Reader Comments

Shut up Paul, Your such an Crapple loving fanatic. There's more useful technology in a Big Mac.

It's nice to see an intelligent response...

Apple sold more Macs in the quarter than it has in any quarter since 2001 ... however, the halo effect is somewhat fanciful What insight!

I don't understand how you can say "...drop thousands of dollars on a new mac." right after you say most of the growth comes from the $500 mac mini. You don't make sense.

To poster #1, you are a Microsh*t whore. And you are wrong about Paul, he is a Microsh*t whore too. There is more useful technology in a pile of dogsh*t than in any Microsh*t product.

I think Apple's best bet for this "halo effect" is that those hip teens that are gobbling up the iPod and probably don't have a particular preference on what computer platform they use start buying Mac Minis for the "cool" factor similar to their reasons for buying cell phones based on things more like form over function.

>...but users would have to drop years of compatible hardware and software to switch to a Mac, a process that would ultimately be extremely expensive. Not necessarily true. With the Mac mini, one could enjoy the top OS (Tiger) and iLife suite of apps, and other software that comes with the computer for about $500-600. They can still run their pc, share printers and scanners, etc. and gradually add software to Mac if/when they decide that that is the way they want to go (my guess) in the future. MS Office for Mac, student edition- $150 iWorks (Pages; Apples word processor/layout app, and Keynote; Apples presentation [PPT] app) $79 Photoshop Elements $99 you won't need anti-virus software

"users would have to drop years of compatible hardware and software to switch to a Mac, a process that would ultimately be extremely expensive." Yeah, because unlike their experience on a PC, they likely can't pirate their software from their PC at work. As far as hardware, I'm aware of very little hardware that one would move from PC to PC that wouldn't work on a Mac, particularly anything connecting with USB or FireWire. Of course, they wouldn't have to drop megabucks on software firewalls, antivirus software, antispam software, etc...so maybe it's a wash in the end, eh?

Mr. Thurrott, a Mac fan? I doubt it sincerely based on the slant of his "reporting". Describing the halo effect as "fanciful" seems slanted given the fact Apple just sold 43% more Macs than last year and that 2 out of 5 Mac purchasers this quarter were first time buyers. Describing the Mac Mini as being comprised of "mostly low-end laptop parts" when low-end Wintel laptops don't even come with video cards seems slanted (the Mac Mini has a ATI Radeon 9200 with 32MB dedicated DDR SDRAM). Other things you won't find on most "low end" Wintel laptops that you will find on the Mac Mini include a Firewire port, DVI support, S-video out, and the very nice software bundle including the iLife suite. Not reporting on the strengths of the Mini (compact, elegant, Windows compatibility, ability to use a PCs USB keyboard and mouse, and the other features above) when referring to it as being comprised of "low end laptop parts" seems slanted to me. Using terms like "fixated", "ardent" and less "relevant" when referring to Mac users smells of slant to me. Using a bait and switch argument of suggesting the Mini is a cheap (poor) product then claiming that the halo effect presupposes people will buy a Mac that costs thousands of dollars seems slanted. Saying that Apple is in the "market share gutter" seems slanted. Referring to a switch from Wintel to a Mac as "ultimately be extremely expensive" seems like a FUD marketing campaign direct from Microsoft. If he's were a tech or reporter who knew this field he should know that for most users the "years of compatible hardware and software" that he's referring to would be mostly covered by the fact the Mini can use most of the USB or Firewire hardware that they have, and that the Mini comes bundled with a suite of software that will fill many if not all needs. Most typical Wintel users I know don't have thousands of dollars invested in software.

No need to spend "thousands of dollars", for non professionals, who are the Mac-Mini's target market, the free iLife and $79 iWork is more than enough. Unless theyre pirating, most mac-mini buyers cant justify spending $490 on an M$ office pro suite... who wants a bloatware dog like Word2004 anyway?

The upside I see to Paul's delusions is that maybe the views of him and others like him will help convince MS that everything's OK so they just go down harder and more suddenly when the great masses realize they've been duped by the whole wintel cabal (MS, Intel, Dell, Corp. IT Dep'ts, MCSEs).

if you think Paul is kissing Apple's ***, check out his news bending comments at Anonymous User -April 14, 2005

Why so much passion about a tool? I am really surprised by how violent is the war between Wintel users and Mac users... I think I am going to reconsider my switching to Mac...

Windows tech writer Thurrott surprised about Apple's robust Mac sales: http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/5477/

Yea, Paul's "surprised" (substitute "confused") about mac sales because he denies almost every potential reason for such an increase. iPod halo? No. OS X better than XP? No. Better Apple hardware quality/support/service? No. iLife? He claims MS Moviemaker is better than iMovie, Picasa is better than iPhoto, Garageband is for a "small niche," etc. etc. What the hell is left as an explanation? I guess the retail stores, but then stores without compeling product (i.e., Gateway) is kind of a non-starter.

Paul also thinks windows is secure (remember, the "if MS can secure windows, then"). So there goes another potential explanation for the mac sales increase.

"Why so much passion about a tool? I am really surprised by how violent is the war between Wintel users and Mac users... I think I am going to reconsider my switching to Mac..." Great to have you switch to Mac. It would be nice if the Windows folks, especially IT, would stop bashing the Mac and it's users. And it is sad to see SOME Mac users that go to their level to fight back. On the whole though you will find a great bunch of people who want to help you with your machine and software to create a job well done. It's also nice to not have to troubleshoot your machine all the time, I know I work in a PC, Mac environment.

Dude, get a mac and use it for a while will ya'. Sheesh, your comments make you really sound technically ignorant.

As a former mac user and owner, who has worked in IT for 20 years, it's rather disappointing to see that Mac users haven't changed alot in the 20 years that the Mac has been in existence. So much of the same religious ferver that existed back when Apple commanded something that resembled market share (far greater than the current 1-2%) still seems to dominate the collective thought processes of the group. While I, like many others, have appreciated the many innovations that Apple products have provided over the years (I started with Apple IIs and the Original Macs), and their effect on forcing other vendors, such as Microsoft and Silicon Graphics, to think outside of the box in their product development cycles, there comes a point where vendors have to decide whether they are still relevant in their given market. Fortunately, for Apple they are still relevant in their market, just not the computer market. Yes, the iPod is popular and keeping the company in business, but their computer business continues to fail them. Sure, they sold more Macs than in prior quarters, but consider what they are selling. Stipped down shells of what the products used to be. One poster suggested that "low-end Wintel laptops don't even come with video cards" and that "the Mac Mini has a ATI Radeon 9200 with 32MB dedicated DDR SDRAM." Would seem pretty foolish to buy a laptop, regardless of make, without a video card, now wouldn't it? Can't say as I have ever shopped for one. Besides, an ATI 9200 is anything but cutting edge these days. If the majority of their Mac sales are from the Mac Minis, which is only speculation based on this article and not necessarily fact, their days in the computer market are certainly numbered and are a far cry from the days when Jobs started the Mac line with the belief that, if you build a better computer, people will pay more for it. At this point, the Mac, with it's bastardized verion of FreeBSD for an operating system, and limited application base, has become nothing better than an e-Machine. What a disappointment :-(

"Why so much passion about a tool? I am really surprised by how violent is the war between Wintel users and Mac users...I think I am going to reconsider my switching to Mac..." Don't reconsider becuase of the "war", this "war" always starts because of inferiority complexes of Wintel users who are abusive toward those who use something other than what they percieve to be the best; when in actuallity, they don't even know what they are talking about, never even attempted to understand due to their closed-minded, grand standing. Grow up!

Dear Paul, do you really think it makes sense to have your name and your picture on a web-page with all these comments? Do you think it makes sense to keep writing if everybody just does not take you serious anymore?

Most of that growth likely came from the new Mac mini model, a $500 Macintosh that competes with low-end PCs and is comprised largely of low-end laptop parts. ---------------- Uh.. No Paul.. they're ramping up production.. they're backlogged like 4 weeks.. they were only able to make/sell about 100 thou

Paul seems to really like his role as the most ridiculous clown in town ;-)

... he probably gets paid for each comment on his site ... what an easy job!

"Shut up Paul, Your such an Crapple loving fanatic. There's more useful technology in a Big Mac." Nice touch Paul. You, and MS, are really getting the hang of how to do disinformation.

"Shut up Paul, Your such an Crapple loving fanatic. There's more useful technology in a Big Mac." Nice touch Paul. You, and MS, are really getting the hang of how to do disinformation.

Ya can't fight a Choice. Make your choice and stick to IT! -Mac & PC User... all day.

As a former mac user and owner, who has worked in IT for 20 years, it's rather disappointing to see that Mac users haven't changed alot in the 20 years that the Mac has been in existence. So much of the same religious ferver that existed back when Apple commanded something that resembled market share (far greater than the current 1-2%) still seems to dominate the collective thought processes of the group. While I, like many others, have appreciated the many innovations that Apple products have provided over the years (I started with Apple IIs and the Original Macs), and their effect on forcing other vendors, such as Microsoft and Silicon Graphics, to think outside of the box in their product development cycles, there comes a point where vendors have to decide whether they are still relevant in their given market. Fortunately, for Apple they are still relevant in their market, just not the computer market. Yes, the iPod is popular and keeping the company in business, but their computer business continues to fail them. Sure, they sold more Macs than in prior quarters, but consider what they are selling. Stipped down shells of what the products used to be. One poster suggested that "low-end Wintel laptops don't even come with video cards" and that "the Mac Mini has a ATI Radeon 9200 with 32MB dedicated DDR SDRAM." Would seem pretty foolish to buy a laptop, regardless of make, without a video card, now wouldn't it? Can't say as I have ever shopped for one. Besides, an ATI 9200 is anything but cutting edge these days. If the majority of their Mac sales are from the Mac Minis, which is only speculation based on this article and not necessarily fact, their days in the computer market are certainly numbered and are a far cry from the days when Jobs started the Mac line with the belief that, if you build a better computer, people will pay more for it. At this point, the Mac, with it's bastardized verion of FreeBSD for an operating system, and limited application base, has become nothing better than an e-Machine. What a disappointment :-(

"Why so much passion about a tool? I am really surprised by how violent is the war between Wintel users and Mac users.." If you are NOT passionate about your tools, I suggest there is a problem. I think you have had bad tools. Hey, I am passionate about my car, too, not just my Mac. I like things with style that also happen to work.

""Why so much passion about a tool?" LOL...I thought you were talking about Paul. He IS a "tool".

I know PC users are used to comparing one PC to another by specifications-because that is the only difference between one PC and the other. However a Mac is a different beast. Don't go by numbers. Judge a Mac by how it performs with the included applications: iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, Garageband, Preview, Quicken, AppleWorks, Safari. Test it with several or all of these applications running at the same time. If you feel that some applications are running a tad slow, just up the RAM at a later point. The Mini is the lowest priced Mac but not a 'cheap' computer as some trolls above would like to characterize it. It has similar specifications to the Powerbook. You may have heard that Powerbooks have been used in the field to produce documentaries for CNN and other news organizations. If it was that slow no one would use it for that purpose and video editing requires good quality hardware. It is good that Mac sales are up. It Mac becomes a viable threat to MS, then MS with respond with a better OS and comparable software. Everyone wins including Linux users since increase in Mac market share would encourage the use of open standards which Mac support for the most part (TCP/IP; MPEG4; AAC, H2.64 video codec etc). There is no reason to attack the Mac since it is of no threat to anyone in the PC world due to its miniscule, but not ignorable, market share-albeit growing by a small margin over the past year. Cheers

Amazing to see this many Mac Heads giving a sh$t about what a Windows-oriented magazine has to say about Apple. You already bored with your Mac itty- bitties?

why does paul keep reporting mac news. It isn't as if we cared here. It only attracts mac trolls and honestly, apple selling a few more macs a quarter ain't that big of a news anymore. It's not as if they had any relevancy in the market besides the portable music world.

Ohh-- like "foghorn" or whatever it's called is relevant? Has Microsoft figured out UNIX yet? No? Call us back in 5-10 years then, after Redmond hires some programmers.

No wonder apple did so well. It lowered its pricess. Now mid-income familys can by their chic products. http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2005/mft05041416.htm

paul, ur kids must be constantly embarassed by ur slanted and whore-like journalism

apple selling a few more macs a quarter ain't that big of a news anymore. It's not as if they had any relevancy in the market =========== two contradictory statements.. good job.. have a cookie

The War as I see it: I have never really understood the disdain that many (not all, but many) Windows users have for the Mac. Specially, when most of those that diss it have never used it for more than a few minutes...c'mon its okay to admit it, as you Mac bashers know that you have not seriously looked (let alone) used a Mac in the past 2-3 years...if not much longer...which is why I don't understand how you can even have an opinion on the system, let alone bash it. So, just shut your pie-hole until you seriously give them a shot! I have never understood why Mac users try to always say "mine is better than yours" instead of just using their computer and shutting the heck up. However, I do have to give them credit because in general most of them do know (or truly believe) that their Mac is better than Windows since they are forced to use Windows everyday at work. So, Mac users may be arrogant a*ses, but at least they tend to be more well versed with different OSes than the Windows users that bash the Mac. However, just shut your pie-hole until you are ready to talk like a normal person instead of an arrogant bunch of bastar*s! Anyway, I have used both systems extensively since 1990 and in my opinion both systems are relative sh*t. Windows is sh*tty with everyday tasks like e-mail, internet and security. Macs are sh*tty for programmers and for gamers. Since I'm not much of a programmer or a gamer, I tend to prefer Macs, but specially since XP came out I use Windows more and more. For example, I am writing this on a Dell Hell laptop with XP SP2. Having said that, Tiger looks amazing, and I am seriously thinking of dropping some change on a Powerbook... This is just the opinion of a multiple OS loving fool.

Amazing how inconsistent this article is! I am a multiplatform user over the last 25 years and it is hard to find another operating system that compares well with Mac OS X. Windows folks generally haven't used any other platforms and haven't got two clues to rub together!

Paul, you are such a dick. I can't understand why people still read your stupid ****. Oh wait, yes I can. You're a dick. And it's funny. Stop trying to be a journalist! YOU SUCK AT IT!

"As a long-time fan of the Mac, It's nice to see this once-beleaguered system regain its footing." BWAHAHAHA. HA. You must be freakin' joking. After years of bashing the platform with religious fervor, you're now jumping on the Mac bandwagon, Thurrott? Give us a break.

I hope that everyone realizes when people start cursing, using personal attacks, using caps to emhasize points, and using the word "suck", among other things, you are not helping your cause, no matter which side you are on.

poster #15 has a point. i might buy a mac mini

I am suprised by the fact that everyone expects journalists to be impartial. Let people have opinions, and respond respectfully with your opinions. My opinion is that all the stupid people should get a job and stop sitting on their ***** all day bashing a journalist.

um.....

EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO TROLLS HERE IS A SAD LITTLE DOG

"I am suprised by the fact that everyone expects journalists to be impartial. Let people have opinions, and respond respectfully with your opinions. My opinion is that all the stupid people should get a job and stop sitting on their ***** all day bashing a journalist." Yes, but they're pathetically jealous people. Why else would they post insults on a copmuter news website to feel better about themselves?

"I am suprised by the fact that everyone expects journalists to be impartial" Huh? It's a blog by a guy who has alot of friends living in the Redmond area who he plays Halo Online with.. not a journalist

How many of you Windows users have ever used a Mac? If you haven't, you shouldn't comment. I have both, and they both have their pros and cons. The same goes for Mac users. If you haven't used a Windows PC, don't comment.

The same goes for Mac users. If you haven't used a Windows PC, don't comment. ----------------- LMFAO You think there's anyone in the free world that hasn't used a Windows PC. Believe me.. every Mac user alive knows what they're "missing" ... this is hilarious

I know a lot. They are graphic designers who learned on Macs. That's what they learned on in college.

I agree. If they ever used a PC, it was DOS or 3.1

Hmm.. okay.. so back to the original point: Anyone on this page who's a Mac user (apparently you must be a graphic designer) who has never used Windows.. please make yourself known. *tumbleweed No one who rants about Mac OS X on the Internet 'has never used Windows'..

I've never seriously used Windows. My brother has a PC, but I started with a Mac and have never really needed to use a PC. And, by the way, I'm not a graphic designer. I read this site for pure entertainment.

I use both, and I like both.