The Un-Switchers’ Wail
Thanks to Steve Jobs’ marketing prowess — better known as the Jobs Reality Distortion Field — new users are giving the Mac platform a try. For some of these, the Mac will have enough appeal that they won’t consider going back. But, naturally, some will also eventually un-switch, because , just like any other computing platform, the Mac has its share of quirks, flaws, and hic-ups that may drive users back to their previous platform of choice.
While there’s nothing wrong with changing platforms per se, a phenomenon has developed recently (or maybe I just didn’t notice it earlier) of switchers proclaiming their un-switching as if their decision to leave the Mac platform would have a massive impact on the Apple universe as we know it.
It’s A Teh Suck List!
A potential un-switcher, Russell Beattie posted a blog entry last week in which he explained why he considers going back to Windows.
Right in the first paragraph, he sums up:
Now that I’ve been using Macs for a while, I’m wondering if they’re all that special. The hardware is nice, but OS X can be as slow, buggy, non-standard, frustrating and annoying as any other operating system. Also, I don’t really use most of the included apps, so most of what makes OSX so special doesn’t really apply to me.
‘k, fair enough. If Russell finds another platform that works better for him, sure, why not. He then lists a few specific criticisms, which, again, is fair enough, because most of what’s on his list turns out to be either pure personal preference, …
I really dislike iPhoto. I much prefer the Windows thumbnails.
… is highly debatable, …
Keynote and Pages are both interesting, but non-standard. I wouldn’t do any real work with them because I’d be afraid of trying to send documents to my coworkers.
… or belongs in the RTFM category:
iSync is only marginally better than nothing. I thought it was a holy grail… it’s really not. In fact, I tried to sync my wife’s phone and wasn’t being careful and it defaulted to a destructive sync and blanked out my wife’s phone. ARRRGGGH. WHY!?!?
(Giles Turnbull has more elaborate comments on some other items on Russell’s list.)
Better Than Good Enough
While his list can safely be filed under “personal point of view,” it’s when Russell tries to seamlessly morph his argument from subjective personal opinion to objective, generally accepted facts, that he enters the realm of the un-switchers’ wail:
I think Apple has sacrificed their vaunted simplicity, usability and consistency in the face of sloppy Windows competition. They’ve settled for “good enough” I think, and if that’s the case, then I might as well stick with the more popular OS, which ends up being the easier OS to deal with becuase of its popularity.
There’s some truth at the core of this, no doubt: e.g., probably the only explanation for the increasing inconsistency in Mac OS X’s UI — the completely non-standard toolbar icons in Mail.app, the non-HIG-conforming use of Brushed Metal, the latter’s new variety in iTunes 5, etc. — is an unhealthy emphasis on eye candy. But that hardly proves that Apple has generally settled for “good enough.” So where does that verdict come from?
Russ’s list items don’t suffice to back this up, and neither does anything else he writes. Consequently, the notion that you might just as well switch back to Windows because there’s not much difference between that and Apple’s offerings is pulled straight from thin air. Let’s face it, even if Apple had settled for “good enough,” there are still distinct differences in the look-and-feel and in the overall way of getting things done between Mac OS X and Windows. Which also means that, just because everybody else uses it, it’s not necessarily the best choice for your own personal needs and requirements. And understanding just how using the most popular choice has anything to do with how easy that choice is to use, is beyond me.
To make a long story short, there are still enough differences between the currently available computing platforms that you should use the platform that you feel the most comfortable with and that maximizes your personal productivity. Choosing Windows based on its popularity alone, is the worst reason for your decision, though, because that decision would not be based on anything that is actually related to the features or attributes of the platform itself.
Un-switch Already, Will Ya!
Russ’s post serves as a great example for pointing out just what pisses me off so much about these un-switchers’ wails: it’s the combination of presenting dissatisfaction due to personal preferences as generally accepted flaws inherent in the product, and whining about that dissatisfaction instead of taking just a single step towards fixing the problem.
If you’re dissatisfied with a product — the Macintosh, or anything else –, by all means be vocal about it and share with your readers where you’d like to see improvements. And if you’re really fed up, go ahead and switch to something else.
But please spare us your un-switching wails. They’re so lame and pointless, it hurts.
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