The irony of a Mac
OK, you Mac folks, I want to hear from you on this one:
My brother and his family are a-1 Mac users…always have been. I’m a PC gal myself, having worked in less-creative-yet-nonetheless-fulfilling fields.
When my parents decided to join the Information Generation a few years back, they were more persuaded by the voice of my sibling over mine in our arduous discussions over choice of platform. They were sold by the “user-friendly” promise professed throughout the Mac world. My brother promised, “It’s easier for beginners like you to get started and maintain.”
Well..whazup?
My parents bug the bejeebers out of me with their little “this and that” that they can’t seem to resolve. They have a hard time resolving it themselves because “our ISP doesn’t know the wordarounds on a Mac.” They moan about all the attachments they receive from friends with PC’s that they can’t open.
My parents are true adopters. They don’t shy away from computer technology. However, they seem to be a bit stuck at times because they can’t get themselves over the hump of the computer platform dilemma.
They’re a bit stuck — ironically — as underdogs. A platform which should help them has divided them from providers and peers. The irony is the fact that — as beginners — they don’t know how to speak the language necessary to get them unstuck. For instance: “what are the questions I need to ask to resolve my problem?”; “how do I begin to explain this problem?”; and, “what, really, is the problem?”
It seems that true beginners can fall into a hole and fester. The irony lies in the fact that a certain level of technical savviness is needed to get out of that hole.
Consider this: Is the Mac really the more “user-friendly” platform?
5 Comments
Personally, I consider not being able read some attachments from Windows machines a feature, not a bug.
Seriously, I’ve had very few inter-operability problems in the last 2 years. Frequently passing files back and forth seamlessly.
ISPs don’t know about Macs. Mostly because they don’t really need to (yes, because set up is much easier than Windows).
After moving from Windows to Mac, I’ve actually seen people baffled at the simplicity and all the things they *don’t* need to worry about (viruses) and that things just work.
If your parents are near any major metropolitan area, I’d recommend they pop by their local Apple Store and query the resident Apple Genius.
On the question of user-friendliness, Apple seems to be focused on helping me get work done. Windows seems to find ever-frustrating ways to get in my way.
While the OS may be simpler for beginners to use, the support system isn’t. This includes both professional and personal support. They have no potential mentors in their personal networks because everyone they know has PC’s (except one who never has time to help them.)
Because they’re not technical “do-it-yourselfersâ€, they need someone to walk them step-by-step through problem-solving while experiencing the problem. Unfortunately they sometimes resort to the expensive option of having someone fix the problem for them because the voice on the other end of the phone couldn’t speak apples-to-apples (no pun intended.)
It’s interesting observing this holistic experience. Unfortunately I field the complaints and just shrug my shoulders.
Yes, Macs, in general, are much more user friendly. The ‘unfriendly’ things they are experiencing are due to:
a) bad customer service. ANY IT related service that can’t figure out a Mac isn’t a IT service you should be paying for (locally, VISI is a great, platform-agnostic ISP)
b) The complexity of Windows. The language barrier is more about people being accustomed to the unintuitive ways around Windows.
So, in fact, the Mac is a much friendlier machine, but in a world of much less unfriendly, and, ironically, more accepted machines. ;o)
Windows machines aren’t more user friendly, it’s just that it’s easier to find a relative that can deal with its complexity.
Apple knew this, and, hence the prolification of the Apple stores.
Great points, and thanks for the head’s up on Visi. I will mention that to my parents.
Here’s an interesting article that just popped up on bbc.com, about kids being technical support for their parents…something I was alluding to in this thread:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4156333.stm