windows Users?

[Alessandro17]

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/entdev/ar...11070_3716486_1

 

My take: all the Apple advertising and increase in sales he is talking about must be taking place in the US, because here (Italy, Europe) I don't see them.

[cmdshft]

I could care less. I use Windows, Mac OS X and Linux without bias. I love them all, and they all have both flaws and benefits that the other's don't.

 

All this "OMG THIS vs. OMG THAT" {censored} is getting old. Fast.

[Alessandro17]

I could care less. I use Windows, Mac OS X and Linux without bias. I love them all, and they all have both flaws and benefits that the other's don't.

 

All this "OMG THIS vs. OMG THAT" {censored} is getting old. Fast.

 

Geeks don't count. It is Joe User who matters in this battle for market share.

[A Nonny Moose]

Joe user will get a Mac because he's heard Macs are easy to use and he's heard that Linux users have to go to Terminal a lot to enter {censored}.

[stasi]

What des "bias" mean? ;(

I've read it in different topics

[(MoC)]

@ stasi: Bias means some unfair advantage in something.

 

I think apple will win, no windows n00b who doesn't know to partition a drive will install Linux with packages, RPMs, dependencies, kernel patching.........

[glassJAw]

Bias means one sided.

[sarahbau]

You could actually have an unbiased one-sided review. It's more like unfairly one-sided. It's more like saying one thing is better than another because you have more experience with it, or if you have a vested interest in how well it does. For example, Steve Jobs couldn't give an unbiased comparison of OS X and Windows.

[apowerr]

Joe user will get a Mac because he's heard Macs are easy to use and he's heard that Linux users have to go to Terminal a lot to enter {censored}.

I agree that there sales of Macs will continue to soar. More and more Apple stores are opening up, and you always so the Mac ads on TV (in the U.S.). Plus, consumers trust Apple because of products like the iPod. Every time I walk into the Apple store, I want to buy an iMac. All of my judgment leaves me, I know they're over priced and under-powered but I just want to buy one! The RDF is very powerful.

 

Also one should keep in mind that most Windows users are not disgruntled. Joe consumer is happy with their XP or Vista systems. Despite what Apple says I doubt that the average consumer comes to Apple because they're current PC has Windows.

[Alessandro17]

Joe user will get a Mac because he's heard Macs are easy to use and he's heard that Linux users have to go to Terminal a lot to enter {censored}.

 

That could be true in the US, but in Europe Joe User:

1)Has never heard of Macs

2)The 1% of the population who has heard of Macs isn't going to pay for them, nothing could be more certain.

 

As to "Linux users have to go to Terminal a lot to enter {censored}" that is an old prejudice I never hear in real life. What I know for a fact is that a sizeable number of people use Linux, even in this tiny town on top of a mountain.

[CLiDE FTW!!1]

Also one should keep in mind that most Windows users are not disgruntled. Joe consumer is happy with their XP or Vista systems. Despite what Apple says I doubt that the average consumer comes to Apple because they're current PC has Windows.

Agreed. Apple just magnifies the small population of those who dislike Windows. If people think Windows is that bad, then why does Apple feel the need to promote that it's computers run Windows, too?

[~pcwiz]

Because people are used to Windows and possibly all their software is Windows only so they have to have a way to make their stuff work if they are going to switch to Mac.

[articquad]

I personally think Mac. Linux can be complicated, and people want an OS that works simply. I'm not saying that linux can't be simple, because I use Ubuntu, and I like it. I just think that OS X is easier to catch onto.

[Alessandro17]

Agreed. Apple just magnifies the small population of those who dislike Windows.

 

I can assure you, in this 9000 inhabitants town virtually every person who has tried Vista has gone back to their favorite shop to have their computer "downgraded" to XP. Some have moved to Linux instead. It is very bad that people still prefer a 6 years old OS to a new release by the same Company. Can you imagine if a major car manufacturer created new cars and nobody wanted to buy them?

[Numberzz]

I can assure you, in this 9000 inhabitants town virtually every person who has tried Vista has gone back to their favorite shop to have their computer "downgraded" to XP. Some have moved to Linux instead. It is very bad that people still prefer a 6 years old OS to a new release by the same Company. Can you imagine if a major car manufacturer created new cars and nobody wanted to buy them?

*Cough* GMC *Cough*

[xplizid]

Well I read somewhere that the current generation of highschool and college students influence different markets in a big way in this same article it mentioned macs becoming popular within the small consumer base of college students and could cause a trend which others would follow. If macs released a decent desktop with a good price and slashed their prices just a tad and say demo their product at say Best Buy I mean they sell ipods why not + they wouldnt have to sell it just say available at your local apple store ask questions there. Then more people will know of the product where as right now most of my friends don't know what a mac is really, this was me running Tiger on my hackintosh, my friend says "is that Vista?".

[CLiDE FTW!!1]

I can assure you, in this 9000 inhabitants town virtually every person who has tried Vista has gone back to their favorite shop to have their computer "downgraded" to XP. Some have moved to Linux instead. It is very bad that people still prefer a 6 years old OS to a new release by the same Company. Can you imagine if a major car manufacturer created new cars and nobody wanted to buy them?

I can't relate to your story because virtually everyone I know that has made the switch to Vista is still using Vista.

 

Some people were pleased at the fact that their drivers, albeit not digitally signed, that worked in XP still works in Vista.

 

Then again, isn't this same thing happening with people who are going over to Leopard? A crapload of people switched back to Tiger because their apps weren't working right (or at all).

[A.I.Ghost]

That could be true in the US, but in Europe Joe User:

1)Has never heard of Macs

2)The 1% of the population who has heard of Macs isn't going to pay for them, nothing could be more certain.

 

100% agree. In my country Mac's are not popular, heavily overpriced, and thought to be systems for audio/video pros. only... unfortunately.

But i won't either say, that linux will win this one...

Although, linux is not a "command prompt" anymore, there are some issues requiring entering "bash" and is what Joe user won't like.

 

I can't relate to your story because virtually everyone I know that has made the switch to Vista is still using Vista.

 

Some people were pleased at the fact that their drivers, albeit not digitally signed, that worked in XP still works in Vista.

 

Well i can second, that many people here switched back to XP after complaining about drivers not working mostly.

[CLiDE FTW!!1]

Well i can second, that many people here switched back to XP after complaining about drivers not working mostly.

Isn't this same thing happening with people who are going over to Leopard? A crapload of people switched back to Tiger because their apps weren't working right (or at all).

[stasi]

@ stasi: Bias means some unfair advantage in something.

 

I think apple will win, no windows n00b who doesn't know to partition a drive will install Linux with packages, RPMs, dependencies, kernel patching.........

thx.

 

i don't think that apple will win. none of your countings are nessecery to work with a linux distribution e.g. Ubuntu. Ubuntu is very easy and you can configure nearby anything without using the terminal.

people are interested in saving money not in spending it. this is a disadvantage for apple, I think.

 

(i hope someone can understand my english ... :>)

[InorganicMatter]

Neither. It's going to end exactly the same way it has the past dozen times:

 

1) People will buy the new Windows

2) They'll hate it, and downgrade to the old Windows

3) SP2 will be released, and everyone will quietly move to the new Windows and forget about the old one

4) The next version of Windows will be hyped up and released

5) See step 1

[FUKKU]

people are interested in saving money not in spending it.

people will spend money if it makes/saves them more down the road, it's called an investment. the price difference between a macbook and say a dell inspiron/xps is so small compared to the amount of money you make if you use your computer for billable work over the ~3 years you own it that the $99 or so for an OS is even less relevant than that. if you're even slightly more productive using os x than windows or linux that time savings will pay itself off in saved costs/increased revenue many times over during those few years.