Apple: Computers for Luddites...Rich Luddites

...because it sounds nicer than "Dummies."

I have an iPhone. I like it well enough. There have been a couple freezing episodes, and in terms of productivity software they are crap compared with other smart phones, but it's an mp3 player, ok camera and phone together, plus the downloadable apps are sometimes fun. It is also very pretty.

Apple computers are great for people who don't have a clue what they are doing when it comes to computers. They are easy to use, trouble free devices. They are also very pretty.

If it was not for two things that they do, Apple would likely be the dominant home computer in this country (and maybe the world). The first was early on. They did not let others produce computers that would run MacOS. This is why, despite the advantage of being first and best for a decade or so, Microsoft, Intel et al. were able to push past and come to dominate to the extent that personal computer is now synonymous with a Microsoft OS system. The resulting market dominance means that new hardware developments and pretty much all software is available on PC's first...and for less.

Which leads us to the other thing Apple does: set prices way higher than comparable Microsoft systems. This has always been a bit of an issue to me as I want to buy the best computer that I can get for the money, and Apple has never been close. In fact, I build my own desktops and that has not been possible if you wanted an Apple...I think this is no longer the case, but it is still much easier to build a PC than it is a Mac.

The security and stability issue is real: people writing viruses and worms want to have as many computers as possible pick it up, so they target Microsoft OS rather than Mac. This has actually lead to Windows being the more secure system, but it is just attacked more often. Because many users do not use security features properly, there are plenty of PC's taken out by viruses, worms, and spyware. Because Mac's are not targeted and because they don't allow the user as much freedom to mess with settings (and cause problems), they are more secure.

Mac's really are good computers for people who just want basic internet and productivity function and don't ever want to fuss with things (most users), but they will never be as popular so long as they are ~1.5-2x+ the cost of a comparable PC. This will enshrine them as toys for people with money and without tech savvy. It's really a pretty narrow market. Value shoppers, bang-for-your-buck types, power gamers, and computer geeks (they may prefer Linux, but most have at least one Windows box...even if it's a switchable one) are all PC types, and they account for most of the market.