Last time I outlined the basic Mac
"Populist" user. To recap:
The Mac Populist believes that Macs should appear on every desk in
every home and office. Their interpretation of "The Computer for the
Rest of Us" is that the Mac is a computer meant for the mass market,
and it's destiny is to be the machine that dethrones the "suits" who
champion computers that are hard to use and frustrate users.
While this may sound like a perfectly reasonable interpretation of
"The Computer for the Rest of Us," other interpretations exist.
One such interpretation is that "The Computer for the Rest of Us"
is the computer for the people who "get it." Some Mac users clearly
feel that using a Mac marks them as a different breed. They are not
the type of people who follow the masses or conform to computer
industry norms.
Much of this attitude can attributed to Apple's marketing. A small
market share along with the slogans "The Computer for the Rest of Us"
and "Think Different" have created a brand that has (more or less)
created an aura of exclusivity around Apple machines. The "Think
Different" ad campaign in particular compounds this exclusionist
perception.
While the Think Different ad campaign was undoubtedly formed to
help the buying public realize that Apple was out to smash accepted
computer industry wisdom, their use of high profile figures that are
anything but ordinary people placed the exclusionist subtext.
Of course, there are many Mac users that truly believe that their
choice of computer platform makes a serious statement about who they
are or, in this case, are not. They are not the buttoned-down,
mainstream, tie wearing, sheeplike public. They are individuals in
the computing world. They are the people that feel they march to the
tune of a different drummer.
"The Rest of Us" in this case is the people who are not "them" in
the commercial. However, the exclusivist believes that the "them"
(conformist, boring, stodgy people) are not restricted to the
business world but include all those poor people who don't realize
that there are alternatives and willingly buy Windows.
Of course, the exclusivist enjoys some smug satisfaction about her
or his computer choice. They are wiser, more independent, and less
prone to follow the herd.
While the Populist user wants to see a Mac on every desk, the
exclusivist would prefer that the Mac remain a niche product. If the
Mac becomes ubiquitous, they will just be another face in the crowd,
one of the herd.
Of course, I've been generalizing in these two columns. Every
person is different. For some, the Mac means a lot; to others, it is
nothing more than a tool that gets the job done.
Invariably, I find that most Mac users fall somewhere in between.
They'd like to see a Mac on every desktop but are content to be part
of a minority platform.
Stephen Van
Esch is the founder and president of
the
E-learning Foundry, an online training
resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual,
since he's also fluent in Windows and French.
Recently on Mac Scope
Connecting with the broader Macintosh community, 04.06.
"But beyond the very minor celebrity status that came with being published on Low End Mac, it gave me a real opportunity to participate in the Mac community."
Hardware failure, that rare Mac headache, 07.09.
Macs are usually pretty reliable, but a hardware failure after just two-and-a-half years is still disappointing.
Mac of the Day: PowerBook 190cs, Aug. 1995 - The last 680x0-based PowerBook could take a PowerPC upgrade.
List of the Day: The iPod List The iPod List is a forum to discuss the iPod, it's accessories, the iTunes Store, iTunes, and related topics.
August 28 in LEM history: 95: PowerBook Duo 2300 - 00: Gaming on older Power Macs - 01: AppleShare on Linux - From Beebs and Acorns to Macs - 02: Sleep of Death, - Think smarter? - It's the software, stupid - 06: PowerBook 5300 reminiscence - You might be a Mac fanatic if... - Hiding complexity behind elegant simplicity
Recent Content on Low End Mac
10 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 08.28.
A look at Internet Explorer, Radon, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Flock, and Camino running in Leopard.
Clone and Boot: Another Advantage of the Mac OS, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 08.28.
Unlike Windows, Apple makes it possible to clone a bootable drive (Classic Mac OS or OS X) and use it with another supported Mac.
Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28.
Used 1.83 GHz, $799; 2.0 black, $875; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 22, $1,094; 2.4, $1,219 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28.
Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $499; 1.8 SuperDrive, $530; 2.0, $600; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $580; 2.0, $650; 2.1 iSight, $700.
Best classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28.
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.
CrossOver Strikes Out, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 08.27.
Running Windows apps on a Mac without paying for Windows is great in theory, but actually getting Windows software working is another story.
MacDrought: 4 Months with No New Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.27.
The most recent Mac update was over four months ago, and the Mac mini has been unchanged for over a year.
Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; new 3.06, $2,094 after rebate; more.
Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $600; SuperDrive, $650; 1.33 Combo, $640; 1.5, $680; SD, $725; 1.67, $730; hi-res, $800.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
500 GB Time Capsule, $294; 1 TB, $468; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; 802.11n Base Station, $166; 802.11g AirPort Express, $60; 802.11n, $98.
Purposeful Reincarnation for Old Macs, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 08.26.
The key is to avoid spending more on upgrades than the final use of the machine can justify.
Best Power Mac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.26.
Used 1.6 GHz single SuperDrive, C$499; 1.8, $569; dual, $675, 2.0, $800; 2.3, C$899; 2.5, C$1,199; 2.7, $1,225; 2.5 Quad, $1,500.
Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.26.
Used 2.16 GHz Core Duo, $1,330; 2.33 C2D, $1,689; refurb, 2.4, $1,899; new, $2,099; 2.5, $2,558 after rebate; 2.6 Santa Rosa, $2,399 a/r; more.
Best iPod shuffle Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.26.
Refurb 3G 1 GB, $39; new 3G, $45; refurb 2 GB, $59; new, $68.
Our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For detailed
price quotes and advertising information, please
contactat BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number
is for advertising only.