Why I'm an Apple Guy (And Why You Should Be Too)

The recent release of Windows 8 reminds me why I became an Apple fan in 2006. Before that, I had been a DOS/Windows proponent since 1982 when the company I worked for installed an original IBM PC in the lab where I worked.  It was my first experience with personal computers, having previously only worked on minis and mainframes. The idea of having a computer at my (and only my) disposal to use as I wished was a transformational experience.  With this new box I could keep notes, build spreadsheets and perform a host of other tasks that made my job easier and greatly increased my productivity.  I became completely enamored with the concept.  So much so, I decided to make personal computing my life's work.

Fast-forward to 2006 when I purchased my first iPod.  It was a 5th generation model, the first one with video capability.  I was an IT manager for a Fortune 500 company, a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and responsible for a data center, around 150 desktops and a small IT staff.  The iPod purchase prompted me to install iTunes for the first time on my Dell laptop.  Using the little chrome and black pocket-sized device to listen to music and watch video was as eye-opening an event as the day I got that first PC some 22 years earlier.  After fighting network connections, registry settings, user permissions and all the other crap that comes with managing Windows, I was completely flabbergasted by the iPod's simplicity and ease of use.  It just worked and I was hooked.  Within 2 months I purchased my first Mac.

Fast-forward again, this time to the present. When I left the dark side, I went "all in".  I now own two Macs, an iPhone and an iPad. I've replaced all three of my daughters' PCs with Macs and they all use iPhones and iPads as well.  I left the IT management position I held for 9 years to start my own company that does web development and specializes in Apple technology integration into business/enterprise systems.  I guess you could say Apple's much ballyhooed "halo effect" built into every product they sell was at full strength in that first iPod I purchased.

But let's be frank.  No magic spell influenced my decisions.  In fact, the "halo" wouldn't exist if it weren't for the superior products Apple produces.  In my case, that first iPod was a simple introduction to the Apple ecosystem.  An ecosystem where one Apple device works well with other Apple devices and Apple software by simply plugging it in.  No learning curve, no cryptic instructions, no engineering necessary.  Unlike the world of Windows PCs and peripherals, the Apple landscape is populated with products designed from inception to work with each other.  Apple has an uncanny way of making extremely complex technology simple and easy to use.  Ergo, pleasurable.  In fact, the only problems I encountered as a new Mac user were the ones I created for myself.  I habitually over-thought things.  Coming from the Windows world, I had difficulty accepting how simple Macs are.  I couldn't believe that connecting my MacBook to a WiFi network only required me to enter a passphrase.  I didn't need to tell it what type of encryption to use or what channel to connect to.  It had already figured that out for me.  I didn't need to tell it to backup my system to my external drive, how often to back it up or how much data to keep.  It knew all those things also.  The list goes on and on.  With few exceptions, all I do with my Apple products is enjoy them and get things done.  Oh sure, if I ever feel the need to put on my propeller beanie, the OS X terminal is there for me, replete with all the UNIX goodness I could ask for.  The difference is, I rarely have to to make my Macs do what I want.

So now Microsoft is trying its best to replicate this positive user experience with Windows 8.  I've spent several days with the new OS and must admit to being pleasantly surprised.  The new "Metro" (or whatever they decide to call it) interface is beautiful and simple to use and much of the drudgery of setting up a new PC is gone.  It's a great start, but I think its just that, a start.  Though very different visually, Windows is adopting the same ease-of-use strategy OS X employed from its inception.  The only problem is, the rest of the software development world has a ways to go before it catches up.  Running applications in Windows 8 often means reverting to the old Windows desktop (minus the "Start" button), so using the new interface was sort of a "catch as catch can" experience. New applications designed for Windows 8 look and run beautifully, but right now, there isn't what one would call a wealth of Windows 8 applications available.  We'll just have to wait and see how the developer world responds.  One question I can't answer is whether a Windows mobile phone and the new Surface tablet will work as seamlessly with Windows 8 as my iPhone and iPad work with my Mac. It's fair to say the jury is still out, but I'd be willing to bet that at best, it will be a "Rev. 1" experience.  Certainly, nothing I've seen or read tempts me to ditch my iPhone just yet.  As with all things technical, I prefer to wait until revision 2 or 3, just to give the majority of the bugs a chance to be exterminated.

Until then, I'm very grateful to be an Apple guy.  My Macs run beautifully and work flawlessly with my i(Phone, Pad, Pod). My address book, calendar, reminders, notes, music, messages and photos stay perfectly in sync across all my machines and devices without me doing a thing.  I rarely have to deal with software crashes and rebooting has become something I need to remind myself to do every few weeks (just for good measure).  It's good to see the awakening of the good people in Redmond, but Microsoft is just beginning down the path Apple has been on for years.  Call me when they get there.