Will the Mac end up becoming un-cool?

[Karbon]

it's never been cool because it's exclusive though. it's been cool because they're pretty well built, robust, there's a mountain of support with everything they sell, and they offer a whole bunch of services around the sale not just extended warranties.

so no, more people, regardless of who they are, will not make the brand less "cool"

 

[bloodiedathame]

That post doesn't make a lot of sense... angry W7 use, immature description nonsense and searching... Random tangents to go off on in one sentence!

Anyway, brands don't dilute from becoming less exclusive. If Apple were to start making TV screens, and other products, then their brand architecture does start to dilute as they are spreading their values across vastly difference areas of the market. Apple make computers, ipods and iphones (with a few crossover devices). Their product range is tiny in comparison to Phillips, Acer, Dell etc, that's why they are still an exclusive brand regardless of how many people own those products.

 

[Amp34]

And I would reply that like you yourself admit you haven't been a Windows user for some four years now. You might have dabbled with W7 but your posts suggest you haven't used it in anger. Search on W7 is better than Spotlight - imo as one who has both machines and to use words like "frickin awesome" to describe an OS smacks of lacking a certain maturity don't you think? However, this post is about the brand becoming diluted by the very fact that it is fast losing it's exclusivity. I have just been reading a report albeit from a somewhat biased source that states nearly 70% of US freshman are coming to college sporting MacBooks this fall?

I can see the day coming when it will be cooler to have a Medion Laptop.

Sounds about a right amount to me. Spent a month with a load of American college students and at least half had macbooks, was like a mac convention in there.

The thing that always gets me though is that all the apple computers looked the same whereas all the windows users had different looking laptops. That whole "think different" mantra that Apple love, well it fits more to MS laptops tbh...

 

[Deleted member 77746]

The thing that always gets me though is that all the apple computers looked the same whereas all the windows users had different looking laptops. That whole "think different" mantra that Apple love, well it fits more to MS laptops tbh...

Agree with that statement!

 

[Spammeh]

it's never been cool because it's exclusive though. it's been cool because they're pretty well built, robust, there's a mountain of support with everything they sell, and they offer a whole bunch of services around the sale not just extended warranties.

so no, more people, regardless of who they are, will not make the brand less "cool"

I have never heard anyone call anything cool cause its 'well built'
I have never heard anyone call anything cool cause its 'robust'
I have never heard anyone call anything cool cause its got 'a mountain of support'
I have never heard anyone call anything cool cause they 'offer a whole bunch of services around the sale'.

Its cool cause its good looking. Simple as that. The price makes it exclusive (and anyone who doesnt think a mac is expensive compared to a windows equivalent is quite frankly mad), just like an aston martin is. But the reason they can charge these prices, is simply cause the products work well.

 

[Raymond Lin]

The moment people start comparing the OS, ease of use, and reliability doesn't understand what cool is.

 

[picnic]

The moment people start comparing the OS, ease of use, and reliability doesn't understand what cool is.

I don't think it's quite that black and white. Cool can involve a bling factor and the OS can provide a part of that. A Mac may look great but it's not going to be cool if it is just an ornament (well except for a very sad few maybe ) it has to function as well as look good IMHO. Personally I think it's cool the way W7 allows you to shake a Window to clear the rest out of the way

 

["andy"]

Totally agree with this. I have step daughters and they want macs, iPhones and iPods. It's only because they look awesome

id argue that its not ! show them a similar looking device and they will ask ''but is it a mac?'' its the name they want and its because there mates have one

its same with teens and clothes. they want certain brands because friends wear those brands. you could show them 2 items that look identical and they would take the one with the popular brands tag

 

[QwaF]

They don't go wrong as often because all the hardware is controlled by APPLE unlike PCs which are not made by Microsoft so your arguement is not really valid.

How is it not really valid? A user doesn't care about that, they care about it working - they don't care about reasoning as to why it is happening, all they care about is that it happens.

You can't ignore a potential advantage of one side just because the other side doesn't have it.. :/

 

[franco_22]

Anyone else thinks that it might just be cool because in every single movie/tv show out there the actors always have macs? Even celebrities are always seen carrying Macs around. Maybe if HP and Sony started giving a few freebies out they would be cool too.

 

[Faustus]

Anyone else thinks that it might just be cool because in every single movie/tv show out there the actors always have macs? Even celebrities are always seen carrying Macs around. Maybe if HP and Sony started giving a few freebies out they would be cool too.

Apple are the worlds masters at product placement and they spend more than any other company in achieving this goal. Just look at "Lie to Me" on Sky1, there's a Mac in almost every shot when in their offices.

 

[icedbullet]

Apple are the worlds masters at product placement and they spend more than any other company in achieving this goal. Just look at "Lie to Me" on Sky1, there's a Mac in almost every shot when in their offices.

Yeah I have noticed Mac's/iPhones in many scenes in "trendy" show's like Entourage (HBO show)

 

[Kainz]

Its about little things like how easy it is to install programmes. Just dragging and dropping the .dmg file onto the applications shortcut on the desktop.

And you know what really makes apple products easy to use ? The genius bar. People new to mac can get themselves on a course on how to use all the products in ilife 09 properly, or just get themselves familiarised in OSX.

I've been using Windows machines since the first os incarnation, however I switched in 2009 and never looked back. I was sick and tired of windows generally feeling bloated to use.

The first thing that struck me when using SL on my uMacbook was the drag and drop installations. Just superb tbh, and I still smile everytime I install an app. The fact that apps are self contained containers for files means that things don't get scattered all over the place.

In my spare time I repair PC's for friends/family etc as most of us do. However it was beginning to interrupt my real life work. Typically their PC's consisted of about 20 different types of crap cleaners, registry optimisers, defraggers etc -typical junk that an OS in this day and age shouldn't require.

Five of my customers under my recommendation went and purchased a 2009 iMac or Macbook and I've not heard from them since. Two of them apparently went to the Apple Store in Brent, and tried out the iMacs there before purchasing one days later. They had nothing but compliments for their experience there.

I use an iPhone because the OS and SDK is unmatched for now. Balls to cool.

I use a 2008 uMacbook because the OS is nice and nippy to use daily, whilst Win7 on my main rig just pesters me to update-reboot every day. Finally the macbook is the most well built, robust laptop I've ever owned.

 

[Nexus]

Apple are the worlds masters at product placement and they spend more than any other company in achieving this goal. Just look at "Lie to Me" on Sky1, there's a Mac in almost every shot when in their offices.

I'm not sure that it's actually a case of Apple directly asking to be featured in a show though, sure they may have loaned some or done a deal if the show specifically asked for Macs.

I can think of a billion films and shows that Macs have featured heavily in... while I do agree that some much older ones were used as actual proper advertising, one of the most memorable being Mission Impossible with the Powerbook:

http://pulsar.esm.psu.edu/Faculty/Gray/graphics/movies/mission.mov

The rest though just tend to be people putting the Macs in the film because they want that 'cool' image that they give out. When we've seen shows like 24 and such where they have offices full of them, they do it because it makes it look like a really cool high-tech office where the Macs fit the design elements.

 

[Talbs13]

And I would reply that like you yourself admit you haven't been a Windows user for some four years now. You might have dabbled with W7 but your posts suggest you haven't used it in anger. Search on W7 is better than Spotlight - imo as one who has both machines and to use words like "frickin awesome" to describe an OS smacks of lacking a certain maturity don't you think? However, this post is about the brand becoming diluted by the very fact that it is fast losing it's exclusivity. I have just been reading a report albeit from a somewhat biased source that states nearly 70% of US freshman are coming to college sporting MacBooks this fall?

I can see the day coming when it will be cooler to have a Medion Laptop.

Anyone that thinks Windows 7 Search is better than Spotlight is one deluded mother-******. You don't like the word "frickin"? It's too American for you? Ok then, it's Bloody Awesome. Satisfied? Good.

I've "dabbled" with Windows 7 for a long time. Use it every single day as my company laptop, I don't have a problem with it, I think it's a very improved OS. Of course I have used it in anger. The stupid Aero effects closing tabs of apps is clunky and not very organised. Start Menu is old and out-dated needs a big re-design. When I finish work, coming home to OSX, it's so refreshing.

I agree that in America the whole assumption that "MacBooks" are better for studying, university etc is bull-crap. They should be using an iPad

 

[SimonR]

Having been a mac user for 4 years now, I dont think Macs 'just work'. I regularly see the spinning beachball of death or fatal exception errors. My iphone (3G) is now slower than a x286 running Vista and Apple customer care may as well be run by the Lithuanian Maffia - they are rude, condescensing and 10 times worse than DELL. Being lectured by an apple Genius (snigger) that the only reason Apple machines crash is down to Adobes evil code just made my blood boil. Being called a liar by an Apple CSR really annoyed me. Being told my iphone not working was down to my innability to use it, only to have it replaced because the 'genius' could not get it to work either !!

Apple make nice products, they used to make brilliant innovative products. Owning an Apple product today is about as cool as wearing a Henleys hoodie, in fact most of the people in the Birmingham Apple store are wearing Henleys hoodies.

Will I buy another apple Mac or iPhone ? I dont know anymore. Dont get me wrong I love my MBP. Is it any better than my Dell i3 Notebook which cost 1/3 of the price? Before W7 I'd have said yes 100% now I am not so sure.

Will Apple ever become uncool ? Well cool is relative. All fashion goes through cycles. In my dreams I'd love apple to go back to what it used to do best, make high end machines for AV professionals, but that was a relatively small market. Apple are now mainstream and are unlikely to ever be anything else now. Unfortunately mainstream brings with it all of the downsides as well.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Having been a mac user for 4 years now, I dont think Macs 'just work'. I regularly see the spinning beachball of death or fatal exception errors. My iphone (3G) is now slower than a x286 running Vista and Apple customer care may as well be run by the Lithuanian Maffia - they are rude, condescensing and 10 times worse than DELL. Being lectured by an apple Genius (snigger) that the only reason Apple machines crash is down to Adobes evil code just made my blood boil. Being called a liar by an Apple CSR really annoyed me. Being told my iphone not working was down to my innability to use it, only to have it replaced because the 'genius' could not get it to work either !!

Apple make nice products, they used to make brilliant innovative products. Owning an Apple product today is about as cool as wearing a Henleys hoodie, in fact most of the people in the Birmingham Apple store are wearing Henleys hoodies.

Will I buy another apple Mac or iPhone ? I dont know anymore. Dont get me wrong I love my MBP. Is it any better than my Dell i3 Notebook which cost 1/3 of the price? Before W7 I'd have said yes 100% now I am not so sure.

Valid as that may be.

None of that is remotely relevant to how cool it is.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I don't think it's quite that black and white. Cool can involve a bling factor and the OS can provide a part of that. A Mac may look great but it's not going to be cool if it is just an ornament (well except for a very sad few maybe ) it has to function as well as look good IMHO. Personally I think it's cool the way W7 allows you to shake a Window to clear the rest out of the way

Take cars.

Alfra are cool, are they more reliable than a Honda or Toyota? No.


I underlined the bit that matters.

The mac does function and it looks good, and as long as the general consenus that it remains looking good, it will stay cool. Whether it works BETTER or WORSE than Windows 7, is irrelevant. 14 year old girls don't compare that, geeks and nerds do. When the general public encounter a problem they call technical support.

Windows users has to call India.

Apple users go to the Apple store.

 

[chimaera]

As has been mentioned the more units Apple sell the less cool the brand will become, thats just the nature of the world.

For example when blackberries first came about all the managers and directors had one to show off their status, then when everyone and their dog started getting one the managers moved onto iPhones to prove their uberness. In my company now a lot of lower end staff are starting to get iPhones as the carriers are offering better deals, so suddenly the iPhone isn't quite as impressive anymore.

I also remember once having a discussion with a guy who e-mailed my work complaining that a website wouldn't work on safari properly (this was about 5 years ago to be fair), and he started spouting off about how secure it was and people like macs because they're safer than windows.

Now i personally believe that this is going to end very soon, the more macs are sold the more attractive the platform becomes to criminals to exploit, the pwn2own contest every year has shown that there are a lot of holes in safari that can be exploited so it's no more secure than W7 with IE (actually safari has usually been the first to fall). Once those viruses hit apple loses a lot of credibility as they've been trumping that card against MS for years, and i think it'll hurt their PR and 'coolness' quite a bit.

 

[Raymond Lin]

As has been mentioned the more units Apple sell the less cool the brand will become, thats just the nature of the world.

For example when blackberries first came about all the managers and directors had one to show off their status, then when everyone and their dog started getting one the managers moved onto iPhones to prove their uberness. In my company now a lot of lower end staff are starting to get iPhones as the carriers are offering better deals, so suddenly the iPhone isn't quite as impressive anymore.

I also remember once having a discussion with a guy who e-mailed my work complaining that a website wouldn't work on safari properly (this was about 5 years ago to be fair), and he started spouting off about how secure it was and people like macs because they're safer than windows.

Now i personally believe that this is going to end very soon, the more macs are sold the more attractive the platform becomes to criminals to exploit, the pwn2own contest every year has shown that there are a lot of holes in safari that can be exploited so it's no more secure than W7 with IE (actually safari has usually been the first to fall). Once those viruses hit apple loses a lot of credibility as they've been trumping that card against MS for years, and i think it'll hurt their PR and 'coolness' quite a bit.

I think you also got lost in what is cool or not.

I bought a Macbook Pro. Reaction - That's cool.

I bought a Sony Viao. Reaction - That's cool.

I bought a Hewitt Parkard. Reaction - That's not so cool.

I bought a Windows 7 Home Premium Laptop made by Acer that I have patched up with less security risk than a Macbook with Safari that was proven in pwn2own contest.

Reaction - WTF are you on about.