Apple vs. The World

Apple Vs. The World

Generally speaking, there are two types of techs out there: those who love, breathe and bleed Apple and those who despise Apple with every fiber of their being. Admittedly, I fall into the latter category, but my years attending the UF MBA program gifted me with an unique perspective that many techs do not have. I may not like Apple products, but I respect the company in all its glory.

I could blather on about why I don’t like Apple, but the debates of Apple vs. PC and iOS vs Android will rage on for centuries with no clear-cut winner. It’s akin to philosophizing which came first, the chicken or the egg. So no, I won’t get into that. However, I would like to share my thoughts on why Apple is successful and why techs, like myself, choose otherwise.

Apple prides itself on delivering high-quality products for a premium price, and that’s pretty admirable, in my eyes. The company doesn’t settle on selling you a “cheap” iPhone, and it will never compromise on price just to gain market share. “[Apple] believes a high-quality buying experience with knowledgeable salespersons who can convey the value of the Company’s products and services greatly enhances its ability to attract and retain customers.” That’s straight from the company’s 2013 financial statements. And guess what? It’s true. When you buy an Apple product, you know exactly what you’re getting: a high-quality item. I mean, it better be good for that price, right?

You were waiting for me to say that’s wrong, weren’t you? I do not deny that Apple’s products are made from good quality materials. A typical Macbook costs around $2,000 and for that price, you get what you pay. Apple users do not have much room for complaint, except maybe for the price. There are times, though, that an Apple user makes the switch to the PC or to an Android phone for whatever reason. Do you know what a majority of these Apple users do, though? After spending so much for a premium notebook or smartphone from Apple, they go and buy the cheapest PC or Android phone they can find. Then they complain how unstable Windows is or how frustrated they are working with Android.

Do you know why that happens? Because they bought something cheap! It is not fair to compare a $2,000 Macbook to a $400 PC laptop. The same goes for an iPhone versus a $50 Android phone. You cannot compare them fairly. That Windows laptop is really slow and crashes when you try to open too many windows? I agree with you, that laptop sucks! Every Apple product is created equal, not every PC is, though.

With that said, I would like to get to my main point. PC manufacturers do actually make premium products, like Apple, and those premium products are usually a fraction of the cost of Apple’s. Better yet, not only are they cheaper, but they are typically higher-performing and faster than what Apple builds. Unfortunately, the masses do not know this and cannot know this unless they understand the specifications of these products. This is why Apple is successful. People who buy Apple pay that extra money so they don’t have to understand this. If you go to Apple’s website and look up the “technical specifications” of one of their products, it’s loaded with marketing-lingo that means absolutely nothing to a tech. A tech doesn’t care how many hours of music you can listen to on your iPhone; a tech cares about the size of the battery in regards to milliamps. However, these marketing gimmicks are what sell products, and Apple knows this and uses them to its advantage.

I, and others like me, know better than to buy a product that hides its true specifications under the guise of marketing tricks, and it’s a big reason I do not buy Apple. The other reason being I am fairly confident my two-year old gaming PC laptop can outperform just about any new Macbook Pro. Just sayin’.

-Melissa Lira Oehl

Stay tuned for another article comparing the latest Macbook Pro to ASUS’ top-of-the-line gaming laptop!