The key point that everyone forgets to discuss, though, is that in that ecosystem, everything works for everyone.
The "trapping" is intentional...it is the only way to guarantee user experience is the same for everyone whether they are technically savvy or not.
You can choose not to be in the Apple ecosystem, sure. But when you are, you're left wondering: what does this mean? Can I do this with that? Will my widget work with that gadget? Will this product work with that one? If so, how, what do I have to do to make it happen, and how much money do I have to spend on extra stuff? I happen to use both Apple and Microsoft products, but I wish I didn't have to. For example, I bought a Windows-based laptop for a family member and I've done nothing but provide free support for the past year because they aren't technically savvy. If I had gotten them a Macbook, I wouldn't have had to do that.
Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft is getting closed, too. With Vista, they're locking everything down into one ecosystem just like Apple. DRM is everywhere in Vista. They're just not telling you that's what they're doing. Sure, you can maybe choose between 10 different graphics cards instead of getting the one included with a Mac mini or iMac, but all ten of those graphics cards choices have to meet Microsoft's restrictions or they won't work, or at least won't work as promised. When Microsoft is telling you whether your hardware choice will work or not, is that really choice?
And this, in turn, raises costs for everyone. So much for Microsoft being "good" by being "open" and Apple being "bad" for being "closed", I guess. The point: at least in the Apple ecosystem, everything works and people get an opportunity to enjoy things and be immediately productive and creative without worrying about mechanicals.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
boodaman @ Jan 16th 2008 1:59PM
@ Mike Cerm:
Yes, you're "trapped" in the Apple ecosystem.
The key point that everyone forgets to discuss, though, is that in that ecosystem, everything works for everyone.
The "trapping" is intentional...it is the only way to guarantee user experience is the same for everyone whether they are technically savvy or not.
You can choose not to be in the Apple ecosystem, sure. But when you are, you're left wondering: what does this mean? Can I do this with that? Will my widget work with that gadget? Will this product work with that one? If so, how, what do I have to do to make it happen, and how much money do I have to spend on extra stuff? I happen to use both Apple and Microsoft products, but I wish I didn't have to. For example, I bought a Windows-based laptop for a family member and I've done nothing but provide free support for the past year because they aren't technically savvy. If I had gotten them a Macbook, I wouldn't have had to do that.
Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft is getting closed, too. With Vista, they're locking everything down into one ecosystem just like Apple. DRM is everywhere in Vista. They're just not telling you that's what they're doing. Sure, you can maybe choose between 10 different graphics cards instead of getting the one included with a Mac mini or iMac, but all ten of those graphics cards choices have to meet Microsoft's restrictions or they won't work, or at least won't work as promised. When Microsoft is telling you whether your hardware choice will work or not, is that really choice?
http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html
And this, in turn, raises costs for everyone. So much for Microsoft being "good" by being "open" and Apple being "bad" for being "closed", I guess. The point: at least in the Apple ecosystem, everything works and people get an opportunity to enjoy things and be immediately productive and creative without worrying about mechanicals.