Conflict Catcher?

I think any publication that allows the CEO of a company, that makes a product that is any way covered by that publication, write editorial content is suffering from a large dose of conflict of interest. (Name Withheld)

We think the addition of Victor Wong to the pages of My Mac is of great benefit to our readership. Where else can an everyday Mac user get an honest opinion from a CEO of a computer company? His is an EDITORIAL column, and we welcome his insight. You will also find that he will not write about products his company, POWERtools, produces. Nor will he review competing products.

Now, would this mean I would refuse to review, say, the X-Factor Mac clone POWERtools sells? Nope, I would review it in a heartbeat. That's not to say, however, that it would receive a good review based on the fact that Victor writes for My Mac. I would expect him to understand, and he does, that he would receive a fair and unbiased review, as does any company's product evaluated by the staff at My Mac.

Another scenario: if we had a writer who had a really bad experience with POWERtools and wanted to write a column about it, I would run it just as easily if they were writing about Apple, Microsoft, IBM or any other company or product.

My Mac is all about variety, honesty, and the Macintosh experience. Victor Wong is part of that, and we couldn't be happier to have him here. - Tim Robertson, Publisher

The Rebel

I was reading your latest issue when I ran across the letter from Mr. Long about his problems with his 6200. I bought a Performa 6200 about 2 years ago. I had no computer experience whatsoever but being true to my nature, I refused to go along with the 16 guys I work with who had purchased machines running Windows (I guess you could call me a rebel :-) ).

I stubbornly kept at it and learned enough (the hard way) to get to the point where I thoroughly enjoy my Mac and feel very comfortable with her. (my S O has named her Maxine!) More than once I've felt like punching my monitor when things don't go the way I expected, but I've learned to step back, READ THE MANUAL CAREFULLY, and I have always ended up cussing myself out for being so stupid after I get things right. I can honestly say that any problems I have had were my own fault! I've learned that "MAC" people are the most helpful, courteous people, and willing to help us "newbies" whenever they can. My advice to anyone having problems is to "chill out" and check out the Mac forums on AOL, for example; get in touch with Mac users and I think you'll find that you've made the right choice. I have no regrets!

Rnwy25@aol.com

The Alternative

Sometimes when I get down on Apple and their seemingly ineptness at running the company, etc., I stop to think what the world would be like if there were NO APPLE. This thought alone is enough to make me want to give Apple every opportunity at a comeback! Yes, I am an Apple loyalist to the core... sure they have let me down a few times, but, for that matter, so have my kids, my wife, my friends, my business associates, my car, and yes.. myself. I am not ready to toss all these loved ones to the wind and quickly replace them with the corporate standard wife, kids, etc. And besides these people are the best for me as is my Mac.

P.S. lately Apple has been kicking butt in speed, price/performance ratios, on-and-on... how can the world be so blind???

David L. Blair
dblair@aea14.k12.ia.us
http://lserver.aea14.k12.ia.us

LEMU

True Story:
In April of 1994, I bought the Performa 630CD for about $2400. Since then I have used it steadily with virtually no problems. I have since upgraded the RAM and Hard Drive, a faster modem, and a Zip Drive (external). Oh- and a printer, but we won't count that.

Like you, I estimated the expenses of keeping it running, and my figure is around $3200. Being the download junky I am, I have amassed an interesting collection of SW, Utilities, etc.

As to what will be my "next machine", I don't know, only it will be fastest available at the time. (i.e. 2 weeks...) Anyway, I was very inspired by your article, and felt compelled to e-mail you.

Love live the LEMU! . Now we just need a mascot/Icon...

The Irieman(tm)
the_irieman@geocities.com
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/2063/STATIC.html

LEMU II

We must be clones. I am also a LEMU. I also purchased my 636CD three years ago in October. I also find it still works pretty well today.

Added a Zip drive this year to to expand storage. (My hard drive was full and couldn't afford a new drive.) Replaced my 1985 HP DeskWriter with an Epson 600 and added a Umax 600S scanner also. Wife says I can't buy a new computer until we finish off our basement. Such is the life of a LEMU!

Stephen

Rumors Reply...

In the second week of October, I sent out a question to all of My Mac's subscribers asking what their thoughts were on the latest round of rumors surrounding an Apple/Oracle merger, as well as a UMAX/Motorola hostile takeover of Apple. Graciously, many of you responded, and I posted quite a few of them on My Mac's Web site's "Web Only" page. The following letter is in reply to a thank you note I sent out after his first letter.

Tim,

Thanks for the response, you don't always know if you're getting through or not.

This is definitely a crucial time for Apple and the Mac itself. Apple's financial troubles have somewhat died down and their product road map seems finally to have some focus, but it is their lack of message over the past few of years that now causes the most worry. I think some of the reactions you received to this latest rumor shows that to be true. As Mac users we have had to carry the burden of marketing our own platform for too long now and it is starting to wear thin. I personally know some long time Mac enthusiasts, as I'm sure you do too, who are for the first time considering migrating to a different platform, be it Win95/NT or even Linux. Apple no longer has an audience they can take for granted, and that is bad.

While I do like the "Think different" campaign, I think they need to follow it up with a more real world message. It's really funny, and frustrating, to read anti-Mac articles in the press knowing that they were written and published on a Mac. Recently (I don't remember the issue number) the editor of LANTimes magazine wrote a letter to the editor (essentially to herself) taking her own publication to task for doing just that. The fact that so many people rely on and benefit from Apple's products everyday and don't even know it is what Apple needs to change. I would love for someone while standing in line at the supermarket look at the rack of magazines and understand how they got there. The same thing applies in education and science. If you watch a lot of TV documentaries you will notice one thing: Whenever they interview the top scientist, there is always a Mac in the background. If it's not a Mac, it's usually a Sun, but at any rate it is rarely, if ever, a Wintel box.

Before my current job I spent some time working in TechSupport for both PCs and Macs. During that time I realized an interesting paradox in the industry. Companies say that they prefer PCs because they are heterogeneous, yet most IS shops feel that the only way to insure stability is to standardize on a single product. Apple has offered this type of solution for years, but of course they are attacked for being too homogeneous in their thinking. Obviously big companies are not going to dump their PCs for Macs, which is why Apple needs to become the leader in integration. They need to show people that having a Mac on your NT or Unix network will not cause the sky to fall.

You may now return to your previously scheduled life...

-Stephen
xgray@kdi.com

You are correct, I do know a few once loyal Mac faithful who are seriously thinking of going PC. One such person is a Mac fanatic from way back, but when word came down about the end of cloning as we know it, he became so angry that he simply said "I think my next Box will be a PC. I am so sick of Apple."

This is from a longtime Apple faithful user. He was very much like a mentor for me when I first got into the Mac. And to hear him say that, it set off some very serious red flags in my mind. Something, I think, needs to be done fast to save users like him, while also acquiring the new computer buyer. I think Apple is starting to seriously address those issues, and we are looking at the beginning of the second "age of Apple."

Be sure to drop us a note with any thoughts, corrections, or problems you may have. We all love to hear from you, and we do need to fill this page every month! (Remember to let us know if you'd prefer to not have your e-mail address printed.) So write in!

Tim Robertson is the Publisher of My Mac, and unless otherwise noted answers all the e-mail on this page.