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Fear, Hope, and Love with Electronic Gadgets and the Companies who Make Them February 5, 2008

Posted by Fast Follower in Apple, Blackberry, Dell, Directv, iPhone, iPod, Mac, Marketing, Microsoft, Quicken, Sprint, Verizon.
5 comments

I wish I could take credit for this theory about why we as consumers engage with companies and their products. But I can’t. This comes from Seth Godin on his blog. It makes me think about many of the posts and comments on PTI about the electronic gadgets and services we all use. After reading Godin’s post, how many of the devices and the device makers fall into the Fear, Hope, and Love categories for PTIers?

What about Apple? Or iPod? Or iMac? Or iPhone? What about PPC-6700? What about Microsoft? Or Windows? Or Office? What about Sprint? What about Verizon?  What about Playstation? What about XBox? What about Slingbox? What about Blackberry? What about Directv? What about Quicken?  What about Dell?

Is there something missing from the 3 categories (fear, hope, love)? Interestingly, many of our posts are about complaints concerning the gadgets or services we use. Might there be another category called “Necessity” for why we buy and use certain gadgets (or continue to use certain gadgets and services while we face constant problems)?

Are Mac People Just Different than PC People? December 19, 2007

Posted by Fast Follower in Mac, PC.
11 comments

That’s a question that’s been asked over on Silicon Alley Insider.  What led to the question is a study which shows that Mac people buy more music from iTunes than PC people.  The simple explanation (and probably correct explanation) is since iTunes comes pre-loaded on Macs, it’s just easier to start buying music on preinstalled iTunes using a Mac.  However, the post ends with the fundamental question asked: Are Mac owners different than the PC owners?  Well, are they?

This is What Happened to Me November 20, 2007

Posted by Fast Follower in Mac, PC.
2 comments

I couldn’t have created a better parody myself.

Is There a Mac in the House? November 10, 2007

Posted by Fast Follower in Apple, Mac.
2 comments

Yep, there is.  As of today, I’m now 100% Mac in my household.

Is Phil Mickelson the Best? October 31, 2007

Posted by Fast Follower in Apple, Mac, Windows.
6 comments

Until Tiger Woods came along, most experts thought Phil Mickelson was either the best, or soon to be the best golfer on the planet. What happened?  Tiger Woods came along.

Over on Silicon Valley Insider, they describe how Apple’s Macbook “came along” to redefine the power of what’s possible in a laptop. Just like with Phil and Tiger, if you’ve never used a Mac, then you think the PC is pretty good.

TI, you’re stuck in the “Phil syndrome.” You think those Windows powered PCs you use are the best.  When if fact, they’re just Phil Mickelson.  They’re very good, but they’re not the best.

How to Run Windows on Your Mac August 24, 2007

Posted by Fast Follower in Apple, Boot Camp, Fusion, Mac, Parallels, Windows.
1 comment so far

PTIer’s.  As you know, I’m now solidly a Mac guy.  For years, I debated with myself (and TI) the virtues of Mac versus Windows.  I can say with confidence that my Macbook Pro is the best computer hardware, software and operating system purchase ever for me.  For many of you who use Windows specific software, you probably want to know about running Windows apps on the newer Mac machines with the Intel processor.  For me this was an important capability of my Mac as well.  I’m not one of these Mac guys who say “why buy a Mac only to run Windows on it.”  There are some apps that are better in Windows, or don’t exist for Mac.  For me it’s Quicken.

 Walt Mossberg has a good video about how to run Windows on your Mac on his site.  Check it out here.

Fusion and Virtual Windows on a Mac August 7, 2007

Posted by Fast Follower in Apple, Fusion, Mac, Windows.
7 comments

I’m sitting here on my Macbook Pro writing this post using Apple’s Safari browser while Windows is booted at the same time in another window running Quicken. I’m using a new piece of software called Fusion. It’s similar to Parallels, but according to Walt Mossberg, it doesn’t put as much strain on your Mac. Life is great. I’m getting all of the simple benefits of using a Mac for 95% of my computing life, while I can still use Windows for a handful applications that work better for me in the Windows environment.

Shhh! Don’t tell TI. He’ll think I’ve been swayed by the Apple advertising.