Boot Camp For Suckers? 610
DigitalDame2 writes "PC Magazine's Editor-in-Chief says the whole Mac/Windows dual-boot thing is really nothing to get excited about. He writes that Boot Camp is really just a plan to get Windows users to convert to OS X." From the article: "Once you've laid out a few kilobucks on your BC system and been frustrated a few times with Windows limitations, what are you going to do? Jobs's bet: You'll start spending more and more time in OS X, until you--too--become one of the pod people. It's sad to see so many of my compatriots being turned into lemmings. Perhaps they'll wake up and smell the Apple pie in the sky--and realize they've been taken for a ride. But I doubt it."
So what you're telling me is... (Score:3, Interesting)
All I have to say is: Where's my royalty check?
* Whoops, freudian slip
P.S. What does everyone think of the new comment system? [slashdot.org]
P.P.S. Yes, I really typed ads. I figured it was more insightful to point it out rather than correct it.
Apple's Confidence (Score:5, Interesting)
While there may be drivers lacking initially, I have full confidence that the open source community will fill this void. And with both OS's available and with XP trying my patience, maybe I'll finally take the dive full-time into OSX and BC will be a non-issue.
Jim http://www.runfatboy.net/ [runfatboy.net] -- A workout plan that doesn't feel like homework.
Holy crap! (Score:5, Interesting)
Boot Camp is really just a plan to get Windows users to convert to OS X.
Holy crap! Revelation of the year! I can't imagine this being true!
Seriously, how is this possibly a new idea? Of course that's what it's for. And switching because of "limitations" in the other OS makes you a lemming? No, I'm afraid not. That makes you "smart." See, when people decide to stop hitting themselves in the head with a hammer, and instead opt for hitting themselves in the head with, say, a a soft piece of fruit, or an old ham, we call that "learning one's lesson."
The author here needs to get over his own case of being a lemming, and try something new. Pod-people? The whole article stinks of the exact same thralldom the author envisions anyone who switches being caught in.
Yes, I own a mac. Oh, but guess what, I also own a Windows box, and a Linux box! I'm not going to say which one I prefer, because doing so would, at least according to this article, make me a lemming.
i wrote this guy an email (Score:2, Interesting)
Seems to be working.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Now I just need to give up an arm and leg to get the money to buy one.
Re:Strange definition of "lemming" (Score:5, Interesting)
think they've got it backwards (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:How did this guy even get a job? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:What's the problem again? (Score:3, Interesting)
If people find OS X to be clearly better, then that conflicts with his belief that Windows is clearly better. He can resolve this conflict [wikipedia.org] in two ways:
Which do you think makes him uncomfortable? Which do you think makes him feel superior?
Re:frustrated a few times with Windows limitations (Score:5, Interesting)
For your Windows programming friends to say OS X closes off systems, they must have had very little or no Mac programming experience. Apple restricts applications for security reasons, but as soon as an application obtains authorization, all bets are off.
Re:frustrated a few times with Windows limitations (Score:5, Interesting)
How did this get modded "interesting?"
Care to elaborate how Mac OS X "closes off its systems so normal users can't screw it up?"
Re:Jealousy is a terrible thing. In the meantime.. (Score:5, Interesting)
"In fact, I'm blaming the AAF for a wide-range of habits espoused by supposedly "creative people." I'll bet it's responsible for tattoos, piercings, and the wide-spread adoption of the phrase "no worries." In fact, I believe that most of today's societal ills can be either indirectly or directly attributed to Apple. Widespread hearing loss? Blame the iPod. Carpal tunnel? Blame the Newton."
This is so insane that it seems he's trying to hint that the rest of the article was just a troll as well. He also links to a piece he wrote where he thought Boot Camp was pretty sweet. I don't know what he's trying to pull, but I'm sure his advertisers are happy.
Re:Nice spin (Score:5, Interesting)
Let me see...
"...once you start using a Mac, your IQ begins to creep downwards..."
"It's sad to see so many of my compatriots being turned into lemmings."
"...smell the Apple pie in the sky..."
"...I'll be smart, fit, and enjoying my real Windows computers..."
Right.. A sensible, balanced, well written, thought provoking piece! That's it, time to ditch the old Mac, cause everyone knows that only a Windows machine is a real computer!
phozz
Yeah... And you know what? ... (Score:2, Interesting)
It worked for me... I bought a core duo iMac, though I was used to Windows and Linux as a primary home and work OS, respectively. But i really liked the design and the level of hardware integration of the iMac, so I went for it anyway.
When Boot Camp was released as a beta a few days later I was really excited, especially as it was a vendor-supported dual-boot solution, and I was still using a reasonable number of Windows-only applications and games on a daily basis.
Now I have a native Windows XP install that runs great, just as if I was running normal x86 hardware, and it sucks ass compared to the OS X environment running on the same hardware
Note that this is someone speaking who never used OS X before and used Linux as his primary home OS. Now I'd choose OS X over *any* OS for desktop usage...
Re:If Jobs really wanted people to switch... (Score:3, Interesting)
Apple's margins are usually cited to be around 25% -- a lot more than 5%-10% Dell takes in.
Now it's true that Apple's higher-end machines are price-competitive, because they are competiting with the (very small) segment of the PC market that also has high margins.
But average price of a PC is more like $500 than $3000 -- and that's the place where Apple brings in the cash that others don't. You can be sure that Apple is making very fat money with machines like the Mini and iMac.
Re:Message for Captain Obvious (Score:3, Interesting)
I know one person who definitely bought a Mac because of Boot Camp. This is a colleague who works at home, and had good reason to prefer a Mac — mainly because tech support is an issue, and having a Mac allows her to turn to her Mac-centric kids and ex-husband. But she also had to be able to take Windows screenshots for some of our products, so she wasn't even considering buying a Mac until I mentioned Boot Camp to her.
Still, I don't think Boot Camp is so much a ploy as a "Wouldn't that be kewl" hack.
he just replied to me! (Score:5, Interesting)
Sent : Thursday, May 4, 2006 8:33 PM
To : "Paul *"
Subject : RE: Boot Camp: Apple Bobs for Suckers
It was meant to be somewhat tongue in cheek. Glad you liked it and saw
it that way!
I just got a MacBook Pro (Score:2, Interesting)
I don't feel like a sucker...
IBM (Lenovo) is a sucker because demand for their product has gone down...
MS is a sucker because I wasn't forced to buy another copy of XP with a new laptop...
I win.
Re:Confused? (Score:3, Interesting)
I have actually had people use this same logic and almost these exact words when I suggested we should apply security patches to our systems. They were serious. Scary.
Re:So what you're telling me is... (Score:3, Interesting)
(I kid, I kid!)
(Also, I've noticed that linking to one of your own posts is Never-Fail Karma Whore tactics.)
Which explains why I'm currently modded +4 rather than my usual +5. *finger-snap* I knew I did something wrong.
Seriously, relax. Sit back and chill out a bit. I'll be working on a list of "Times I've been right when everyone told me I was wrong" very soon now. Top on the list will be Goobuntu isn't for consumers [slashdot.org]! Wait, did I just link to my own post again? Damn. I guess I'll have to live with the +5^W^W +4 score. Sorry about that. I won't do it again. Really. [slashdot.org] (Oops.)
Re:Message for Captain Obvious (Score:5, Interesting)
In fact, I am a long, long-time Windows user. Many would consider me a power user. And I hate Windows. I have sunk more hours than I even care to begin contemplating into making my Windows machine behave. As far as I'm concerned, Gates owes me several extra years of life, for the time I've wasted using his software which is so godawful and yet dominates the market.
So, no, this isn't just a Mac user fantasy. It's a reality for many of us. Of course, maybe you have a point. Because I am now a Mac user. Thanks, Steve!
Re:Message for Captain Obvious (Score:3, Interesting)
THANK YOU! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Message for Captain Obvious (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Apple's Confidence (Score:5, Interesting)
But I'm just a mutant commie traitor, what do I know?
Lemming flag... (Score:2, Interesting)
Seriously though, Boot Camp is nothing more than a marketing ploy to get more folks to check out Apple. From the recent purchases of my friends and co-workers, Boot Camp is doing a good job too.
Re:THANK YOU! (Score:5, Interesting)
My guess is that it's the scheduler. At least on Windows 2000, the thing was so broken (even in optimize-for-"Background Services"-mode) that I had to re-write a multi-process application to use a sigle process with multiple threads, because producer-consumer was just too much for the OS to handle. I think the last time Linux was so bad, it was considered a bug and fixed within a few releases.
Cross-platform apps tend to be more affected, because they haven't been designed specifically to work around Microsoft's brain damage.
JMHO
Re:Message for Captain Obvious (Score:3, Interesting)
uh...yeah, I know...but Windows still feels like a kludge. It's kinda like preferring the Millenium Falcon to the Next Generation Enterprise (all those slick seamless touch sreens, I just bet that was Jobs' doing. Holodeck probably all DRMs and everything).
Re:Message for Captain Obvious (Score:3, Interesting)
All-in-all it cost be $1300 for my 12" Powerbook (Employee discount, yay!) and then another $500 to get all my apps legally with various student discounts and what not (Adobe CS, MS Office, iWork, etc.). Legal was very important because I was working at Apple and they don't take software piracy lightly. For a PC it would of been half that. Not to mention I already have licenses for most of that stuff on the PC side.
I guess for a user that only uses Office, Email and a Web Browser the transition wouldn't be as bad, but its still painful on the bank acocunt, and I'd anticipate a number of "switchers" sticking on the PC side because they haven't gotten all their apps on Mac OS yet. At which point, what is the point?
For Apple to really be successful with this I think there needs to be more emphasis on getting third-party vendors, especially Adobe, and Microsoft too for Office if they could swing it, but I doubt Microsoft would be willing, to package the Mac and Windows versions of a app in the same box. Then at least they could say "Well you already have the Mac versions of the Apps, so why don't you switch?"
Re:Message for Captain Obvious (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm seriously considering buying a dual-boot Mac for the sole purpose of shoring up the non-linear editing on Windows.
Even though lately I've been happy to edit video in Adobe Premiere or even Premiere Elements on WinXP, all of my DV pals use FCP. I'd love to be able to profit from their expertise by switching to FCP myself.