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OzzysCross101 · Jul 22, 2006, 04:37 PM

AHHH!- this is urgent- I have less time than I thought!!

Ever since I made the Switch, I've been switching people left and right from PC to Mac. It's been a great experience- for both parties. I've got a lot of people's eyes opened.

One of my good friends has a Dell from 2001 (

) and he's been really envious of me and my Mac. So I agreed to help him Switch. Problem is, he's only 15, and his mom said she was getting a corporate discount for another Dell [this time a laptop] and now we desperately need to make tracks and get her convinced that just going by up- front cost and discounts aren't going to assure you a good, reliable system.

So I made a Keynote (it's summer, I have alot of free time- and I love Keynote

)- explaining the many advantages of making the move, but it hasn't been going according to my liking. What I'm doing is debunking any myths that cloud the Mac OS, and showing the superior benefits the Mac offers for any of their needs. Any other suggestions or comments? Am I crazy for doing this? Please tell me if I am. Thanks.

Stratus Wrong · Jul 22, 2006, 04:39 PM

Dude.... quit it. Seriously. Let stupid people remain stupid. Trying to convert people is dumb. Just have your opinion if anybody asks, but stop the crusading.

analogika · Jul 22, 2006, 04:45 PM

Don't listen to Rob - he's one of those who remain stupid.

Stupid people will remain stupid no matter what you do.

People won't switch unless they see good reason to.

mduell · Jul 22, 2006, 05:00 PM

Use one of http://systemshootouts.com/ comparisons to show what is included with a Mac vs a Dell, and then add how much it would cost to add the same software to a Dell.

This is a complete straw-man if your friend wouldn't use all of the included software, but it may help sway her.

OzzysCross101 · Jul 22, 2006, 06:32 PM

That's what I was thinking of doing. I'll have to find out what Dell she's looking to get first- but that's not my job- if my friend wants a Mac so bad, he should at least give me a hand!

To be fair, I can say I have converted people, but there are still people I failed to convert for various, unjustifiable reasons- but whatever. I'm not on a crusade, I've just been so accustomed to everything "just working" on Mac, and my friends have been noticing it; the hard part is the actual convincing. After that it's all quick and painless (at least that's what I've found). Also, I'm sick and tired of the constant drone about why their Windows boxes are slowing down, ridden with adware, and if I can help them with this and that, stuff that should be easy or is easy on a Mac- but isn't on a PC.

Stratus Wrong · Jul 22, 2006, 06:39 PM

You know what you'll get instead of virus complaints?

"Why can't I play games on pogo.com! How come it says that I need windows media player streaming but windows doesn't offer one for mac how come I can't do all this stupid bullshit on the internet like I could with a windows machine"

production_coordinator · Jul 22, 2006, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by Stratus Wrong

You know what you'll get instead of virus complaints?

"Why can't I play games on pogo.com! How come it says that I need windows media player streaming but windows doesn't offer one for mac how come I can't do all this stupid bullshit on the internet like I could with a windows machine"

As long as he is upfront and honest... and gives realistic expectations... that won't happen.

P.S. We also have this thing called Bootcamp... if they simply hate OS X. I've found that to be the best at easing some of the anxiety over the purchase.

d4nth3m4n · Jul 22, 2006, 07:08 PM

and you care soooo much, why?

Velocity211 · Jul 22, 2006, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by Stratus Wrong

You know what you'll get instead of virus complaints?

"Why can't I play games on pogo.com! How come it says that I need windows media player streaming but windows doesn't offer one for mac how come I can't do all this stupid bullshit on the internet like I could with a windows machine"

Are you a mac user? From what I can tell, it sounds like you don't like macs very much

CMYKid · Jul 22, 2006, 07:34 PM

what're ya, new here?

he doesnt much like anything very much.

olePigeon · Jul 22, 2006, 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by Stratus Wrong

You know what you'll get instead of virus complaints?

"Why can't I play games on pogo.com! How come it says that I need windows media player streaming but windows doesn't offer one for mac how come I can't do all this stupid bullshit on the internet like I could with a windows machine"

So then he can put Parallels on his MacBook and run Windows when he needs to. The best part is that he can keep 2 Windows disk images. When one gets the inevitable viruses, spyware, and trojans, he can just chuck it in the trash and use another one in a few seconds.

Stratus Wrong · Jul 22, 2006, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by Velocity211

Are you a mac user? From what I can tell, it sounds like you don't like macs very much

Yep. But my mom and my grandmother both switched FROM mac to a $500 PC so they could play all their bullshit pogo.com games and solitaire crap. Guess who refuses to help them with any tech support? Me.

Windows sucks. I hate working with it so much, it just makes me mad when troubleshooting. Hence why I like macs. Not everything on the net works with them, but I don't ahve to really 'troubleshoot' much.

Stratus Wrong · Jul 22, 2006, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by CMYKid

what're ya, new here?

he doesnt much like anything very much.

I like lotsa stuff.

Girls, skiing, booze, cars, design, history, books, libraries, videogames, gta, neons, subarus, musclecars, modifying anything, industrial design, ... list goes on and on.

davesimondotcom · Jul 22, 2006, 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by analogika

Don't listen to Rob - he's one of those who remain stupid.

Wow, that line made me laugh...

OzzysCross101 · Jul 22, 2006, 10:41 PM

Well luckily, my friend is fairly smart and plays his games on a console- computers were made to do other stuff on. He knows that there are going to be some sites built on Microsoft "standards", making them incompatible with Safari and Fierefox and such, but his desire to get a Mac surpasses all that, so I'm going to help him as much as I can, and give him straight facts about what to expect in a world that has shunned the Mac platform for too long.

While we're on the subject of Windows Media Player, there still is Windows Media Player 9 for Mac if you wanted it, and Flip4Mac which is now a free plugin for QuickTime, so unless I'm mistaken, wouldn't they still be able to play on this pogo.com?

The tech support for Windows is what I'm trying to get out of. Everyone who I know who is on a Mac has only asked me stuff when starting out using OS X for the first time. After that, it's been relatively silent except for the questions of whether I have a certain piece of software (eg. CS2, iWork, Office) and how to work them. But from the PC side, it's these constant questions about the most simple tasks, and even after I tell them once, chances run high that I'll hear the same one again in a week or so.

So to me, I feel that the best way for these people- who mostly browse the internet, manage photos, listen to music, email, and do school stuff- is to move to Mac and find out that they could be doing a lot more. Most of them do. Most of them actually have done more on OS X thanks to its ease of use and software like iLife iWork. And, as you said, if they didn't like it, they could always run Boot Camp of Parallels (or whatever is in Leopard) or just take it back if they hated it that much.

CMYKid · Jul 23, 2006, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by Stratus Wrong

Yep. But my mom and my grandmother both switched FROM mac to a $500 PC so they could play all their bullshit pogo.com games and solitaire crap. Guess who refuses to help them with any tech support? Me.

yeeeah.

"i refuse to help my elderly family members because they use a pc for something they cant do on my preferred platform"=winner.

d0uchebag.