I just tried to upgrade Microsoft Office. It crashed my Mac. I used to be a fan of Microsoft.
Above is a recent Tweet from Michael Hyatt who runs one of my favorite blogs at http://michaelhyatt.com. First of all, I’m no Microsoft fan-boy by any stretch of the imagination. Last year I put Linux (first Kubuntu, then Ubuntu) on all my PC’s and would be running it now, except the software I use most often cannot be run on Linux. Having said that, this Tweet struck me as odd, yet typical of a Mac user. It seems with Mac users, crashes and other computer issues are always Microsoft’s fault!
In this case, we have Microsoft software and an Apple computer. A problem arises. Blame goes to: MICROSOFT! Yet when I talk to Mac users and tell them about a computer problem I have had, they nearly always tell me I should get a Mac, as if it MUST be the hardware. As if that problem would NEVER have happened on a Mac.
I’m perfectly open to the idea that perhaps in Hyatt’s case, the problem really was the software. Hyatt writes a lot on productivity and seems to know his way around a computer, so perhaps he really knows this is the problem. But the Tweet still embodies what I generally see in the Mac community, which is resistance to admitting that Apple hardware might be responsible for a problem.
Just once I’d love to come across a post on the Internet saying, “My Mac is broken – AGAIN!!” You know it happens. By the law of averages, it has to. It makes you wonder if when you buy a Mac, you sign a legal agreement stating that you will never post anything negative about Apple. Or say it to anyone in private with the shades drawn. Or even think it.
The other interesting thing in Hyatt’s post is that he used to be a fan of Microsoft. The only Microsoft fan you’ll find among most Mac users is a reformed one – the kind that used to be.
To end this post and put it in perspective, I love the cult-like atmosphere Apple engenders among its users. If you have read Jim Collins’ Good to Great, you know this is something great companies do, creating feverish enthusiasm and devotion around everything they do. This in itself is a big part of the Mac vibe. Still, I can’t help but await eagerly a Tweet one day from a Mac user that says, “I just tried to upgrade to Microsoft Office. It crashed my Mac. I used to be a fan of Apple.”
When hell freezes over.
Update from Hyatt:
I rebooted my computer and installed Microsoft Office 12.2.3. It worked “as advertised” this time. All is well.
Temp Arbor 
I have three iMacs, three generations of the same computer spanning a nine year period. The only problem I’ve had, with all three, is that one of them is having some problem with its cooling fan. Something I just have to keep an eye on when I use it. They all still run. I’m not sure what kind of problems you’d expect them to have because they just don’t have any. When they “crash” it’s because I’ve tried to do some Herculian task that their RAM just can’t handle. Like any computer, when it’s ran the course of its RAM, they need to be restarted – then everything is fine. Never had any other kind of crash on any of them. Never lost a file, even on one of these routine crashes that only happen once or twice a year – the computer simply doesn’t even allow the file that happened to be opened to be lost. It backs it up automatically.
It’s not that we sign an agreement. It’s that we don’t really understand what type of trouble we’re supposed to be having.
They’re not perfect, but they also don’t seem to break. I wish I could relate some horror story that other Mac users have told me, but… I honestly don’t know any. They do break down. I’ve heard whispers of it. I have yet to meet anyone that’s had a real problem That’s not me being snarky or thumbing my nose at the competition at all. All competition aside.
I wish I hadn’t typed this. I feel I may have jinxed myself.
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Actually I relate to your experience. I have never had a Mac. I’ve always had PC’s. And the way I’ve decided it’s time to replace a PC is when it’s ancient and just no longer supports current standards. The main PC I use at home is five years old and we have no intention of replacing it anytime soon, and my oldest daughter is using the HP that ruled the roost before that one. I’ve never had a PC just give out on me, except for one very cheap eMachines I bought for the office years ago. PC’s do the same with backing up files so you don’t lose them. And you’re not SUPPOSED to be having any particular kind of trouble. I just find the two trends fascinating. When an Apple user has trouble on their Mac, blame Microsoft (the software). When a PC user tells a Mac user about computer trouble, blame the hardware (PC). If it’s found that it’s not the hardware, blame Microsoft.
I think the commercials have people fooled into thinking that owning a PC is a constant headache and that it’s actually ridiculous to own one. Not sure how many PC users believe this, but nearly every Mac user I’ve ever met seems to.
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I think there’s just been a lot of mud slung for far too long. Mac users are probably more defensive because, let’s face it, IBM for many years, nearly had a monopoly on the market. Being a Mac user used to mean you were in the minority. You were part of the rebellion. That’s not so much the case anymore, but old habits (of defending your opinion) die hard.
I think the opposite can be said of IBM users in some ways. They’ve been superior in sales for so long, it’s harder for them to realize that they’re losing some footing. The things is loosing the footing isn’t necessarily a reflection of the product itself. Every produce/service has a sales curve. It’s likely that the IBM platform is just currently in a dip, but in reality, it probably isn’t much of a dip.
As a Mac user from way back, I find the PC commercials somewhat offensive in that they imply that Macs don’t do a lot of the simple things that they’re highlighting. (Example: the young family buying a PC because they take a lot of photos and need to keep them organized. What?) The subtle thing to notice though is that they don’t actually make the claim that Macs don’t also do these things. They kind of highlight a feature and then don’t bother to mention you can do the same thing on either platform.
I’m looking forward to the day where the antagonism on both sides almost disappears. Kind of like the Coca-cola vs. Pepsi wars that used to go on in the eighties. They’re both selling good products. If they weren’t, they simply wouldn’t be selling anything.
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The current crop of Windows commercials that are out are some of the most insipid insults to human intelligence I have ever seen on the air. I’m totally with you. The PC/Mac commercials are really irritating because they perpetuate the myth that to be a Windows user is to endure constant headaches and hassles. This is simply not the case.
As a lifelong PC user, I can still say I think it would be great for PC’s to not have such massive market dominance. Interesting to me how Apple said, “We’re gonna snub the man,” and went on to make Macs way more expensive than PC’s and have kind of an exclusive air about them, but Linux said “We’re gonna snub the man” and went on to make Linux completely free. I definitely prefer approach 2. 🙂
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