I consider the anti-Mac crowd to be far more shrill and idiotic than the pro-Mac crowd ever is, and I still concede that that is just about the best pic on the matter that I have ever seen.
My complaints about Macs only peripheral touch on Mac users, and then only in the sense of "members of the cult of Apple put up with interface and functionality failures that *linux* user would balk at, without complaint, because they paid 150%-300% of the going price for that hardware and they're damn well going to insist it's the best on that market no matter *how* many stupid things it does or features it's missing".
Which, really, has more to do with Apple's failure to provide even basic features for it's products than it does with Mac users.
This is so totally true... but, what do Mac users need with more that one button? Besides joining the rest of the "real" computer community, that is....
There are plenty of successful groups who experiment with acoustic/digital blends and experimentation. You can't draw such sweeping generalisations, nomatter how hard you may want to.
Also, I love the idea of a clearly defined border between "professional guitars" and "amateur guitars". I believe you may mean "expensive" and "cheap", which often don't mean the same thing.
First, I can draw whatever I want. Tippy the Turtle, sweeping generalizations, stick figure theater animations of the Kennedy Assassination, the like. Nothing says I can't... and it is a fool to suggest otherwise.
Now, whether I can do any of these things ACCURATELY or CONVINCINGLY... there's your argument. Not merely that I "can't" do such a thing, because clearly, I can. So can you.
;-)
Secondly, I actually agree with you. There are successful bands, albeit in today's day and age they're not Beatles or even Backstreet Boys (shudder - hate me for making that comparison, 'cause I do) in overall level of global popularity - but there are varying degrees of successful. I suggest that many, perhaps most, aren't using USB Guitars, but direct computer programming and/or more traditional MIDI sequencing to get the notes on a recording.
And I am all for it, honest.
The point regarding the single button Guitar Hero picture for the Mac remains - if the Mac insists on being a "simple to use" computer, which they do, then they (and their proponents) should be able to handle the occasional reference to such simplistic design, given the overall state of computer technology.
On the expense of professional instruments vs. amateur ones, I also agree with you... it's not the cost of the instrument, but the talent of the user that really matters. A poor musician with an expensive instrument will still play crapily - no elitism here. That more "professionals" use, well, professional-style equipment on average more than the cheaper stuff... they probably just want to sound as good as they can. Is that elitist? Hell, going back to the original Mac issue, one could suggest that "cheaper" PC's are less professional than the more expensive Mac, but... that's likewise not necessarily true, either.
Any of a number of first class musicians started out with cheapass instruments. It's what thy did with those instruments that let them buy fancier guitars/keyboards/drums/pianos/computers with more than one mouse button.
Incidentally, Macs have supported more than one mouse button for a long time, but Steve Jobs is stubborn--or cheapass.
Not onyl do they support mice wityh more than one button, but context-clicking has been integral to the efficient operation of the machine for *more than a decade*.
And *still*, on a brand new Macbook with more than twice the price of equivalent non-Apple-branded hardware, there is only one mouse button, and you're required to do slow, nonintuitive things that require many times the effort of having a second button, because Apple Has Made A Design Decision And Fuck You If You Don't Like It.
Macs don't have many officially user-replaceable parts, no. Not "real" Macs, at least. However, if you want various things replaced or upgraded, whatever it is, the official response is to go to Apple or Apple-authorized dealers....
So, yes, you are right. Macs don't have those things you mention. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
In that sense, "fake" = "we can't POSSIBLY have a monopoly because we don't have a majority of the home PC market, but we absolutely require in Nazi-like ways that the end-user pay our fees and prices without allowing them many independent options for repair or upgrade. Hell, fuck Europe if they insist on making iPhones have openly replaceable batteries; we know what's better for the end user than even the end user does. Oh, and fuck those programmers who try to write email apps or 'tethering' apps that allow end users to avoid the higher-priced schemes offered by either Apple or AT&T directly... we know what is best and we will fight for the right to screw... I mean save... the end user from themselves. If only we could have been first with the iFurnace or iShower to deal with those who oppose us on the iTrain we've created...."
Congratulations for being right in that Macs don't have any of the technology that other computers possess. Macs run on unicorn farts and leprechaun semen, as far as the corporation wants you to know.
Apple will be by to wipe your memory soon, to ensure that your statement is accurate.
Actually, my definition of "fake" was facetious, but it fits the marketing machine that Apple has used since 1984's Big Brother advertisement.
I never said I didn't like the Mac, by the way. But, marketing that suggest "simple" precludes home-brew upgrades. That you or I or anyone with enough of a technology background can find ways to replace the memory in Apple products only suggests that some, not all or most, of the intended market is prepared for such things.
For the record, I think it is safe to say that a "real Mac" is an Apple-branded device that only has Apple-authorized, certified, licensed, and installed parts. Anything else likely (and legally) voids the warranties, etc.
Yup, the warranty terms are effectively lock in. Keeps Steve Jobs in turtlenecks (and chemo if you believe some people).
Would you believe three of my family have become Macaholics? The other three (including me) are Windows users.
The Mac design, especially the design of trackpad buttons (only one button of course) on Macbooks, is user hostile, though at least it can be worked around with an external 2 button (or more) mouse or trackball.
It's probably exactly the same training that any PC technician (Windows or Linux or Unix) has to go through, but Apple charges more for test and repair because they're "special."
I said nothing about training. I'm talking specifically about the *testing* process of a client machine.
In short, the technician must request, and download from Apple, a testing app specific not merely to the particular architecture or model of the machine in question, but that machine's unique serial number. The download is something to the tune of 600+ MB, by the way.
I'll guess they do this to justify making diagnosis and repair a "profit center." That's the "special" part.
I really can't believe that in this era of mass production, Apple manufactures each PC so differently that they have to download a special test program just for that PC.
By the way, the keyboard on my wife's Macbook is so hard to type on that she bought a Logitech keyboard to attach to it when she uses it at home. It's not just Macs though, as the Toshiba laptop I'm typing on has the same problem. I haven't bought an auxiliary keyboard--yet.
That's my point; this is nothing but an additional way in which Apple is exercising control over its market segment. When the technician must go, hat in hand, to the manufacturer every time they want to repair a piece of equipment *they are already licensed to work on*...
Imagine you had to go to M$ every time you wanted to start up taskman.
That would be bizarre. Someone out there in Apple land must be pretty anal.
Windows is simple enough that if there's a configuration problem (as opposed to hardware problems), a person can often figure it out on their own. In Vista at least, MS often includes help in the windows you use to fix the problem. I just did that yesterday when my link between my PC and the Internet got messed up. The link works just fine now once I actually read the information I needed in a configuration window and applied the fix.
I can just imagine going to Best Buy (where I bought my laptop) every time there's a minor problem. I do have a service contract, but only have had to use it once, and the Geek Squad guy actually was able to fix that problem (which turned out to be a Vista bug that had a patch that hadn't been pushed yet).
I fear I misrepresented my case. I was, in fact, referring to professional-grade hardware test tools. Taskman was a poor comparison. But having handled all my own repair work on the Wintel machines I've owned, I don't know of any pro tools to draw the analogy. Really, all I was trying to do was support our gracious host's statement about Apple enforcing monopolist-like control over its userbase.
"Really, all I was trying to do was support our gracious host's statement about Apple enforcing monopolist-like control over its userbase."
Which seems to be true. Apple really does seem to be a monopoly wannabee.
In the meantime, Microsoft, which is closer to a real monopoly, doesn't seem to be going that way. Repairs can be through a retailer's repair facility (like Dell or Best Buy), at computer repair shops, or even your friend's workbench.
I'm sure Microsoft's "official response" is pay them $35 for phone or remote support. Dell's official response is to send it to Dell. Ford's official response is to take it to a Ford dealer. By no means do you have to, and Apple's computers are the same.
Yes, but overall you can take your Ford to Cooter's Garage in Hazzard County to get repair work, change the tires, and other basic maintenance even if Cooter isn't an authorized Ford dealer. Much of Dell's own instruction manuals for desktop consumer systems come with basic schematics and instructions on how to insert RAM, how to handle replacing the video card, etc.
There's just much more to the Mac that Apple requires high-test certification and licensing before one can go it alone. Sure, you can go to a non-licensed Mac place (if any exist in your area that are non-licensed - there are none near me that are unlicensed, but then again I'm in backwater Maine, USA), but you're likely voiding the warranty moreso than the other examples you gave.
The original Macs were quite a bit like that, but with OS X being built over Unix, I can and have made modifications to the operating system on the backend. I've also upgraded and replaced hardware. I added RAM when I first got it, and from a third-party, even. And I'm no guru. I'm computer literate, but I'm hardly a geek.
I'm not actually on randompictures. I'm pretty sure I remember a very similar picture being posted here and a similar mac vs pc discussion that broke out, as well.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-10 08:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-10 11:37 pm (UTC)Well, no shit.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 02:35 am (UTC)Which, really, has more to do with Apple's failure to provide even basic features for it's products than it does with Mac users.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-10 09:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-10 09:18 pm (UTC)iLold
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-10 10:07 pm (UTC)- James -
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-10 10:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-10 10:42 pm (UTC)Shy of that... how does a Mac connect to such a "real" guitar?
- James -
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 12:06 am (UTC)All you need to do is access the guitar's "Note Visibility" menu, and select "Multiple", and then select "ALL", and then select "Enable".
Then you have to go pair the guitar and the Mac.
And then you have to go to System Preferences, and Bluetooth, and set "Guitar Synch" to "Real-Time", and then you're all good to go!
Oh, yes, you also need a MIDI plugin for your sound editor.
Oh, and you need to go to System Preferences, and MIDI, and find the guitar, and click "enable tone control export".
And then you're good to go!
One more thing -
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 12:08 am (UTC)Or are we still talking GH controllers?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 12:20 am (UTC)There are not "plenty" of them. Those that exist are likely not used by professional guitarists.
Amateurs? Maybe, I guess, but... no.
- James -
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 01:14 am (UTC)There are plenty of successful groups who experiment with acoustic/digital blends and experimentation. You can't draw such sweeping generalisations, nomatter how hard you may want to.
Also, I love the idea of a clearly defined border between "professional guitars" and "amateur guitars". I believe you may mean "expensive" and "cheap", which often don't mean the same thing.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 01:42 am (UTC)Now, whether I can do any of these things ACCURATELY or CONVINCINGLY... there's your argument. Not merely that I "can't" do such a thing, because clearly, I can. So can you.
;-)
Secondly, I actually agree with you. There are successful bands, albeit in today's day and age they're not Beatles or even Backstreet Boys (shudder - hate me for making that comparison, 'cause I do) in overall level of global popularity - but there are varying degrees of successful. I suggest that many, perhaps most, aren't using USB Guitars, but direct computer programming and/or more traditional MIDI sequencing to get the notes on a recording.
And I am all for it, honest.
The point regarding the single button Guitar Hero picture for the Mac remains - if the Mac insists on being a "simple to use" computer, which they do, then they (and their proponents) should be able to handle the occasional reference to such simplistic design, given the overall state of computer technology.
On the expense of professional instruments vs. amateur ones, I also agree with you... it's not the cost of the instrument, but the talent of the user that really matters. A poor musician with an expensive instrument will still play crapily - no elitism here. That more "professionals" use, well, professional-style equipment on average more than the cheaper stuff... they probably just want to sound as good as they can. Is that elitist? Hell, going back to the original Mac issue, one could suggest that "cheaper" PC's are less professional than the more expensive Mac, but... that's likewise not necessarily true, either.
Just sayin'. That's all.
- James -
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 10:06 am (UTC)I was pretty tired (and thus ratty) when I wrote my reply, but the basics do stand, and I'm glad we agree on them. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 06:23 pm (UTC)Incidentally, Macs have supported more than one mouse button for a long time, but Steve Jobs is stubborn--or cheapass.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 09:52 pm (UTC)And *still*, on a brand new Macbook with more than twice the price of equivalent non-Apple-branded hardware, there is only one mouse button, and you're required to do slow, nonintuitive things that require many times the effort of having a second button, because Apple Has Made A Design Decision And Fuck You If You Don't Like It.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 04:33 am (UTC)With Fret Sensei!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgyst4-sf7A
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 12:05 am (UTC)They have fake versions, oh course, as they are fake computers, rather than real computers.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 12:32 am (UTC)So, yes, you are right. Macs don't have those things you mention. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
In that sense, "fake" = "we can't POSSIBLY have a monopoly because we don't have a majority of the home PC market, but we absolutely require in Nazi-like ways that the end-user pay our fees and prices without allowing them many independent options for repair or upgrade. Hell, fuck Europe if they insist on making iPhones have openly replaceable batteries; we know what's better for the end user than even the end user does. Oh, and fuck those programmers who try to write email apps or 'tethering' apps that allow end users to avoid the higher-priced schemes offered by either Apple or AT&T directly... we know what is best and we will fight for the right to screw... I mean save... the end user from themselves. If only we could have been first with the iFurnace or iShower to deal with those who oppose us on the iTrain we've created...."
Congratulations for being right in that Macs don't have any of the technology that other computers possess. Macs run on unicorn farts and leprechaun semen, as far as the corporation wants you to know.
Apple will be by to wipe your memory soon, to ensure that your statement is accurate.
- James -
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 02:04 am (UTC)Your definition of fake doesn't really mean fake, it means "Does a bunch of stuff I don't like"
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 02:24 am (UTC)I never said I didn't like the Mac, by the way. But, marketing that suggest "simple" precludes home-brew upgrades. That you or I or anyone with enough of a technology background can find ways to replace the memory in Apple products only suggests that some, not all or most, of the intended market is prepared for such things.
For the record, I think it is safe to say that a "real Mac" is an Apple-branded device that only has Apple-authorized, certified, licensed, and installed parts. Anything else likely (and legally) voids the warranties, etc.
- James -
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 02:38 am (UTC)I wouldn't object to Apples so much if they weren't so blatant about their "you're dumb enough to buy our malfunctioning product" surcharge.
Mac lock in
Date: 2008-10-11 10:33 pm (UTC)Would you believe three of my family have become Macaholics? The other three (including me) are Windows users.
The Mac design, especially the design of trackpad buttons (only one button of course) on Macbooks, is user hostile, though at least it can be worked around with an external 2 button (or more) mouse or trackball.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 10:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-12 01:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-12 04:34 am (UTC)In short, the technician must request, and download from Apple, a testing app specific not merely to the particular architecture or model of the machine in question, but that machine's unique serial number. The download is something to the tune of 600+ MB, by the way.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-12 08:02 am (UTC)I really can't believe that in this era of mass production, Apple manufactures each PC so differently that they have to download a special test program just for that PC.
By the way, the keyboard on my wife's Macbook is so hard to type on that she bought a Logitech keyboard to attach to it when she uses it at home. It's not just Macs though, as the Toshiba laptop I'm typing on has the same problem. I haven't bought an auxiliary keyboard--yet.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-12 01:41 pm (UTC)Imagine you had to go to M$ every time you wanted to start up taskman.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-12 04:00 pm (UTC)Windows is simple enough that if there's a configuration problem (as opposed to hardware problems), a person can often figure it out on their own. In Vista at least, MS often includes help in the windows you use to fix the problem. I just did that yesterday when my link between my PC and the Internet got messed up. The link works just fine now once I actually read the information I needed in a configuration window and applied the fix.
I can just imagine going to Best Buy (where I bought my laptop) every time there's a minor problem. I do have a service contract, but only have had to use it once, and the Geek Squad guy actually was able to fix that problem (which turned out to be a Vista bug that had a patch that hadn't been pushed yet).
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-12 04:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-12 06:28 pm (UTC)Which seems to be true. Apple really does seem to be a monopoly wannabee.
In the meantime, Microsoft, which is closer to a real monopoly, doesn't seem to be going that way. Repairs can be through a retailer's repair facility (like Dell or Best Buy), at computer repair shops, or even your friend's workbench.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 03:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 03:44 am (UTC)There's just much more to the Mac that Apple requires high-test certification and licensing before one can go it alone. Sure, you can go to a non-licensed Mac place (if any exist in your area that are non-licensed - there are none near me that are unlicensed, but then again I'm in backwater Maine, USA), but you're likely voiding the warranty moreso than the other examples you gave.
- James -
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-13 12:30 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-10 10:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 02:31 am (UTC)So I might have, but I don't know when, so it might as well be new.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 03:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-13 12:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-11 01:40 pm (UTC)