Shh... the "pommes" are listening!

I'll admit it. I'm a switcher, and I don't regret making the switch. I was the stereotypical programmer who believed that Macs were all style and no substance. And, I think what finally convinced me to take a closer look whas when I saw bit of sleight of hand. I had clicked some option, the computer responded and I couldn't see immediately how the screen had changed. Usually a new window pops on screen, shouting its arrival to the world. But not here. The effect was subtle, effective and beautiful. Since then, it's been a positive experience all around. With one possible exception. I've noticed that Mac fans tend to be obsessed with rumors.

They're incessant. They're everywhere. And they seemingly go on and on. On the one hand, it's interesting and strangely addictive. But, on the other hand, they can become tiresome, mostly because I've been down this road before.

Back in the day, I was an Amiga fan, and (this will date me) the Amiga 2000 was my 2nd computer (the Commodore 64 being the 1st). Ahhh... the Amiga... It was beautiful graphics and sound, ran more than one program nicely at the same (called multitasking) and did video and videogames like nothing else at the time. I tried to convince everyone that they should get one, and that the way Commodore did things was just better. And, to tell you the truth, when compared it to what else was available at the time, it was a lot better. :)

But, I have learned that being better doesn't necessarily translate into sales. Just being better couldn't save Commodore because they never found a way to achieve the repeat sales they needed to keep going. It seems you always have to be prepared to unveil the 'next big thing' when the time is right.

The movie / documentary "The Pirates of Silicon Valley" delves into the intense competition in the industry. The film illustrates the feud between Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Steve Jobs (Apple). In the final scene, Jobs confronts Gates (who has just saved Apple with a huge infusion of cash), insisting that the Mac is better. Bill retorts that Jobs just doesn't get it - and that his software is on nearly every computer out there. According to the film, these two mavens (or moguls?) have different definitions of success: Jobs is about the quality of the experience, and Gates is about numbers. Jobs' set out to create a computing experience that is artful, delightful, fun and almost invisible. Gates' set out to get Windows on every device imaginable.

Both achieved their goals. And, the general consensus seems to be that the world is a better place because of Apple, and that the world is a more dangerous place because of Microsoft Windows.

Maybe that's why Apple has spawned such loyal consumers. Based on the kinds of sales numbers Apple is reporting, they have achieved the kind of success that should help them avoid the fate of Commodore, while providing the kind of computing experience that continues to inspire passion in Mac users.

Since Apple attracts the "creative" people, I guess its natural that these people would be eager to dream about the next new thing Apple will unveil. The many rumor sites are a natural outgrowth of this passion.

And I'll probably keep eagerly reading them.