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Uh-huh

I wrote: "So apparently either Apple chooses more reliable components from the same companies or their OS and software work more reliably with the same hardware."

and you responded: "Do you have any links, sources, reviews, or ANYTHING to back up that statement?"

Please read my actual post. It was based on my own personal 12 years supporting both Macs and PCs. For links, check Google for information on which brand of PC is the most reliable (that would be Apple, by far).

Then you wrote: "I'm extremely sad to hear you seem to have had the brunt of all of those hardware problems. See, in my time working with PC's, I've had a single CPU fan and a single 1 GB DIMM fail on me."

Well, your first three months in tech support are the toughest. Call me back in 12 years and see how your luck is holding out.

Then I wrote: "Secondly, if it was my poor skills, why didn't the Macintoshes suffere just as much?"

To which you responded: "Because they're running completely different software, which was what my statement; "Unless you actually know how to properly maintain a PC, in which case you don't get problems," was aimed towards."

I would think "properly maintaining a PC" would encompass both hardware and software. If you meant only software -- or perhaps even meant only operating systems -- you shouldn't have used a general term like "PC."

Then I wrote: "Ummmm... the Macs were replaced less often because they ran standard software longer, and thus needed to be replaced less often."

To which you responded: "Because they ran 'standard software longer?' Give me a break. For one, software that has run on a machine will always run on the same machine."

Allow me to be more specific. Macs run the software needed to keep people productive for longer than Windows PCs do. The places I worked recognized that and thus didn't replace the Macs as frequently. It wasn't an expense issue; because the TCO over the long haul was better for the Macs anyway.

Then I wrote: "Also, recent studies have shown that comparably equipped Macs cost 10 - 15% more than PCs. That doesn't really square with your phrase 'ludicrously expensive,' does it?"

To which you responded: "While it's awfully nice of recent studies to put that information forth, I'm inclined to point out that, on occasion (Coupon Gods willing...), I can get a Dell Inspiron E1705 almost maxed out, hardwarewise (2.16 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 100 GB 5400 RPM HDD, Geforce Go 7900 GS, HD audio, 3-year warranty) for about as much as the stock 17" MacBook Pro."

Good for you. Now, if you'll just offer some rebuttal to actual studies that concluded that Macintoshes cost only 10 - 15% more than *similarly configured* PCs -- then I might just concede your point that Macintoshes are "ludicrously expensive." But I doubt you can come up with anything.

I concluded by writing: "But even I love it when people I know buy Windows PCs. Because inevitably, it means a consulting job that runs at least $150 to clean up the pop-ups, viruses, or hardware failures they encounter.

To which you replied: "Oh? See, I don't charge any money when people ask me to fix their computers... and when I fix them, they don't have problems."

Just guessing here, but if you don't charge people for computer help then perhaps you (a) don't value your time enough, (b) have such a limited circle of acquaintance that helping everyone you know just isn't much of a burden, or (c) aren't a good enough technician to get anyone to pay you, so you have to do it for free.

Again, this is from personal experience, but I charge people as a matter of survival. The demand for computer help is insatiable, and it gets bigger all the time. There are always old and new problems on computers of all stripes, and there are always clueless users who do stupid things. So I have to charge people or I would have no free time at all (and nothing to show for my efforts).

You take care now.

Posted by: bidemytime   Posted on: 05/23/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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