A coworker and I were having a brief discussion about the state of the Apple, today, and it got me thinking. It started when he sent me this link. The article brings up a couple points that are worthwhile, however it primarily focuses on the failures that Microsoft has had of late, and not the successes Apple has made. Essentially, this article says that Apple wins by default because Microsoft is so good at sucking.

But that's only a fraction of the truth. That view is the common view of a pre-switch switcher. I know I was there a few years ago. The thing is, once the person switches to Apple, the differences become much more clear.

That Apple's Human Interface Guidelines make third-party apps much more intuitive (not to mention Apple developers care more about the ease-of-use factor, where Windows developers don't, and Linux devs seem to just like fucking with your head). That community support thrives for Apple stuff. That errors and pop-up boxes typically make sense. That's all stuff that is foreign to Windows users, and it takes a while to get used to when you start using Macs.

But, more than all that, we're gonna talk about the all-together-too-often-brought-up "halo effect" that Apple's been riding since the first hipster bought the first iPod back in aught-one. If you haven't been following, it essentially goes along the following lines: Dude buys an iPod; Dude thinks "Woah! This is cool, and easy to use, and I suddenly can convince girls to give me kisses! I wonder what Apple's computers can do?"; Dude buys Apple computer.

Well, that's been great for Apple, but it's not going to last forever. The thing is, it doesn't have to! No, it's true. Apple's hardware and software are good enough to stand on their own legs. People who bought into the halo effect will then go on to use the computers. And so will their friends. And coworkers. And it will be good. Or so Apple is banking on.

Here's my fear. Over the past five years, Apple has grown by leaps and bounds. There's been a few cases where Apple software or hardware has not had its usual spit and polish. It has been habitual that when Apple drops some crazy new hardware, things go wrong for a while. That's why I haven't bought a first-gen of any Apple product. But if this keeps up, or if it spills over any more into the software, Apple will be looking at losing some of their faithful. I'm not saying this because I see it happening, or because I'm thinking of calling it quits. I'm not, but it is a possibility for some of us to consider.