Apple iPhone, iPod, iTunes: I'm No Longer a Mac Power User

This here post is not gonna be too Apple friendly. See, I was a Mac power-user for ages, since I was first introduced to the Mona Lisa (pre-cursor to the Classic) by David Kelley (founder of Ideo). But no longer, and I doubt if Apple could ever win me back- here's why.

This is a watershed time for Apple. Prolly the first time they have captured more than a 5% market share for computers since the late 80's. iTunes and iPods are selling like hotcakes of the grizzle fo' shizzle. But what is really going on? And why did I convert to PC's when more people are converting to Macs?

First, let's look at the history. Apple has always had a better, more user-friendly interface. It's just a fact; the drag-and-drop functionality, double-click open folders, and no command-line. Well, I'd say since Windows 2000 or certainly XP, Microsoft has emulated the Mac interface pretty well, so Apple has somewhat lost this former competitive advantage.

Second, graphics industry professionals stood by Macs. They've always been pricey, but their graphic interface held better color and resolutions than the average PC. Now, PC's are getting closer, I'd say a slight advantage still goes to Apple here. But the universality of Macs in the "professional" world is gone. Now with all the app's and hardware offering "true native" program suites like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe CS2 Premium, there is little reason to buy expensive Macs.

Apple wants to own you. The don't want you to get under the hood and upgrade a motherboard, or swap your hard drives out for 10,000 rpm drives, or try to overclock your rig. You'll void your warranty (same as PC), but... If you ever need repairs, you'll have to pay Apple to fix/modify just about anything.

This also is why Apple will prolly never offer mp3 players with memory slots. They don't want shareware getting onto their precious proprietary iPods. They don't want hacks. True, the argument can be made this is a reason it's a more secure platform, with less viruses and invasive threats... But now with Intel chips and running Microsoft OS's natively let's see if that holds true forever.

I saw this coming... When I first learned about the switch to Intel chips, I saw the writing on the wall. Let's understand something. Apple has pretty much never been about manufacturing their own technology. They've always used IBM and Motorola processors, Hitachi and Seagate hard drives, and Samsung flash memory (iPods). Now, choosing Intel was in my opinion, a step behind. I think they should've gone with AMD as a better fit, smaller guy against goliath, great performer, strong justifications for consumers.

Technologically, Apple was kinda slipping behind PC's when I was shopping for a new puter in August/September of 2005. Their bus speeds were particularly behind, bottlenecking the blazing performance of their cpu's. Memory speeds were not that fantastic either.

And again, price. A serious G5 Dual processor Desktop would've run me over $6000 with a 20" monitor from Apple. I just couldn't afford that in order to remain a Mac loyalist. The PC rig I built cost less than $2000 with 19" XGA display, XP Pro OS, and performance to match an almost-top-of-the-line G5 Dual at the time.

Now, Macs were gonna try to merge into the PC market, what they've should've done in the 80's. Understand my reasoning, IF Apple allowed "clones" at their inception (1984), they would now dominate the computer hardware market. Without question. But they dint so, let's move on.

Apple is far superior in industrial design and marketing. Here, they rule. And prolly always will. It is their Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA) as venture capitalists would say. Is iTunes the best way to own music? Far from it, you don't really own full rights to use it as you would an actual CD album. Are iPods the best mp3 players? Not a chance. No replaceable battery, the most expensive in each respective category, usually not the best battery life, and no external memory slots. Sure a better user interface than most, I recognize that.

I believe Apple has strayed from a focus on hardware. They are now selling what appeals. Their Mac Pro Desktops are now Intel machines, iTunes and iPods are their money makers... And look what's next, the iPhone. Let's get on that subject.

Here is the CNet article Thirteen Reasons to Doubt the iPhone Hype. And these are VALID reasons people. Before we get all huffy and defensive just 'cuz it looks cool (like iPod loyalists are prone to do), let's be objective here.

• A full touch-screen. Yeah, just try to access anything (like dialing a phone number) without looking directly at it. Driving your car couldn't get more distracting.
• No memory slot. And prolly never will be on future generation iPhones.
• No full-version of iTunes. What? Can't xfer my playlists directly? This bites.
• Watered-down OS X. Multi-tasking? It is said that you prolly cannot watch a video at the same time as making a phone call, or use a "desktop application" while on the phone. So where's the multi-tasking? I can drink a milkshake and listen to the mp3 player?
• No replaceable battery. All I can say is you'd think Apple has learned their lesson... And they have. Consumers continue to allow them to get away with this costly consumer disadvantage, so it continues... Ughhh!
• How much? At $500 for 4GB and $600 for 8GB models, it's more than a Treo or Blackberry, right? And way less user functions and features IMHO. Just don't step in this, it's not a good idea.

Once again, Apple does what they do best. Bring a new, unique product to market... In a very pretty package... Market it perfectly... offering less and costing more. I'm guessing these will sell okay-ish to early adopters, but not tremendously overall. You want to own it, until you actually own it. Then you'll prolly wish you owned just anything else.

For more info check out the Apple Discussions Boards for iTunes and iPods. Check the Cnet reviews and my CNet forum post regarding iTunes. Before deciding to buy Apple, check the alternatives for available offerings . You might just be glad you did.

Okay, you certainly don't have to agree with my rant. Feel free to drop me a comment. This is all just one person's opinion. Cheers.

image credits: iPhone from apple.com (they really need a better hand model here, those nails are just icky), Sansa e260 (a serious iPod-killer contender) from SanDisk.com.