Why did you choose Apple? (A celebration)

[za9ra22]

I think being autistic gives me a sort of affinity for computers in general. I got my first computer when I was about six, an Amstrad CPC. I’ve never really been without a computer since then and I just have a love for them in general. Very much now into retro stuff, grew up with the Spectrum, Atari ST, Amiga, etc. I’m not quite sure why I have this fetish, but of course computers are fun and very useful. Not sure it’s the autistic in me that makes me appreciate a Mac. It’s pure aesthetics. My PC is a humble useful utilitarian thing. But it does not inspire me to be creative. Apple care about aesthetics, from the physical design of the computer to the operating system. And they make it easy to use and very helpful if you want to be creative. I find the design of Mac OS to be inspirational compared to the functional nature of Windows. Macs are beautiful, and I find that appealing. But it’s probably not specifically an autistic thing. I just like beauty. I have very fond memories of my old 486 PC. Grew up playing Monkey Island, and Space Quest. But I’m not all that bothered with games anymore. Also, when I use a PC, I have a certain amount of paranoia in that as it’s all from different manufacturers, with possible compatibility issues and really could develop issues any time that would be a pain to fix. A Mac is streamlined with much tighter control over the interaction of hardware and software, so I usually have more confidence with it. But of course, things can go wrong on a Mac too, it’s just less likely. I like reliability.

I really appreciate this, thanks!

For me, it was actually an early version of iMove that brought me back to the world of Macs 20 or so years ago after a while in the management of Windows NT and Windows networks. The simple genius of iMovie's workflow in letting me create home movies, and then more slick and professional training videos for my job was amazing. Leveraging these systems, which seemed designed to empower yet never get in the way, I've always felt it far easier to get things done on a Mac than I ever have done on Windows.

ever since the first iMovie experience, while my job has been in IT and data security management, I have always come home and booted up a Mac to get my own stuff done.

Your thoughts and observations are truly appreciated!

 

[Snow4maen]

Some retro Apple goodness, the original Macintosh, and alternative graphics based interfaces of the time......

The Macintosh Computer : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

An in-depth look at the early Apple Macintosh computer, available software and hardware add-ons. Originally broadcast in 1985. Guests: Joanna Hoffman, Apple;...

archive.org

EDIT - Something I found odd about the commentators is they seem to be only assessing the Macintosh as a business machine. Would seem the unique advantages of it are more beneficial for creativity?

 

[za9ra22]

EDIT - Something I found odd about the commentators is they seem to be only assessing the Macintosh as a business machine. Would seem the unique advantages of it are more beneficial for creativity?

Back in the early days of the Mac, there really wasn't a 'creative' market. The sheer cost of these systems put them firmly into the business rather than personal use category, and it was only once here was some sales traction that developers and software houses began to see wider market opportunities.

Even then, with 9-inch black and white displays, the move into creative use was principally business-related at first, hence the DTP market once the first laserwriter was available. It took some effort to visualize complex color page layouts the size of a magazine spread, on a compact b&W screen using Pantone codes only!

Arrival of the modular systems with color displays was needed to open up graphic design and photo work.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

So I guess what I'd like to know is why Apple? Why did you choose them over the competition?

Fall, 2019.

My Galaxy S10e had developed an overheating issue due to a major Android update. I was looking for an off-ramp. I decided to watch the Apple keynote in September, just for fun. Nice to see what the other guys have coming, right?

iPhone 11, $699. A price drop compared to XR, very generous, Tim!

I decided to wait for the Pixel event in October. Google had been trouncing Apple's camera quality until the 11 series, and it was exciting to see how Google would respond.

Pixel 4, $799.

You mean to tell me the iPhone is... Cheaper?

That's why I switched. Bought an Apple Watch that winter, and an iPad Pro in 2020. Apple has been my mobile brand since.

 

[avz]

In 2008 my Toshiba Satellite Pro A60 laptop started to "fall apart". A lines on a screen(which might have been caused by me upgrading the RAM to 1GB in only one slot, the other slot had a soldered 256 MB of RAM, which probably caused a dis-balance and more heat dissipation).
An introduction of aluminum unibody MacBooks in late 2008 is what tipped the scale for me in Apple's favor. Bootcamp was also a nice bonus which helped my decision making.
Now in 2024 my 13 inch Late 2008 unibody MacBook with 8 GB of RAM is still as relevant as ever for the everyday tasks with macOS Mojave and very good heat management. Battery, subwoofer/speaker, thermal compound are the only parts I ever had to replace.

 

[Snow4maen]

I had been a pretty content PC user for a number of years, largely as I wanted to play games. I could do some of the other stuff I wanted to do on it fairly well too. Ableton worked fine, Cubase was fine. So long as I used the plugins/software synths, etc. On the pretty rare occasion that I tried to plug my guitar into the PC through my Solo Scarlett and use Guitar Rig I found no matter what I did it just didn't detect the audio. I Googled it and tried several work arounds, nothing would work. I tried Guitar Rig as a stand alone app, and as a plug in in a DAW. It just didn't work. I had a Mac mini at the time, and decided to try it on the Mac. Worked without hassle pretty much straight away, as a standalone app and in Logic. I put it down to the better audio drivers on Mac, but I'm not really sure. I'm not a good enough guitar player for this to be super important, but I was not very happy knowing it just wouldn't work on the PC.

 

[phrehdd]

I've been around computers since the early days of DOS. I recall IBM's Micro Channel Desktop computers and the invasion of Microsoft and its manipulative tactics. Jumping ahead, when I worked at a large insurance company we put Microsoft Vista on the bench. Around that time Apple had moved to the Intel CPU. Having seen Vista, I knew it was time to jump ship. We stayed with Microsoft at work and I bought myself a Mac Pro. I have stayed with Mac since those days though I do use Windows at rare times and still admire some of the Linux distros.

Today, I only have some of my Apple stuff for day to day - Studio Max, iphone 15 and 12.x iPad pro.