|
Editorial - DR. Mac 
Dude your getting a COW !!
By Bob LeVitus
Now I've seen everything. Gateway, the low-end PC clone maker, is running ads
for their new Profile 4 computers comparing them--gasp--to the new flat-panel
iMac!
I first heard about it a few weeks ago when my son came running into my office
screaming, "Dad! I just saw a TV commercial with an iMac and a crummy-looking
computer!"
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I found out the next day when I
happened to see the Gateway commercial myself (on my marvelous EyeTV Digital
Video Recorder for Macintosh--but that's another story which I'll tell you
another time...).
The animation is pathetic--a Gateway computer "jumps" over some iMacs, does a
poorly-simulated back-flip, then sticks out its tongue (the disk drive--gee, how
original...) and shoots the iMac a juicy raspberry as a soft jazz number plays in
the background and the annoyer... I mean announcer... intones in his most sincere
syrupy radio voice:
"It has a sleek all-in-one design like the Apple iMac computer. Only it's
faster. Has more storage capacity. And can run thousands more software programs.
Presenting the remarkable new Gateway Profile 4. Oh, and by the way, did we
mention that Gateway Profile costs less than the iMac?"
I laughed so hard I almost wet myself. I mean, the whole thing is just so silly
I don't even know where to start. But let us start at the top, with the
companies themselves. Gateway is hemorrhaging money; Apple is making it. Mac
users love Apple and their Macs; I've never heard a single person profess love
for their Gateway. Apple offers innovative products created by brilliant design
and engineering teams; as for Gateway, well, they mostly offer the sincerest
form of flattery.
OK. Now how about that "faster" claim? Turns out Gateway hired a research firm
(eTesting Labs) to conduct the testing It's a joke. Gateway bases their speed
claim on just three tests: Quake 3 Arena frame rate, JavaScript Web page loading
speed, and cold boot up speed. Of course Gateway wins all three handily.
Notice that they didn't test any of the things that matter to a Mac user:
ripping a CD, manipulating a digital image, making or rendering a movie,
watching a streaming movie, burning your own DVD, or...
Wait a second. Unlike every Macintosh, the Gateway Profile can't do any of those
things right out of the box. In fact, the only software you get with the Profile
is Microsoft Works. Oh, and a promotional copy of The Sims. Compare that to the
Apple bundle, which includes iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, iCal, and iDVD (in
SuperDrive-equipped models).
Wait another second... Since Gateway doesn't offer any DVD burners at all, why
would they bundle world-class DVD authoring software anyway?
Moving right along, let's talk connectivity. Wait! The Gateway Profile has no
modem ($999 model) nor does it include Ethernet (both models). Macs, of course,
have had both as standard equipment for years.
This is just too easy so I'll wrap things up now. Do you know about the "Hail
Mary" pass in football? It's a desperation play when you're losing and there's
only enough time on the clock for one play. The receivers all go deep; the
quarterback hurls the ball into the end zone and prays that one of them will
miraculously come down with the ball.
Gateway is that losing team and the Profile is its Hail Mary pass. And while
they may extract some market share from other Windows clone makers, I can't
imagine a single Mac user downgrading to the Profile.
And I'm sure Apple is laughing all the way to the bank.
Bob LeVitus is a leading authority on Mac OS X and the author of 41 books,
including Mac OS X For Dummies and Dr. Mac - The OS X Files, (or, "How to Become
a Mac OS X Power User"). E-mail comments to doctormac@boblevitus.com
|
