> Sometimes comparing technology feature by feature isn't
> enough. Personal preferences are important whether
> they're based on specs or price or the shocking pink
> case, or all three. Old tech--new tech, doesn't matter as
> long as it gets the desired result--or close to it.
Absolutely. I wouldn't argue that for a second.
My real problem here was that the Apple fans refused to even -consider- a
feature by feature comparison. Zune is an MS product; it isn't a Touch;
Q.E.D. Anyone who buys a Zune is an idiot.
Not a single one of them could suck it up and say "Yes, MixView does look
better than Genius" or "That thing with being able to identify and download
songs you heard on FM really is kinda nifty" or "The full wifi capability
looks like a nice enhancement, and I'm impressed that MS added it to all of
the models, even the oldest, for free."
Instead, we get snide remarks: anyone who listens to radio is not really
into music because broadcast playlists are crap; anyone who uses a music
subscription service is dumb; buying music while driving should be illegal
(I still haven't figured that one out); and my personal favorite, "you are
just nuts".
This is what so often passes for unbiased commentary and advice here. It's
disrespectful to the list members, and it does a disservice, especially to
the newer ones who may not understand the dynamic here. I'll bring it up
whenever I see it, no matter how mad it makes certain people.
I wouldn't buy a Zune. It doesn't have the features I want. That doesn't
matter. I'm not the buyer. You are. The main difference is that some
technology works well with multiple systems, but others don't work with
what I have/want. I work alone. I don't have time to fix things, but I
know how. If what I have works well, then I'll get more of the same. If
another technology takes much longer to do the same task, I avoid it. We
may be doing different things, but it's a worthy goal to seek the
technology that's the most elegant for the best price--that includes
gamers, especially gamers on a budget. Used to be called "appropriate
technology."
I don't think you take into consideration that many Mac users are also
PC users. We are in the unique position to be familiar with the good and
bad of both. We're not speaking from a position of ignorance, but often
out of frustration with technology that doesn't work well--and there's a
lot. We like Macs because they do what we need better than the Windows
PCs. That doesn't mean you're an idiot for not getting a Mac if Windows
works for you. However, if you're comfortably familiar only with Windows
and not Macs, the table turns and it's the Windows users that are
biased, not the Mac users. Works both ways.
Case in point: Took about 15 minutes to back up my iPod, reformat it and
restore the files, using my MacBook. Took well over an hour to do
exactly the same task on my husband's HP notebook; some videos didn't
transfer and I had to use the MacBook to restore the original videos
from my library to his iPod.
Case 2: My son majored in physics. He used Mathematica after dumping
Matlab. Although he owns an iLamp, versions of Mathematica run on any
computer he needs to use. Operating system for either program is
irrelevant since both work well on multiple systems.
YMMV
Betty
---
Reality is that which, once you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
-- Philip K. Dick
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