Apple is not a cure-all

High on my list of stuff that shouldn't matter but makes my head want to explode anyway is the idea that a Macintosh computer will cure all your technological ills.

I'll admit I'm a Windows user, but that's not why it bothers me; I think Apple makes fine products and I'm comfortable using them (had to be at ITC), but they have yet to offer anything that makes me want to switch. Heck, Macs with Intel processors are now out, moving yet further toward the status of PC with a different look. Of course, most people will never realize this.

And that's what bothers me about it. Apple's advertising seems to target people who don't really know how things work and try to exploit that. We've all seen the ads with the guy who keeps sneezing and coughing cause he's the virus-ridden "Windows" guy, next to the strapping, healthy "Apple" guy. Implication: buy a Macintosh, you'll never have virus problems again! Add that to the fact that for some reason the iPod became the thing that every American had to have (I don't. *gasp*) and you've got a whole lot of people out there who think Apple is god. They blather on about how Macintosh computers never get viruses. They bitch about how "Macs never do this" when anything goes wrong on their PC. I've got news for you: Macs are just as prone to trouble as PCs. What should be the deciding factor is really just OS preference. The funny part is if any of these people do make that switch, they'll be lost in the Mac OS and whine about how things don't look the same anymore.

I'm going to be laughing my head off if Macs ever start to really catch up to Windows machines (a distinct possibility), because then the pock-marked, socially inept losers who create viruses in their parents' basement while listening to the latest emo screamo will start targeting the Macintosh OS, and all the people who got suckered in by the "be virus-free!" bullshit will cry in frustration because they bought into the hype and got burned by the fires of justice.

Then maybe everyone will realize that exploits will always be found in any system, there will always be jerks who think it's funny to fuck with people, and common sense and knowledge are, in this as in all things, your the defense. But probably not.

Song of the night: "I'm a Fool" by American Hi-Fi. Which, for better or worse, will always be tied to how I felt the night Jessica and I officially made the jump to being a couple. That was a good feeling, and this is a good song.