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Media (Apple) Media Businesses OS 9 Operating Systems Portables (Apple) Apple Hardware

Some iPod Fans Dump PCs For Macs 1036

dereklam writes "The popularity of the iPod could be boosting Macs' popularity as well. News.com reports that 6 percent of iPod users have made the switch from PCs to Macs. An additional 7 percent said they are planning to dump their old PC for an Apple machine, according to the survey." I wish the linked story had more details; it's not clear from the results mentioned whether there's a strong causal relationship here.
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Some iPod Fans Dump PCs For Macs

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  • by Trigun ( 685027 ) <evil AT evilempire DOT ath DOT cx> on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:17PM (#10910011)
    Personally, I choose my peripherals based on my OS/Hardware, not the other way around.
    • Well, if the peripheral is cool enough, the OS/hardware may not be that important. Ease of use and coolness factor count for a lot in the choice of gadget, you know. I do know for myself that the iApps (mostly iTunes these days, Picasa is quite good) are keeping me on the Mac. Although I wonder if the opposite happens: people who "defect" to Windows because iTunes/iPod also work with Windows and you can buy a hell of a lot more hardware four your dollar/euro in Intel/AMD land than in Applistan (example in p
      • by iamacat ( 583406 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @02:26PM (#10910872)
        So? You chose a top-of-the line professional model. Current Intel 17' notebooks are also >2K (PowerBook is $2700 in US). Otherwise you can "make do" with an $1300 14' iBook. Actually my friend is looking for an Intel notebook with comparible price and features. Here is what he wants:

        • Reasonable weight. No 8 pound monsters, please
        • 3D graphics, TV output
        • Built in wireless and CD burner
        • 5 or more hours battery life without swapping
        • Pleasent, big keys on the keyboard
        • No sharp edges or breakable components on the outside when folded
        • A sturdy case in some color other than black or "Windows XP Space theme". Please no Dell black plastic"


        So where is the superior, cheap Intel hardware?
      • by NeedleSurfer ( 768029 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @08:55PM (#10914643)
        I switched to a PC to play more games in a better way, I sadly believed the people telling me there weren't any significant difference between Mac and PCs as far as plug and play, stability and speed was concerned nowadays.

        A little hint to all those saying this like parrots: it's not true, at all. Pcs crash a lot more, fail more often, cost more for the same power (SAME, not number wise but real-life wise) are constantly being attacked (my anti-virus keep finding stuff about every day, adaware doesn't even remove all of the spyware I get...) and need protection software constantly monitoring the computer for malware, which in turn seriously slow it down and interfere with your normal operations (and YES I use firefox before some fuckin Linux asshole point his wisdom to me). The OS is still clunky as hell, you still have to press start to stop the OS and the interface is built around the concept that you want to work with the computer not on your creations.

        In short I deeply regret my switch, I play games on my PC but have switched back to my old iBook dualUSB 500MHz for everything else, this little fellow let me do more stuf in a much more stable way than my 3.4GHz 1GB ram monster PC which cost me 4230$Canadian, monitor included.
    • Man bites dog (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Eevee ( 535658 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:23PM (#10910081)

      I kinda think that's the point of the story. People finding the iPod a sufficiently good reason to switch their OS is not a run of the mill event. How many people switch just because there's a neat new scanner out on the market? Or for a new printer? (Not counting high-end RIPs, of course, since they're pretty much stand-alone.)

      • by Mattintosh ( 758112 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:49PM (#10910469)
        Which is why I would like to point out that this should be from the "It's-working!" dept.

        This was the plan all along. Build the bestest gadget, get mindshare, get marketshare. And /. (as a whole) fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Welcome to the cult of the Mac.
    • by slash-tard ( 689130 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:28PM (#10910168)
      I get the point but a lot of peripherals work better on a Mac. The iPod syncs better, importing and editing video is easier, and if you want to use iPhoto its a lot smoother than anything Ive seen on a PC. On top of this bluetooth and iSync.

      The x86 PC has more options and cheaper options but I would rather have something work better than it be a few bucks cheaper and be a hassle in the long run.
      • by SgtChaireBourne ( 457691 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @02:18PM (#10910781) Homepage
        The iPod brought attention to iBook or G5. They probably bought it, liked it and then thought, "hey, if iPod is this good, I ought to at least check out an iBook or G5." The rest is history.

        iBooks are the single best device out there for college students and many others. Excellent form factor, easy to use, even easier to maintain, good bang for the buck. The main drawback is the Microsoft effect, which has convinced users that all computers are slow to start up, slow to wake up, hard to configure, hard to use, virus prone, etc. and all alike and therefore won't look at anything new.

        If one gets over that, for whatever reason, then rational though has a chance to. The push can come from an iPod or elsewhere. e.g. I loaned one out for 2 hours to an "MS is good enough for me and I'm not changing" small business owner. At the end of the two hours, he stated that his next hardware purchase will be a Mac. But for most, iPod will be the wake up.

        • by ZorinLynx ( 31751 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @02:24PM (#10910848) Homepage
          One of my favorite things about today's Macs running OSX is that they have appeal for both the novice computer user, who wants everything easy, and the geek, who wants to do more advanced thing.

          The GUI is there and simple for novice users, and the UNIX shell and environment are there for the more advanced people. It's truly an OS that works for everyone.

          I never even looked at Macs when it was OS9 and before, because it didn't provide anything for my geeky self to dig into. But today's macs and OSX are just sweeeet.

          I just wish Apple would get more competive, price-wise, with the Intel world. I know lots of people who would buy a Mac in an instant if they weren't so overpriced.

          -Z
          • by mrchaotica ( 681592 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @05:46PM (#10912964)
            I was completely agreeing with you until I got to the last paragraph. Macs, at least the white ones, are not overpriced. In fact, I comparison shopped for a thin-and-light and ended up buying a 12" iBook because it was the best value, even without factoring in OS X. And considering the fact that to truly equate a PC with an iMac you'd have to price out the CPU plus the 17" or 20" widescreen LCD, iMac G5s are probably a better value too.
    • by Mik3D ( 792355 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:32PM (#10910217) Journal
      That is why you will never be in the "main stream". Most people choose the tools that allow them to do the task they want... be that graphics design, web surfing, or listining to music.

      I fear the Slashdot crowd is more inclined to choose tasks based on the tools they want to use, the oposite of the "main stream".
    • by cbiagini ( 728046 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:32PM (#10910219)
      You're missing the point.

      The iPod is just bringing Apple into the public eye; the computers are selling themselves.
    • by Gleef ( 86 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:45PM (#10910400) Homepage
      I think it's less a choice to go to a mac because they have an iPod, but more the whole iPod thing gets them going into the Apple Store, or the Apple Website.

      While they're there, they notice the other nifty things (like computers), and get pleasantly surprised by the price and/or cool factor and/or features. And then they think about switching.

      Personally I'm happy running my Linux on my frankenstein's monsters, but having been in an Apple Store I can see the appeal.
    • And besides, (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Jucius Maximus ( 229128 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:57PM (#10910551) Journal
      Did they consider the number of people that would switch from Mac to PC now that iPod and iTunes work on Windows?

      (No, they didn't. I read this article before it was posted.)

    • Personally, I choose my peripherals based on my OS/Hardware, not the other way around.

      Hard to say. I think it has more to do with brand recognition than the desire to buy a computer that more "natively" supports your iPod. Because their purchase of the iPod has increased their brand recognition of Apple and also made them think, "Hey, this Apple company makes some cool stuff. If their computers are half as cool as this, it's sure to be pretty swell."

      It doesn't really matter what OS/hardware the a

    • by colin_n ( 50370 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @02:31PM (#10910914) Homepage Journal
      I used to buy peripherals based on os/hardware. However, I bought an iPod for my commute into NYC last summer. As a result of my positive experience, I purchased a powerbook last november, an iPod Mini for my girlfriend last February, Airport Express a couple of months ago, and I advised my Mom to get the iMac G5 about a month ago (which she loves by the way better than her previous PC running winxp).
      So lets see... after spending 500 bucks for an iPod, Apple has received a further $3500+ purely because I liked their little white music player. Case in point. I dont know how many others
    • by hey! ( 33014 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @02:43PM (#10911046) Homepage Journal
      Well, why there is probably less to this than meets the eye, there is probably more to it than you suggest.

      It isn't about choosing your computer to suit your peripherals -- you can use an iPod with a Windows box. I think it's more like this. Maybe you had a flash based player before. Clunky, inelgant, with a totally brain damaged idea of what "style" entails. You get an iPod, and realize that it is everything your old player ought to have been: convenient, elegant and sleek.

      Then one day while you are listening to your iPod and working on your probably popup infested computer, you have two epiphanies.

      Epiphany 1: Windows is clunky and inelegant and ugly.

      Epiphany 2: Apple makes computers.

  • Yup. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by niko9 ( 315647 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:18PM (#10910022)
    I gues it was a smart move for the iPOd to work with Windows and Macs?

    Works great on my Linux box BTW. Whew. Good thing too, girlfriend would think I was giving her a line of poop trying to explai why she's got to get me a different gift.
  • Well... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by CdBee ( 742846 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:18PM (#10910028)
    Looks like that marketing plan paid off after all. I always suspected Microsoft was wrong when they thought that capturing the media player market was significant to overall market-share.

    I'd say I've been proved wrong.
    • Re:Well... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by sleepingsquirrel ( 587025 ) <Greg,Buchholz&sleepingsquirrel,org> on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:48PM (#10910451) Homepage Journal
      I notice that the article doesn't mention any people converting from apple to microsoft. Is this number zero? Or just not reported? Does nobody ever switch away from apple? If 6% of OSX users switch to XP because itunes is available on win32, the situation is pretty much a wash.
      • Re:Well... (Score:4, Funny)

        by kelzer ( 83087 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @02:59PM (#10911175) Homepage

        I notice that the article doesn't mention any people converting from apple to microsoft. Is this number zero?

        Well, there's at least one [slashdot.org]!

      • Re:Well... (Score:4, Insightful)

        by merdark ( 550117 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @03:34PM (#10911515)
        If 6% of OSX users switch to XP because itunes is available on win32, the situation is pretty much a wash.

        First, I don't know the actual stats on people switching the other way. But even if 6% did switch the other way, it's still not a wash.

        Why? Because the number of OS X users is different than the number of ipod users. Assuming (again, don't know the numbers, but it seems reasonable), that there are far far more ipod users than OS X users, 6% of a large number is much much more than 6% of a small number.
  • by RandoX ( 828285 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:18PM (#10910029)
    I had always thought that Mac users were a rabid, elitist group until I started using the iPod. It was an upgrade from my older iRiver player. I'm far too entrenched in my PC to switch, but I'll admit that I'm Mac-curious now.
    • by TPIRman ( 142895 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:22PM (#10910068)
      I'll admit that I'm Mac-curious now

      Y'know, some people swing both ways. Don't be afraid to get in touch with your OSX-uality.
      • by sokoban ( 142301 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:47PM (#10910432) Homepage
        Just be careful, and make sure you get the right mac for you. It is unwise to be hasty and just go out and buy the cheapest new computer available that runs OS X. I have known a few people who bought a new macintosh computer, only to find it didn't suit their needs. So, consult with your mac zealot and you too can overcome premature eMac-ulation.
    • by gilesjuk ( 604902 ) <giles.jones@zen. ... .uk minus author> on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:25PM (#10910105)
      Thing is, if you bought an iPod it shows you're more inclined to buy well designed (visually) simple products.

      The fact that you bought an iPod and not some of the more feature rich players shows that you wanted something that did the job with little fuss. Macs do this too.
    • by dirtyboot ( 158648 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:40PM (#10910340)
      The correct term is "iCurious."
    • by Cloud K ( 125581 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @02:35PM (#10910963)
      I had always thought that Mac users were a rabid, elitist group

      I'm glad you've seen the truth :) I thought similar until about 6 months ago when I bought an iPod. The sheer quality and superb design work... when I look at it, I picture a team of dedicated designers who love what they do and are proud at the masterpiece they've created (so much so that they set their prices a little higer than others). I'm sure that's Apple's intention.

      About a week or two later, I went out and bought a Powerbook, first Apple computer I've ever owned, and from my experience so far it defeinitely won't be the last :)

      Back to the original point though, since getting the Apple products I've asked (after research of course) numerous questions to the Apple community on the official community boards at apple.com (Dr Smoke rocks) and mac-forums.com - both have resulted in very kind, helpful answers, usually perfectly presented/formatted, in clear English and backed up with facts+links. I've been truly stunned at just how nice, and helpful, people in the "Apple Community" tend to be.

      You know, at the risk of sounding mildly troll-ish, some areas of the Linux community would really benefit from that kind of attitude. It could push Linux forward a long way.

      There is a little elitism and OS-mockage in some of the posters, just like with any other OS, but no more than others.
      • by FunWithHeadlines ( 644929 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @03:30PM (#10911479) Homepage
        "I've been truly stunned at just how nice, and helpful, people in the "Apple Community" tend to be."

        Me too. Oh sure, in any large group there are the trolls and rude people. But by and large you get very helpful responses from the Apple community. I think part of it is the perceived niche status. People who feel they need to stick together to help each other out often do try to be more helpful.

        Another part of it is there are fewer resources available for the Apple crowd compared to the Windows crowd, so there seems to be a feeling of 'Well, this site is fairly rare, better make it a good one.' So you get fewer resources, but often the quality of them equals the best of the Windows resources. End result: You have what you need.

        And there has to be a sociological aspect to it as well. Apple users must be a self-selected subset of society, a group that is similar to, say, BMW or Mercedes buyers. People who like well-crafted machinery, good performance, ease of use. The kind of person who is drawn to these qualities may also tend to be helpful to their fellow Apple- (or BMW-) owner.

  • by datbox ( 800756 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:18PM (#10910030)
    They ran this same story on OS News.


    http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=8945 [osnews.com] [OSNews.com]
  • Of course (Score:5, Funny)

    by Donut2099 ( 153459 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:19PM (#10910031) Journal
    I bought a Sony Vaio because it has a special connection that allows me to plug my walkman into it and play cassettes through the speakers!
  • Not for techs (Score:3, Insightful)

    by flibuste ( 523578 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:19PM (#10910032)
    The article clearly states that those people are not techs but "people with money". The switch to Apple seems an obvious choice if you can afford an expensive computer and you are neither a big techie or a hard-core gamer. I fail to see exactly where is the impact of the IPod here. Is that because it's the same "people with money" who can afford to buy one?

    Clearly the article lacks meaningful statistics

    • Re:Not for techs (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Shisha ( 145964 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:28PM (#10910159) Homepage
      Indeed and "without data, all you are is just another person with an opinion."

      Go on Slashdot crowd, none of you have the data, but I'm sure you all have an opinion.
    • Re:Not for techs (Score:5, Insightful)

      by revscat ( 35618 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:35PM (#10910269) Journal

      The switch to Apple seems an obvious choice if you can afford an expensive computer and you are neither a big techie or a hard-core gamer.

      Gamer I'll give you, but hard core techie? No, don't think so. If you are are a techie the Mac opens up world's of *nix possibilities to you, and if and when you get tired of dinking with X Windows, etc, you have a great GUI for use.

      But I personally use my Mac as a fileserver from which I serve video to our other systems (one iBook and an older PC), have a webdav server which we use to consolidate and share calendars, and the UW imapd server setup just for the hell of it.

      And now that I think about it, even if you do mean "hardware techie", you can still get your jollies that way, too. When I switched to the Mac I hooked up and successfully mounted the NTFS drive from my old system and was able to get all my old crap off of that. (Can't write to NTFS, but you can read from it.)

      No, the Mac satisfies my tinkering desires quite nicely, thanks.

    • Re:Not for techs (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Refrag ( 145266 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:39PM (#10910328) Homepage
      I think the point you tried to make is obvious. Technically minded people are switching to Macintosh because of OS X. However, it is significant that non-technical people have been prompted to switch because of the Ipod.
  • Odd correlation (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Dan East ( 318230 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:19PM (#10910036) Journal
    Maybe I'm not looking at this deep enough, but what does a piece of hardware for playing MP3s have to do with personal computers? How different is this from, say, people switching from Mac to a Sony Notebook because they like their Sony DVD player?

    Dan East
    • Re:Odd correlation (Score:3, Insightful)

      by iJed ( 594606 )

      Maybe I'm not looking at this deep enough, but what does a piece of hardware for playing MP3s have to do with personal computers?

      I'd say it comes down to integration. Yes an iPod works with Windows, and using iTunes no less. On the Mac, however, the experience is very different: iTunes is only a single part of the puzzle. Every one of the iApps, from GarageBand to iMovie, integrate together to make doing any of their tasks hugely easier. It is this that makes using the iPod on the Mac a far nicer exper

    • Re:Odd correlation (Score:3, Interesting)

      by gstoddart ( 321705 )

      Maybe I'm not looking at this deep enough, but what does a piece of hardware for playing MP3s have to do with personal computers?

      Because people are deciding that a company which has given them such an easy to use piece of hardware that just works merit some consideration in the next computer. Not having seen the iTunes software, that may have been a factor.

      Remember, people synch their iPods from their computers.

      How different is this from, say, people switching from Mac to a Sony Notebook because they

  • by k4_pacific ( 736911 ) <k4_pacific@yah[ ]com ['oo.' in gap]> on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:19PM (#10910041) Homepage Journal
    In a related story, it was found that 7% of all people who have recently purchased a vintage reel-to-reel player would be willing to purchase a used PDP-11 if the price was right.
  • Causality (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Concerned Onlooker ( 473481 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:20PM (#10910045) Homepage Journal
    it's not clear from the results mentioned whether there's a strong causal relationship here.

    Wallstreet [marketwatch.com] seems to think there is.

  • Of course.. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jamesdood ( 468240 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:21PM (#10910064)
    The IPod interfaces well with the Mac, I have used both versions, and iTunes on the Mac is much faster and more consistant with MacOSX. I still have an x86 machine for running windows, but my most of my work is done on my Powerbook. Once you have tried the Mac it is hard to go back to the Windows box.. So from personal experience, I believe this could be true.

  • by saddino ( 183491 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:22PM (#10910074)
    This article seems to miss the obvious: all iPod users are iTunes users, and although the iPod interface is a joy, it's the iTunes interface that introduces the "look and feel" of OS X to PC iPod users. The fact that Apple broke with UI guidelines on the PC, led many to argue that iTunes for Windows was bloated and slow. But now it seems clear that for Apple it was paramount to keep the iTunes experience as close to OS X as possible.

    If these numbers are correct (and pan out) then Apple's "gamble" turned out to be correct.
  • I KNEW IT! (Score:5, Funny)

    by fullmetal55 ( 698310 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:22PM (#10910075)
    I knew they were planting subliminal messages in my mp3s... because as soon as I got my ipod I started craving other mac products, like an ibook, or an imac. *puts on tinfoil hat* It's a conspiracy and this "study" proves it's working!!
  • by GillBates0 ( 664202 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:22PM (#10910079) Homepage Journal
    6% of fresh fruit consumers have made the switch from PCs to Macs. An additional 7 percent of the apple eaters said they are planning to dump their old PC for an Apple machine; it's not clear, however from the results mentioned whether there's a strong causal relationship here.
  • by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF ( 813746 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:25PM (#10910114)
    I saw this article a while ago, and then ran a few numbers in my head. Given the number of ipods Apple sells is a little under the number of computers sold, in an average quarter, this is not really surprising at all. I don't think the correlation is really meaningful. Slightly less than 6% of Apple's new computer customers have also bought ipods. Given the overlap between people into high tech gadgets and people with enough money to afford an ipod or a mac, I'm surprised these numbers aren't higher.
  • So sick of iPOD (Score:3, Insightful)

    by netsavior ( 627338 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:25PM (#10910119)
    ok lets settle this... the iPod is not the only way to listen to music, and the mac is not the only way to use an iPod. I wish most users could understand this. Of course I guess if you are going to drop the $10,000 to legitimatly fill your iPod you might as well also throw in a $4,000 computer to go with it.
    • Re:So sick of iPOD (Score:5, Insightful)

      by saddino ( 183491 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:28PM (#10910169)
      Of course I guess if you are going to drop the $10,000 to legitimatly fill your iPod

      ok lets settle this...purchasing music from iTMS or "stealing" music from P2P is not the only way to fill an iPod. Of course, my CD collection might be a tad larger than yours.
    • Re:So sick of iPOD (Score:4, Insightful)

      by RatBastard ( 949 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:53PM (#10910512) Homepage
      Of course I guess if you are going to drop the $10,000 to legitimatly fill your iPod

      And then there are those of us who have 500+ CDs sitting in our media center shelves. After a decade or two you can build up a large music collection. Not every iPod user is 17 years old.

  • by visionsofmcskill ( 556169 ) <.vision. .at. .getmp.com.> on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:27PM (#10910144) Homepage Journal
    As apple has said time and time again, they had hopes of the Ipod's influence leading towards more PC to Mac converts.

    While initialy this hardly proved true, it's a very strong sales pitch to have a constant companion with an apple logo on it.

    The near ubiquity, and total inunduation of ipods being everywhere also goes a long way towards making apple look like a damn good brand (if they do the ipods so well, the must be good at computers)

    I think if apple keeps hammering away at highly tailored and very well-made digital appliances, there computer market share will continue to grow as people put trust in their products.

    Though id rather see the specifics of this data to see whether it has any real merit.

    Probably a much more intresting question is how apple is going to be able to increase their market share outside the US/japan. While your typical developed high GDP citizen can afford apple's products, getting apple products into the hands of less wealthy countries is a big stumbling block that needs to be addressed if they want to get their hands on the largest emerging computing markets.

    we shall see

  • One Right Here (Score:5, Interesting)

    by WombatControl ( 74685 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:28PM (#10910152)

    I'd used Macs for web development in a previous job, and had always liked OS X. I was ecstatic when iTunes was released for the PC, as it was the singularly best program for managing large music collections I'd ever seen.

    When I got my new job, one of the first things I did is shell out for an iPod to replace my crappy car CD changer. The Apple design philosophy appealed to me, and the incredible ease-of-use of both iTunes and the iPod were a big factor.

    Last month I bought an iBook - the fact that they dropped the price, bumped up the CPU speed, and added AirPort Express for free was enough to get me off the fence. I wanted a laptop that was lighter than my old Compaq which weighs more than Kirstie Allie after camping out at a Royal Fork for a week. The iBook was light, priced competitively, and had all the features I want.

    I had been trying to get my WinXP Home laptop to connect to the shared files on my XP Pro desktop for days, and finally just gave up. The iBook not only saw the network, but just asked for the password to connect. That was it. No hastle, no fiddling with network setup, no hunting through poorly documented and frequently useless configuration pages. AirPort has no trouble connecting to any wireless network I can throw at it.

    My next machine may well be a Mac. It runs the software I need to be productive, the UNIX underpinnings mean that I have not only all the UNIX tools I'm used to from vim to Apache, but I also have a beautiful and usable GUI to go with it.

    I hated Macs before. The "classic" Mac OS never appealed to me in the slightest. But Mac OS X is a dream to use, from running Photoshop to using it as a test server with the built-in copy of Apache.

    OS X just "gets it". It is by far the best OS I've used, and iTunes gives Windows users a preview of how well Mac software works. The iPod and iTunes are the perfect "gateway drug" into full-fledged Mac addiction. Macs have always been a niche product, and Apple has always been a niche retailer. But if the iPod helps drive even a small number of PC users towards the Apple platform, it's a net gain to Apple on top of the incredibly strong sales of the iPod line.

  • by the pickle ( 261584 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:30PM (#10910188) Homepage
    That's why they raised their price target on AAPL to $100 [macminute.com] (and also why AAPL gained six bucks a share two days ago).

    MacWorld UK has a related story [macworld.co.uk] today.

    No matter how you look at it, if the "halo effect" is real, it's a Good Thing(tm) for Apple, and probably for the industry in general, because it proves that there are legitimate alternatives to Windows for the non-techie crowd.

    p
  • by dcarey ( 321183 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:34PM (#10910242) Homepage
    I don't know if this article is believable, but one thing that I've experienced that adds to its credibility at least to me is that I've noticed how many people out there will not download or try itunes. It's a free program. It runs on PCs. It has killer cataloging capabilities, localized network streaming capabilities (I run an iTunes streamer for all my mp3s at home to my stereo). The music store has TONS of 'indie' level bands, so phat chance of not finding something. And the burning and sound effects as well. Sheesh.

    Yet I know people who are so simple minded they will not even try the thing. One guy I know, who won't d/l it told me to run out and buy this album by killswitch engage. I told him I'd catch it on iTunes. He of course dismissed this idea, saying they'd never have that kind of album. Well we did an indie band run down of his entire collection, chose 10 bands, and 8 out of ten was on iTunes.

    I guess my point is, that, from a computer scientist's viewpoint like my own, I don't care what you run, as I XP, Linux, and Macs, and love them all equally, but if you're going to badmouth a product, at least have the nuts to TRY the thing ... especially if it's frigging free. How about just try it, Scott?

    But back to my original point ... it's that move that makes the person switch, not the actual performance of availability of software or other crazy usual analyses. They don't care if it's better or worse. People stick to computing platforms as if they are political ones oddly (ok THAT doesn't make sense either, bad example), regardless of whtether or not the platform actually suits them 100%. I know musicians using PCs who won't use macs. I know business majors who use Macs who won't use PCs.

    Am I odd for trying to see the good in every platform? Sheesh, you should see my political beliefs ...

    • I fully understand what you mean. I use (and enjoy) just about every platform I can get my hands on!

      At home:
      2 Sun SPARC boxes (NetBSD and Solaris 5.9)
      3 Apple G4 Macs (OSX 10.3.5)
      1 Apple Mac Plus (800k drives... real PCs don't have harddrives ;) )
      8 x86 PCs running FreeBSD 5 in a render farm

      At work:
      Solaris 5.8, 5.9, 5.10
      VMS 7.3
      AIX 5.1
      Windows 2000

      I have found delightful things about all of these platforms, areas of total supremacy. I have found horrible flaws in all of these platforms,
  • by RealProgrammer ( 723725 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:38PM (#10910302) Homepage Journal
    until all those iPods start exploding [wired.com] and giving people brain cancer [radar3.com] like cell phones, and getting them arrested [liquidgeneration.com].

    Then they will see they were wrong for deserting me. Our product is safe: it doesn't explode, give you cancer, or get you arrested. What is security if not safety? I'm the Chief Software Architect, for it, you know.

    I'll show you who is right, and then you'll pay -- you'll all pay!


    - Bill G

  • by Cycline3 ( 678496 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:40PM (#10910338) Homepage
    The iPod is killer kit. It's well built and easy to use. Who wouldn't look at a Mac after running Windows and then getting an iPod and realizing, "it doesn't have to suck! Wow I never knew that!"
  • I switched. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by RatBastard ( 949 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @01:40PM (#10910339) Homepage
    I switched from PC to Mac after I got my iPod. The iPod wasn't the main reason I switched, but it was the final argument. I was tired of all of the viruses, exploits, etc.. on Windows, as well as all of the other crap Windows users put up with every day. My switch to Mac had been slowly brewing from the day Mac OS X first came out.

    And yes, I did try Linux, but I always wound up at the same point after installing it: "Ok, now what?" and never having an answer to that question.
  • by Twid ( 67847 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @02:03PM (#10910619) Homepage
    another result mentioned in this article [nwsource.com] is that 199 out of the 200 people surveyed were happy with their iPod.

    That's a pretty incredible result for any consumer electronics gadget.

    Also, I believe no one surveyed was unhappy with the lack of Ogg Vorbis support. In fact, when asked about whether Ogg was important to them, the most common answer was "I only like Ogg at Christmas with a little nutmeg on top." :)

  • by 5n3ak3rp1mp ( 305814 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @02:13PM (#10910741) Homepage
    because Macs aren't as successful.

    They use the same paradigm:
    1) High standards
    2) Design and user interface are the priority
    3) Quality components
    4) Style and marketing
    5) Priced higher than most competitors as a result

    Since both a Mac and an iPod basically seem to use the same business model, why is it that iPods are so successful now? Is it because most people simply find it easier to save up a few hundred bucks for a nice music player versus a couple thousand for a much nicer computing experience? Is it due to the "network effect" of "all my friends have pc's, so I won't get a mac" (hehe "all my friends have spyware and viruses, I guess it's normal for me to also have them")? Perhaps the iPod was able to break out of this network effect and create one of its own? What do you folks think?
    • Only problem is 5.
      They're not priced higher than most competitors with comparable features and capabilities.

      They're perceived to be priced higher because they don't offer a low-end (POS) to match up against the competition that are driven by the low-end market that those other manufacturers pander to. On top of that, there is no other company that offers the ease-of-use, integration, stability and security that Apple can offer out of the box.


      Before the flaming starts, I don't care about what you can scr
    • I think the very fact that Apple is still in business, AND selling non-x86 computers running their own proprietary OS is success enough. Think about how many other computer companies have either died out or capitulated to the Wintel camp.

      They don't have to put anyone out of business. They just have to sell a few million machines a year. Comparing Apple to most other computer companies is like comparing a Diamler/Benz to a GM. People by other brands because they need a car. People by a Benz because they wa

  • by jnd3 ( 116181 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @02:23PM (#10910839) Homepage
    I've been a fairly enthusiastic PC user (building and upgrading my own PCs) for a little over a decade. Just over a year ago I was in the market for a digital audio player to get me across the Atlantic Ocean for vacation (I haven't found a drug yet that lets me sleep on an airplane). At that time, a 512MB player was going for about $250. The 15GB iPod was about $100 more. So I figured I might as well future-proof myself.

    It was a brilliant piece of consumer electronics -- intuitive, functional, and downright slick-looking. And then they announced the iPod mini, and my wife's lust-o-meter got pegged. We took a trip to the Apple store "just to look" and ended up looking at everything else in the store as well. We didn't go home with an iPod mini, but we did go home with a 12.1" iBook. To share.

    Shortly thereafter, we'd saved enough Amazon.com points to get an iPod mini on the cheap. His and hers, now. But the mini meant that the iBook would now be the sync machine of choice ... no more sharing! So we waited around for a deal on PowerBooks and picked up a 12" model. His and hers, and loving it!

    So yeah, we're DINK without too many expenses. And I still maintain and use my PC. But I can guarantee that we wouldn't have even considered a Mac if it hadn't been for an iPod. Of course, that's just our personal experience, but how many more must think the same way?
  • Happened to me... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by rediguana ( 104664 ) on Wednesday November 24, 2004 @07:54PM (#10914217)
    I got an ipod in July last year. Had been enjoying it, using iTunes on a Toshiba laptop happily, but in the back of my mind entertained the thought of investigating Macs. OS9 and less weren't even an option, but the BSD basis and command line got my attention. I still had ignored the first couple of releases of OSX as they had coverage of being slow as a wet week.

    In the end the decision was forced upon me. My laptop HD failed about 3 days before I was heading overseas for 3 weeks. Did some quick research and ended up getting a PowerBook and it has been great.

    I hate going back to XP now, I only do it for certain work applications now. Happily connecting to linux servers regularly. Things do just work so much more smoothly and are more reliable. I look after 4 PC laptops in our small business, and windows wireless is so flaky under XPSP2. I have no troubles.

    Microsoft Office 2004 on Mac is much better than 2003 on PCs, and interoperates with no problems. And its great being able to open a shell and rsync to backup the important stuff on the servers. I'm starting to find a good range of open source software to use as well. iSync is great as I can sync iCal and Addressbook to my Palm, K700i phone and ipod all at once. Only real downsides I have is that there is no Visio or Project available (otherwise I'd be able to move the rest of our work laptops to Macs as well, Virtual PC is OK but not suitable for my other users) or there is no decent New Zealand mapping software that runs natively. Hopefully these will be remedied over time though one means or other.
  • by SnprBoB86 ( 576143 ) on Thursday November 25, 2004 @12:19AM (#10915837) Homepage
    Three of my friends at college have made the switch to OSX over this past summer. One of them told me that the iPod was his "gateway drug" to becoming a Mac user. The other two quickly agreed that they became converts in a similar way. One saw an OSX demo in the Apple section of a Comp USA while buying an iPod and the other was introduced to Macs when asking a friend about his Mac and iPod before buying one.

    Seeing as none of them are particuarly computer literate, I've helped a few of them with various applications. As a result I have become a proponent of Macs for technically-challeneged people. They are in a technological bliss I have never seen with the average casual user.

    Instead of continuing the Linux crusade, I suggest techies push OSX on people. It will be an easier switch and will eventually help everyones anti-Microsoft cause. In the end it will even help Linux because software will be built with Windows/Unix cross platformity in mind.

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