Timelord? That's me...

Having a great Christmas? I certainly am!

As well as getting a rather cool watch and a rather special fleece, I got a whole stack of games, DVDs, CDs and books.

Amongst the titles were none other than Unreal Tournament 3, Gears of War (for the PC, obviously), The Witcher, Lord of the Rings Online, Tabula Rasa and Blacksite.

Post on all will no doubt follow but initial plays suggest I'm in for a lot of fun... even Blacksite, which has had some rather poor reviews, seems pretty cool as long as you take it for what it is (a fun, arcade-shooter) and not what it could have been!

For the moment, I'll just have to work out exactly where I'm going to find the time to play all these, read all my books, watch my films and still manage to have some sort of life...

Dr Who has nothing on me!

Mac abusers

Before I get stuck into the meat of this post, I'd like to make things clear... I like Macs. In fact, I like all operating systems, because they all have a role to play. I've been an administrator for Macs, Unix (AIX and a whole host of other 'Nix systems), Windows, Real32 (multi-user DOS) and even Novell, to name the main contenders. I do, for the most part, have a preference for Windows... but that's because I like the flexibility Windows provides and the number of games available for it. If Apple Macs were a bit cheaper (because they ARE expensive for what you get) and ran all of my games without having to mess around installing Windows as well... I might consider getting one (although I do find it amusing that, for a system that promotes individuality, all the iMacs are identical). In truth, Id be more likely to go for a Linux-based system as a second choice because I like to have more control over what I can or can't do.

So... my question is this... why did Apple use the most sanctimonious, patronising muppet they could find to give the guided tour of their OS X Leopard? Are Mac users really like that? Do they really identify with this idiot?

"Hi, my name is John..."

If you've not yet seen the guided tour, I suggest heading over to www.Apple.com and taking a look. Despite being a Windows user, I keep an eye on the development of other systems, at the very least to keep me on top of my job. I could be hypocritical and slightly cynical and suggest the bulk of the selling points for the new version of OS X are rip-offs of Windows functions... some of them dating back to Windows 98 SE... but I'm not going to because the polish that Apple have added is difficult to ignore! I particularly liked the 'Time Machine' and the new iChat. Watching the video was, however, a very painful experience just simply because of the vacuous moron that had guiding you.

Maybe it's just me... or maybe it's because he's American (although I know plenty of other Americans that don't make me want to punch them in the face just by telling me their name). I think, in truth, it has more to do with the Mac user base...

That statement alone is likely to get me beaten up on the way home... but let me explain (while I still can). My experiences with Mac users, both at work and at home, has led me to the conclusion that there are two types of Mac user (I suspect the same is true for most systems): There are the people who use Macs, and then there are the Mac Users... and there is a very specific distinction.

The 'people who use Macs' are those that understand why they use a Mac. Whether it's for business or entertainment, they know why they are using a Mac over any other system... whether it's because they feel it is just easier to use, or they prefer the applications that come with it... what it is, they have a reason for using their Mac (and probably aren't particularly bothered that there are other systems because they are happy with what they have got). This is a good thing...

Then there are the 'Mac Users'. They are an entirely different breed... ones that would wear the 'fan boy' title with pride while still denying it. You've all seen them... post on any forum in the world that PCs are better than Macs (or camels are better than Macs... or anything else for that matter) and you'll find that several will start feverishly posting about how you are un-educated and know nothing of their superior operating system. You'll find them everywhere... arguing that Apple products are, quite obviously, superior to anything else in the world... even to the point of arguing about products that haven't even been released (just pick and forum post about the iPhone before it was released...). These are the people that don't actually care what they need... they'll use a Mac anyway, stubbornly ignoring how much harder it is.

So what is the purpose of this patronising video? It can't be for the Fan Boys... they'll already have their copies because they'll have pre-ordered it as soon as it was announced, so you won't be selling it to them. And the smarmy idiot in the video is hardly going to appeal to the users of Macs because they'll be more interested in just finding out about the new features and how they can make their life a bit easier. So the only conclusion can be that the video is to sell their new OS to non-Mac users... but what sort of user are they looking for?

Watch the video, form your own conclusions... I'm off to play Crysis for a while, or one of the many other PC only games I own ;-)