When Quality Isn't Job One

Per Klöfver - 2002.07.11

My Turn is Low End Mac's column for reader-submitted articles. It's your turn to share your thoughts on all things Mac (or iPhone, iPod, etc.) and write for the Mac web. Email your submission to Dan Knight .

Did you read the column E-Mac, i-Mac, No Mac by John C. Dvorak at PC Magazine? His way of thinking is kind of odd, and John Cristie already addressed it here at LEM.

What Dvorak says is that the Macintosh line of computers should be discontinued, "put down like an old dog," because he can't see how it can be developed further. He thinks it would be better if Apple used its resources to developing something completely new instead of just making improvements to the GUI introduced by the Xerox Star in the 1970s.

I don't agree with Dvorak, but I find one of the things he says fascinating. What if we really are near a point where the Macintosh - or let's say the personal computer, including Wintels - can't be developed further? What if it is as good as it can be and can't be improved much more in terms of functionality?

Imagine all of the software developers running out of new ideas, so that they have no new features to implement.

Wouldn't that be great!

The software industry is plagued by bad quality (i.e., bugs). Quality just isn't a big priority. It's the features that sell the product. Software manufacturers can ship their products even if they know the quality is low, because should a critical flaw be discovered, they can always send out a patch to fix it.

They do this to keep up with the competition.

My prediction is that as long as everything moves as fast as it does today in the computer industry, quality will not improve. But sooner or later, when the feature race slows down, what will happen when the personal computer becomes more mature: Quality will be a priority.

When the personal computer is developed enough feature-wise, the bugs will begin to be squashed one by one. Eventually it will be pain free to use all those features!

I just hope it'll be sometime in the next 60 years, so I have a fair chance of being around to see it.

Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Recent My Turn articles

Back to Mac OS 9 Because It's All I Need, 2011.01.26. Sebastian Patting sold his Intel Macs and went back to PowerPC Macs and Mac OS 9. Here's why.
Using Low End Macs for Internet Radio, 2008.08.18. When the local public radio station moved classical music to HD radio, it was time to find another way to listen. An old iMac with iTunes solved the problem.
'That's Not a Computer', 2008.07.30. Salvaging a broken PowerBook by turning it into a desktop computer.
More in the My Turn index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay