Anonymous

Chicago

IT Manager

...Microsoft's operating system is hamstrung by an ever-growing body of negative publicity about its system security problems...

It is not hamstrung by PUBLICITY, it is hamstrung by actual security problems.

When I use my PC, I am struck by the amount of unwelcome interruptions - from the OS, from programs, and from advertisements in the browser. In sharp contrast to this annoying, high-maintenance behavior, my Mac simply allows me to do my work. It has never interrupted me, or popped up a browser ad, or had a program telling me that my system may not be secure. It just works, and elegantly. It supports me like a good tool (think hammer, coffee mug, etc.) should... it just gets out of the way, and I don't have to think to use it.

And so, it is not PUBLICITY that is hurting MS, it is the fact that they have the money, the time, and the clout to fix these annoying issues, but they don't bother. Mediocrity is good enough.

But not Apple. They built it right from the ground up to be stable and safe. And that is why no Mac user knows the word spyware.

I owned a 1975 VW Rabbit as a kid, and learned how to fix car engines on it. That is how the PC is - constant tinkering to keep it running. My girlfriend owned a 1975 Corolla, and never once opened the hood. That is how the Mac is - it simply works.

Keeping control of hardware and software has allowed Apple to build some awesome products, and I see no compelling reason why that is not a viable business model for them and for their users.

The world has enough Gateway, Dell, least common denominator thinking. Buy your PC at Walmart. Good Luck. Me, I'm sticking to the Macintosh and Apple.