Pocket PC and Mac poll

[marlof]

In my thread on <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5966">the purchase of a Mac</a>, Corey McLaughlin, developer of EZ-Expense, wondered how many Pocket PC users would like to sync their Pocket PC software with a Mac. So here's a poll to learn more about that.

[Jimmy Dodd]

Not meaning to hijack the thread but:

Every few years I have a short lived desire to look into buying a Mac for home. Apple, though, usually comes out with an ad campaign to discourage me (the "Switch" campaign alone will probably keep me from looking at Macs for years to come) so it doesn't happen. :lol:

Synching a Pocket PC is a minor consideration, but a consideration nonetheless. Lack of software is usually the deciding factor. Beyond office productivity (word processor, spreadsheet) I need a plethora of apps that I use everyday: development tools, DBMS, architectural tools, financial tools, and others. Perhaps these are out there, but Apple seems to rely on saying "we just work" instead of convincing me that the tools I need are not only available, but that they work better than their Windows counterpart. This probably wouldn't be hard as a lot of junk for the PC is out there and some of it finds it way to my machine (and, eventually, to my garbage can). Perhaps this is because Apple chiefly makes the hardware and OS and they aren't going to waste their time advertising someone else's wares.

I wish Apple would finally get the clue that software sells personal computers, not cute ads. I'd loved to be convinced.

[Janak Parekh]

Wow.. looks like mostly Windows users read this blog :)

--janak

[Kati Compton]

I wish Apple would finally get the clue that software sells personal computers, not cute ads. I'd loved to be convinced.

Please note that I don't think this is a reflection on the actual owners of Macs. My father is a happy Mac owner.

But the current set of commercials... To me, they say "Even idiots can use a Mac. See?" There's a little too much anti-computer-savvy in those ads for my personal tastes. "You plug one end of the thing into the other thing, and the other end of the thing into the other other thing, and it works!"

It's one thing to make it sound easy to use, but another to make it sound like it's only for stupid people (which I know it isn't). Again - this is just the impression I get. Other people may feel differently.

[Snail]

Wow.. looks like mostly Windows users read this blog :)

--janak

... but when you consider that Apple holds maybe 6% of the PC market, that shouldn't be too surprising :D

It's more interesting that 17% of the responders (so far...) are Mac users (me included)

[Jimmy Dodd]

I wish Apple would finally get the clue that software sells personal computers, not cute ads. I'd loved to be convinced.

Please note that I don't think this is a reflection on the actual owners of Macs. My father is a happy Mac owner.

But the current set of commercials... To me, they say "Even idiots can use a Mac. See?" There's a little too much anti-computer-savvy in those ads for my personal tastes. "You plug one end of the thing into the other thing, and the other end of the thing into the other other thing, and it works!"

It's one thing to make it sound easy to use, but another to make it sound like it's only for stupid people (which I know it isn't). Again - this is just the impression I get. Other people may feel differently.

I agree. I didn't mean to imply that Mac owners are dumb or anything. If I implied anything it's that Mac ads are dumb. :lol:

PC television ads are usually silly (the Dell Dude, for example), but they are all about price and value. PCs aren't marketed as competing with Macs, they are marketed as competing against each other: Dell or Gateway? HP or IBM? Who has the better deal?

I think Mac ads are targeted toward current Mac users ("upgrade now!" - the Keeping-up-with-the-joneses tactic) or complete technophobes ("Windows is hard to use! Buy a Mac instead!" - the fear tactic). If Apple wants my business they need to show me that they are a viable option for my daily needs. Don't give me a bunch of grungy looking, counter-culture nerds, speaking in incomplete sentences to make me think Macs are "better" (reference the "switch" campaign) or cool looking (reference that upside-down, bowl-looking model). I'm not just following the herd, I'm trying to get some work done! Show me that a Mac has the software that will help me do that and maybe next time I'll buy one.

[rlobrecht]

wondered how many Pocket PC users would like to sync their Pocket PC software with a Mac. So here's a poll to learn more about that.

I'd be curious how many users would like to sync with Linux.

[[Cruzer]]

And don't forget there's PocketMac that works great "for me" able sync
files and others things fine. Not all works great but Terrence did a great
job.

RC

[jweitzman]

Most Mac power users complain bitterly about Apple's ads, because we are desparate for Apple to tell fellow PC power users about the amazing things we know they could be doing with Macs.

But when you've got under 5% market share, you'd better spend your ad dollars on the biggest, fattest, likeliest-to-buy-your-product demographic out there, and for Apple, that is certainly not the Windows power-user.

The ads are aimed precisely at the kind of person appearing in the ad. The person who will likely never upgrade their browser or buy more than one or two software packages in their lives. That's most computer users, and Apple's message is simple: Get a Mac, all the stuff you need is on there: digital photo, video, web browsing, e-mail, calendar, home page.

Meanwhile, Unix geeks are really discovering the Mac, and they don't need ads to know that all their Unix software is being recompiled to run on Macs, and they can do all of the above on the same machine.

JW

[PocketMac]

Hi all,

Well, of course, I'm biased being the one who dreamt up PocketMac.

But, I've always believed the Mac and the Pocket PC are a beautiful fit for each other. They're both great at the same things...

Graphics,
Multimedia,
Flash,
MP3s,
Wireless networking,
Web browsing,
etc...

So, of course, I'm very pleased to see that the poll shows that a lot of other people have come to share my vision or at least might be open to it at some point.

As I always like to point out to Pocket PC people who are considering a Mac, the PocketMac team represents a Windows software company that became a Mac software company.

Remember, anything is possible :wink:

Terence

[BeltwayMike]

The poll seems to have ended, but count me in among those who want to sync our PPCs with our Macs.

I own a T-Mobile PPC phone, and it's not explicitly supported by Pocket Mac.

[BeltwayMike]

I stand corrected regarding T-Mobile support.

PocketMac's FAQs are out of date.
http://www.pocketmac.net/faq3.htm#3.1