SNET Internet : Features : Survey : The iMac

02/05/99

A number of users have questioned the amount of thought that goes into picking the questions and possible responses for the SNET Internet weekly survey. The answer is: sometimes a lot, sometimes not enough, sometimes too much. We were VERY careful with the possible responses for "What do you think of the iMac?" We knew we were looking at the likelihood of a holy war online, Mac v. Windows users. We wanted to appear as neutral as possible.

And we wanted to give the people what they wanted. The first two choices, regarding the iMac's design, could have been enough for the survey. But we included two more general responses, "Apple is the greatest" and "It's a Windows world," to accommodate the Operating System Holy Warriors.

Watching the numbers during the week, we confirmed what we'd known all along -- many Mac owners are fanatical in their devotion to Apple and its products. A large but undetermined percent of the 2,300-plus votes for "Apple is the greatest!" came from just a few users. Assuredly, if 26 percent of the general population felt as they do, it would not be a "Windows world" at all.

The final results were:

Q: What do you think of the iMac?

Cool-looking design - 2,126 (23.5%)

It's too gimmicky - 1,337 (14.8%)

Apple is the greatest! - 2,355 (26.0%)

It's a Windows world - 3,211 (35.5%)

Here are your comments: "It is one of the greatest computers I own. I own 80 iMacs." W.R. Editor's note: We won't ask how many Apple 2s you have in the basement ...

"What a horrible thought ... a Windows world ... one window only ... Gates has become the Limbaugh of available technology -- just a bunch of one-eyed megadittoes! Sad ... but Apple lives!" A.S.

"Apple has made one of the greatest comebacks ever. Every time somebody pronounces this company "dead," it proves itself one of the most original and innovative companies in the world. Watch for a barrage of inferior, imitative, Windows-based iMac "wannabes" in 1999, none of which will be able to hold a candle to the real thing." R.C.

"I think it is pretty neat looking. Except all the wires all over the place. My question is does it perform as well as a Gateway or a Dell. That's the real test, not in how cool looking it is." S.M.C.

"I don't like Apples anyway ... and I think it's ugly!" J.T.

"I don't like your survey, not that you really care. The Macintosh started the Windows world in 1984. It took Microsoft almost 10 years to get a working version of theirs for the Intel processors. So your survey is very accurate ... It's a Windows World Created by Zenith. Then the Apple Mac put it to work in the first computer in 1984." L.S. Editor's note: We actually do care. But the surveys have been popular. We know we can't please everyone.

"As a designer, I've lived and breathed Macs for the last 8 years. I feel they will always have their place in the business world. However, when it came time to buy a personal computer for myself, my husband and my two children ... I went Windows. It was an easy decision to make. Not only did I wish to be "Windows literate" but, I wanted my children to be exposed as well. It is a "Windows" world out there. Educational materials, libaries and schools all breath "Windows." The iMac is a rather "cute" computer -- however, when it came time to make the decision to spend my hard-earned money I wanted the most I could get for my family ... it was an investment in the future, not (in) a trend." M.S.

"So, what does one do with a cool-looking raspberry or aqua iMac when you can't get the latest software that your PC-owning friends just bought?" T.L.

"Although Apple products can be hard to find, and more expensive, the OS is much better than a Windows system. IBM and others stole the Windows idea from Apple. I have known people who take days to get their Windows-based systems up and running. My Apple Macintosh was up and running within a matter of hours." G.W.

"May I point out that it is a Windows world because Apple thought up the idea...and Microsoft saw fit to imitate (or should I say plagiarize) the idea AND still put it on top of their ancient DOS system." B.C.M.

"If you look through the window, you'll see that Apple was there first! Windows is just a rip-off of the Mac that was out years ago!" R.J.

"Fancy colors do not compensate for an inferior product." J.G.

"I love my IBM clone and Windows 95. It's easier to work with Windows then a iMac. All my friends have PCs and they love their Windows computers. And there is more stuff for Windows then iMac's. One day everyone will be running Windows on their computers. It will be a Windows world." H.B.

"The iMac may be a good "starter" machine for a complete novice to surf the Internet. The lack of serial, parallel ports and no floppy, as well as lack of expandibility remove it from any consideration by a serious user. For that matter, a used 486 or low-end Pentium would be a far better choice for a novice, at less than half the price." F.U.

Previous survey results are available.