In the name of journalistic integrity, I should declare my allegiances: I'm a Mac girl. A recently converted one, though. Looking around Baker Berry, it is obvious that not everyone has been enlightened about the superiority of Macintosh, since most of us continue to hold our inborn biases. Being raised on computer games, IM, Google and eBay, most of us grew up in Mac or PC families and, before arriving at Dartmouth, never questioned our computer preferences. However, what if it's all been a lie?
I remember stepping onto Dartmouth soil and being shocked by the number of people proudly carrying Macs -- where I come from, people don't flaunt Macs. They hide them in dark corners of the room and only use them when no one's looking. But I'm from Pennsylvania. Weird stuff happens in Pennsylvania.
Never before had I seen such an abundance of Macs, yet of course, I stayed true to my PC heritage (the old me was convinced that Mac users were nerds with a capital "N"). It was only a matter of time, however, before those sleek, clean lines caught my eye as classmates next to me shifted effortlessly though various windows with the click of a button or played with "widgets." Such animation and state-of-the-art design was foreign to me and as I glanced back to my clunky, dark and archaic Dell, jealousy coursed through my veins. I managed to console myself with the knowledge that Macs were weird and hard to use, and that no self-respecting Dartmouth student would use a computer without Windows. Puh-lease.
With the recent announcement that Macs will run Windows, the Apple world is shocked and rather dismayed that Mac would buy into the conformity its users so proudly fight against. Those Dartmouth students that pretend to be Mac users by putting Apple stickers over those obscene Dell circles are jumping for joy. Those posers who are "just waiting for my Dell to die, so I can buy a Mac" can be happy with themselves too; now you can join the Mac family without having to change your ways. Sad.
Despite recent changes (betrayals?), Apple still has its supporters/fans/legions of obsessed users.
"For myself, I would use a Mac no question -- no viruses, little, cute, etc. That being said, I'm not so sure I would date a guy who used one," Leah Ansel '08 said.
Thanks Leah for your honesty, for it raises a number of the stereotypes and biases surrounding the Mac vs. PC battle. Who knew that so many social implications could arise from the type of machine one ports on their lap?
It was around the time that my Dell crashed for the second time, and I was standing in line at the Dartmouth Computer Help Desk being either ridiculed or congratulated (I couldn't tell ...) for having the most viruses at one time on my poor laptop. I smiled as if I understood everything they had told me about that piece of s*#! and then proceeded to type an e-mail home calmly explaining everything until the "C" key popped off and almost hit me in the eye (not really, but it did pop off). Anyway, I threw the key, shut my Dell and haven't opened it again.
I have been a proud Mac user for almost seven months. Katherine Gorman '08 found herself in a similar situation last year: "I didn't want to get [a Mac] at first, because I had used PCs my entire life. But my ex-boyfriend was like 'You're getting a Mac, they're better.' So since I'm a tool, I did, and after like a week, I had never been happier." What a beautiful story.
Speaking of beauty, appearance is another major draw for Mac users (artists have standards, you know?).There's also the stereotype of Macs as being for "artsy" people, which, while relevant in some respects since Macs have many very useful programs for art and editing, is also highly irrelevant. (Exhibit A: me. While I love art, the last thing I've drawn has been with crayons on the tablecloth at Molly's, and it was ridiculed).
So what exactly is holding so many PC users back in fear? Jenna Sherman '08 for one, is sticking with her Dell as a matter of simplicity and habit: "I like that at the bottom of a PC screen it is very easy to open which program you want, unlike the Mac in which I am always confused about what programs are opened."
She adds, "Also, you cannot right click on Macs." This is apparently a big deal for most PC users and advocates (but any real Mac aficionado knows that the "crtl" key works the same magic as the right click and the Mighty Mouse makes the right click seem pre-'90s -- archaic for the world of computers).
Diana Kirschner '06 presents another interesting view on the campus Mac vs. PC dilemma: "I prefer a Mac -- personally, I find them much easier to use. I would never own a non-Macintosh computer. Which would bring me back to reason number one for having a Mac in the first place ... they are supposed to be easier to use for the computer illiterate like myself."
On a more hygienic note, Kirschner adds, "Besides, the white Mac keyboards get really dirty easily and are gross to look at and think about the number of people who just coughed on their hands and picked their noses then proceeded to type on the public keyboard. The same thing does apply to the Dells' black keyboards I suppose, but the white seems to scream 'I'm full of germs.'" I may never use a blitz terminal again, then again those of us with laptops that weigh less than a pile of bricks (oh, hi, Dells), don't need to use those germ-encrusted blitz terminals as much.
Kirchner raises an interesting question. If Macs are meant to be computers for the computer-illiterate, why do so many people blame confusion and difficulty as their reasons for not using them? One reason is the lack of a "right-click," which after a brief adjustment period, is outdone tenfold by such buttons as F9, F10, and F11 -- just ask any Mac user. These buttons allow for effortless clearing of the screen, or the organizing and shifting of windows. They're basically the buttons to end all buttons, and I'd sacrifice a "right-click" for them any day.
It seems that Mac users are truly Mac lovers, whereas most PC users are simply PC-by-habit people. I have never come across an unenthusiastic Mac user, yet most PC-users are simply accustomed to Windows, and anything that doesn't have a MyComputer component is intimidating.
For some, like Anna Thompson '08, crossing over to a silver or white tinted laptop is only a matter of time: "I want my Dell to break, so I can get a Mac, and it probably will because it sucks." That's the spirit!
Until, we are one united Mac/PC world (obviously everyone will come over to the cooler, Mac side). I'll stick with my glowing Apple icon. Keep your dumb Dell circle.
