So Apple reports a bad quarter. Big deal. In the bizarro world of stocks and investing, a failure to live up to projections is worse than an actual downturn of sales. But in the real world, a Macintosh is sold every four seconds, not counting used machines traded as people upgrade. There are over 20 million working (and playing) Macs in the world, and they are not going away. Plus, the development of the MacOS for the next decade is already underway. (All right, an Intel-style box is sold every half second, but that's still a lot of Macs for an allegedly "failed" platform.) Most significant is the fact that during the 3rd quarter, smack in the middle of the meghyped Win95 rollout, Apple increased market share and sold more units than any other manufacturer. Can you say "Rodney Dangerfield"? I knew you could.
There are a lot of problems, granted. Apple lost over a billion dollars in sales because of their inability to forecast demand, and the system folder is becoming a cesspool of bizarre and obscure extensions, panels, preferences files, ObjLib documents and dictionaries. Most of this is as confusing to the new Macker as the Wintel-equivalent files; something has to be done. But these are really nothing worse than pimples, infected pustules and genital warts on a basically healthy body.
The pundits would disagree, but the Mac is not another Beta. It will continue to offer the best technologies for Microsoft to steal for years to come. "Steal," by the way, is the correct word. Last year they were caught incorporating code from QuickTime in their OS that they hadn't licensed; they were so sloppy they didn't even remove the "Copyright Apple Computer" from it. It's not known what they had to pay for that little gaffe, but as Doonesbury noted in a recent strip, "This product supported by 3,000 lawyers."
Why would anyone want to support the Microsoft hegemony, on principle?
Voice Recognition
Reader Glenn Laubaugh <glennl@up.edu> wrote in to ask about Code Warrior: Is it worth the price, and can applications written under it be ported to Win95? I haven't the foggiest. I'm not a programmer, just a hacker/user and so I throw the question to the readers. If you know things about Code Warrior that the rest of us would be interested in hearing about, write to me and also submit it as a Letter to the Editor.
He also wanted to know about voice recognition. Is it worth upgrading to an A/V PowerMac to use it? Can it take dictation?
No, and no.
There are other reasons to get the A/V unit, especially if you play a lot of CD-ROMs or want to develop animation or interactive material, but think of voice recognition as a controller technology for the handicapped. It can't understand streaming vocals (the way we talk) and it is far too much trouble to Speak. A. Word. At. A. Time. so it can understand clearly. But for commanding menus and launching AppleScripts, it works quite well. If you cannot use your hands, voice recognition will be quite important. For the rest of us, it's an interesting but barely useful feature, like the handwriting recognition on the first Newtons. (Note: the 10/30 MacWeek says the Newton OS 2.0 is flawless, tight and quick. They advise immediate upgrade to anyone with a Model 120, and recommend purchase to anyone who has been waiting for the bugs to be fixed.)
If you are concerned about Mouse Elbow, or other forms of Repetitive Stress Syndrome, I can offer a couple of suggestions from experience. First, switch hands. Put the mouse on the left side and learn to use it. It takes a few days before it feels comfortable and natural. I always train new users to start mousing with their left hand, especially if they are right-handed.
To grossly oversimplify, the right hemisphere of your brain drives the left hand, and that hemisphere deals with spatial relations. What are you doing when mousing if not moving objects in space? The left brain, on the other hand (pun intended) deals more with language and typing. Result: you feel it less intrusive to leave the keyboard for a mouse action, and wind up making more use of both hands, which reduces the stress of depending solely on your right. Also, get an Apple Ergonomic Mouse or similar unit if you are currently using one of the older mice. Its design is excellent in mitigating against mouse elbow. Consider adding a second ADB device, like a trackball or touch pad, to divvy up the mouse duties. And see a chiropractor. I had my severe case of mouse elbow cured by chiropractic manipulation, and making these changes kept it from recurring.
Local Vendors
I have been repeatedly asked, what about local vendors? Who is good, and who should one avoid? Well, at risk of having my windows pelted with lawyers, here are my recommendations and reasons behind them.
Alpha Computer: Stay far away. If you have to walk past the store, cover your face and shield your eyes. Awful in the strongest possible sense of the word. I have talked to many clients and all agree that their experience with Alpha is uniformly negative. They say salespeople know nothing about Macs, the prices are not competitive, the tech support is nonexistent, save for the minimum required by Apple for its dealers. Out of all my clients, only one has ever said that they liked dealing with Alpha, and it was a one-time experience three years ago. My own direct experience is limited; I know that the staffers on duty when I have gone in are not Mac-literate and are dependent on the internal database for everything. I also saw that a couple of cheap Quadra 605 systems on sale came with very low-quality monitors. Up side: They refer people to PMUG.
Computer City: Poor to fair selection of hardware, but good prices on what they do have; a few knowledgeable people on staff that you should look for when you go in (ask for the Macintosh expert -- there is usually one of the three around at any given time). Good return policy -- when my Zip drive died after 7 months they just swapped it for a new one. Fair to good selection of software. Both CC and Incredible Universe are owned by Tandy; sometimes you can find a good price on a Performa at IU, so check them out as a possible option too.
The Computer Store (near Lloyd Center): This place makes their living from corporate clients, and service to walk-in individuals is fair to awful; one client I brought in who was ready to spend $6,000 was ignored for so long we gave up and went to Computer City. Some salespeople know more than others; product line is 90% Macintosh-related. Sometimes nobody knows what prices are so you get different answers. I got a GV Platinum modem from them for $223, after protesting an initial quote of $249. When I got in I was told $239 and they had no record of my call. But they gave it to me for the $223 which was lower than any mail-order house. Be prepared to deal. They have the best service department in town for Apple-warranty work; very high prices otherwise. Repair service is quick and they go out of their way to take care of you. Fair selection of software; all the major apps in stock. They also sell high-end peripherals for video or pre-print professionals.
March 1996 addendum: The place is doing MUCH better. They have a large selection of software and prices are within 10% of mail order. The customer service for walk-ins has vastly improved and they have a lot of Macs on hand, including some discounted models. I now recommend them as a place to always check with when shopping locally.
Egghead: (software only): They support Wintel, not Mac. Poor selection, high prices, clueless staff. Go in there only if you need something right now, and they happen to have it. Don't let them sell you Verbatim brand floppies; get Sony, TEAC, Maxell or KAO.
Right Computer Co.: That is their local name; nationally they advertise as PowerMAX. Experience varies. I have two clients who don't want anything to do with them any more, but many others who are happy with the company. Prices match national mail-order but with local availability. They specialize in hardware/software packages; turnkey systems.
Costco, Magnolia Hi-Fi, Office Depot, Safeway, McDonalds and other outlets that just happen to carry a Mac model or two: After you know what you want, approximate price and availability, it can't hurt to check the ads from these places to see if they offer a worthwhile unit. Stranger things have happened...
Remember that these experiences are either mine or anecdotal; your mileage may vary. The one thing you cannot expect in this business is consistency or permanence.
All things considered, you are best off if you go for price and plan never to ask for help or tech support from any of them. Ever-tightening margins preclude a staff of competent tech supporters, and good salespeople seldom last because there are too many options that offer more money with fewer headaches. You get the best results if you do your research first, know what you want to use your machine for now and in the near future, and go in with a list of items and a general idea of what they cost. Always, always read the ads in back of the major Mac magazines to compare prices of new and recently-dropped models, and study reviews for the best third-party peripherals. Make notes. I always recommend Global Village modems, for instance, but the company's tech support, once the best in the industry, is now rated Poor by Macworld in the 12/95 issue. I still think they have the best fax software, but you cannot use it to fax documents from within Quark XPress. (The problem is Quark's, not GV's; faxing from PageMaker and other applications, even Microsoft's, works fine. There is a workaround, see Macking 11 for the details.)
What's a new user to do if the dealers are of limited help and you don't want to spend money on $50/hr consultants? Join your local Mac users group! If you have yet to buy your machine, you might find a good deal from someone within the group. Good deals on remaindered equipment can be had via the User Group Connection, too.
A computer is one of the most complex, most intricate machines ever made; don't feel bad if it doesn't instantly and intuitively do everything that you want. Be glad you don't have to struggle with an Intel/Windows box, and plan on committing 5-10 hours a month spending time with people who have already walked this road and can point out the oil slicks. Soon, you will be able to do the same for others. In this industry, everyone starts from the same place. Also, read everything you can, recognizing that much of it will be over your head initially but will make sense later. Also, as soon as possible, go on line and avail yourself of the information in Usenet groups, and software forums on pay services like AOL and CompuServe. Most users groups also maintain a list of members who are available for calls for help.
Some people, like author Clifford Stohl, think computers keep people apart, but I am convinced that they foster communication and bring people together who would otherwise not have any reason to speak to each other.
No Microsoft products were used in the production of this column.
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