Computer Graphics World

OCTOBER 2010

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Editor’sNote Which Flavor Are You? A re you a Mac person or a PC person? It seems like that question has been pop- ping up a lot more in recent times. Perhaps it is because of the popular Apple ad campaign “Get a Mac,” in which actor Justin Long personifies a Mac opposite John Hodgman, a PC. The campaign, which ran from 2006 through 2009, used an all-white backdrop, placing all the focus on the easily identifiable differences between PC and Mac. PC, dressed in a suit and tie, comes across very stuffy and all business as he touts the pluses he offers. Mac, on the other hand, is more laid back—an attitude accen- tuated with his casual attire and mannerisms. Clearly—at least in the commercials—the intent is to portray the Mac as the product for a hip, younger generation, and the PC for the older corporate types. In the early 1980s, IBM introduced its first “personal computer”; around the same time, Apple rolled out its first Macintosh. By no means were either of those machines considered the very first of their kind; rather, they are powerful ancestors to the products we cannot live without to- day. At one point, there were huge differences between the two types of computers, but over the years, those differences have lessened significantly. Nevertheless, Macs seem to fit the personality of the right-brainers, while PCs offer more choices for the left-brain crowd. Today, Macs hold their own when it comes to left-brain functions, while PCs are embracing users’ artistic side for right-brain functions. Personally, I consider myself a Mac person. In fact, I am writing this on my iMac right now. But downstairs, in my home office, I have a PC. So, I guess that makes me a dual user. Maybe because of my mixed Mac/PC blood, I have yet to comprehend the fervor of Mac people. Hard-core Mac folks wear their colors more boldly than PC people, and they embrace the brand more heartily and loyally. I recall being at a press conference at SIGGRAPH around 2000, and a boisterous mob at the back of the room shouted out demands for the vendor (which shall be nameless) to support the Mac platform. I think all that was missing were torches and pitchforks. At NAB, rabid Apple fans used to fill large conference rooms to capacity, cheering and clap- ping wildly each time a new feature or product was introduced—the atmosphere was more like a religious revival, not a user group meeting. The other day, I came across a gadget study from Retrevo, about what gadgets say about the people who use them, and the findings were interesting but not totally sur- prising—at least in my opinion. Gadget owners exhibit different behavior and char- acteristics depending on which gadget camp they belong to. One finding is that Mac owners buy more Apple products than do others. In particular, households where the Mac OS is listed as the primary computer operating system purchase more than three times as many iPhones and almost six times as many iPads. Yet, Mac owners—while arguably loyal—exhibit a strong duality in their buying patterns, more so than their PC counterparts. (Apparently there are many others who, like me, are of mixed com- puting blood.) While Mac households often have PCs as well, the same does not hold true for PC houses: In households that boast PCs as the primary computer, Macs are typically not present. So, it seems that PC users are loyal, too, though not to a par- ticular brand. But what are Mac users doing with a PC in the house? Are they more disloyal than originally thought? Not necessarily. The big push toward Macs and the Apple brand in particular has reached a high point during the past few years, so it is likely that these PCs are previous-generation machines that now function as a second- ary device to a current-gen Mac. Moreover, the PCs might be used for gaming, since developers still do not embrace the Mac platform for their titles. So, what about other Apple gear? The study further shows that Apple iPhone users also differ from owners of other smartphones—sort of akin to the Mac versus PC continued on page 46 2 October 2010 The Magazine for Digital Content Professionals EDITORIAL KAREN MOLTENBREY Chief Editor karen@cgw.com • (603) 432-7568 36 East Nashua Road Windham, NH 03087 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Courtney Howard, Jenny Donelan, Audrey Doyle, George Maestri, Kathleen Maher, Martin McEachern, Barbara Robertson WILLIAM R. RITTWAGE Publisher, President and CEO, COP Communications SALES LISA BLACK Associate Publisher National Sales • Education • Recruitment lisab@cgw.com • (818) 660-6323 fax: (214) 260-1127 KELLY RYAN Classifieds and Reprints • Marketing kryan@copcomm.com (818) 291-1155 Editorial Office / LA Sales Office: 620 West Elk Avenue, Glendale, CA 91204 (800) 280-6446 PRODUCTION KEITH KNOPF Production Director Knopf Bay Productions keith@copcomm.com • (818) 291-1158 MICHAEL VIGGIANO Art Director mviggiano@copcomm.com CHRIS SALCIDO Account Representative csalcido@copprints.com • (818) 291-1144 Computer Graphics World Magazine is published by Computer Graphics World, a COP Communications company. Computer Graphics World does not verify any claims or other information appearing in any of the advertisements contained in the publication, and cannot take any responsibility for any losses or other damages incurred by readers in reliance on such content. 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