Do You Think Using A Mac Is An Acquired Taste?


man-red-apple

Just this morning when I logged on to Facebook, I saw two (2) people update their statuses (status? statii? sp?), saying that they recently bought a Mac and are having a hard time getting used to them.

One specifically said, “Trying not to hate Mac… why oh why did I have to be a PC baby…”

As an Apple Fan Girl, I always had the notion that normal PC users will have a better life if they switch to a Mac. In fact, I assume that PC users will greet switching to Apple with open arms.

Apparently that’s not the case.

Which leaves me to ask, is using a Mac an acquired taste? Or is it just a case of getting used to and getting thru the learning curve?

[ Image courtesy of Free Digital Photos ]


Lia Espina

7 Comments

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  1. A switch from one operating system to another is jarring for the average computer.Switching from XP to Vista, XP to Windows 7, XP to Mac Snow Leopard presents the user with a loss of knowledge and skill, “Where is that?” or “How do I do that?” that is both frustrating and time consuming. Leopard/Snow Leopard is no more or less intuitive than XP, Vista or Windows 7, only different and often more limiting. It takes time to adjust. It takes time and effort to learn and adjust. The more skilled a user was with the old system the more frustrating the immediate experience of switching is likely to be.

    Linux, OSX, or Windows, I’m agnostic. I find things to like and dislike about each and every one.

  2. I have a good friend who designs and updates web pages for a university and she now has a Mac, which frustrates her no end! I find that those that are very proficient in computers (know html, how to create and store digital images/movies, understand backing up and security) seem to get frustrated at Macs “we do it for you” design. I on the other hand, LOVE that kind of design. I see no reason to know why it does things, I just want it to do it and do it right.

  3. I’ve been doing sales, service & training for many years, I frequently hear it can be frustrating for the first few weeks especially, but after a couple of months, most of them wouldn’t (and haven’t) gone back to windows. Some have even switched over some or all of their workplaces to Mac as well.
    and then there are some that find it isn’t the best thing for them, and do go back to Windows, this tends to be a pretty small number though.

  4. It’s called an un-learning curve.

    It takes about a month of use to GET the Mac. This is because Microsoft Windows has a very backward and awkward way of doing things. It demands that you must remember copious methods and work arounds, rather than following your natural bent. But, you learned all that to make Windows work at all.

    Then, the Mac comes along with a natural way of doing things and you must cast aside the rubbish of the past. If you stick it out, you will come to appreciate the Mac’s simplicity, elegance and ease of use. You will declare that you will never be going back.

    But, this un-learning curve demands that you must be humble and willing to trust. You must stand naked without those methods and work arounds. If you cannot do that, you will go scurry back to Windows.

  5. Using a Mac is not just an acquired tastes. There are a variety of reasons why people won’t switch. I’ll go as far as saying some people are just masochists and the fact that certain things are so much easier to do on a Mac is just too much to handle for some people.

    Then there’s the fact that there are just a number of things that you can’t do in OSX like Windows (maximizing windows, cutting files, deleting select files from trash can, etc) and people refuse to accept a different way of doing things.

  6. After three or four weeks they’ll feel comfortable with the Mac OS. Like a switcher friend opined after a couple of days with his new Mac, “It’s like being in a foreign country. Everything looks beautiful but I can’t understand a word anyone is saying.”

  7. But, Neil, once you get past the hump, the Mac experience feels much better, is more natural and has few problems than the Windows experience. Small to Medium Business owners who have converted their offices to Macs report that their employees are about 20% more efficient. Their employees are happier, too.

    That is a big payoff on the bottom line.