The Mac Observer

Skip navigational links

Featured Article: TMO Announcement - The Mac Observer Promotes Jeff Gamet to Managing Editor

The Apple Paradigm Shift

by , 2:00 PM EDT, March 20th, 2007

For a long time, only the Apple faithful embraced and understood what Apple is trying to achieve. Lately, however, there has been a cultural sea change of favor towards Apple, according to Leander Kahney at Wired Magazine.

"Recently, people have been saying the strangest things about Apple and the Mac," Mr. Kahney wrote. "Everything is topsy-turvy. Pundits aren't trotting out the old conventional wisdoms any more. They're saying odd stuff, like Macs are good for business; Macs can save money; and that Apple's stock -- at $90 a share -- is a bargain."

In the past, PC proponents were able to drag out and present the same old tired arguments why Apple was a failed company and why Apple's products didn't fit in. Nowadays, however, "there seems to be a widespread re-evaluation of Apple going on, a cultural shift that's changing the way people think about the company," according to the author.

The sea change has four pieces.

  • Macs will save you money
  • Macs are good for business
  • Less is more
  • Closed [system] is good
This reporter, who sees a lot of news each day, agrees with Mr. Kahney. The number of articles from PC sources and investors that have been extolling the prospects of Apple TV, the iPhone, Leopard, and Intel Macs has grown by an order of magnitude lately. No doubt, the quality and focus of Apple products is finally reaching a critical mass with the press and consumers. It even seems to be taking its toll on the competition.

A widespread cultural shift like that is very hard to get started, but once in motion, will also be very hard to reverse. It's called a paradigm shift, and it can become a powerful force.

Digg!

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:Sir Harry Flashman Posts: 627 Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Subject: In a related story

Apple stock falls on news of a paradigm shift and the shipping of Apple TV.

Seriously this is good news.

Close Name:horvatic Posts: 99 Joined: 27 Jun 2003
Subject: Very good news

This is very good news. People are seeing the light and understanding Vista is not the answer but OSX is.

View Name:Guest
Subject: Definitely
View Name:Guest
Subject: Proof in the pudding
Close Name:macinnerd Posts: 1681 Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Subject: Re: Proof in the pudding

Quote
Anonymous wrote:
I love my Macs; my iPod; my AAPL stock. But I will not be satisfied until we see the day when not one poor soul has to boot up into Windows, ever again.

That could be a while.....


I hope you get over that, because as you said, complete eradication of the Windows bacillus could take a while.

Close Name:vasic Posts: 238 Joined: 09 Aug 2005
Subject: Bacillus

yes; it is just like the eradication of polio... Perhaps World Health Organisation should step in!

Close Name:coaten Posts: 2971 Joined: 10 Oct 2001
Subject:

I'm going to be the voice of dissent. I, for one, do not dream of a Mac-centric planet.

Why? I just don't have enough time for dealing with noob questions. I don't object to it, I'm just too time-poor to be a help desk operator without being paid for it.

I've got too many important things to do. Like, you know, Command & Conquer, Warhammer 40k... you know, the important stuff.

Close Name:iJack Posts: 268 Joined: 13 Jun 2001
Subject:

Quote
coaten wrote:
I'm going to be the voice of dissent. I, for one, do not dream of a Mac-centric planet.

Why? I just don't have enough time for dealing with noob questions.....

You beat me to the punch. I already don't like it. I frequent CraigsList Apple Forum several times a day, and have noticed a quickening in Switchers, who seem to be either dumber, or more demanding than regular old Mac noobs. I liked it just fine when we were alone in the world.

View Name:Guest
Subject:
Close Name:iJack Posts: 268 Joined: 13 Jun 2001
Subject:

Quote
Anonymous wrote:
how is a mac saving me on hardware costs when a hard drive upgrade costs 70% more than with other manufacturers?

You don't have to upgrade with a drive from Apple, you know. A hard drive is a hard drive.

View Name:Guest
Subject: Mac Newbies
View Name:Guest
Subject:
Close Name:Sir Harry Flashman Posts: 627 Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Subject: Troll?

Quote
Guest wrote:
Quote
iJack wrote:
Quote
coaten wrote:
I'm going to be the voice of dissent. I, for one, do not dream of a Mac-centric planet.

Why? I just don't have enough time for dealing with noob questions.....

You beat me to the punch. I already don't like it. I frequent CraigsList Apple Forum several times a day, and have noticed a quickening in Switchers, who seem to be either dumber, or more demanding than regular old Mac noobs. I liked it just fine when we were alone in the world.


How very elitist. I, for one, welcome anyone who decides to make the Big Switch. We certainly shouldn't begrudge someone a bit of time and patience if he or she needs an extra helping hand to get started. Don't we want people to see the Mac community as a friendly, inviting one?

View Name:Guest
Subject: sea change
View Name:Guest
Subject:
Close Name:Rainy Day Posts: 607 Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Subject: The Empire is Unraveling

Quote
Emperor Gates wrote:
I feel a strange disturbance in The Force.


We’re on a bell shaped curve, my friends, not a linear trajectory.

View Name:Guest
Subject:
View Name:Guest
Subject:
Close Name:DaiMac Posts: 952 Joined: 29 Jun 2001
Subject:

Quote
Guest wrote:
No, you cannot customize a Mac like that. That's sort of the point of Apple's ecosystem. It's very closed and very controlled. One of the great magic tricks Apple has pulled is convincing its customer base that limiting oneself to Apple-only products results in a better life. Some people eat it up.


Huh? You can customize everything in a mac that you can in a PC. I have a G4 tower upstairs, the internal optical drive, hard drive, memory, fan, and graphics card are all parts I've added myself in the 6 or so years since I got it. You can argue over Apple's specific upgrade pricing (yes its high), but please don't try and tell us what we can do with our computers when you obviously don't have one

Close Name:gslusher Posts: 2043 Joined: 13 Nov 2002
Subject:

Quote
Anonymous wrote:
No, you cannot customize a Mac like that. That's sort of the point of Apple's ecosystem. It's very closed and very controlled. One of the great magic tricks Apple has pulled is convincing its customer base that limiting oneself to Apple-only products results in a better life. Some people eat it up.


Ah, yet another "guest" who knows little about Macs--or, it would seem, the realities of the computer market.

First, while some (not all!) PCs are "customizable," how many buyers actually take advantage of such options? Don't most people buy an off-the-shelf PC?

Second, hardware functionality and interoperability is critical for most people. They don't want to spend a lot of time getting a graphics card to work correctly (yes, I know that it's not as much of a problem now as it used to be).

When Apple started making computers, they were pretty much "build-to-order"--or, more commonly, "finish it yourself." The Apple II series was very flexible. In 1984, Apple introduced two new computers that completely reversed that concept--the Apple //c and the Macintosh.

Later, Apple went through a period where they had a bewildering array of models and options that confused buyers (they introduced nearly 50 Performa models over a period of four years). When Jobs came back to Apple, one of his first actions was to reduce the product line. He also put into motion a project to revamp his original concept for the Mac: a computer that people could take out of the box, plug in the keyboard, mouse, phone line (before the days of DSL and cable modems), and power, push the "ON" button and **POOF!** the computer boots and, minutes later, they're on the Internet, writing documents, whatever. Thus was born the iMac. It became the iconical "home computer," even though it was far from the best selling. (I'm listening to a mystery audiobook by Peter Robinson, published in 2000. In it, Robinson refers to a "tangerine iMac," probably because that's what he had. Have you read/heard a reference to a PC by brand/model name in fiction?)

Today, Apple has three lines of desktop computers. Two are closed systems for most customers (most of whom buy an iMac) and the Mac Pro for those who need to customize their computers.

View Name:Guest
Subject:
View Name:Guest
Subject:
Comment on this Article


You cannot edit your comments.   You cannot delete your comments.
Log in | Register | Having Problems? Reset TMO Cookies & Try Again
Username:   Password:   Log me on automatically each visit   

You are not logged in, and this post will appear as "Guest." Log in with your username and password from the TMO forums. If you do not have a username, you can register here.
Please note that guests are limited to including a maximum of two URLs per post.


Post A Comment
  Subject


  Your Comments



Please enter the word exactly as you see it in the image above. Registered users aren't prompted for this. Having trouble reading the image get a new one.


Recent Headlines - Updated Friday, July 4th, 2008

Fri., 7:30 AM
Happy Fourth of July!
Thu., 4:50 PM
Apple Slashes $400 from SSD Drive in MacBook Air
4:05 PM
It's Official - Firefox Sets Guinness Record for Downloads
3:30 PM
Apple Files Patent for a Multi-touch Gesture Language
2:20 PM
Editorial - Mac's Market Share and the Cascade Failure of Windows
1:35 PM
iPodObserver - Apple Slurps Up Samsung's NAND Flash for iPhone 3G
1:05 PM
WSJ: Tips for Switching from Windows to Mac
12:05 PM
iPodObserver - Google Intros Google Talk for iPhone
11:35 AM
iPO Just a Thought - iPod nano Versus iPhone: Decisons, Decisions...
10:55 AM
YouTube Ordered to Turn Over All User Records to Viacom
10:10 AM
Hot Forum Topic - Apple vs. Cell Carriers: Who's Winning the Game
9:25 AM
iPodObserver - Rumor: Best Buy, Radio Shack to Sell iPhone 3G
8:45 AM
.Mac Bookmark Sync Deadline Extended to July 6
8:10 AM
Adobe Reader 9 Hits the Streets
 

The Mac Observer Reader Specials

  • Special Report: WWDC 2008
  • Special Report: iPhone
  • __________
  • Help TMO Grow
  • Podcast: Mac Geek Gab
  • Podcast: Apple Weekly Report
  • TMO on Twitter!
  • New Media Expo 2008

Apple Stock Quote

  • AAPL: $170.12. Change Today: +1.94.
  • (Prices delayed up to 20 minutes.)
  • Discuss in our Apple Finance Board

Hot Topics

Top Deals From DealsOnTheWeb