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Apple Archive

Macs More Flexible, More Friendly than Windows PCs

- 2003.06.06

With the iMac in 1998, Apple was hoping that it would get its users online quickly and easily. This worked, and Apple found out that if the consumer has an easy way to take advantage of technology, the consumer will use it.

iMovie was one of those applications that gave users an easy way to complete the task of editing short movies, which otherwise would have had to be done by a professional. iPhoto gives users an easy way to organize and edit their digital photos. And iTunes lets users play and sort their MP3s from one central location.

The nice thing about these applications is that they are all optional. iPhoto isn't the only application you can use to sort photos - if you'd prefer, you can view them in the Finder and edit them in Photoshop. The same goes for iTunes. You aren't forced to use it; in fact, it doesn't even become the default MP3 player until you open it and decide if you'd like to make it the default.

This leaves things open. If I felt like it, I could trash just about every application that comes preinstalled on the computer, and the OS would still work fine. Apple seems to be trying to find the right balance between a "non-destructible" home computer and a flexible professional computer.

When the average user buys a computer for the home, they want to be able to use it right out of the box without spending hours installing applications and configuring them. In many cases, the user doesn't even know where to begin to set a default browser, for example.

Microsoft's approach seemed to be "if we make it hard for them to change or remove applications, they won't have problems with it." However, that causes a problem in itself. What happens if you decide you don't like Windows Media Player. It's still there, and no matter what you do, it doesn't want to go away. Internet Explorer? It's the default unless you install another browser - and if you decide you don't like the other browser, have fun getting Internet Explorer back as the default.

Apple takes a different approach. Install the applications, keep them available in the dock, but wait for the user to click on them and then ask whether or not that application should be the default. It's a small detail, but it's an excellent idea. This way a home user exploring the computer will probably click "yes" when confronted with "would you like to make this the default for..." dialogue box and have no problems opening certain types of files in the future.

A professional trying to customize the computer to his or her needs has a much easier time. Instead of searching for the dialogue box that will prevent a certain application from loading each time a certain type of file is opened or an action is taken, a professional can simply delete the unwanted application(s) and concentrate on installing the necessary ones.

Apple has done an excellent job enabling any of its computers to be suited for almost any use, even though they may be positioned to different clientele. The PowerBook G4 can be an excellent machine for basic email, Internet, and word processing, while the iBook has the capability of making home movies just as good as any other computer Apple offers.

It's a great strategy; they all have almost the same software installed (except for AppleWorks, which only comes with iBooks, iMacs, and eMacs), so they are all equally capable out of the box.

Recent Apple Archive articles

iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, 12.07. Whether it's an intermittent failure or a broken display cable, more often than not it's cheaper to replace a broken electronics device than repair it.
Options for replacing your older iPod, 11.19. Whether you've run out of space on your old iPod or want features it doesn't have, here are your options in new and used iPods.
Could the $200 'green' PC with gOS Linux become a threat to Apple?, 11.14. The low cost, low power Everex desktop comes with a customized version of Ubuntu Linux, has a Mac-like Dock, and sells for $400 less than the Mac mini.
Leopard different, a bit buggy, but worth the upgrade, 11.02. Leopard on a Power Mac G4 and a MacBook Pro: It runs well on both computers, but each has some odd bugs, and some of the changes are a step backwards.
More in the Apple Archive index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: 17" MacBook Pro Core Duo, Apr. 2006 - The top-end MacBook Pro includes a 1680 x 1050, 2.16 GHz Core Duo CPU, and supports Apple 30" Cinema Display.
Group of the Day: G4 List is for those using Power Mac G4s or G4 upgrades.
November 24 in LEM history: 98: Microsoft's heavy hand - 00: Looking at the iMac - 04: The best Mac for the holidays - Picking the right replacement for a dead mouse - Better battery for 15" AlBook
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