News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

April 14, 2006

windows

Boot Camp to Convert Mac Users to Windows? No way.

Posted Apr. 14, ’06, 12:44 PM PT by Cyrus Farivar
Category | Windows

XP on Mac Macworld.com News Editor Jim Dalrymple goes toe-to-toe with USA Today’s Andrew Kantor.

Dalrymple’s article says that Forrester research says that Apple could entice many Windows users to the MacOS:

“Microsoft faces big consumer defection risk: One measure of consumers’ dissatisfaction with Microsoft is seen in the 5.4 million households that gave it a brand trust of 1 (distrust a lot) or 2 (distrust a bit),” the report said. “Compared with all Microsoft users, these at-risk users have higher income, are much more likely to be male and are bigger online spenders. These households know they run Microsoft software but would be just as happy to leave it behind — if they could. Apple could double its PC share by winning Microsoft’s at-risk customers.”

Kantor, on the other hand says that more Mac users will start to use Windows:

You know what? Boot Camp isn’t going to propel the Mac into the mainstream. If anything, it will get Mac users to switch to Windows. Sure, it’ll be terrific for Mac fans not wanting to give up their machine of choice but find more and more they need to use Windows. But Boot Camp doesn’t offer any kind of compelling argument for PC users to buy Mac hardware.

(Update: Macworld’s Jason Snell also rips Kantor a new one. Metaphorically speaking.)

However, Kantor’s argument is pretty much bunk.

Let’s take it down, shall we?

Gamers, who have pretty much shunned the Mac because the gaming picks are slim (to say the least), will be able to run those games on their Mac hardware. In fact, from what I’ve read, those games will run pretty darn well, too.

Well, if you’re a hardcore gamer, you probably already have a PC anyway. The fact that you can now install Windows to a Mac won’t make you sell your Mac to buy a Windows machine.

The Macs that can currently run Boot Camp are the Mac Mini, the iMac, and the MacBook Pro notebook. Price-wise, they can’t compete with PCs.

Duh, we’ve known this for years. But you can’t easily run MacOS onto a generic PC — so again, if you wanted to buy the cheapest computer, you’d get a PC. Or a Linux box.

By the way, I certainly hope you haven’t bought into the argument “graphics are better on the Mac.” Yeah, in 1992. Go to a bookstore and grab a book on using Photoshop; you’ll see that the Mac and Windows versions are identical. In fact, Photoshop isn’t yet optimized to take advantage of the Mac’s Intel processors.

Um, dude? Go to any photography/design studio. Go check out the design department of all major magazines and newspapers. I’d bet that they use Macs. You say there’s no difference? Ask them why there is.

Oh, and the whole “no viruses on the Mac” business? Besides the fact that it’s no longer true, you can get this neat stuff called anti-virus software.

Ok, there may not be absolutely no viruses on the Mac, but in the five years that OS X has existed there hasn’t been any major security scare that causes serious harm. It’s been shown that a Windows computer, unproctected, can be infected in 20 minutes. Are Macs threatened in this way? I don’t think so.

Some know-it-all, this Kantor, no?


8 Comments

Andrew said:

[chuckle] So let's see, you take down my argument by saying...

- I'm right that gamers will stick with Windows

- I'm right that Macs are more expensive

- More graphics people use Photoshop, but I'm not wrong to say the PC and Mac versions are identical. (I notice you don't address the issue of CS2 not being optimized for the Intel processor.)

- I'm right that Macs are no longer virus free. (There just aren't many.)

If it takes you 20 minutes to infect a Windows computer, something's wrong. I can do it in 30 seconds if it doesn't have anti-virus software. So what?

That's like saying VWs can be stolen easily because you can hotwire a '72 Beetle that has no security features in 60 seconds.

If that's the best you can do, I can't say I'm impressed.

April 14, 2006 2:07 PM
Cyrus Farivar Author Profile Page said:

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

This was the crux of your argument:

"If anything, it will get Mac users to switch to Windows."

You've yet to illustrate how exactly that would happen. Your points may have been mostly right but they didn't illustrate why that will make existing Mac users move to Windows.

People who want games probably already have PCs.

I don't live in Photoshop, nor do I own a PC, so I can't tell you how they're different. All I know is that every graphic/designer/artist/musician I know has one. There must be some difference.

Second, everyone knows that it's not technically accurate to say that Mac OS X has EVER been virus-free. After all, you could get Unix viruses. And if you think this recent Leap-A scare (which did nothing significant and can be easily eradicated) proves that MacOS is vulnerable, you've got another thing coming. Also, that wasn't the first Mac malware that's been out this. This one came before it.

Third, the reason why Macs don't get viruses and other malware is twofold. They don't get it because most malware writers won't bother because it's a limited target audience. Second, because the MacOS closes a lot of ports that Windows leaves open by default and requires authentication for any change to the OS. The fact that Windows doesn't do this makes it vulnerable.

Since I've had Mac OS X I've never run any anti-virus software on my machine and have never contracted any malware of any kind. I doubt that many Windows users can say the same.

I wasn't impressed by your article, either. ;)

April 14, 2006 2:29 PM
Thomas said:

At least John Dvorak will be happy that some members of the media don't like Macs ;-)

April 14, 2006 7:08 PM
Terrance said:

I'm a windows developer and the occasional gamer, but my personal computer is a mac. I think bootcamp technology is a great thing. Right now I have multiple computers (1 PC and Mac desktops as well as 1 PC and Mac Laptops). I've been wanting a solution where I don't have to buy one or the other... and after my last crappy Dell purchase, this ensures that I don't have to buy another PC again. Now i can do any development, microsoft labs, and games on the windows partition and still have the ease of use of mac os x on one machine. And to me, saving $1500-2000 because I bought one machine that does what I need instead of two is a great thing.

Although I'll have to tough it out until Leopard and the merom processors are released... :( And I hope Apple can offer solutions with high end graphic cards for gamers (and even offer a "real" card on the mini--I would love to have the little guy be my entertainment center and play all my media and the occasional game).

Bootcamp will make mac users switch to windows? Leave ease-of-use and a virtually virus- and spyware-free world for the constant Windows, Norton and Spybot update? He really can't be serious can he? It's obvious he didn't do his homework and actually sat down on a mac. Some people will say anything for attention these days...

April 15, 2006 3:41 AM
algr said:

There is no such thing as a job that ENDS in Photoshop. You have to actually print or display your work, and that is where Windows falls far short of Mac OS X. Color matching between apps and devices is a function of the OS, not a program, and it works with far less effort on macs.

April 15, 2006 8:44 AM
Joe S. said:

Not only is color matching a problem in windows (witha color calibrated system)...drag and drop in photoshop is cumbersome & clunky. To much futzing with files. Andrew has never used photoshop (or a Mac for that matter) & doesn't know anything about prepress & prepress workflows but, he still thinks he's right. I use both & will stick with the Mac. Thanks for your opinion & your complete ignorance about the subject matter. Without strategically places shortcuts & copy & paste windows would be even more cumbersome than it already is.

April 15, 2006 7:18 PM
tddavis said:

My digital painting teacher Jay Ward made this poster expressing his thoughts.

April 27, 2006 10:57 PM
Dan said:

People that spent $1500+ on their Macs and love them aren't going to switch to Windows because they cost a measely $200. That's all they are worth. Besides, by the time you buy all the pre-installed software ("equivelant") that you get free with a Mac, virus protection, upgrade it so that it actually compares, and service and repair it in it's 2 year life, then buy another one and do all the same, you've spent around the same amount if not more.

April 28, 2006 11:36 AM

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