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Column from PC Magazine: Will Apple Adopt Windows? — If you haven’t noticed, last week my column on Apple possibly adopting Windows arrived on the scene. It was written as an exercise in possibilities. Will it happen? Maybe, Maybe not. But you can make a case for it being in the works and that’s what I did. Unfortunately the nutty Mac fringe got all bent out of shape as if this column had anything to do with whatever happens one way or the other. If I was on the board of Apple and was suggesting this that should be done then it would be different. But this is a column in a PC-centric magazine about PC’s and Windows. But apparently these whack jobs (and it is a very small but vocal minority within the whole Macintosh audience) felt it necessary to besmirch me and rant about what an idiot I am. Some of the email (and posts) was definitely from psychopaths who need to be profiled by the FBI. At least the cartoon is funny! That was a plus.
I’m perpetually baffled by the fact that all these dissenters keep reading these columns like moths to a flame and claim they’ll never read me again. Then they write long-winded diatribes about why I am wrong. It usually deteriorates into personal attacks. I’m sure the prof cited in the article is getting some weird grief from certain students. Being a professor of psychology perhaps he can explain this nutball fringe.
The irony to all this is that I’m a proponent of PC’s switching to OS-X.
The idea that Apple would ditch its own OS for Microsoft Windows came to me from Yakov Epstein, a professor of psychology at Rutgers University, who wrote to me convinced that the process had already begun. I was amused, but after mulling over various coincidences, I’m convinced he may be right.
Oh my God. What was that you were saying about long-winded diatribes…? Sheesh!
This reminds me of the constant debate between Playstation2 and Xbox fanboys. It amazes me that people get so personally tied up in this like it’s some kind of war. Ranting, flinging insults, long-winded diatribes, etc.
My impression is that people found the Palm OS better and the primary selling point, yet they dropped it for Windows Mobile in the new Treo 700.
John, I am an Applamic Maclim. We are a peaceful religious group who believes that DOS was the son of Chip and that DOS died to save all users from everlasting hell. We also believe that the profit of Apple, OSX, will lead us from Winsins, the obscene profit of Microsoft and the purveyor of viruses, worms and the bluescreen plague.
Although it is blasphemous to suggest that OSX will succumb to Winsins, Maclims aurond the world do not agree openly with the verbal attacks of Applamic extremeists. We prefer to object peacefully and not lose our heads. As is our duty to Chip, many more Maclims will be born into Maclim subjugation. Once a Maclim, always a Maclim. Salvation will eventually be ours.
Macammad I’mscari
” linux for servers, Windows for games, Macs for everything else”
Each has its uses, and this is pretty fair assessment of what they are…
I agree with John’s points in some ways, but not in point blank. I believe that the Intel switch will allow for developers to create software for both OS X/Windows more easily and affordibly. However, don’t most switchers switch because they are fed up with the crap that Microsoft releases? I can understand wanting to run some Windows program at times, I always want to boot up my PC products on my PowerBook. But I don’t think that ANYONE would rather run XP/Vista on a Mac Book Pro than OS X 10.4/10.5. When Vista comes out, there will definatly be a hack so you can replace OS X with it, John, but the rest of us will stick with OS X. I think most Mac users have at least one PC lying around for those mondane tasks anyway. I must admit, though, you make a great point. Just face facts, Steve will NEVER abandon Mac OS X., and neither wil the Mac community.
John
I hate the theory, think it sux and hope it never happens… but I love the cartoon 🙂 and love hearing your take. At the end of the day what counts is you made me think about something I would never have thought about on my own! Keep it up!! One of the (many) highlights of my TWIT listening experience is to listen for your “pot-stirring” comments
Hey John,
I am 15 years old, and just wanted to let you know that i love to read about what you have to say about technology.
I think that there is some truth behind Apple switching to Windows, and another small piece of evidence is on the iPod’s, “About” menu, the “Operating System” info. When the ipod is hooked up to a mac, the OS is not shown. This could shows that Apple is not including this information, becuase all iPods might be hooked up to the same operating system!
Kepp up the good work!
Alex
Glad you liked the comic John, just wish you’d link to our page rather than directly to the gif. :-/
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/789.html
John,
I think you are on something with the Adobe move to hold back on OS X to Intel conversions, but I think it has to do with a Windows runtime compatiblity layer for OS X. I think Microsoft may be involved in actually helping Apple having Win32 (and perhaps Win64) apps run on OSX. Apple will probably make this a separate product, due to the probablity that Microsoft will want license fees. This will also help Micro$oft develop a Linux version since the code will be for Unix like OSs.
Being an old Commodore Amiga fanatic until the late 90’s, I can understand and sypathize with the Mac zealots’ feelings on what they must see as a diminishment of their favorite computing platform. I remember many Amiga zealots taking a similar view of the Mac, a platform viewed by them as having a vastly inferior GUI and OS. I often touted the capabilities of the Amiga over any other Platform to anyone who had any initerest in computing, but alas, still drooled over the things the PC could do based on it’s ever-increasing software and hardware support. In the end, Commodore folded, and left its fanatical supporters crying about it. Eventually, I had to but a new computer, and though many ex-Amigans claimed the Mac was the logical choice, I looked at the numbers (cost and vendor support) of both PC and Mac platforms, and it was no contest. I may have been considered by many as having sold my soul to the devil, but in the end, it may just be that I made the most intelligent choice. Anyway, whose to say WHAT a computer will really be in the future? I once felt burned by the fact the inferior VHS platform won out over the Superior Betamax. Since DVDs, who cares?
I’m starting to be convinced the answer may be “yes”. This article on Gearlog claims they’ve joined BAPCo, a windows performance testing consortium. This comes a day after the Financial Times reported that Avadis Tevanian, godfather of OSX, is leaving Apple.
Scary.
i love that apple will be using windows it is so much easier and plus u will have all the advantages of an apple yet u won’t have to having the complication of learning how to use the mac. luv u all (wink) xoxox