Engineer2Entrepreneur

Mac Mini Test Drive

Link: The Apple Store (U.S.).

Now this is probably the best marketing idea Apple has ever had. Not that this is new, this is a very old technique, but this is something that can really do wonders for Apple.

The thing is is that Macs don't make the best first impression because most people sort of know how to do things in Windows and the Mac just doesn't work that way.

However, if you work on a Mac for 2 weeks the way of doing things on a Mac makes going back to Windows is a letdown.

The best thing for me about my Macs are that I don't spend time thinking about them. They become just a tool, like a circular saw or car. Sure they need some maintenance from time to time, they are complex machines after all, but not all the time like the Windows machines I've had.

I think computers are great things but I just don't care to tinker with them all the time, I just want them to work.

A Mac just works.

HBS Working Knowledge: Technology: Behind Apple's Strategy: Be Second to Market

Link: HBS Working Knowledge: Technology: Behind Apple's Strategy: Be Second to Market.

Apple Computer's recent domination of the digital music environment provides a surprising example of the disadvantages of being first to market. The innovative computer company that has become a leading force in the music space appears to have built a core strength around figuring out how to succeed at being a deliberate and very smart second (or even third) to market.

Indeed, with such prominent early exceptions as the mouse and the graphical user interface, Apple has rarely succeeded because of an appreciable first-to-market advantage. NEC beat Apple to the notebook computer, and Rio and Eiger Labs both had MP3 players long before the iPod was ever introduced. Sony's ACID, Cakewalk's Pyro, and others offered desktop music-editing software before Apple ever released its option.

He spends most of the article talking about Garageband which is a very good product. But something I remember happening that just a few weeks after Garageband came out, still in that experimental time people give a new product, Howard Dean gave his infamous Dean scream. Suddenly there were not just jokes but dozens of Dean scream remixes all over the internet most done in Garageband. That was pure luck for Apple but every little bit helps.

There is a lot to be said for a Second to Market strategy. During the Dot Boom there was a lot of push towards being first to market but I never saw the utility of it, few companies that came up with something new succeeded. Usually the cost of development was so high it was unsustainable.

If you want to do something new in the market it seems much smarter to enter fast & cheap, not to spend too much on R&D and then copy yourself with the things that you learned to make it better, just like another second to market company. The R&D costs are sunk, so don't worry about them but you get that data faster then anyone else and use that to your advantage.

Windows Crashes HOW often...!?

Link: Magic Number: 30 Billion.

Sure this is mostly back of the envelope calculation but I can believe it is close to that number. I've never had a windows box that I haven't had to reboot daily to make work better.

No wonder I feel more productive on my Mac. I really am. A computer will usually crash at the most inopportune time, during flow time, and after all the restarting and getting back to where you were, 10 minutes to reboot and get all the applications and documents open again to where you were, 15 minutes to get back into flow and hopefully not get distracted by email or the web.

You've lost half an hour just to get back to where you were. With these kinds of losses even just once a day much less twice, you are having to run just to stay in place. The computer previous to my current PC was so bad I rebooted at lunch and turned it off at night to reduce the number of crashes to a manageable amount.

My current PC is pretty good but if often needs a reboot to see the network, though now it does only that. It completely ignores the Ethernet network for some reason though it shows the cable as connected, and can see the other computers it just doesn't connect for anything more.

What a waste.

I hate windows

You know I like using the best tool for the job, and so I use both Windows and Mac but this is getting ridiculous.

I have a WinXP and Mac OSX 10.3.9 box hooked together with Ethernet and WiFi, but getting them to talk together consistently is such a pain in the neck it is unbelievable.

After Win XP SP2 I had to tell the firewall that the ethernet network is local, not a big deal but it was annoying to find out where to make that change.

Now there has been another update and now the Mac can't see the Win at all, but the Win can see the Mac just fine, but only through WiFi, it completely ignores the Ethernet connection. So it only transfers at <11Mbps not at 100Mbps. Even turning off the firewall does nothing now. Frustration.

Okay not that big of a problem, but if I try copying some file or another that is not just right for Win it stops the whole copying process even though there is several gigs left to transfer. That is infuriating.

With Windows its always popping up dialog boxes telling you that it has successfully completed the task, like it is a surprise or something. And it if didn't work it just goes away. The Mac is completely the opposite, it's only a surprise when it doesn't work.

I met some guy the other week talking seriously about "the poor children being locked out of the workplace because they learned Macs." Schools can't afford Windows it costs to much to keep them running. The industry standard is something like 1 techie to every 20 windows and 1 techie to every 200 Macs. That is a big savings, plus not having to worry about viruses.

It blew his mind to learn that Macs have no, zero, zip, nada, viruses after 5 years for trying. There are something like 80,000 for Win and Longhorn/Vista was cracked in 6 hours. That guy got major bragging rights, don't you think that the first person to break Mac won't get the same, actually more since it has proven so durable.

I feel like I have to tinker with windows before it works, like maintaining an old VW Bug, always having to carry tools around and spending a couple of hours in the garage on the weekends to keep it running. I don't have time for this any more. I spent 5 years doing tech support at the university and it drove me nuts, and it hasn't changed much since then.

iPod Garage : iPod, iTunes, and Music : News, Commentary, and Reviews : Switch to the iPod Garage - So you wanna start podcasting, Part 2

Link: iPod Garage : iPod, iTunes, and Music : News, Commentary, and Reviews : Switch to the iPod Garage - So you wanna start podcasting, Part 2.

Part 2 of my How to podcast series.

Virtual Street Reality

Link: Virtual Street Reality.

Wow, these are incredible.