So I have to address this Apple thing – AGAIN

victim commenter is Chris. Chris left a comment on my post contrasting the size and shape of Windows Phone devices and the new iPhone 5. Here’s what he or she had to say:

I have been coming to this site for quite some time in the hopes of getting information about upcoming Windows 8 news (ya know, like the name of the site would lead you to believe). But soon thereafter I started seeing the pro everything Apple theme. Normally I would just go somewhere else, since you can get that anywhere, but I was intrigued by why a site named windows8update would constantly either have articles about Apple products or talk down about Microsoft products and compare them to Apple products. I have to assume it is all about money. The site gets more hits when Apple is mentioned and hence, more Apple stuff. Couple that with the person doing this has an obvious love of Apple. You like to mention that you love tech and may the best tech win and that sort of thing, but what you don’t seem to realize is that everyone has a stronger pull towards certain things and I have never seen someone get entrenched and to some degree obsessed with a certain device and ecosystem and then have an unbiased opinion about other products. I will freely admit, I do not like Apple, their products, their ecosystem, how they market their products, how they run their presentations, pretty much how they do everything. Hence it would not make much sense for me to run an Apple website. People like different things. I like the look of the new Windows 8 phones by Nokia and HTC. I certainly prefer them over the Iphone. But at this point, that is irrelevant to its success. The majority of people think smartphone and Iphone mean the same thing. There is a small percentage that think there is only two players, Iphone and Samsung (they don’t really even know what Android is). The rest are people that follow these types of sites that know what is out there and try to make informed decisions (informed, not unbiased). The reason I will continue to support Windows Phone 8 is because I do not want to wake up one day and find that my only phone choice is an iphone. Where I get to send Apple a large chunk of my paycheck each month for their services because they have taken over every digital market there is and I am forced to join the rank and file or be an outlier scraping by with whatever is left out there. Reminds me of Demolition Man when all of the restaurants were Taco Bell! I do try to spread the love around. I bought a PS3 instead of an Xbox. I bought my kids Kindle Fire’s. I use Netflix and Amazon Prime. I like having choices. Apple is not a big fan of choice. Microsoft puts their products into other ecosystems as does Google. So they ditch Google Maps and offer their own mapping service, which is not nearly as good as the Google offering. They certainly didn’t do that for their users, as their offering is subpar in comparison. Sorry this went on so long, it has been building up for some time. I work for a global company and have had to deal with the constant chatter of people wanting to bring their idevice into the workplace, where there is no business need to do so, and it is frustrating. If there was a reason I wouldn’t mind. I was sitting in a meeting once and I asked please tell me what you need this idevice for and the only response I got was, “I want to play Angry Birds”. Computing has become so dumbed down that it makes me sad.

Fun Fun. Let’s address point by point.

I have been coming to this site for quite some time in the hopes of getting information about upcoming Windows 8 news — Find more comprehensive Windows 8 news elsewhere. Go ahead. I’ve tried. 🙂 I was intrigued by why a site named windows8update would constantly either have articles about Apple products or talk down about Microsoft products and compare them to Apple products. — Because I am interested in premium products and it’s silly to have a discussion of Microsoft products in a bubble. The 800 pound gorilla is Apple in the mobile phone space so do you want me to just say “ra ra Windows Phone”? I have to assume it is all about money. The site gets more hits when Apple is mentioned and hence, more Apple stuff. — Actually the opposite. The site gets less hits because most people like you don’t like Apple and don’t want to have an objective discussion about their products. Understandable but unfortunate. I guess that takes the money theory off the table. I have never seen someone get entrenched and to some degree obsessed with a certain device and ecosystem and then have an unbiased opinion about other products. — You should read the blog sometime – search for my full throated endorsement of Steve Ballmer etc I just try to be objective but I state all the time that I love and own Apple products. Should I hide that fact? I will freely admit, I do not like Apple, their products, their ecosystem, how they market their products, how they run their presentations, pretty much how they do everything. Hence it would not make much sense for me to run an Apple website. — True but in this case, I actually like Windows 8. I am looking for great phones, tablets, servers and associated products from Microsoft. I just am not a groupie. There is clearly a difference. I believe a true tech enthusiast can be objective and see all points of view. I like the Samsung ATIV phones and the way they look, I dont like Nokia. Welcome to America, i get to choose. The reason I will continue to support Windows Phone 8 is because I do not want to wake up one day and find that my only phone choice is an iphone. Where I get to send Apple a large chunk of my paycheck each month for their services because they have taken over every digital market there is and I am forced to join the rank and file or be an outlier scraping by with whatever is left out there. Reminds me of Demolition Man when all of the restaurants were Taco Bell! — Excellent point. Competition is healthy and I have said several time that if Microsoft can kick Apple’s ass, it will be GREAT for the marketplace. That’s different from saying that you will buy everything that’s not Apple because they are becoming too big. Dumb – buy what you like and let the marketplace fight for your dollar. I like having choices. Apple is not a big fan of choice. Microsoft puts their products into other ecosystems as does Google. — That is a valid criticism of Apple. they are too insular. Their response – buy something else if you don’t like it. So far, the market likes it. Sorry this went on so long, it has been building up for some time. I work for a global company and have had to deal with the constant chatter of people wanting to bring their idevice into the workplace, where there is no business need to do so, and it is frustrating. If there was a reason I wouldn’t mind. I was sitting in a meeting once and I asked please tell me what you need this idevice for and the only response I got was, “I want to play Angry Birds”. Computing has become so dumbed down that it makes me sad. — Yeah, I can see how that would be frustrating. People love Apple. Ideally, people should want to bring their Microsoft devices to work and by this time next year, they probably will.  🙂

Here’s the bottom line. I am technologically agnostic. I love whatever works best. I have a MacBook pro that I love but if Samsung or Dell or ASUS or Acer get off their asses and design a sleeker, cheaper Wndows 8 laptop/tablet hybrid, my Macbook Pro will be on Craigslist immediately. People are buying MacBook Pro’s because they look and feel beautiful and they work. Give them a viable alternative and people will buy that instead. People, you have to understand that Microsoft are smart. They didn’t sit around bitching about Apple and their success. They did something about it – it’s called the Windows 8 ecosystem. This is their response to Apple and Google. It’s unique, original and refreshing. It looks NOTHING like Apple and over the next year, consumers will make a choice. The entire industry will throw their advertising money and weight behind Windows 8 this coming year. Consumers will be the ones who dictate whether the “riskiest bet” was worth it. If it was worth it, history will look at Ballmer and Sinofsky as geniuses and revolutionaries who were able to see the future and successfully adapt. If not ….. The bottom line is I love this blog because of the free exchange of ideas. Good ones and bad ones. I don’t mind people who dislike Apple, just don’t ask me to write articles that pretend they don’t exist. Lots of other crap sites for that. 🙂 That’s off my chest. What say you?]]>