What do Macs and Islam have in common?

[de2]

a very interesting article.

an excerpt:

"What do Macs and Islam have in common?" Hasan writes, "Macs are seen as toys, not serious computers for serious people. [...] The choice to use a Mac or to be Muslim in today's world is not easily understood. In a world where the vast majority of computers are PC, where Islam is perceived as the enemy, why would someone choose to be a Mac user or a Muslim? [...] As every Mac user knows, suggesting a Mac product to a PC-using friend may end the friendship. I'd feel more comfortable encouraging a Christian friend to learn more about Islam [...] it's always open season on Macs."

read more here - > http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/05/23/CMG8S5TM1B1.DTL

[vicicasas]

Originally posted by de2As every Mac user knows, suggesting a Mac product to a PC-using friend may end the friendship. I'd feel more comfortable encouraging a Christian friend to learn more about Islam

Actually, I believe it's the other way around. More than ever, I see more PC users open to the idea of switching to Macintosh. But try getting any diehard Mac user to embrace Windows ... no way, bro.

[El CaMOTe]

Yeah, I just read this today. Very Interesting !!!

And I thought the "C" in MAC stands for Catholic and Christian, and now we have the "M" being co-opted by the Moslems. Well anyway, still the same One God, the God of Abraham that they invoke soooo....

Allahu IESU !!

[de2]

Originally posted by vicicasas

Originally posted by de2As every Mac user knows, suggesting a Mac product to a PC-using friend may end the friendship. I'd feel more comfortable encouraging a Christian friend to learn more about Islam

Actually, I believe it's the other way around. More than ever, I see more PC users open to the idea of switching to Macintosh. But try getting any diehard Mac user to embrace Windows ... no way, bro.

if that is the case - then why was the Switch campaign a failure?

[gonz]

Originally posted by de2
"What do Macs and Islam have in common?"

This reminds me that Umberto Eco, author of the incredible novel The Name of the Rose, wrote an essay in 1994 in which he playfully asserted that he was "firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant."

[fatal]

Interesting read, although im not so computer savvy so i couldn't relate to the comparison of Mac (or any computer for that matter) and Islam... what drove me to buy my mac is the iMovie and iDVD but im very happy with it of course. Mac forever now.

Anyway a little trivia on the some similarities of Christianity and Islam:
Jesus (to Muslims) is Isa
Abraham is Ibrahim
Moses is Musa
The Angel Gabriel is Jibrail
Noah is Noah

So the people you read in the bible are also told of in the Qur'an.

[deebeedee]

Yet another "marginalized" group identifies with the Macintosh. I've read communists, African-Americans, evangelicals, etc. comparing themselves to the underdog platform. It's the whole "think different" thing, I suppose.

[Edited on 5-25-2004 by deebeedee]

[gonz]

Originally posted by de2
if that is the case - then why was the Switch campaign a failure?

Because there were too many creepy, geeky wackos and not enough Ellen Feiss ("...and it was like, bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep..." ).

Seriously, I think what the Switch campaign achieved was too make more of the general public aware of the Mac, or in fact that an alternative to Windows exists. But the main reason that Switch failed was because there's too much momentum behind Windows -- 95 percent of the world uses it -- and switching to the Mac entails a leap of faith, a dive into the unknown: yes, the hardware looks cool and great and all, but will I have enough software? Will I be able to play games? Will I be able to find someone to fix my Mac if something goes wrong? Will I be able to fix it myself? Will I be able to expand it with video cards and PCI cards and whatnot? In the Philippines, I'm sure many people ask the question, will I be able to find pirated Mac software as easily as Windows software? Will Apple and Mac still be around 5-10 years from now?

Faced with these apparent uncertainties, borne of ignorance and not enough awareness, most consumers will follow the path of least resistance and greatest momentum, and choose Windows. After all, that's what "everyone else" is using. It takes an exceptional person -- say, three to five out of a hundred (Apple's market share) -- to overcome the myths and doubts and uncertainties and choose to make the leap from Windows to Mac. Most people wouldn't want to bother.

Ironically, the thing that is now raising the general public awareness of Apple and the Mac more than anything is the iPod. Nothing like a popular hit product to get some good press and momentum going our way.

[Edited on 5-26-2004 by gonz]

[mgd]

Originally posted by de2
if that is the case - then why was the Switch campaign a failure?

it was?

[PatrickGaerlan]

Originally posted by de2
if that is the case - then why was the Switch campaign a failure?

It wasn't for me The switch ads actually interested me enough to look into Macs when I was in the market for a new laptop. Ended up getting a PowerBook, my first Mac. Haven't looked back since :love: