Yet Another Stupid Mac User Mind Reading Attempt!
August 11th, 2015There’s an assumption on the part of some people that Mac users are mindless dweebs, people who will loyally follow Apple Inc. over the edge of a cliff to prove their loyalty to the platform. Facts don’t matter to them, it’s claimed. So if Tim Cook says a new Mac feature is the bee’s knees, they must believe it because — well because…
Now if you’ve seen Mac users debate over the value of a particular feature, or why a feature is not included in OS X, not to mention the latest problems they’re having with their computers, you’ll see anything but conformity. But nothing matters when a media pundit has an agenda to advance. Besides, putting Apple or Mac or iPhone in the headlines is sure hit bait.
So that takes to a certain deluded blog commenting on six alleged Windows 10 features that “Mac users wish they had.”
Understand the blogger doesn’t actually mention any actual survey to demonstrate what features we want. That would get in the way of writing long passages of useless drivel.
So what are these supercalifragilisticexpialidocious features that we crave anyway, and why would we crave them? And if you’re wondering why I’m not linking to the article, stay with me. It’ll be obvious before long.
So the first alleged feature we must “crave” is a Universal app? What’s a universal app? Well, in Microsoft’s parlance, it’s an app that will work on a Windows PC, a tablet, or a smartphone using Windows 10. That way you only need one version of the app. This is part and parcel of Microsoft’s kitchen sink approach, where they decree that traditional PCs and mobile gear must be one.
Now a “Universal” app isn’t necessarily a unique concept. Some iOS apps are coded for both iPhone and iPad, and will support the platform on which they are installed. But here’s the dirty little secret that ill-informed blogger doesn’t grasp. If all the code is in one app, even code that you don’t need for your particular device, it takes up a lot more space. Now it’s reported that Microsoft’s app store will only provide the version you need for your gear when you download a copy, so you aren’t stuck with a fat app. But developers only have to build one.
So why do Mac users care? Well, they probably don’t.
The next feature we supposedly “crave” is the Cortana digital assistant. This is Microsoft’s answer to Siri and Google Now. It’s supposedly pretty good, though it’s questionable whether it really suits a desktop PC, particularly in an office setting where people stating their wishes aloud, and listening to Cortana’s responses, will only disturb their colleagues in the next cubicle.
Should Apple put Siri on a Mac? They can if they choose to do so, but I suspect they understand the potential hazards, particularly as they continue to expand Macs in the business world as the result of that IBM marketing deal.
Yet another feature we must “crave” is a Start menu. Now Microsoft has had a Start menu of one sort or another for 20 years. I suppose some Mac users might want one, but not many. This is something that a third-party could create if there was a demand. Indeed, the Windows 10 Start menu revision, which combines the traditional version with a collection of Windows 8-style live tiles, is actually being replaced by some PC users with third-party alternatives that are closer to Windows 7 setup. So it’s not exactly getting the love.
Unfortunately our unnamed blogger makes a lame effort to explain why Mac users are somehow deprived without a Start menu. It ends up that he doesn’t really grasp the purpose of such Mac features as the Finder, the Launchpad, or the seldom-used Dashboard, and the Dock isn’t even mentioned. Maybe he read something about Dashboard once, and it stuck in some deep and dark recess of his memory, though he doesn’t seem to have a clue what it is or why it’s not used much anymore.
One Windows 10 feature that might be useful is the ability to stream games from your Xbox. All right, if gaming is your bag, and it’s true the Mac hasn’t been the best gaming platform. But whether games should be streamed from another device is an unasked question for most.
The final wacky claim is that Apple’s Safari browser is “flirting with irrelevancy.” That’s just not so. Any webmaster who gets traffic from Mac users knows that it still dominates the platform. No doubt Google Chrome is the runner-up, and how does that justify the statement that Mac users “crave” Microsoft Edge?
To be fair, I think the Edge browser has a good start, although it doesn’t exactly soar ahead of the competition in terms of speed and rendering quality. It also lacks some features, such as extensions or add-ons, which will likely be added later. It has promise, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a Mac version, but to assume Safari isn’t favored on the Mac platform is sheer nonsense. There’s no support for the claim, so we have one more example of someone hoping, dreaming, but mostly making up stories to justify an unproven point.
The final item is about a feature Apple “borrowed” from the Windows platform for El Capitan, dubbed Split View. It’s similar to Snap, and allows you to pin two windows side by side. Windows 10 lets you do it with four Windows, which might be suited for a large display, but not so much for the typical 11-inch or 13-inch note-book. But why should Mac users crave something they are already getting?
Do I need to continue?
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I clicked on this link thinking what Windows 10 features would be appealing. Expecting insights and came away with “nothing to see here.” Glad that you put forth your thoughts on the article. I actually read more on the piece here. After reading the first bullet point with the absurd explanation, I skimmed the remaining five concluding that it was a stupid article.
I gotta admit, I read that yesterday and went–huwha!?!
Cortana is about the only thing that’s vaguely interesting–personally I love OS X’s speech controls. That’s one thing I would like to see Apple do–provide a way for applications to give information to Siri. If I’m doing a century bike ride, I’d love to able to ask Siri, “How much further to the next rest stop?” and, while Siri has no idea, my bike computer app has the route and Siri could ask my bike computer app that question and my bike computer app could give Siri the answer. There’s a whole API in Windows for registering words, statements, and such with Cortana which will be passed to your app.
The whole, “Is it appropriate for the office?” question? Well, as we move into the 21st Century, you’re seeing more headphones and such. So I don’t think it’s a huge deal–anymore than people talking on the phone.