The other day I was in the local Kmart buying an ink cartridge
for my StyleWriter (it's true - you really can buy supplies for an
old Apple printer in Kmart). As I went by the rack full of software,
I stopped and browsed through the items there for a few minutes. It
came as no surprise that, with the exception of a few educational
titles, there was nothing for the Mac OS. But it got me thinking
about the whole retail software situation.
We've all heard it said that a Mac is a bad choice because,
"there's no software for it." When I used PCs, I sang that song
myself - partly because I believed it, and partly because I really
wanted a Mac but couldn't afford one. This helped to ease my feelings
of Mac envy.
As Mac users, we know that the situation isn't quite that bleak,
but we do have to shop a lot harder than PC users. They can walk into
their local WhateverMart and pick from a whole wall full of titles.
It's easy to become a little envious of that. We, on the other hand,
have to find software online or in the rare retailer that carries a
few Mac items.
But is this a bad thing? I don't think so.
As I looked over the offerings at Kmart, most of what I saw was
pure junk. PC users have access to an almost unlimited variety of the
most worthless stuff imaginable. Of course, most PC owners don't
realize how bad it is - they see a lightweight CAD program for $20,
a buggy old DOS game in a slick new package, or some generic word
processor, and they snatch it up. I could buy an iMac with all the
cash I wasted over the years on that kind of stuff, back when I used
PCs.
But Mac users are much less likely to get stuck with lousy
software, because the flimflam software recyclers pretty much leave
us alone and go after the other 93%. We have fewer titles to choose
from, but what we do have is, for the most part, first-rate. And
we'll be using it long after the clearance stuff has gone the garage
sale route.
Don't look at the lack of Mac software as a disadvantage. Just
think of all the money you save by not buying garbage.
As I was taking my ink cartridge up to pay for it, I had to walk
past the Martha Stewart towels, and I could imagine what she would
say. "It's a good thing."
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
Recent My Turn articles
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My 4 favorite PowerBooks, 05.28.
The PowerBook 150 has a big screen for a vintage PowerBook, the 165c has color, the 100 is diminutive, and Lombard has USB and a great keyboard.
Mac of the Day: Macintosh LC, Oct. 1990 - only 3" tall, the LC was the least expensive color Mac in 1990.
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October 15 in LEM history: 90: Mac IIsi, LC, and Classic - 97: Yale threatens to drop Mac support - 99: Decelerate your Mac - Time magazine on Jobs and Apple - 01: Is Microsoft the enemy? - 02: Confessions of a Mac to PC convert - The IT job market - 03: Microsoft's holding pattern - 04: October 1990: The first low-end Macs - Dual core 'Books - 07: When to pick Tux - SteelSeries 4D the best mousepad ever? - Irrational rantings of an Intel hater
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The October 2008 MacBook Value Equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.15.
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G3 and Low End G4 Mac Performance Comparison, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 10.15.
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3 Reasons to Use a Mac, and Pismo Troubleshooting, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.15.
Why one Windows user is also a Mac user, a Pismo that can't see its AirPort card, and sources of kernel panics.
Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.15.
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Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.15.
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Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.15.
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MacBook (Unibody), 10.14.
The MacBook gets the same aluminum treatment as the MacBook Pro - and dedicated GeForce 9400M graphics.
15" MacBook Pro (Unibody), 10.14.
The new MacBook Pro's case is carved from a block of aluminum for increased strength.
MacBook Air (GeForce), 10.14.
More storage, a video port, and GeForce 9400M graphics improve the MacBook Air.
MacBook White, 10.14.
Entry-level white MacBook gets a SuperDrive, retail price reduced to US$999.
Death of the iPod 'Way Off in the Future', Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 10.14.
Someday Apple will decide that the iPod is no longer profitable and discontinue it, "but that day looks to be way off in the future."
Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.14.
Used 20" 1.83 GHz, $599; 2.0, $730; 2.16, $800; 24", $950; refurb 17" 1.83, $699; 20" 2.0, $949; 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; 3.06, $1,899; rebates on new.
Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.14.
Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 366, $199; 500 CD, $149; 800, $190; 600 DVD, $200; CD-RW, $240; 700 Combo, $250; 900, $369; 14" 600, $230; 900, $449.
Best Classic iPod Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.14.
Used 60 GB color, $150; used 30 video, $140; 80, $170; refurb 80 classic, $169; new 120 GB, $240; refurb 160 GB, $249; new, $280. New & refurb include shipping.
Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13.
Used 667 MHz Combo, $480; 867 MHz, $530; 1 GHz, $590; SuperDrive, $900.
Best Classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13.
System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
Best Xserve Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13.
Used G4/1 GHz, $999; G5/2 GHz, $1,499; new 2.0 4-core Xeon, $1,900; refurb 3.0 4-core, $2,299; 2.8 GHz, $2,599; 3.0 8-core, $3,499; 3.2, $3,699.
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