[WinMac] Re: ASAP (WinMac Digest #215 - 02/02/99)

David McKnight(dmcknight[at]fleetwood.com)
Thu, 04 Feb 1999 07:57:07 -0800

> Where the iMac sucks is for home use, i.e the features that make it so good
> for corporate desktops (no floppy, = built-in 10/100 ethernet) make it lousy
> for home users.

I disagree on that point. I have both a PC and a Mac at home. I can't think of
the last time I used the floppy on either of them. I've asked a number of home
users on this point too. While anecdotal in content (better for a focus group
than for quantitative analysis admittedly), I've yet to run across anyone who
uses their floppy much at all. Most all software comes on CDs these days -- and
I can't even remember the last time I received a floppy as a direct mail piece.
All CDs.

Your *perception* may be that floppies are important to home users (regardless
of platform). They may be important to *you* at home. I just don't see it.
Apparently a bunch of other folks didn't see it either, since the iMac was the
#1 PC retailed in the fourth quarter last year (big home electronics Christmas
buying push). And sales through retail outlets are more often home users than
business users.

Again, based on an insignificant sample size to be very meaningful, I have yet
to run across *anyone* who has purchased an iMac for business (that's not to say
they couldn't work well there). The few people I know who purchased iMacs bought
them for home use. BTW, while not in widespread use as yet, the Ethernet
connection is ideal for anyone who wants to take advantage of a cable modem or
xDSL. We'll be seeing that becoming more and more common as competition between
cable and the telcos heats up and prices are forced to drop. More often than
not, this will benefit home users/telecommuters.

Frankly, I think the iMac stands to face a far *tougher* entry into the more
conservative corporate space -- "wild," non-conforming (not beige) looking, lack
of Mac support in IT (as seen on this list, even some corp. *intranets* with
so-called cross-platform web pages aren't built with cross-platform standards in
mind), not-sensational NT support of services for Macintosh. If Apple wants to
grab a bigger piece of the pie, *they* need to solve these problems -- not
expect their customers to figure out how to.

Admittedly, it's easier to work with PC files on a Mac than vice versa, but to
be big in business again, they need to go a lot further than that, and address
the issue of solving user problems. I use a Mac at work in a marketing
department of a Fortune 500 company. Our department is about 1/3 Macs and 2/3
PCs. And while the company used to be 100% Mac, we've migrated away over the
past few years.

I like NT (for the most part). I think Windows 2000 has the opportunity to be a
great product -- but read the trades, folks, IT has their hands full with Y2K
and other issues, and few companies are planning to make the jump when the
product comes out. That's a shame, because it will likely be the best Windows OS
for the average corp. user. Period. Apple had an opportunity to grab share with
the fumbled intro of W95. They missed the opportunity. It's going to be deja vu
with W2000. I like the Mac, but my take is they'll likely let this opportunity
go as well.

But then who knows? Who would have thought a year ago that Apple would have made
such a solid re-entry into the consumer channel? Still lots of weaknesses there,
though...

DAVID

David K. McKnight
Advertising & Public Relations Manager
Fleetwood RV
<mailto:dmcknight@fleetwood.com>

Fleetwood RV -- A Little of What Life's All About
See our web site at: <http://www.fleetwood.com>

Fleetwood is the World's Leading Provider
Of Recreational Vehicles & Manufactured Homes

P.O. Box 7638
Riverside, CA 92513-7638

2990 Myers Street
Riverside, CA 92503

(909) 351-3500

----------
>From: "The Windows-MacOS cooperation list" <winmac@xerxes.frit.utexas.edu>
>To: "The Windows-MacOS cooperation list" <winmac@xerxes.frit.utexas.edu>
>Subject: WinMac Digest #215 - 02/02/99
>Date: Tue, Feb 2, 1999, 11:00 AM
>

> Where the iMac sucks is for home use, i.e the features that make it so good
> for corporate desktops (no floppy, = built-in 10/100 ethernet) make it lousy
> for home users.

* Windows-MacOS Cooperation List *
* FAQ: <http://www.darryl.com/winmacfaq/> *
* Archives: <http://www.darryl.com/winmac/> *
* Subscribe: <mailto:winmac-on@xerxes.frit.utexas.edu> *
* Subscribe Digest: <mailto:winmac-digest@xerxes.frit.utexas.edu> *
* Unsubscribe: <mailto:winmac-off@xerxes.frit.utexas.edu> *

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b2 on Thu Feb 04 1999 - 08:22:42 PST