For more than three decades, the PC’s confrontation against Mac has lasted. And if almost everyone had to deal with a personal computer, a descendant of the IBM PC, then few worked with the Mac. What kind of rare bird is the Macintosh computer? And how can one not the most popular brand manage to hold its defense against numerous rivals for so long?
The origins of the business phenomenon
Let's look at the history of computer technology, the beginning of the eighties of the twentieth century. At that time, Apple was a small company founded by two enthusiasts - Jobs and Wozniak. They managed to bring to the market a couple of fairly popular computer models for home users.
And around this time, in 1981, the IBM giant marked the release of the first personal computer. Most small manufacturers are heading for product compatibility with the IBM PC, understanding who will be the flagship of the emerging market.
But this decision is not made at Apple. In 1984, Jobs presented the 128K Macintosh computer - the ancestor of the Macs family.
From the 80s to the present day
The highlight of the first model, which did not allow the “baby” to be lost among the products of larger companies, was the graphical interface. Although other developers conducted experiments in this direction, it was necessary to manage commercial computers of that time from the command line.
The history of Apple products deserves a separate article. It is worth noting that in addition to the graphical interface on the Mac, a computer mouse was used for the first time . But lagging behind the PC with the creation of a color monitor cost the company a significant market share.
Mac computers are, first of all, monoblocks. It is worth recalling the famous "transparent" triangles iMac G3, the release of which marked the return of Jobs to Apple in 1997. Or a white hemisphere iMac G4 with a monitor on a thin leg.
But we must not forget about the success of Apple in the production of laptops. The PowerBook 100 was phenomenally successful for its time (released in 1991). No wonder after a decade and a half, Mobile PC magazine called it "the best gadget of all time." And the modifications of the MacBook Air that are still being released strike with an ultra-slim body and grace of design.
Design and PR
And yet, not technological innovations allowed Jobs to live and develop. The basis for Apple’s success was the correct positioning of its products: “If we don’t release a mass computer, it’s not because we can’t, but because we don’t want to. Mac is a computer for the elite.”
"Think Different" is a tagline for all time. To win the hearts of its consumers, Apple convinced them that they were special. The idea may not be original, but it is impeccably embodied. And it still works when the company's products are now opposing the android horde on the mobile market.
The main concept of "otherness" was subordinated to a bright, original, sometimes shocking design. Even those who did not plan to buy a Macintosh computer viewed photos of Apple's new products with interest.
Even technical developments were determined by a marketing strategy. A bad example is the release of a keyboard without arrows for the first Macintosh. This innovation did not meet the understanding of users and developers, and two years later the arrows returned.
The unity of hardware and software
There is a tradition in the PC market that some companies make hardware and others write software. But this is not the case with the Yabloko: the Macintosh itself, the operating system, and a significant part of its applications are developed by Apple.
Of particular note is the original OS "OS" - OS X, since in addition to the design and reputation of being "chosen," it is it that most attracts users. They note a stylish design, ease of mastering and tuning the system, reliability. Unfortunately, these advantages may seem to some users to be disadvantages: in MacOS X, it is difficult to customize both the appearance and functionality.
The Mac and OS X have always been inextricable, but in recent years, after Apple switched to Intel processors, the antagonism of Macs and IBM-compatible PCs has greatly decreased. There was an opportunity to install Windows on the "Mac", the MacOS operating system through special patches can also work on a PC. Here are just the quality of functioning of the OS on a "foreign hardware" significantly inferior to the traditional bundle of Mac - OS X.
Advantages and non-deliveries
For the office and for most home users, the Mac can be a good choice. The only common drawback of Apple products is its price. A computer from another manufacturer with the same specifications will cost less. Macintosh owners usually object that their computers last longer, but this may be a consequence not so much of high quality as the conservatism of Mac users who are in no hurry to change their machines to more modern ones.
There are other disadvantages. Under OS X, application software is much smaller than under Windows or Linux, especially free and highly specialized. And if your favorite player or email client can be replaced with a program from the standard set, then this number will not work with scientific or commercial software. If the necessary work program does not have versions for OS X, then you should not spend money on buying Mac.
Many users who have switched from Windows may feel a shortage of their favorite computer games. They are an order of magnitude smaller. So if you are an avid gamer, then the Mac is not your choice.