It's about the Average User

Today's Editors' Notes Weblog at MacWorld really highlights how technical writers and power users are often out of touch with the average user. Dell's site has probably picked up 5% in the past week with all the technical folks comparing the Mac mini stats to a low end Dell. Let's look at the facts. On the average, a bottom of the line Dell 2400 is less expensive that the entry level Mac mini. If price were the only factor for purchasing a lower priced Dell or Apple then the conversation would be over, but there's more to the story.

Software: From my experience, average users purchasing a low end desktop typically don't ask questions about software they'll need after their purchase. iLife '05, Mail, iCal and other Apple apps are 1) integrated 2) included and 3) excellent. Once a typical user buys an Apple most of their software needs are fulfilled. Windows users are subjected to a below average Outlook Express for mail and there's no Calendar application (better get your wallet open for Office). While the Windows Media Player has worthwhile features, the Microsoft/Dell software bundle experience is dull and lackluster. Try adding up all the money you would spend on the software extras included with a Dell and you'll see how expensive things get. When an average user buys the Mini mac there's little extra software needed. Average users like that.

Genius Bars: If you're close to an Apple store you can take advantage of the Apple Genius Bar. Face-to-face, the Genius' will review any problems or questions you have with an Apple product. You can't do that with Dell or Microsoft. How much is that worth to the average user? Average users like that. (granted you need to have an Apple store near you, but there's always US based phone support)

Virus/Spyware/OS bugs: I've been part of IT long enough to experience the endless nightmare of keeping up-to-date with Windows viruses, spyware and OS bugs. Those don't go away with a Mini mac, but users can feel much more at ease. The frequency and urgency of these issues is minimal. Average users like that.

journalist, power users and technical pundits seem to get so lost in the technology they forget that sometimes there's more to a computer than just dollar value. To help articulate an Apple perspective you must get to know it and in the PC dominated world we live in that's unlikely. Average user: I'm thinking about you.

Apple Store Customer Service Experience

I live in the downtown Chicago area. My Apple store of choice is on Michigan Avenue. It's a beautiful store. The location is very typical of Apple's larger flagship stores. Consistently I've found the staff to be friendly and knowledgeable. I come at them with some pretty technical questions. Most of the staff can answer my questions. Even when there's a staff member that can't they quickly usher the support of another team member or politely refer me to the Genius Bar. It never bothers me if someone doesn't know the answer as long as I'm directed to how to get it. The staff has a great laid back appraoch that I think really works well with customers. Not all the staff receive an A, but most of the time their consistent.

Last week I was out in the Chicago suburbs. Apple has three Chicago suburban stores with representation at each major mall. I talked with two or three of the staff at the store and couldn't believe what a difference there was between this store and the downtown location. I observed staff not focusing on customers, freely talking about personal topics in front of the customer and having an ambivalent attitude. You might find this at non Apple stores, but compared to the location downtown it really stood out. Good thing I'm close to the downtown store.

Experience with Airport Express

My home wireless networking needs are pretty simple. I have a laptop and a computer in my toddler's room, which we use as a musical jukebox, that require wireless access. After three years, my Netgear wireless router finally died. I called Netgear and they, to my surprise, were willing to replace it at no cost. I was told it would take about a week before the new one would arrive. When the router died, my Apple desires kicked in. I thought this would be the perfect time to try out an Airport Express Base Station with AirTunes. While the Airport Express has many benefits, I was most interested in the size which is about 25% of my Netgear router. I didn't really have a need to take advantage of the remote iTune features or the USB printer sharing though I recognize the value of those features. Compared to a regular wireless router from Netgear or Linksys, an Airport Express is considerably more. After deciding to suck up the cost I decided to purchase the Airport Express. After getting home I anxiously opened up the box eager to setup the new device. From the instructions it seemed pretty simple. From my experience with multiple wireless products I figured it would take no time to setup. Of course this was an Apple product so how hard could it be. I was able to immediately connect to the Airport Express with my laptop. However, during the setup process I couldn't connect to my ISP despite multiple attempts. Worst of all, every time I configured my DSL settings my laptop lost connection. At the Apple web site I found a firmware upgrade note that described my problem. After installing the upgrade successfully I still had the same problem. Setting this thing up was taking too long. It was much more time than I would have thought. How much easier would this have been on a Mac? Once I hit the point of frustration I started looking at my free Netgear replacement. Then I took one more link at my $129 Airport Express. The Netgear replacement won. The Airport Express is a great product, but for some reason I just couldn't get mine to work. Even attempts at providing hard resets failed. I didn't bother to call Apple support or to replace the unit. I wasn't quite sure I was going to keep it when I purchased it, but after having some of the issues I threw in the towel. My Apple desire turned into Apple disappointment. That doesn't happen very often!

Thoughts on Mac mini

The release of the Mac mini is one of the exciting moments in Apple history. It's the day when Apple officially announced to Windows folks, "seriously...here's your chance to check us out". I can't tell you how many times I've heard PC users say, "I don't want to buy a Mac because I already have a monitor." The eMac and iMac lines have long provided included monitors which lock perspective buyers into a monitor configuration they can't distance themselves from. However, the Mac mini really provides the flexibility that PC users need to look to switching. And will some PC users switch because of this Mac? Absolutely. They will love knowing that they can take the keyboard, mouse and monitor they already own and just plug it right in. They will love the size and how cute and compact it is. Consumers will love the value of getting iLife '05 with such an inexpensive PC. So what are the shortcomings? The question is, can Apple provide the user experience they want on the Mac mini. Will the Mac mini users become frustrated when they realize their 256 megs of memory not be enough? Will users who want to download lots of music find that their 40 gig drive has filled up? Don't let the $499 fool you. By the time users add another 40 gigs of memory, upgrade to 512 megs of RAM and purchase an Apple Care package we've now gone up to the mid $750s. That price point alone is still very exciting for a quality Apple product. Sales will not be immediate, but with millions of potential switchers this might be the catalyst to tip them towards a Mac.

Thoughts on iPod shuffle

To display or not display...that is the question. Apple's new iPod shuffle is a flash memory device in a very crowded field. With well known and respected manufacturers like iriver the flash device field as serious competition. It makes sense for Apple to get in this area. With the release of the shuffle, Apple can leverage the iPod name as well as building the Apple brand. The device is small and sleek with a nice clean look. The device is extremely easy to carry in a pant pocket and is bulge free! As I started with, the shuffle is without a display. How will this play out? I like to know the name of a band or a song when I hear it on my iPod. I can only imagine shuffle devices not being purchased because of the lack of display. The device is most certainly a niche product. It's ability to plug right in to a USB drive is great. Time will tell how many times after installing and removing the shuffle from a USB port will it take a leave some scratch marks on that nice, white and clean exterior. Wow factor is average on this one. Count on the iPod hard drive products to drive volume.

Thoughts on iLife '05

It wasn't until iLife '04 that I thought much of the package. iLife '05 continues to build upon the strength of '04 with greater enhancements and functionality. What continues to make iLife so compelling is that 1) it's included with the eMac, iMac and the future Mac mini and 2) it's totally integrated. PC users are really out of touch with how much they end up paying for various types of software just to match what iLife provides. Consumers today buy PCs and then have to hunt down programs to manager their photos, music (OK...Windows Media Player comes with XP) and videos. Those programs are not always the best and they are not integrated. iLife '05 is a winner.

Thoughts on iWork '05

Is it me or does it feel like something is missing from iWork '05? I see a presentation program and I see a word processor but where is the spreadsheet program? iWork's retail price is $79 and is a fair price for it's offerings, but really falls short as a package. iWork doesn't seem to live up to the stature of a iLife type package. The price is positioned, most likely, to products like Microsoft's Office for Mac. The benefits of integration with the iLife suite as well as Spotlight (coming with Tiger) make it a compelling choice for those who have basic producitivty needs. This package should please those who look to Apple for their solutions. OpenOffice can fill the spreadsheet gap.

Getting The Word Out

My friends and work colleagues know my love for Apple products. I wanted to use this blog as an opportunity to share my own thoughts on Apple products with others. I like talking abouut all things technical and wanted a space to share my thoughts with others. So here we go!