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This month, our guest writer is Cees Dam of Holland, who wrote us regarding Apple and the problems that it faces, with an eye to the view of a Mac user in Holland. And as you will soon see, the Mac knows no boundaries in user loyalty.

By Cees Dam

Dear Tim,

I would like to respond to your call for reactions in My Mac (issue 29) It was in issue 28 I believe, that someone said that one of the problems of Apple was its duality: taking care of software and hardware at the same time. I'm convinced that this is a great dilemma. But as always, someone's weakness incorporates also strong possibilities. So there's a chance for Apple for further development of its unique OS in connection with its high performance hardware. Should it come to choices, however, I would strongly recommend to Apple to go for the software. It has a high turnover rate and what you can see in our world of today is hardware following software demands.

Take the new Mac OS 8 for example. I read that 32 MB of RAM is recommended while it's taking 100 MB of the HD. For me, working on a Performa 6200 with 24 MB RAM and a 500 MB HD, the arrival of OS 8 is not merely positive. I won't have too much HD space left. Now I must calculate: should I buy a new computer? Should I wait for Rhapsody? I use system 7.5 which satisfies me quite well. With OS 8, I will encounter software compatibility problems; for example, RamDoubler and StuffIt Deluxe for instance will not work without problems. Many of us will have these considerations.But OS 8 is quite an improvement, so we will not only buy OS 8, but also other upgrades and maybe new machines too. Therefore it's the software leading the hardware!

Here in Holland I find that the power of Apple is not widely known. Of course, everybody working in a DTP-environment knows, but not the crowd out there. So here is my second 'law': Good advertising is absolutely necessary. It should be emphasized that an Apple is not too expensive, that is widely used by international corporations, and that its possibilities outreach Wintel computers. I think we all agree on this point.

Thirdly, and most important: we're talking Apple's future here, so the answer must lie in future developments. I believe that current OSs have reached their limits. It's time for a whole new generation of OS which must be independent of machines used.Therefore, I have high expectations of Steve Jobs arrival as a CEO and developer of NeXT. And we should not complain about the lack of support in the future. Go ahead!

Maybe Apple should no longer aim at the market as a whole, but go for specialization. Every year there are more people usin' computers. So there is enough cake for everyone to eat from.

We should get rid of our fanatic belief in the good and dark side. There is not such a thing. I use both systems: my boss gave me a Pentium 133 to work on and I find myself comparing between the two. I can't say Apple is always the best. Microsoft Word and Excel are very good and becoming the standard in Holland. But when it comes to use other equipment like scanners, ZIP's and networking, Apple is an absolute winner.

Its safety is also known: no hacking, no viruses: I love it. There is not a good and/or a dark side: you and I decide who will win (if there's a winner). So, if you can't convince your friend or neighbour that Apple is the best, where is your point then ? It can't be the money, you know.

I hope I have contributed to the discussions and ask forgiveness if there are any grammatical mistakes. Greetings from Holland where there is more than tulips, cheese and windmills!

Cees Dam

Cees Dam

The Readers Voice - Previous Columns

1997: | #30/Oct. '97 | #29/Sept. '97 | #27/July '97 | #26/June '97 | #25/May '97 | #24/April '97 | #23/March '97 |

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