The phrase "Everything just works with a Mac" is a tag Apple has been repeating for a long time to argue that its products are superior to competitors like Microsoft.
But judging by recent events, Apple might want to reconsider revising its mantra to something like: "Everything mostly works with a Mac".
Sure, nobody's perfect. It's just that you could also say: "Everything mostly works with Windows."
Snow Leopard
Consider, for example, Apple's recent release of Snow Leopard, the latest upgrade to its acclaimed OS X operating system.
Apple was careful to point out that Snow Leopard was about making improvements under the hood for OS X, such as optimising the software to take advantage of dual core processors. There were to be no major interface changes, and very few new features added that users would notice. In the end, Apple was true to its word, and Snow Leopard consisted of nothing more for the end user than a tweaked QuickTime interface, some improvements to the OS X Dock and Exposé, and a smaller hard drive footprint.
But for a release that was supposed to be largely about system improvements, Snow Leopard came loaded with a surprising number of significant problems. Complaints after Snow Leopard installs included compatibility problems with peripheral devices, devices stuck with the spinning pinwheel of death - Mac's equivalent of the blue screen - application incompatibility and problems with the Cisco VPN.
On Thursday, about two weeks after Snow Leopard's initial launch, Apple released Snow Leopard update 10.6.1 in an attempt to solve some of these compatibility issues. Previous updates to new versions of OS X were released along a similar timeframe.
iPhone OS 3.1
Then there's the iPhone OS 3.1, which was also released on Thursday. The first update to the iPhone OS included another range of complaints including battery life problems, random shut downs and issues with the iPod function. But the most significant reported problem came from iPhone 3G owners, who complained they could no longer sync their email with Microsoft Exchange servers. The problem has been traced to the fact that the iPhone never officially supported the Microsoft Exchange encryption standard, but Apple changed that policy with iPhone OS 3.1. But now some iPhone 3G owners are stuck without remote access to their exchange email until Apple releases a fix for the problem.
No, Apple is not the other guy
Now I don't want to fall into the trap of trying to argue that Apple is turning into Microsoft. That's been done before, and we all know it's not true. But we also know that Apple's software, just like Microsoft's, has problems, and, just like Redmond, Cupertino needs to issue software updates to fix these problems.
For Apple, though, these problems are becoming more common. Don't get me wrong; Microsoft has had just as many, if not more, software issues especially when it comes to security issues. But then again, every year there are more reports about OS X vulnerabilities. As Apple's market share grows it's only a matter of time before Macs get plagued with a major security issue.
Let's face it: Apple makes great looking, easy-to-use stuff, but, at its heart, it really is just another software company with products vulnerable to incompatibility issues and security issues. Just like the other guys.
See also:
Apple Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard review
UK Mac user anger at Snow Leopard price
Comments
Joan of Arc said: I must have a dud Mac because its the most flakey and unreliable piece of cp Ive ever usedCome back XP All is forgivenSo flame away fanbois Im tied to my stake in eager anticipation
Chris M said: Apple do have minor glitches at times but they are very few and far between I updated both my Macs to Snow Leopard and they worked like a dream afterwards and still doI have never encountered problems with upgrades or software on my Macs I work them harder than my older windows machine and they dont let me down Vista is not as bad as some people say but it cannot match Apple for reliablity ease of use and the fact it really does just work
Brian said: It could be said that PeeCee users are really freaking out about Apple They thought they had it all sewn up that nothing would ever change Ha ha No pressure for Windoze 7 to be a success huh Face facts Mac has it all over Windows Apple has it all over softie
Brian said: Apple is the best by far Windoze Been there done that burned the t-shirt
Neroon said: As Apples market share grows its only a matter of time before Macs get plagued with a major security issue I keep hearing this one over and over Its probably true but there are currently no functioning viruses on OSX and a few trojans that are mostly proof of conceptsThose who have trouble are the ones who yell most Many did not prep correctly some had corrupted systems that they updated and others were unluckySL was a major rewrite of the OS I did have trouble with an SII chip driver for eSATA cards A chipset that wasnt working right all the time on 105 Firmtek release a new driver in a week that fixed that issue for their cards great supportThe simple reality is that all patches and upgrades have issues but with only a few exceptions every patch and upgrade since 100 has improved my experience My machine is faster than it was before the upgrade -- name one MS update that has done that
B. Smith said: Are you high Maybe you have only just heard of Apple For decades Apple has has been around striving to be better
stupid does said: Its called trolling for page views Im happy with Apple but please Mac fans stop feeding this non-sense The PC world is growing stagnant No news is worst than bad news when working for a publication Trolls abound go do something better with your time than defending Apple They dont need it
ex-employee said: The answer about Microsoft comparison is simple Old Apple employees are being moved out for new younger WinTel centric especially since the advent of Intel chips and the success of iPhone and employees where the quarterly revenue is more important than the qualityThis is specifically true with tthe new management more like 30-somethings who are competing or selling to TargetWal-mart along with the hipster GAP like Apple Stores customers and distribution chainsAdd the fact that the average new Apple employee is off the boat 20-omething from China will to work 60 -70 hours a week - it all commoditizes Apple to be more like the competition Its all going to hit Apple sooner or later but with 30BIL in the bank management doesnt seem to careToo bad I used to love apple Now I realize its just another corporation
John said: Interesting topic but not well researched You should have more to back you up than conventional wisdom Apple is selling millions of devices a quarter There are likely to be some problems The question is are they incidental or broad based This goes beyond gathering a few anecdotes
Jeff Barbose said: stuck with the spinning pinwheel of death - Macs equivalent of the blue screenThis is a lie
christianecon.com said: the spinning pinwheel of death - Macs equivalent of the blue screenIts actually the Macs equivalent of Windows hour glass What a silly trolling article
Tom Minnks said: Ha ha What a funny article Snow Leopard is a great OS upgrade and the VAST majority of installs have no issues The ones that do usually can be attributed to 3rd party system hacks iPhone 31 Friend came over with his iPhone last night had had some issues after trying to update with his WINDOWS machine Put it on my iMac ran the install everything worked smooth as silk
Raul Vaccaro said: This is not true Im really surprised with the Snow Leopard improvements at least the author DONT use Mac and is reading forum of people who hacks the system iPhone 31 is great also dont understand this type of article trying to negate the Apple positive experience People are not fool to pay for problematic software and hardware You are a Vista user -
Mike D said: An article written by someone with Zero experience with a Mac and Snow LeopardI updated 4 of our Macs to Snow Leopard with no trouble That said with an new OS release theres almost always some hardware that doesnt make the cut So what its largely known ahead of time and if you have an unsupported but mission critical printer then dont upgrade or get a new printer
christianecon.com said: Yawn another jealous hit piece every year there are more reports about OS X vulnerabilitiesReally Wheres your data Does this article count as one of your data points
kfiz said: So climb down off your high horses fellow Mac users and accept that while YOUR multiple upgrades have been near religious experiences of perfection some of us are having issues We would come across a lot less fanboy-like ourselves if we could just accept this isnt divinely written code but a complex and ever evolving OS that is written by humans and so will err on occasion
kfiz said: Sometimes Im embarrassed to be a long-term Mac userthe knee jerk reaction bordering on fanaticism to anyone who DARES question the Apple experience If you take a moment to stop frothing at the mouth this is actually a fairly level headed and balanced assessment Since upgrading to SL Ive had spinning beach ball lock ups of mail a system freeze while CD ejecting requiring restart and issues with Safari crashing Meanwhile iPhone update 31 means my wiFi is playing and back-ups are taking 2 hours again Im not alonea quick search through Apples forums confirms that No theyre not major problems and Im hoping 1061 will have dealt with at least some of them but come onApple is guilty of beta testing us a little more than usual these dayscontd next comment
Gerry Grown said: Apple works quite well thank you very much Comeback when Vista 20 is released youll see disaster 20 since Windows 7 hasnt been nearly as well tested as Snow LeopardSomeday everyone will get a Mac and be free of all the Windows problems but until then everyone is better off with a Mac
Ensign Expendable said: No its not Just like the other guys Been using the other guy since DOS 31 Switched to Mac last year Why did I wait so long
svinto said: I have better things to do with my time than to answer this drivel