August 27, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item A Look Back at Apple
August 27, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Hi Steve.
I agree one hundred percent. My business originally started as an Apple reseller in the 80s and we then transitioned to ERP consulting with a then mac-compatible application: Great Plains Dynamics. If there is one person I truly admire, it is Steve Jobs. His uncanny ability to innovate had surpassed even the most irreverent PC fanatic. It is not only Apple... think Pixar.
Apple has been, in so many ways, shaped by Steve Jobs, but I also believe the company has a extremely well planted sense of direction that will not fade anytime soon. At the very least, Apple is significantly more focused as a company than Microsoft, and I don't think anyone is dismissing Microsoft's leadership in the software world anytime soon either. I also think that Steve will stay being very influential at Apple, regardless of position.
Good by Steve, long live Apple.
August 27, 2011 at 7:13 pm
Hey Steve,
I am not a fan of Apple and never will be. Their products are too locked down for my liking. I think ITunes is one of the most frustrating and constraining pieces of software I have ever TRIED to use. Apple's products are designed to be "idiot proof" which they are, but that is indicative of their audience which is non-technical people. Since you can't install Sql Server directly on a Mac I can't understand why you would want one. I know you can set up a dual boot or VM, but then again you have to ask the question, "what real benefits do I get from buying a Mac"? I respect both Brent and your opinion, but not in this case. 🙂
Jeff Langdon
Twitter: @jlangdon
August 28, 2011 at 6:24 am
Steve - welcome to the club!
JLangdon - I totally understand where you're coming from. From the outside, it would seem like using Apple gear would make your life tougher, not easier. I've touched on the key benefits in a blog post a while back on how to buy and set up your first Mac:
http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2010/09/how-buy-your-first-mac/
I'll mention just one story from my work last week that touches on how Macs are different. I dropped in to revisit a client, one I hadn't been onsite with in over a year. I opened my Air, which came online instantly, and connected to their VPN without plugging in any wires.
Their CEO was stunned - he remembered my old Macbook Pro covered with SQL stickers, and this was a different laptop. "How'd you do that?" he asked.
Me: "Do what?"
CEO: "You got onto our wireless without us setting you up, and you got onto our VPN without our IT team getting involved? That's a laptop that hasn't been here before!"
Me: "Well, actually, it has. When you buy a new Apple laptop, you just bring it home, turn it on, and it automatically detects if you've got a Time Capsule wireless backup. It asks if you'd like to replace one of your existing Apples with this new one. I just clicked on the Pro in my list, and the brand new Air restored itself completely from my Pro's backup. Got my apps, my settings, my documents, even operating system level stuff like my WiFi saved passwords and VPN accounts."
Every saved drive connection, every VPN, every app, every tweak I've made since I bought my very first Apple MacBook Pro way back in 2006 are all part of my Air today. Can we do that same thing with Windows machines by using third party utilities? Absolutely. Is it pleasant and one-click-easy? No.
That's where Apple's advantage comes in. If you're the kind of person who would rather pay more to have the basics taken care of for you, then Apple gear makes sense. If you'd rather save money and do the tinkering yourself, Apple isn't for you. I used to be in that latter category, and now I'm in the former, but I totally understand why people are still in that latter category. It can be a lot of fun to tinker.
August 28, 2011 at 8:09 am
Again, I agree 100%. Keep in mind all of my work is Dynamics-related which means Windows, PCs and SQL. I run most of it under emulation but I still think I am tremendously more productive on the Mac because everything works as far as my productivity apps and connectivity and... So on. I have also gone through a period of using Windows laptops (and the best and most expensive ones at that) and theynever quite cut it for me. I have dozens of stories like that and they keep coming.
Now, let's not turn this into a Mac vs PC discussion. I think the votes are out regarding Apple and what Steve Jobs has done to the PC, movies and music industries. He is deserving of respect and admiration even if you choose not to use Apple's products. The guy started out of garage and left the largest company in the world. Tough to argue with that.
August 28, 2011 at 8:44 am
While I agree that they've made some products with good design and apple do bring a concept that works very well if you only use apple products.
I however do not like to be locked in like apple forces me to be, there are to few options and too little freedom. If I want to change the sim card I directly run into problem with apple or if I want to upgrade some parts of hardware because there are so many restrictions and now they are even implementing some new firmware on harddrives so you can't even do that yourself or rather, you can't purchase the harddrive you want for a good price, you'll have to purchase it from apple. Then of course there are less products available on apple.
Then there is something more, something important. They want to control my life and information. Making fun of religion and official persons are not allowed in apple products.
So yeah.. if you like apple, good for you. I don't like how they try to lock in their customers.
August 28, 2011 at 8:47 am
IceDread (8/28/2011)
I don't like how they try to lock in their customers.
Kind of ironic that you'd say this in a Microsoft SQL Server forum, eh?
If you're really serious about openness, why are you using MSSQL over, say, MySQL or Postgres or any of the other open source database platforms? 😀
August 28, 2011 at 8:50 am
Brent Ozar (8/28/2011)
IceDread (8/28/2011)
I don't like how they try to lock in their customers.Kind of ironic that you'd say this in a Microsoft SQL Server forum, eh?
If you're really serious about openness, why are you using MSSQL over, say, MySQL or Postgres or any of the other open source database platforms? 😀
MySQL is now owned by Oracle and developers are leaving that platform, why would you want to use it?
I use the products that I see fit for a task, it does not have to be microsoft products.
August 28, 2011 at 9:42 am
IceDread (8/28/2011)
... I however do not like to be locked in like apple forces me to be, there are to few options and too little freedom. If I want to change the sim card I directly run into problem with apple or if I want to upgrade some parts of hardware because there are so many restrictions and now they are even implementing some new firmware on harddrives so you can't even do that yourself or rather, you can't purchase the harddrive you want for a good price, you'll have to purchase it from apple. Then of course there are less products available on apple...
Pleeeeeease. Don't get me started on this one. Funny you would name a hard drive! I upgraded my Mac Book Pro with a Seagate Momentum XT drive for $99... nothing to it... I would say probably easier than doing it on most PCs: clone the startup disk (via firewire with one click using the Disk utility include in Mac OS) then swap the drive and reboot. If you do not want to use Apple products, then don't, but please do not say things like that because it does not say much about your true knowledge of Apple products. I agree that there are many things hard-wired (if you will) on the Macs... But the same can be said about cars, TVs, planes and many things we have come to rely on. That is part of the reason they work so well.
Please take my comments lightheartedly. I have ceased to fight the Mac/PC battle a long time ago, but some times I cannot help myself. I apologize in advance and hope you get my true drift.
August 28, 2011 at 9:47 am
I use the products that I see fit for a task, it does not have to be microsoft products.
ITA with this statement. I would buy an IPhone if I had more access to it from a hardware and software perspective. I am insulted that Apple doesn't think I am smart enough to move files without the use of ITunes. Is it really that had to remove a memory card? Macs obviously do somethings better than PCs, but the money and trade off are not even close. Some features do "just work", but others require a special download or workaround. My world is mostly in Visual Studio and SSMS so I am a PC. When Apple starts to respect the intelligence of its audience I might make the switch, but for now I choose not to "drink the Kool-Aid" or wear the handcuffs that come with Apple's technology ecosystem.
August 28, 2011 at 1:23 pm
I look for tools that work. My iPhone has been far and away the most stable cell phone I've had (used WP6.5, Android 1.6, 2.0, Sidekick) and I think the iTunes system, while flawed at times, works very well for me. The design and aesthetics make the products very simple and effective to me.
My wife hates her iPhone, and prefers an Android. Different flavors for different folk, so use what you like.
Steve Jobs, and the Apple products he helped bring out, with is drive and obsession over details, changed the world. Whether you like the products or not, he influenced other product lines and designs throughout technology and I think the world is better off for his work at Apple.
August 28, 2011 at 1:32 pm
tgarcia (8/28/2011)
IceDread (8/28/2011)
... I however do not like to be locked in like apple forces me to be, there are to few options and too little freedom. If I want to change the sim card I directly run into problem with apple or if I want to upgrade some parts of hardware because there are so many restrictions and now they are even implementing some new firmware on harddrives so you can't even do that yourself or rather, you can't purchase the harddrive you want for a good price, you'll have to purchase it from apple. Then of course there are less products available on apple...Pleeeeeease. Don't get me started on this one. Funny you would name a hard drive! I upgraded my Mac Book Pro with a Seagate Momentum XT drive for $99... nothing to it... I would say probably easier than doing it on most PCs: clone the startup disk (via firewire with one click using the Disk utility include in Mac OS) then swap the drive and reboot. If you do not want to use Apple products, then don't, but please do not say things like that because it does not say much about your true knowledge of Apple products. I agree that there are many things hard-wired (if you will) on the Macs... But the same can be said about cars, TVs, planes and many things we have come to rely on. That is part of the reason they work so well.
Please take my comments lightheartedly. I have ceased to fight the Mac/PC battle a long time ago, but some times I cannot help myself. I apologize in advance and hope you get my true drift.
You were not listening. You can not go into a store and purchase a harddrive and install it yourself soon because of apples firmware, you must purchase it from apple. And that was only one simple comparison. Graphic cards are usually always 20-25% more expensive for apple than from other stores. They own you if you become their customer.
I strongly dislike itunes and quicktime and how those programs must be used. With itunes, there is not even a simple filesync feature if you move around your files a bit or adds a couple of new cd's to the library that was not purchased throu itunes.
I see that you also ignored what I wrote about apple and official people and religion.
In the end however, it's only products and everyone should use what fits best. But I will nevah join the apple fanatics ^^, there is no freedom there.
August 28, 2011 at 1:39 pm
IceDread (8/28/2011)
You were not listening. You can not go into a store and purchase a harddrive and install it yourself soon because of apples firmware, you must purchase it from apple.
Errr, actually, IceDread, you weren't listening. He said he replaced his hard drive with an off-the-shelf Seagate, and I've done the same thing. Even my Air I'm using right now has a non-Apple SSD in it, and the Mac Mini sitting next to me is using Crucial memory and a Seagate drive I installed myself.
August 28, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Your statement: "You can not go into a store and purchase a harddrive and install it yourself soon because of apples firmware" is simply not true. I ordered the drive from amazon and installed it myself at home. But fine, I know you have valid points on freedom and not liking iTunes or what not. I don't like many things windows does and my choice is to use MacOS. We all have choices. For you, it is PCs and do-everything-yourself. For me, it is about spending time doing what I need to get done, and letting the rest be handled (rather well) by my OS. If I wanted a car that I had to be exchanging parts on it all the time, I would have been a mechanic. As it happens, I own a car that I forget how complex it is and takes me where I need to go to make a living without worrying about all those complex parts working.
Again, you have your points, and I respect them.
TG
August 28, 2011 at 2:21 pm
tgarcia (8/28/2011)
...For you, it is PCs and do-everything-yourself...
Actually, what would be best is to have the choice to do what you want. Apple makes things "idiot proof" because the average person given enough rope will hang themselves.
From a security perspective the most secure database in the world is one that is locked in a vault and not connected to a network. The data is safe, but not accessible. This is an extreme case, but kind of what it feels like to use Apple products via its ecosystem.
I am not a fan of being told "how" to use a product so I will buy products that give me choice. At some point, when users evolve into a more technological society Apple will certainly go out of business unless they open up their vault and give people choice.
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