Why Do People Still Buy Microsoft?

[IJ Reilly]

I wouldn't call it a fanboy war. It's just most Mac users keep whining about MS (fair enough) but don't actually do anything about it. If you want to hurt MS, hit them where it counts. Don't buy their products.

I for one am not buying anything MS, because first of all there is nothing worth buying. Their software and hardware is a joke. And secondly, if I did buy something, I would be financially supporting a monopoly.

I advocated this concept for many years but I think it's becoming progressively less relevant in the current marketplace. Microsoft has not proven an ability to successfully leverage Windows into new markets for quite some time, they are watched very closely by regulatory agencies when they try, and their forays into new product markets have been essentially unsuccessful. I don't worry about Microsoft nearly as much as I did ten years ago.

As for the "fanboy war," I think the use of this word should be banned from discussions on this forum, in the same way as the use of other insults are banned. Calling someone a "fanboy" is not an argument, it is a complete lack of an argument. Calling someone a fanboy is an effort to be dismissive of what someone is saying, without actually responding to their points in any substantial way. This no better than calling someone an idiot. It is a miserable excuse for an argument. Insults are childish and needlessly provocative -- and for that reason, not allowed here.

 

[AppleMacTheBest]

I advocated this concept for many years but I think it's becoming progressively less relevant in the current marketplace. Microsoft has not proven an ability to successfully leverage Windows into new markets for quite some time, they are watched very closely by regulatory agencies when they try, and their forays into new product markets have been essentially unsuccessful. I don't worry about Microsoft nearly as much as I did ten years ago.

I disagree. MS isn't leveraging Windows here. They've entered a brand new market and due to marketing and buying out developers they've managed to sell a lot of consoles to brainwashed public.

They still don't have a monopoly in consoles, so they don't have to abide by competition laws. But once they get there there is no stopping them as we've seen in the case of Windows.

That's why we as Apple users have to tread very carefully. We have to think of the future and not buy anything from monopolies that makes our rivals even stronger.

Stop just whining about MS and talk with your wallet. Don't buy Windows, don't buy any of their crappy hardware like the Xbox.

 

[dukebound85]

I wouldn't call it a fanboy war. It's just most Mac users keep whining about MS (fair enough) but don't actually do anything about it. If you want to hurt MS, hit them where it counts. Don't buy their products.

I for one am not buying anything MS, because first of all there is nothing worth buying. Their software and hardware is a joke. And secondly, if I did buy something, I would be financially supporting a monopoly.

ok you have made that point clear and everyone pretty much disagrees with you

once again, if you dont want it, dont buy it

you arent gonna make me not stop buying what i believe is the better solution....and yes, it may be from MS

why do you keep resaying the same thing each and everytime? that is what im curious about

most of us do not want to hurt MS an any way. whats the point? i mean seriously. why the hate towards MS? they offer great products. just some people hate MS for any reason I guess.

why is there this notion if you like apple, you MUST hate MS? seriously. this is getting old and tiresome

 

[zap2]

Sony is in deep financial trouble and knowing MS they will take every opportunity to buy out developers and use illegal anti-competitive measures to gain market share and keep others from the market.

Don't trust Microsoft.
.

Sony is having some rough times, but MS isn't going to be able to buy up every developer out there. And you know, you kinda ignore Nintendo!

It's just most Mac users keep whining about MS (fair enough) but don't actually do anything about it..

I'd say a minority of Mac users whine about Microsoft. Many have come to terms with MS

I would be financially supporting a monopoly.

Well what you should have done is buy an Xbox 360 when it first came out, since then MS loses money.

Oh, and I don't think the public is brainwashed when it comes to Xbox 360+Xbox...people just follow good games, and the Xbox 360 has some

 

[IJ Reilly]

I disagree. MS isn't leveraging Windows here. They've entered a brand new market and due to marketing and buying out developers they've managed to sell a lot of consoles to brainwashed public.

They still don't have a monopoly in consoles, so they don't have to abide by competition laws. But once they get there there is no stopping them as we've seen in the case of Windows.

The Xbox is not Windows. For one, it has only just recently become a profitable product for Microsoft, and still probably hasn't covered all of the sunk costs, so really it's a net loser. Second, it's a game console. I know the gamers will get all over me for this, but come on people, this is games we're talking about. Not very important in the vast scheme of things. Third, they have two, strong competitors in the game console market that aren't going to roll over. The fact is, Microsoft has a very tough fight on their hands in the game console market and is in no danger of monopolizing it.

That's why we as Apple users have to tread very carefully. We have to think of the future and not buy anything from monopolies that makes our rivals even stronger.

Stop just whining about MS and talk with your wallet. Don't buy Windows, don't buy any of their crappy hardware like the Xbox.

Our rivals? That's a pretty odd concept, even to me, an Apple customer for 25 years and an Apple stockholder. My "support" for any company is constantly contingent on them selling products that meet my needs. But yes, by all means, vote with your money. I don't buy Microsoft products because I simply do not care for them. That's the metric that matters.

 

[AppleMacTheBest]

The Xbox is not Windows. For one, it has only just recently become a profitable product for Microsoft, and still probably hasn't covered all of the sunk costs, so really it's a net loser. Second, it's a game console. I know the gamers will get all over me for this, but come on people, this is games we're talking about. Not very important in the vast scheme of things. Third, they have two, strong competitors in the game console market that aren't going to roll over. The fact is, Microsoft has a very tough fight on their hands in the game console market and is in no danger of monopolizing it.

That's what you think now and that's what people thought was Apple was still a force in a desktop back in the days. Complacency like this hurts the Mac community.

They have two strong competitors now, but like Windows they will use every measure possible to dominate the market. Sony is losing big time with the PS3 even though it's a much better machine. Nintendo Wii has lost it's novelty and I doubt they will come up with anything as revolutionary.

Microsoft has the funds (given by YOU, mac users who bought Xbox) to release the next gen console earlier with better marketing thus driving down sales of Sony's next gen console even more. And the circle starts again.

Don't buy MS period.

 

[bartelby]

Don't buy MS period.

That alone makes me want to buy more MS products...

 

[ziggyonice]

People still buy Microsoft because they're *just* starting to know anything better. Many individuals are finally starting to hear about the Mac and they're actually considering switching over. But for those who haven't yet, or for those who are too focused on the "dark days" of Apple, they still buy Microsoft.

Give them all more time. Things will change eventually.

 

[dukebound85]

They have two strong competitors now, but like Windows they will use every measure possible to dominate the market. Sony is losing big time with the PS3 even though it's a much better machine. Nintendo Wii has lost it's novelty and I doubt they will come up with anything as revolutionary.

sony is losing because they made a console cost 600 at launch a year after the 360. thats their mistake. sony still sells a crap load of ps2 you know right?

i still cant find a wii to buy in stores...whats that tell you

Microsoft has the funds (given by YOU, mac users who bought Xbox) to release the next gen console earlier with better marketing thus driving down sales of Sony's next gen console even more. And the circle starts again.

Don't buy MS period.

who cares? if MS has a sweet game system, i WILL buy it

why the hate? seriously

 

[Eidorian]

That alone makes me want to buy more MS products...

I did it for you. I just bought an OEM copy of Vista Home Premium for a machine I'm building.

 

[Primejimbo]

That alone makes me want to buy more MS products...

I said in another thread, if all Mac users were like the OP I would never have switched. Now I see why I have friends who think all Mac users are all stuck up and they feel that Mac users feel they are better people.

 

[zap2]

That's what you think now and that's what people thought was Apple was still a force in a desktop back in the days. Complacency like this hurts the Mac community.

They have two strong competitors now, but like Windows they will use every measure possible to dominate the market. Sony is losing big time with the PS3 even though it's a much better machine. Nintendo Wii has lost it's novelty and I doubt they will come up with anything as revolutionary.

Microsoft has the funds (given by YOU, mac users who bought Xbox) to release the next gen console earlier with better marketing thus driving down sales of Sony's next gen console even more. And the circle starts again.

Don't buy MS period.

Good, I wasn't aware we were at war, and had signed on to a side for life!

I buy products if they are good. Apple has the computer experience I want, and MS/Sony/Nintendo all have the games I want, so I buy them

 

[Primejimbo]

sony is losing because they made a console cost 600 at launch a year after the 360. thats their mistake. sony still sells a crap load of ps2 you know right?

i still cant find a wii to buy in stores...whats that tell you


who cares? if MS has a sweet game system, i WILL buy it

why the hate? seriously

It took us WEEKS to finally a Wii system last December, but we finally found one so the demand is just as high as it 1st came out.

 

[bartelby]

I did it for you. I just bought an OEM copy of Vista Home Premium for a machine I'm building.

Awesome!

Thanks

I said in another thread, if all Mac users were like the OP I would never have switched. Now I see why I have friends who think all Mac users are all stuck up and they feel that Mac users feel they are better people.

People who rant about how bad MS is get me down as much as people who rant about how bad Apple is...

I have no time for either...

 

[IJ Reilly]

That's what you think now and that's what people thought was Apple was still a force in a desktop back in the days. Complacency like this hurts the Mac community.

I've never been accused of complacency, so that accusation goes nowhere. But you do need a better understanding of how Microsoft achieved its dominance in operating systems. In short, it was an enormous historical fluke. It won't be repeated. This occurred before the Mac was even on the scene. Microsoft's illegal activities were related to their exploitation (leveraging) of their existing market power and their protection of that market power in operating systems. These are powers they lack in any other market, and they have thus far failed to make much more than a dent in any other market no matter how much cash they have poured into it. Sony and Nintendo are fully capable of competing with Microsoft in the game console market. There's simply no evidence to suggest otherwise.

 

[nick9191]

Sony is the biggest hardware Nazi of them all. Avoiding Microsoft and buying Sony instead is a ridiculous argument, and would only come from someone who had no knowledge of either company.

 

[Primejimbo]

I hope friends of mine who want to switch to Mac don't read this thread or the other one what was started by this person.

 

[sn00pie]

I did fall into the Wii marketing though...I've used it about 5 times since purchasing it 5 months ago. While I use my PS3 on a daily basis.

 

[Primejimbo]

I did fall into the Wii marketing though...I've used it about 5 times since purchasing it 5 months ago. While I use my PS3 on a daily basis.

I love Wii, and it's the only game system I have next to my original Nintendo lol

 

[ravenousllama]

has anyone ever considered that if apple was the market leader instead of microsoft, people would be saying the same thing about apple?

 

[AppleMacTheBest]

has anyone ever considered that if apple was the market leader instead of microsoft, people would be saying the same thing about apple?

Not really, because Apple actually makes good products that people want rather than making bad hardware like XBox360 and relying on marketing and hype to sell their products.

Apple has the best customer service on top of that as well. The world would be a better place if Apple was the market leader.

The only thing stopping this is all these people even Mac users, buying flawed MS products like the Xbox360.

 

[dukebound85]

Not really, because Apple actually makes good products that people want rather than making bad hardware like XBox360 and relying on marketing and hype to sell their products.

Apple has the best customer service on top of that as well. The world would be a better place if Apple was the market leader.

The only thing stopping this is all these people even Mac users, buying flawed MS products like the Xbox360.

ive had many issues with my mb and iphone

there are many more issues apple has as well

apple is far from perfect lol

or do you just choose not to see that?

 

[djellison]

When will people learn never to buy MS?

When it no longer does the job it needs to do. XP does the job for me - I continue to buy copies of XP at work for new workstations. I also continue to use Office 2007 and Office 2008.

You would have to be monumentally stupid to think that XP and Vista are not adequate for office useage. They do the job. They do the job far far cheaper than even the cheapest Mac does.

Doug

 

[AppleMacTheBest]

When it no longer does the job it needs to do. XP does the job for me - I continue to buy copies of XP at work for new workstations. I also continue to use Office 2007 and Office 2008.

You would have to be monumentally stupid to think that XP and Vista are not adequate for office useage. They do the job. They do the job far far cheaper than even the cheapest Mac does.

Doug

It's attitude like that, that's going to bring down Macs. "It just does the job". When you pay money for something, you want perfection. Not just something "that just does the job". Apple Mac is the perfection.

Everything you can do on XP and Vista you can do on Macs. You can do them faster and have more fun doing so.

 

[dukebound85]

It's attitude like that, that's going to bring down Macs. "It just does the job". When you pay money for something, you want perfection. Not just something "that just does the job". Apple Mac is the perfection.

perfection? lol in what way? if it does the job, it does the job. what type of perfection are you talking about? im utterly confused


stop spouting your opinion off as fact as it simply is not true

Everything you can do on XP and Vista you can do on Macs. You can do them faster and have more fun doing so.

oh really? explain how i cant run ProE/mathcad, Fluent, labview and pretty much every other engineering program out there on my mac
before you even attempt to make that argument, try and make sure you are right

do it faster? sorry, xp flies on my same system compared to osx. more fun? depends on the user.

i think you are looking for other people like emeek on here and sorry, just because we are on a mac board, doesnt mean we are fanatic about macs and hate everything MS