Andy H. says:

Kantor,

Corrected my mistake from above:

Use the iPod with iTunes music jukebox and the iTunes Music Store. It’s clear from your articles that you haven’t. Therefore, when you write things such as, “The competition has caught up and there are some just-as-slick players out there” and ” until recently — the iPod’s controls felt better that the competition’s,” you lack credibility.

Competitor’s should be competitors’ in your sentence, by the way. You have a bias against Apple, the Mac, and the iPod and it shows quite clearly.

[Note: Original post deleted to avoid duplication. --Andrew]

Scott Schram says:

I love the key click of mechanical keyswitches, too. I’ve been using this one for months:

http://matias.ca/tactilepro/

Derek says:

I have been using an iPod for several years now. I also have a Creative Mp3 player in the house, but it has been my experience that, regardless of how well it is built… how pretty it is… how long the battery life is… it really doesn’t matter. This is because, I would never use any other Jukebox than Apple’s iTunes. The interface is amazing, the music store is even better. In my opinion, its not that the iPod is so far superior (even though I DO prefer it) the real reason that it has become so popular is because of iTunes.
An iPod review is almost useless without a review of iTunes as well. A lot like the rest of Apple’s iLife suite, the iPod and iTunes ‘just work’ together. Seamlessly. Its a beautiful thing, when you plug in your iPod and everything just works… without crazy error messages and horribly complicated (to the average grandparent) directions to download music.

Derel says:

An important question to ask yourself is, why? Why are Apple fans so rabid? I know that all mac fans are not like this… because I have started to consider myself a mac fan and I am far from rabid. But, really why is it that people don’t get so excited about Dell, Creative, Microsoft, and other electronics?

To me it seems fairly obvious that Apple is, first of all, doing an amazing marketing job… but more importantly is making products that people get attached to. Mac fans will say that they “love” their new iMac, but you would never hear that from someone witha new Dell. This is because Mac’s simplify user’s lives and offer something that no other computers can. While using all of these amazing included applications (iLife) on today’s best, undisputable, Operating system… and all while being invulnerable to viruses and other spyware, I would say that they all have something to be excited about and although their rabidness is annoying and unforgiveable, I think it would be appropriate to ask the question WHY. And learn from their passion.

Dan says:

Mr. Kantor
I understand your frustration with Mac users. I used to be clobbered by my friend’s fanatic adoration of all Mac products. Finally after growing frustration in my organization with are PC computers and their peripherals, our company switch to the Mac system. What a welcomed change. Just last week I had to bite my tongue in from of some people not to act evangelic about our change. I now see how they have become like that. All my sympathy to you and thank you for your excellent writing and please have some patience with us.

Regards

Dan E.Wills
future manic lemming

Brother Mugga says:

Sorry about The Brethren; I’ll take them in for a spot of ‘correction’ at the next Macworld.

We’re not all zealous, foaming at the mouth double-sized-dimbos, honest.

Well, *I* am of course . . . but I’m sure I can’t be representative.

See - ‘cos for a start I can spell ‘representative’.

That’s got to count for something surely?

Anyway - let’s forget all this ‘nano’ nonsense and get back to talking about The Ashes, shall we? There - much better.

John says:

Mr. Kantor,
I am a recent Mac convert but I have to agree with you to a certain extent. I too get a little miffed with the comments made by some of the Mac addicts. I think a lot of them are very young and show a lack of maturity that will come with experience. I am very satisfied with my Mac products. Being a obsessive compulsive personality, I tend to get deeply involved with my hobbies(?). For example, I have three iPods: a shuffle, 40gb iPod photo and my recently purchased iPod nano. When I saw the nano, I could not resist (i tried). I did not have the same interest in any of the other MP3 players, so I guess I am becoming one of those lemmings. Keep up the good work, controversy is cool.
Regards,
John

MacDude says:

Mr. Kantor,

Mac Evangalism is quite alive and well, it’s what kept the company and the idea of a better computing world for everyone, including PC users, alive and well. If you research your Apple history you’ll see the countless innovations Apple has brought to all of us, the GUI, the mouse, plug n’ play etc etc.

You obviously hit a nerve with your rather light review of the iPod, it obviously didn’t include evaluating the software (podcasting, audiobooks, video) along with it and the iTunes Music Store.

Apple was instramental in getting ALL the labels on board to sell their music online. They have over 2,000,000 songs, including Madonna, which nobody else has. (not even close to 2M songs neither!)

The other products you mention don’t even come close to the level of service and features you get with the iPod/iTMS combination. This is why Apple has a commanding lead in market share. It’s simply a better product.

So when you mistakingly say the competitiors “have caught up” and disclose your true evaluation of the products in such a widely viewed medium as the USA Today. Don’t expect the Mac community to sit quietly to your misinformation campaign.

Apple products are really nice, that’s not a doubt. It gets people excited and the word of mouth helps sell product, no argument there.

But a half arsed review and mistakingly say the pieces of junk players like the Zen and Walkman “have caught up” to the iPod are just plain wrong.

So a suggestion, if you don’t want your email box flooded with hate mail or whatever, do a honest review. If you don’t like the iPod/iTMS combination, then say so. There is nothing wrong with that, Apple isn’t for everybody.

David in NC says:

Mr. Kantor,
Don’t worry. I’m a “MacAnatic” (if you will), but I “live my faith”, rather than “practice my zealous protestations”… Whatever!

I have owned one Windows 98 Toshiba laptop, and I hated the experience. And this was back in 1999-2000, before MacOS X arrived - so, compared to MacOS 8.x, Win98 looked like a Chrysler K-car. Nothing about the experience was elegant or intuitive.

And Win2K, WinXP, even what I’ve seen of the 2004, er, 2006(?), 2007(?) release of WinVista retains that “country cousins attempt at Madison Avenue” that delineates the difference between Microsoft & Apple. And how can a company the size of Bill’s not write an OS, browser or app-suite that isn’t shot full of one security hole after another? How many possible viruses, worms, spyware, et al will it take?

Which brings me to my main “MacAnatic” slant: who are the real lemmings if tens of millions of computer buyers/users will continue to purchase everything that Redmond dishes out, despite all it’s major flaws and inelegance? How can WinPCs truly be cheaper if you realistically factor in the T.C.O. (Total Cost of Ownership) of troubleshooting why your new printer doesn’t like the scanner, er, MS Office, er, digital camera, etc.? Then there’s the weekly virus hunting, spyware & malware eradication, hand-wringing-I-give-up-I’ll-just-buy-a-new-PC efforts…

And, see, I haven’t even hopped on the pulpit of industrial design or ease of use, which is the other half of the equation on why Apple attracts such diehard fans. People aren’t being forced to buy an iPod, or to download music from the iTMS. There are other options for both. However, the fact that millions of people have freely chosen to do so must say something about the experience Apple presents: AAC is industry-standard, their DRM is the fairest for all parties, mp3 works in iTunes, their pricing is fair (except to greedy record cos.), and they let you own your music…

My few nitpicks are that I can’t (easily) browse, buy & download from any of the International iTMSs, it would be nice to choose my one free New Music Tuesday song from among different genres (not just a single choice - not into rap or hip-hop), and the navigation in their Music Videos section needs tweaking. Otherwise, no complaints.

And next year we will begin to see just how much better MacOS X is on the same hardware that Microsoft has monopolized (or, is that, “slopolized”) for the past 15 years.

bob says:

you can’t compare iPod’s to the competition without reviewing iTunes! They are a package deal… you can’t use an iPod without iTunes, and you can’t use other players with it!

Its the software, Stupid!

Tom says:

I find it very humorous that whereas so many people who use Macs love to extol the virtues of all things Macintosh, the only thing I hear from Windows users is … how much they love using Windows software? No, the only thing I hear from Windows users is how much they dislike all those Mac users who love to extol the virtues of all things Macintosh.

Rob says:

Kantor, you’ve got it all wrong. Mac users wouldn’t have a problem with you criticizing Apple’s products as long as you backed up your statements with factual evidence. But you do nothing of the sort. For instance, observe the following two examples.

Example 1:

You stated that “the competition has caught up, and there are some just-as-slick players out there.” Ok, what players are those exactly? You gave no examples. You need to give me the names of the players so I can look at them for myself and determine whether or not they are indeed as good looking as the iPod. That’s called supporting your commentary with evidence; you typically learn how to do that in middle school English class.

Example 2:

You said: “Until recently, nothing could compare to the iPod’s controls.” Ok, that implies that recently there have been players brought to market that match the iPod’s intuitive control scheme. Name one such player. Again, you failed to back up your opinion with any evidence whatsoever. How can I believe anything you write when you have no facts for support?

So it is not that we Mac users have a problem with you “not praising Apple enough.” We instead have a problem with your poor journalism. If you gave decent examples to back up your statements, then maybe you wouldn’t get so much hate mail. As it is, your readers need to hold you accountable when you produce unacceptable work.

mackle says:

mr. kantor,
while i don’t consider myself a lemming, but i am quite rabid about my mac. btw, not everyone who owns an ipod uses a mac. maybe we need to divide the lemmings into mac and windows lemmings. there will come a day soon, when there are more windows ipod lemmings than mac. so your reaction may be more correctly directed at ipoders becoming rabid like mac users.

using technology is a very personal thing. we should not be surprised at the close relationship between hardliners and the choice of operating system they use. i would venture that almost every mac user actually chose the mac and a vast minority of windows users followed someones advice because they were too busy or the choice was not a big enough deal to do any more research, or worse, not an option. those who “chose” would tend to be more aligned to their choice and i think loyalty to the mac comes from this as much as anything.

i would have to agree with some of the comments above regarding your review if the nano. i consider it somewhat superficial, however, not from lack of overwhelming praise, but from a deeper understanding of why pople make choices. why you make a choice regarding what mp3 player to buy may not be coincidental with someone else’s. therefore, your comments about why you can’t understand the rabid adoration heaped on the nano (including quite a few journalists) only infer a “center of the universe” perspective and that usually will raise a few hairs.

my take on your original article is a little different. if you like to drive a morris rather than a mini cooper, it doesn’t bother me and i can believe there are good reasons for you to make that choice. i don’t have to agree with your decision, nor do i owe you any razzing ( i used to razz, but the counselling has really helped!). i believe your column is an opinion, not a news analysis. as such, the razzing is not deserved.

James Johnson says:

Well now this is out of hand, Mr Kantor don’t take it personally, yes you did praise the quality of the iPod verses the competition and we all agree with you there. Please keep posting your style of writing as in a way it could help keep Apple from becoming complacent.

As Dan’s post above points out and to add my 2 cents worth once you try the Mac you will understand why us Mac users get like this.

In a world where the effects of virus infections hits headline news along with office workers complaining that Windows had just crashed suddenly losing that morning’s work to big business losing money over downtime due to the causes of virus problems. To us Macheads this comes down to one thing, ignorance. Either by choice or by default as it is okay not to know if you just happen to use a computer at work and nowhere else.

Then you’d see that us Mac users know the answer to that and not just to have better backing up and frequent saving practices, but having an OS that diposes of all of those virus problems by being secure enough to make it impossible for a virus to be effective.

A concept could be that a virus could only effect a Mac if it got installed with the admin agreeing to install it, then only that one machine would be affected, not hundreds in one swoop and automatically without requiring admin agreement as it is with Windows as every Windows user has a C:\ drive.

So a virus writer wouldn’t waste their time unless there is something very valuable on your Mac that is worth much more than the current USA deficit in monetary terms.

In which case it’d be quicker to just break into your office and steal your Mac instead.

It is unfortunate that our advice gets muddled and misinterpreted all the time as not everyone knows that when a computer crashes it is Windows that has crashed not the computer.

After all those anti-viral companies have a lot to lose should the Mac gain a far bigger market share than now and remain virus free, very likely, along with those engineers that charge $60 per hour to come fix up a computer that just crashed. These people wouldn’t have much work and would be on the dole.

Market share has nothing to do with it and those advocating this are those that are protecting their jobs.

If you really think about it is Windows users that are the lemmings as Windows instability doles out more punishment upon them by forcing each of them to jump off the cliff in anger and dispair at every occurance of blue screen of death.

Yes The Ashes (Cricket) was a good game, everyone to the tune of the Beatles ‘Yellow Submarine’ We all live in a convict colony, convict colony…!

Now can we talk about the Nano?

Rob says:

And another thing, Kantor: maybe you shouldn’t litter your piece with so many contradictions. For example, you claim that the iPod is “it is better looking than its competition.” However, in the very next paragraph you state that “The competition has caught up, and there are some just-as-slick players out there.” So which is it? Is the iPod better looking than its competition, or have the competitors caught up? To make things even more confusing, the very next sentence says that the competitors “now have a steep hill to climb to catch up to Apple.” So in two paragraphs we have the following progression:

1) The competition is not as good looking as the iPod.
2) The competition is equally as good looking as the iPod.
3) The competition has not yet caught up to the iPod.

Obviously, the above three statements cannot logically coexist with each other. Either remove statement (2) or else remove statements (1) and (3). Please consider taking an elementary logic course before bashing Mac users for writing you nasty letters. I would expect nasty letters as well if I exhibited such poor literary skills while writing for a national publication.

mike k. says:

“I suggested that other companies were — Jobs forbid! — also starting to make decent products.”

You made this claim, and — Jobs forbid! — gave no justification or support for it.

This is the sort of thing we fail students for in college writing courses. Then we teach them the distinction between assertion and argument. I have always wondered what happens to the ones who cannot grasp the basic difference. Evidently they end up getting jobs in the tech section of USA Today.

wait — you mean that’s not a preview button!

shane blyth says:

As a PC users scince the days of no hard drives green screens and 5 1/4″ floppies. Also as a person who has run his own PC business for a long while and as an avid Mac user (over the last 12 months I really appreciate your insults .. Prejudice is when you lump a group of people based on 1 point.. eg a Windows user or a Mac user.. or some one from where ever.
Credibility is something earned and lost very quickly by making rash statements.
I am totally enjoy just about anything that Apple has made..the ipod and yes I just solf my Zen player to get the Nano as I prefered it and consider it suits my needs better. I have powerbooks and an Imac which I use for digital music production.. I aslo won sevral PC’s which tend to be gathering dust in the last 12 months
To answer your question what is wrong with Apple and mac fans
Nothing actually no more than the fan of any other device or OS or piece of hardware (I forgot to mention I have used Linux alot too)
If you are having a bad day and want to make a rash frustrated type of comment it pays to not write it down in a column unless you are wanting to get peoples back up
I choose to forgive you for you insults to me and others based on their choice of Computer systems.. I know what it is like to have a bad day or let some people get at me and then blame anyone that “looks” the same as then..
There are plenty of good Apple fans out there with level heads .
Dont let a few people twist your view on the reat of the world.
After all how many Apple fans have you actually delat with compared to the 16% install base of mac users in the desktop computing world?

Huw says:

This is what I love about people who don’t use Apple gear. They just don’t get it - do you Mr Kantor?

Loooong wait for ShortHorn says:

Ok Ok, let’s get this straight, if

Mac users = Cults

than

Window users = Blind
= Conservative
= Frogs inside the well
= No taste (at all)
= Do not appreciate good design
= Think they know everything
= Everything outside Window doesn’t make sense
= M$ system is complete
= M$ is god

Chuck Staples says:

Dear Mr. Kantor,

Whether you like an iPod or not, isn’t an issue. But please dive into the details a bit more forcefully to make your arguements. Granted, USA Today has a generally light-weight target audience, but its readers aren’t complete empty-brain lemmings, either. Although many of the MDN posters are, how about satisfying the remainder of us with a little substance to your comments?

MacUser2004 says:

Well, I am a new Mac user, a convert if you will. I used Windows 3.1/95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP until 2004. But, I must say, the Mac is way better. I love it. However, I do not believe in bashing others for their choice to use Windows or in this case, a different MP3 player. I think over the years Mac users have grown tired of getting ignored or misunderstood. So, when things are printed about them or their toys, they get more easily offended when it’s not 110% spot on accurate - and this also includes when facts are omitted. Hopefully, as Apple rises again, the Mac lemmings will settle down. But until then and as an owner of 3 Macs and 4 iPods, I wanted to assure you that we are not ALL crazy. :-)

RC says:

Mr. Kantor, with all due respect, you’re obviously a member of a cult yourself, even you don’t want to admit it. A very uncool and gradually shrinking cult perhaps, but a cult nevertheless. The cult known as Windows Fanboy Apologists. So to call Apple owners a “cult of blind little lemmings” is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black eh?

Andy H. says:

Mr. Kantor,

Now that the world clearly understands how you feel about Apple, Macs, iPods, and their customers, we’ll all keep your bias in mind as we read your future articles.

Thank you for the insight.

Marcie88 says:

Kantor baby,
I’ve been jealous before andI can tell you from experiencethat it does not make me feel good in the end.
I feel for you - but it will pass but only when you surrender to that object of your desire.
Go ahead…we’ll pretend not to look.
there is an iPod in your future and you know it.
Much love,
Your fellow lemming

E R Johnson says:

It’s the interface, stupid.
To anyone, you’re lucky to have a job.
Keep up the good work,

E R

CVB says:

As a mac fan, I found your original article fine - no problems in my book. Don’t get too worked up about the negative response. Everyone’s got an opinion - even over zealous mac fans.

CVB

Pat says:

Looking at some of the comments posted, I can see my fellow mac users have let me down… A recent converter to mac myself, I do find myself bashing windows from time to time, and bite my tongue when I realize it. Don’t get me wrong, I love all things apple, but the more time goes on, the more I realize each system has it’s weaknesses and strengths, and this includes the ipod vs everything else. I feel like I’m one the only ppl that really understands Kantor’s underlying point here, which is more genious than most seem to realize.

Jonathan says:

Don’t get too worked up. As long as you don’t start making false claims about Apple (good or bad) you’ll be ok. Trust me, the MAJORITY of Mac users are level-headed people. It’s the minority that make all the noise when a tech writer doesn’t bow at the image of Steve Jobs. Just an extremely vocal minority. You seem to be one of the few tech writers that can back up opinion with fact and not f.u.d. Keep up the good work.

Cliff says:

You should get over your hang up with the iPod/iTunes/iTMS. It’s the best option out there by a long shot. Sorry

radiomoscow says:

heard of Badapple?
lets u use any mp3 player with itunes
i havent tried it but if true it changes things doesnt it?

MacDude says:

Mr. Kantor,

Just to let you know MDN is the extreme end of the Mac based internet, it’s sort of entertaining and can be quite vicious at times. It’s nowhere reflective of the majority of the Mac based world where professionals go about their buisness using Unix based Mac’s and iPods.

In fact there are probably more Windows users using iPods than Mac users.

http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=474

By the way the other devices you mention that have “caught up” to the iPod have not done so what so ever.

Apparantly you haven’t tested a iPod Nano, browsed the over 2,000,000 songs, hundreds of thousands of podcasts, thousands of audiobooks, video or much of anything at the iTunes Music Store.

Your attempt to trivialize the iPod just rang hollow on millions of peoples eyes, they know your full of it. Apple presently sells over 1.8 million songs per day. The iPod commands over 80% market share.

You must really be out of touch, or your a paid shill, or you think people are stupid.

John H says:

Lemming huh? Who is this guy? Apple Computers have turned the Computer world around. Some of you people are right. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Maybe someone should send this guy an iMac and a hug. This is why I buy MacWorld, not USA Today.

Andy H. says:

Mr. Kantor,

MacDailyNews very clearly pointed thier issues with your piece. MDN takes issue with your unqualified statements with no supporting evidence or examples.
• “At least until recently — the iPod’s controls felt better that the competition’s.”
• “The competition has caught up, and there are some just-as-slick players out there.”
• “Get a Creative Labs MuVo or Zen, or a Sony Network Walkman and you can do the same things.”

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/6930/

Perhaps you’d like to take this opportunity to explain your comments?

MDN also clearly told their readers: “[Kantor] tends to cherrypick the flames, so level-headed expressions pointing out issues would be best, unless you want to be published on kantor.com.”

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/6928/

I wish you’d answer (although I don’t think you can do so adequately) MacDailyNews’ points. It would settle this whole thing.

Andy H. says:

MDN said it best, of course:

“Kantor’s ham-handed attempts at damning Apple with faint praise are laughable.”

http://www.macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/6930/

[Note: I removed the coding originally around that URL. It doesn't work here. --AK]

natis says:

As a mac user since 1985, I have to say that most of the bad apples (yay! pun) seem to stem from the Mac Daily News site. Over the last few months I’ve weaned myself from visiting their site as it seems for every informative article they post, three others are posted for the sheer purpose of just getting people rabid. It’s a news site like “A Current Affair” is a news show.

RevNeal says:

I can understand your frustration at the flood of “hate-mail” from my fellow Macites. Sometimes we do develop something of a thin skin — it comes from years of being chided, ignored, and called “Macintrash” and such. The snobbish snootiness and know-it-all attitude of many WinPC users when it comes to the Macintosh and the Mac OS wears VERY thin over time, and some people simply cannot contain themselves.

To put this simply, it wasn’t that you didn’t praise iPod or Mac enough, it’s that you (1) failed to substantiate some of your qualifiers relative to other MP3 players, and (2) failed to show any degree of familiarity with iTunes and the interconnectivity of the iPod with iTunes which makes the combination a “killer” duo. Yes, MacDailyNews readers should have not jumped on your case that way … but such is the danger of poking at the hyper-sensitized wing of Macdom.

Regards,
RevNeal

Eric says:

Interesting. I posted something here earlier, and now it is not here. A little censorship going on here Mr. Kantor? Tisk tisk!

la dolce vita says:

Never mind him. He’s just a writer. I have known many (and dated a few) newspaper writers and 9/10 of them are loath at the core of their being to entertain even the faintest notion that they got something wrong. Yet they are cynics as well… It’s in their DNA. They are genuine experts in nothing other than borrowing other peoples’ information, yet consider themselves intellectuals. It’s a waste of time to try to show Mr. Kantor his mistakes–columnists tend to think since it’s opinion it can’t be wrong.

danny says:

I just think writers know how to get press for themselves. Write about Apple and wait for reaction to come in. Then they write another article talking about all the reation they got. Then they promote all this reaction they got in another article (and to their boss-look at me I’m so popular boss) and it makes them feel like people read them. Manipulation. And any Mac people who respond, you play right into the writers hands.

Gregg Thurman says:

Are Mac users over the top? You betcha. Why shouldn’t they be. For 20 years the media has been predicting its demise, inaccurately attributing Mac innovations to Microsoft, then praising Windows as the end all, be all of operating systems. The media did all this while never having touched a Mac.

Journalists still can’t grasp that there are zero, as in ZERO, viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, or other kinds of malware written for the Mac. Journalist’s stories continue to state that there are “fewer”, or “not as many” virii for the Mac as there is for Windows. Technically that is true, but is it totally accurate? Not even close.

Yep, Mac users are over the top. It’s what they’ve had to do for two decades, to get reporting on Mac products, that is barely semi-accurate.

Andrew says:

Some quick responses in no particular order.

Q: I put a comment up and then it disappeared. Is there a little censorship going on?
A: Yep. Nasty attacks, calling me names, generally being a jerk rather than just expressing an opinion — I take them down. It’s my site, and it’s my right. Don’t like it? I’m sure you can use all the fifth-grade names you want over at MDN.

Q: You didn’t mention iTunes!
A: You’re kidding, right? You can’t be that thick — you can’t. The column wasn’t a review of the iPod. It was a commentary on quality technology: the iPod, Toyota, ‘clicky’ keyboards, etc. It. Was. Not. A. Review. Of. The. iPod. Get that through your heads.

Q: How can you say these other music players are getting as good as the One True iPod?
A: I could go into detail (I tried this, I tried that), but you all know what will happen. I’ll say, “Such and such a player has controls as nice as the iPods,” and screaming Apple fans will send me nasty letters telling me “No it’s not!!! You’re an idiot!!!” So why should I bother?

Q: You haven’t replied to my comment! I guess this proves I’m right!
A: No, I just don’t take the time to reply to everything. You want to take that as confirmation of your position, be my guest. But it ain’t.

Q: It’s clear you hate Apple and the Mac!
A: I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: The Mac is a great machine. Absolutely wonderful. Never said otherwise. Ditto for the iPod. In fact, if you bothered to read my column, you’ll see that it’s nothing but praise for the iPod. Nothing but. (Not that MDN or anyone else will mention these comment — they like to pick and choose the comments of mine they quote.)

Thom says:

What a troll, and journalist wonder why the general public holds them in such low regard. By implying that all mac users are lemmings you leave no doubt about who the real pin head is.

Huck says:

I have two comments.

1. It’s probably not the best way of provoking reasoned responses to wonder publicly, “What’s wrong with Mac users?” Because it seems possible, judging from your responses throughout here, that your problem is with MacDailyNews, its editor, and his interpretation of your writing, rather than with literally millions of other people as a class. As someone in that class–a Mac user–believe me, it’s hard not to take offense when I see something calling me a stupid blind lemming. Maybe I’m crazy, but there it is.

2. It’s tough to review something without using it, and I think that many Mac users respond to the perception–which you may think they have no reasonable factual basis for, but which does come clearly in things you write (yes, including that piece about the Virginia Tech supercomputer, which I’ve gone back and read), whether or not you can see the signs yourself–that you do not use a Mac OS X machine as your primary computer, and probably have no plan to make the experiment. Unlike many other tech writers, who have done so and written well-received pieces on the Mac–not cultish ravings, but pieces that are well informed by first-hard experience over several weeks. (For instance, Jim Coursey, Anandtech, Winn Schwartau, Paul Thurrott.)

So here’s my suggestion–if you try not being quite so intemperate yourself in your reaction, and immediately slanging as a class all “Mac lovers” (itself a loaded, or mildly derogatory, phrase compared to the simpler “Mac users”), and if you also try a Mac OS X machine out as your primary computer, I ver much doubt you’ll provoke quite the same response ever again. Because your written tone will be less along the lines of, “I’m dealing with a cult”–which people quite unsurprisingly find upsetting–and more along the lines of, “I’m reviewing technology.”

But if you simply don’t feel that it’s worth your while to try those two things, it really can’t be quite such a mystery why you leave Mac-using readers dissatisfied.

And if your extraordinary comments at the head of this page really do reflect your most reasoned approach to the issue of writing about the no. 2 desktop operating system, it’s simply pretty tough to make the case that you’re sufficiently open-minded about technology to write about it as a professional.

MacAnimal says:

“The curse-filled notes I got came to my Inbox because, again, I simply didn’t heap enough praise”

No you heaped praise on the iPod and then suggested people buy another device listed because they “do the same thing and look just as slick”

Your wrong on both parts, the iPod Nano has no competition, it’s in a class all new by itself and if you have reviewed the iTunes software carefully and iTMS, you would have seen that’s it’s the seamless operation of the hardware and software, plus all the great content on iTMS that makes the iPod 1000x better than those ratty devices.

You can’t judge the quality of a egg until you crack it open, and it’s this type of lackluster journalism bordering on trolling that has got you in hot water.

So Mr. Kantor, you have no one to blame but yourself. Do a complete review next time and give your opinion why you don’t like it or why you think another product is better.

Quit lying to people and try to push inferior products.

PowerMac G5 says:

“So here we go again. And now I understand why so many of the tech writers I’ve met say they hate to write about anything Apple does. Because the lemmings come calling.”

No it’s because the majority of you writers, journalists, critics, bloggers (whatever you wan to call yourself) are too lazy to do a full technical review of a product that covers everything a product has to offer and then compare that fairly to other competitiors devices.

Don’t have the money to buy each device and test everything about it?
Then don’t write a review that’s misleading and infactual.

If you do write something and miss something factual, then don’t complain that others are attempting to correct you for your error.

You screwed up and MDN came to call you on your mistake.

There are a lot of writers who write honest reviews and think something about a Apple product isn’t as good as the competition, Mac users can accept that. Consumers have a brain, but when you go insulting their intelligence your going to catch hell.

Saying the iPod is great but “buy something else” “because it’s just as good” is pure donkey poo.

Andrew says:

I stand aghast.

“…you heaped praise on the iPod and then suggested people buy another device listed…”

“Saying the iPod is great but ‘buy something else’ ‘because it’s just as good’ is pure donkey poo.”

Where did I say that? Show me where I said “buy something else.” Go ahead — find the post, the column, the article, whatever.

I never said that, never even implied it.

If you have to make up comments of mine in order to support your position, maybe you should find another position.

“You screwed up and MDN came to call you on your mistake.”

Where did I screw up? By calling the iPod a beautiful piece of hardware? Because that’s what I did — repeatedly.

“It’s tough to review something without using it…”

How thick are you people? It’s incredible. I heaped praise on the iPod — I used it as the centerpiece of a column on quality as an example of great quality.

And now you have the nerve to post stuff like this?

In-fracking-credible.

Rob says:

This is unbelievable Kantor. Your reasoning for not providing supporting evidence for your statements is laughable. You stated the following:

“I could go into detail (I tried this, I tried that), but you all know what will happen. I’ll say, ‘Such and such a player has controls as nice as the iPods,’ and screaming Apple fans will send me nasty letters telling me ‘No it’s not!!! You’re an idiot!!!’ So why should I bother?”

Wow, so you’re too afraid of hate mail to provide your readers with evidence supporting your claims? Why do you even bother being a journalist if you’re so afraid of people sending you critical e-mail? Why not just take another job where criticism won’t be a part of your job?
You know what this tells me? It tells me that you lied when you said there are players with controls as good as the iPod. If there really were such players, you wouldn’t have been afraid to give their names. You knew that you would be torn to shreds if you said, for example, the Dell DJ has controls equal to the iPod, because it’s simply not true. You obviously knew that no evidence existed to support your claims, so you simply made your statements while conveniently leaving out any supporting facts. This is atrocious journalism, Kantor. You shouldn’t be surprised that so many people are calling you out on it.

Rob says:

“Where did I screw up? By calling the iPod a beautiful piece of hardware?”

No, Kantor. Again, you’re bringing up the wrong issue. You screwed up by NOT PROVIDING EVIDENCE FOR YOUR CLAIMS. I don’t care if you’re too scared to give that evidence or not. You owe it to your readers to back up your statements. Don’t try to defend yourself by claiming that everyone is mad at you because you didn’t praise the iPod enough. We’re mad because you exhibited unacceptable journalism.

Andrew says:

One. More. Time.

The column was not a review of the iPod, as much as you wish it was, Rob. It was a commentary on quality in technology, with the iPod as a prime example.

In your head, for whatever reason, you can’t see that — you miss the whole point because I suggested — horror of horrors! — that there are other good music players out there.

And that, no matter what you say, is what all of this nonsense is about.

I said there are other good music players besides the iPod, and Apple lovers get into their usual tizzy. Period.

Andrew says:

Here’s an analogy.

I write a column about the refinishing of my house: I’m fixing the leaky gutters, adding a bathroom, repainting the living room with Behr paint because it’s so good (although there are some other good paints), having the carpets cleaned, and installing a new light fixture in the kitchen.

Then I get all these nasty notes for daring to imply that there are paints besides Behr that are good. Screaming, curse-filled notes.

And here I’m thinking that these people missed the entire point of the column to focus, like only a fanatic can, on one minor comment.

“Where’s your evidence that there are other good paints?!?!? You’re an idiot for not sharing it!!!”

Um, the column was about working on my house, not about Behr paint.

Same deal. The column was about quality in technology, not an iPod review. Deal with it.

Mac User says:

I love the way you talk so condescendingly to the posters above, while still sidestepping their questions. Why won’t you provide supporting evidence to your statements of ‘fact’? Which players out there are you talking about when you state?:
“The competition has caught up, and there are some just-as-slick players out there.”
or
“Until recently, nothing could compare to the iPod’s controls.”
or
“But — at least until recently — the iPod’s controls felt better that the competition’s.”

Just give some examples and I think you might have save yourself some grief.

The other big question is where you got your statistics? You stated:

“Apple has over 30% of the MP3 player market when you look at hard-drive-based players and flash-memory-based players.”

You may have gotten your figures confused here. Of the total mp3 market in the US, of which iPod has about a 74% share (July data), the hard drive players make up about 30%. Of this market, the iPod has the majority share, probably close to 90% of that market. By quoting your inaccurate statistics that you did, you misrepresented the iPod’s popularity and made it seem as if the it was just barely ahead of the other players in market and diluting it’s position.

Rob says:

Kantor, where did I ever claim that you were writing a review of the iPod? I didn’t, and I don’t care that it wasn’t a review of the iPod. You claim it was a “commentary on quality in technology.” So if you’re commenting on the quality of the iPod and its competitors (which I assume you were), then you should provide evidence for your comments that claim the iPod’s competition has caught up. It’s Journalism 101. If you were writing this on your blog, then it wouldn’t matter. But when you are writing for a national publication, you need to follow some basic literary rules.

Your house/paint analogy is poor. Let me give you a better one. You weren’t writing an article about fixing your house. You were writing a commentary about the quality of various household objects. One of these objects is paint. So imagine Behr is currently the market leader in paints by a large margin. You give a few reasons why this is the case: Behr has superior thickness and looks the best when put on the wall. But then later in your column, you make statements like “Until recently, Behr paint has had superior thickness to the competition.” Well since I know nothing about paint, I assume that now everyone has caught up to Behr in paint thickness. But what if that’s not true? After all, you provide no evidence to back up the fact that Behr is no longer the thickest paint. You provide no other paint names for me to look at to determine whether or not you are telling the truth. Why should I believe your commentary? What kind of commentary is this on paint quality when you don’t even give the names of paints that have supposedly caught up to Behr?

Then you claim that other paints now look just as good as Behr does when put on the wall. Ok, I’d like the names of these paints so I can see for myself. Oh, but you don’t give me any names. So what good is this commentary? It’s useless because it provides no information on the quality of paints. All it says is that supposedly other paints are now just as good as Behr, yet I don’t know what these other paints are.

So after reading your commentary, I’m left with the idea that there are now alternatives to Behr which are just as good. This may or may not be the truth; however, I can’t decide for myself because I don’t know what those alternatives are. Talk about a useless column.

Again, your article was a poor commentary not because you made a general claim that other music players were as good as the iPod, but because you made specific claims about the quality of the iPod and its competitors without providing corroborating evidence. For a commentary about the quality of technology, this is unacceptable. And you only did this regarding the iPod. When you claimed that the Toyota was better quality than the Ford, you went into detail giving specific evidence for why you thought that was the case. But you gave no such evidence for your statements about the iPod.

Andrew says:

And you still don’t get it.

I’m left with the idea that there are now alternatives to Behr which are just as good. This may or may not be the truth; however, I can’t decide for myself because I don’t know what those alternatives are. Talk about a useless column.

If this was a column reviewing paint (or music players), you’d be right. If it was even intended to help you make purchasing decisions, you’d be right.

But, clearly, it wasn’t. It was a column about fixing up a house (or on quality in technology).

Yet you persist on treating it as a review, or as something that’s supposed to help you make purchasing decisions.

I don’t know why you and other here insist on mischaracterizing it. But you do, you put up your straw man, and then you feel some kind of strange superiority for knocking it down.

My e-mail, oddly, is getting plenty of ‘traffic’ from more reasonable people.

“Just a note regarding your review of the iPod Nano… it seemed fine to me. I’m a mac user for 20 years, and have always enjoyed the experience on my macs more than I have above my windows pc’s.”

“Hi, I am an “avid” mac user… don’t mind the “lemming” part.

“Your comments are spot on.
As with any other hooliganship it is easier to hijack somebody else’s life than get one of your own.”

“As a Mac fan and MDN reader I thought I’d just say that your article was fine. Not sure why MDN has to dissect every statement. I can understand your cult and Lemmings comments but rest assured most Mac fans aren’t like that ! Keep up the good work.”

So I’m glad to see there are some people who actually bothered to read the piece rather than let the bozos at MDN tell them what to think.

PowerMac G5 says:

Andrew, when you have the chance, do a in depth review of a product instead of a passing visual inspection.

There is a lot more to the iPod than just good looks, playing music and good marketing by Apple.

If playing music was the case, Creative would have been the market leader.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/hardware/05/08/30/0118252.shtml?tid=184&tid=220

If more features was the case, the iRiver with FM radio/recording would have been the market leader.

If Rio Karma (out of business) was a quality product, slamming it on a desk to get it to work wouldn’t be needed.

http://features.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/09/1813228&from=rss

If the Sony Walkman didn’t offer tracks in a low bit rate, hard to use format with only their music available…

Apple took the MP3 player concept and improved upon it so much that it’s no longer a just a MP3 player, it’s a iPod. Something even better. It’s a quality product, with quality software and a great high content store, with a lot of other features and uses than just to play music. It’s a combination of factors that attributes to it’s success in the marketplace, not just it’s looks.

There are tons of third party add-ons, like voice recorders, FM radios, remote controls, car integration kits, speakers, etc. that dwarf those other players.

You lumped the iPod with generic MP3 players and that has touched a nerve.

You said the competition has caught up and it doesn’t even come close.

You suggested the iPod’s quality was the reason for it’s market share, and your wrong, it’s several factors.

“Great technology is about more than features”

Your right, but you missed the ball with the iPod completely, I think it’s because your not familiar with the iPod/iTMS.

http://pulsar.esm.psu.edu/Faculty/Gray/graphics/movies/apple_music_store_m480.mov

Rob says:

You keep insisting your column was not a review, despite the fact that one of the “reasonable people” you quoted said your “review” of the iPod was “fine.” Regardless, I never once claimed your column was a review, despite the fact that I am not “reasonable.” What I did claim was that your commentary was baseless because you provided no support for your arguments. And you have attempted two defenses for that:

1) “I could go into detail” but “why should I bother” because I will just get criticized.
2) I was not writing a review, therefore I do not have to back up any assertions I make.

Point (1) is a poor defense and is an insult to your readership. Saying you “could have” offered evidence but didn’t because you were afraid of what e-mails you might have gotten is absurd. If you’re in the business of journalism, be prepared for criticism. Otherwise find a different profession.

Point (2) is just plain bad logic. Just because you weren’t writing a review doesn’t give you the right to say whatever you want without providing something to back it up. I can say “I think the moon is made of cheese” but it doesn’t make it true unless I have some facts to defend such an assertion. And my article could have nothing to do with the moon except for that one sentence. I could be writing about beach balls. Who cares? If I make a statement like that, I have to be prepared to defend it, especially if I’m a writer for a national publication.

By the way, you’re naive if you think your column wasn’t “something that’s supposed to help [readers] make purchasing decisions.” What else would be the point of reading a “commentary on quality technology?” Do you think readers will say “Oh yeah, he’s right, some technology is of better quality than its competition. But don’t think I will look at quality when I’m making a purchasing decision.” Readers will take what you say about various products and use that when it’s time for them to buy, regardless of whether or not you intend for that to happen.

Jeff the Fat Kid says:

Listen — what you have to realize is that you’ll never win. You wrote that this kind of idiocy is why your colleagues don’t want to write about Macs. Apple has its own little press of pamphleteers and propagandists, so they don’t need or want you. This is exactly why your colleagues shouldn’t write about the Mac, and you shouldn’t either. Or if you do, you should just plan to ignore whatever responses you get. It’s like arguing with Christians, or republicans — there’s no room for an even slightly negative opinion. Pointing out, as you did, that they refuse to accept criticism of any kind is not going to neutralize them. They have been brain washed by the slickest marketing team out there, and they love their martyrdom. Even if you say it’s good, like you did, it can never be good enough if there’s a single mote of critical thought involved. Of course, if Micro$oft was to fall, and Mac got all the marketshare, they’d all defect. They *want* to be offended. They *want* to be marginalized. It makes them feel righteous, like the way Christians are now claiming they are marginalized, even though 90% of the country is Christian. They make these claims because it makes them feel good in that under dog, Bad News Bears kind of way, and they’ll never give that up. Just remember this — the only reason Christians aren’t still burning heretics at the stake is that the church has waned and lost all but a symbolic dot of power. So, be careful. The Mac is waxing. And this is coming from a guy who has used Macs exclusively since 2002! LOL

Steven Georges says:

It’s not that the article was positive or negative, it’s a mater accuracy. It sounds like someone doesn’t like to be corrected, (resorting to name calling.) Did someone a nerve?

Rob says:

“It’s like arguing with Christians, or republicans — there’s no room for an even slightly negative opinion.”

It’s not about “negative opinions.” I don’t think Apple is perfect; I don’t think their products are perfect. If you criticize them, fine, but provide some reason for it. Don’t say something and then refuse to back it up. It’s like saying “the iMac is terrible.” Ok, but why is it terrible? You have to understand, people will read the line “the iMac is terrible” and they will believe it, despite the fact that it is a baseless criticism. This is about holding the media accountable when they practice poor journalism. When a journalist writes that the Mac is “less prone to viruses than Windows,” we Mac users get upset. And it’s not because the journalist is not praising the Mac enough. It’s because saying that the Mac is less prone to viruses is just poor writing. It gives the impression that there are maybe half as many viruses for the Mac as there are for Windows, when in reality there are zero Mac OS X viruses compared to 50,000+ for Windows. This is about getting basic facts right and practicing proper journalism, not about how much or little the Mac is praised.

Andrew says:

PowerMac: Why would I *possibly* want to write a review after all this nonsense? You gotta be kidding.

I realize from your message that you’re yet another person who didn’t bother to read what I wrote, and are treating it as if it was some kind of product recommendation.

Incredible. How dense *are* you people? IT WASN’T A REVIEW. IT WASN’T A RECOMMENDATION. IT WAS A COMMENTARY ON QUALITY TECHNOLOGY.

Rob: Just because a reasonable person calls my column a review STILL DOES NOT MAKE IT A REVIEW. And we both know that if I say anything even vaguely negative about any Apple product, I won’t be “criticized,” I’ll be screamed at, cursed at, and hounded.

Look what happened when I dared to suggest there were other decent music players out there.

Holy-moly. You people really need to get lives. Honestly.

Do you do this a lot? Find a tech commentary on something that mentions an Apple product, pretend that it’s a review even when it’s not, then write nasty, curse-filled notes to the writer?

It’s pathetic. It really is.

Come on, read “PowerMac G5’s” comment and you can see — he’s oblivious to what the column was about. His whole commentary is trying to be a rebuttal to a review that doesn’t exist.

And then will come the comments about how Apple lovers are always on edge because they feel picked on — nobody likes to write about Apple. It gets no coverage.

Gee, I wonder why.

Rob says:

Kantor, I wasn’t talking to you when I said “If you criticize them, fine, but provide some reason for it.” If you read my comment, I was quoting “Jeff the Fat Kid” and offered a rebuttal to his statements. I never implied you criticized the iPod.

Andrew says:

Whoops — I stand corrected! I’ve edited my comment to reflect that, and corrected yours (”kind” to “kid”).

John says:

OK Mr. Kantor. Admittedly your review was overall very positive of the iPod. I think that the reason you have gotten such a strong reaction from the Macintosh Community is because you included such asides as:

• “At least until recently — the iPod’s controls felt better that the competition’s.”
• “The competition has caught up, and there are some just-as-slick players out there.”
• “Get a Creative Labs MuVo or Zen, or a Sony Network Walkman and you can do the same things.”

Given your past history of conflict with Mac Users, I think it is understandable why people would call you to task for these. People are expecting you to say something to rile up Mac Users on purpose. I don’t know for sure that you calculatedly included the above statesments to get a response, but it sure looks like you did.

Bob says:

“(The writers also thought, incorrectly, as it turned out, that I had some minor factual errors. They were wrong, as it turns out, but why should facts get in the way of a good cult-like rant?)”

By who’s assessment? You again make statements without your supporting data? Put up or quit whining!

PowerMac G5 says:

“I realize from your message that you’re yet another person who didn’t bother to read what I wrote, and are treating it as if it was some kind of product recommendation.”

I have read your recommendation and review stuck inside a “commentary” article a few times Andrew.

I especially liked your little trick of having the “nano” link tiny and the “Creative Labs MuVo or Zen” and the “Sony Network Walkman” links nice and long so they catch the eye better.

Remember Andrew, most graphic and layout artists are Mac users, we have a eagle eye for spin, tricks and typos. It’s our jobs to read lots and lots of copy everyday.

Enjoy your life and a half hearted thanks for the half hearted whatever you want to call what you wrote.

Fredrik Lindgren says:

Andrew, in your commentary you wrote, “The competition has caught up, and there are some just-as-slick players out there.”

Can you just explain how you came to this conclusion? I’m really interested in your thoughts on this.

Anonymous says:

[sigh] Sorry, PowerMac, hate to destroy your conspiracy theory. I link to first ref of a product, unless it’s in the first graf of the column — USAToday.com rule, at least for columns, is no links in that first graf.

Not that you believe me, and not that I care.

Andrew says:

Folks, I’m gonna be away for a few days and not checking this as often. So if I don’t reply, don’t assume it’s “crickets” — it’s just me not being around.

We can pick this up then, or we can realize that we’re spinning in circles and move up. Up to you.

Brich says:

As a dual platform user, I think your nano commentary is ok; but your broad brush ‘painting’ of Mac users is just silly…possibly a primary reason why so many non-zealots are cruising over here and just kicking your butt.

radiomoscow says:

Andrew
I’m interested in your response to
Fredrik Lindgren says:
Andrew, in your commentary you wrote, “The competition has caught up, and there are some just-as-slick players out there.”

Can you just explain how you came to this conclusion? I’m really interested in your thoughts on this.

MacAnimal says:

“This because… why? Answer: Because I didn’t heap enough praise on an Apple product.”

No you made statements that were in error about the iPod due to a lack of a in depth review of each product you were comparing.

When the Mac community came to correct you for your misinformation, you took a retalitory reaction and called us “lemmings”

FYI, we don’t need your “free advertising” comments about Apple products, Apple can buy full page spreads in your fish wrap if they want to, but if your going to mention something about anyone’s products, check it out in depth beforehand.

“Lemmings” I like to see Andrew go walking into a biker bar and telling everyone there they are “lemmings” for not buying a rice rocket. Hohohoho :D

Ben W. says:

In fairness, the fact that you got a few e-mails (and blog comments) from a few fanatics shouldn’t lead you to condemn all Apple fans. The vast majority of the millions of mac users are reasonable, casual, friendly people, I assure you.

Solra Bizna says:

You think THAT’S bad? Insult Linux in an article. ;)
-:sigma.SB

david says:

i like the nano too. i bought it, which is about the best recommendation i can give a small object. i didn’t buy the other ipods or any other mp3-only players.

in terms of macs: every time in the last 10 years that i’ve had to work on a windows machine (95, 98, 2000, XP, etc), the experience has been a PITA - either because a needed preference was hiding 100 levels deep in a menu structure closely related to the internal workings of the device, or because the thing was riddled with useless programs and “visitors” and it was trying to run it all with a thimblefull of RAM and a hard drive from 1985. i’m not surprised that people buy x86 machines but i’m consistently taken aback at how bad the user experience is for ordinary folk. it is MUCH easier to keep a mac in good working order as an ordinary person, before and after UNIX.

raving lunatic fans rejoice.

Michael says:

I agree that Apple has fans that are more than willing to let you know their opinions on what you write and that may make reviews difficult. However, I find it refreshing when someone writes a review that doesn’t completely praise any product Apple makes. There are always flaws in any design and only by pointing out the disadvantages do you find the best product out there. When I look at my iPod there are things that bother me and the same with my Powerbook. However, when I compare the things that bother me about my Apple products to the problems I had with my PC and my friends are still currently having I find my Apple products far superior. Ideally you want to engineer a product for yourself and your personal preference. It is the customizable options that I like about Apple, take those away and I wouldn’t find their products attractive. I am sorry you feel accosted by the Apple bunch. Please keep writing and reviewing Apple products and if you get the chance try out some Mac products in a Mac environment where they are chiefly engineered and you will see the seamless integration. Apple does design things to work with PCs just not as well as they do with their own products of course. Thank you for your opinion, I for one appreciate it.

Michael Sidoric says:

Mr Kantor, If Apple followers are a cult or lemmings, how do you explain the 97% of desktop users who succumb to Microsoft? What does that make them? And don’t forget, you don’t hear ANYONE sing the praises of Micro$oft who (a) isn’t on their payroll, or, (b) is a stakeholder in a company getting ready to cash out to a Micro$oft takeover.

Mac users may be loyal — but sir it is you and your unenlightened readers who use Micro$oft who drank the Koolaide.

blexcroid says:

andrew you ignorant slut.
oh wait…ok..you write for usa today…ok…that explains it

Mike says:

We’re just a passionate lot. That’s something that seems to be missing in most other companies. Us Apple-heads have an emotional attachment to our underdog company and have, in recent years, been rewarded for our loyalty with outstanding products. I find myself getting caught up in the jet wash at times. Don’t take it personally. It’s kinda like talking about someone’s mama ya’ know? Speak your mind, we certainly do!

Butter says:

It just looks like this guy loves the way the nano looks but is a bit afraid to admit it. He didn’t insult anything, he just softened each compliment. Maybe he’s just getting used to the idea that apple gear is really excellent.
Maybe he’s afraid his buddies will tease him for admitting he loves an ipod.
Really this was an article on how elegance in design improves user experience, and its natural to use apple gear to make that point.
But, Mr. Kantor, i implore to to put aside your pride and allow yourself to admit the ipod nano is fantastic without having to inject unsubstantiated allusions to better or equal products from other camps.
Why my fellow ipod lovers are so bent out of shape on this one, i don’t know. I personally don’t care if you are a good journalist or not, or whether you can admit your feelings without a back door either.
It is obvious to me what your article was about, and i agree with its major premise. I also agree with you that the ipod nano is an extremely good looking addition to apples already-spectacular line of music players, and i think there is something to be said that you are gradually warming up to the line, albeit with some resistance.
it is my experience that apple’s appeal eventually draws in anyone willing to try out their stuff. My guess would be that should you have to courage to review any other apple gear in the future it will be whatever slight shade closer to clealy accepting its virtues that you are comfortable with.
don’t allow a few emails to shade your objectivity. don’t allow pride to get in the way of discovering your internal truth about how you feel.
and i would say to mac daily news (who is without a comments area, mind you) let this man adjust to apple-appreciation at his own pace. it is clear that each article it a step closer to flat out professing his reguard.
cheers

Andrew Schmadeke says:

Apple (iPod) fanatics enjoy being in the majority for the first time since Windows was released. Most of us, I think, are insulted only by the prospect that there’s a possibility that the iPod’s popularity will fade. It’s fun to be on the winning team for once.

Frank says:

Jeeez! Talk about “Soap-Opera” Journalism. Calling Mac users “lemmings” and then censoring the responses. This is worse than grammar school behavior.

I don’t know what’s worse; the original article or your response to the critics.

xsedrinam says:

Frankly my dear, I couldn’t care less about the iPod market. I just love reading stereotypical comments replete with “stereotypos”. How could 95% of the market users be wrong, right? Wrong! Right? Wrong? Right! Lemmings……hmmmm.

AC says:

I like how you’ve taken it upon yourself to insult every facet of the Mac-using public with your childish “blind lemming” blanket statement.

Just so you know, we’re not all represented by the actions of those who are a bit more fanatical and much more easily offended. I would never lump all Windows users or Creative Zen users together in a blanket insult such as that, and I’d appreciate it if a “respectable” journalist such as yourself would do the same.

Thank you.

Neil says:

Hi there,

It’s an article and you’re entitled to write what you want when you want. People should just chill out…it’s an article about technology, that’s it. No lives were saved, no lives were lost. :-) Having been a Mac user since ‘84 (Windows as well), I qualify as a cult member but I haven’t signed up. :-) Apple produces some great technolgy and they produce some that’s only “fair”. I admire their innovation.

I know you’ll keep writing from your own perspective and with your own insights. Enjoy it and I wish you continued success.

…Neil

Gaston Grenon says:

“lemmings” … it’s just too funny! What is the Apple market share? It is somewhere between 2 to 5%. What is the percentage of PC users? THEY are the REAL lemmings. When you’re a MAc user or should I say a Mac fanatic, you’re someone who had the courage to try ot like something else, something different. And most of the time, you’re someone who realized that Mac is, overall, simply better. Unless, you’re a gamer there is no reason not to switch. I’m surrounded by PC users at my work and most of them are not very happy about what they use and they don’t even consider buying a Mac. That’s what I call a lemming.

Will says:

Even as an Apple fanatic (not to mention Christian and Republican), I read your column the other day and found nothing wrong with it. If there’s any issue to be taken with anything you’ve written lately, it’s only that at times you almost dip to the level of the overzealous loudmouths attacking you. Ad hominem attacks don’t suit anyone, and you’re probably better off just ignoring them when they come your way, rather than sending them back. Pointing out stupidity rarely results in anything beyond defensive measures from those being indicated. Do your thing, and pay no mind to us dorks behind the curtain.

Brad says:

Well, I had to read your other article to see what everyone was talking about, but where exactly did you review the Nano?? Toyota > Ford, check, loud keyboard > multimedia, check. ‘If I had a Nano’? Are you telling me you’ve never been through the wonderful little process that Apple fans worldwide brag about where you plug something into the machine, and the software integrates seamlessly with the hardware? A review of an iPod without mentioning iTunes, playlist ease, speed of transfers (lack of firewire would certainly be a fault in this case, I admit), and syncing of everything useful, is the best example of a blind lemming I can think of. Yes, you sir, are a blind lemming.

Micky says:

Its like this… Apple has the best quality computer/computer related products in the world, no one has yet to even begin to match up to the apple standard of quality hell every windows fanatic will tell you that the sole purpose of windows is to play games… most of those games that come out for windows aren’t even worth playing… the ones that are come out for mac too, and often times run better on a lower clock speed. than there are those people who say unix or linux is king well when a linux or unix user starts a company that makes hardware too than we’ll talk FACT: Microsoft spends 1Billion dollars more a year on R&D than apple makes total and yet apple still has a far supiror operating system thats virus,spyware,ad ware,and pop-up free.

Erik says:

I’m am sorry for your bad impression. We’re not all like that though. As with any fanboys, sometimes some people can take things a little too far, and they’re the ones who will e-mail you. Especially with the ability to remain unknown by hiding behind the anonymous nature of the internet. Fact is, some of us are so used to being called things like “lemmings” (not really helping yourself there with that one) and worse, that we can get a little defensive when we feel we are being criticized by “outsiders” who don’t quite understand. I would just consider it flamebait, and get on with you life rather than fan those flames. Just think, every click to your site and every angry e-mail is someone reading your material. Who care if they like it or agree with it? A hit is a hit. ;)

Chris says:

Something that really hasn’t been mentioned here is quality of writing.

Disclaimers:
Yes, I am an Apple user, yes I own an iPod, and no I have never thought much of the popular press (which prides itself on writing at a fourth grade reading level, kudos).

That said, from a literary stand point the article was stripped of its “technological” purpose by the analogies it used. The author dives into a topic and thinks, “hmm this is a technical area, lets bring the knowledge down to the masses with a convenient and ubiquitious example…like SUVs”. Sir, you hit the nail on the head, especially when you make a paltry attempt to distinguish two ostensibly equal SUVs by commenting on their cruise control and radio buttons. This apparently tied into the form vs. function argument, yes? It was hard to tell, especially with the second example, keyboards, where more buttons = more function and more tactile response = more form. Layout, footprint and all other features must mean jack because the noisy IBM keyboard is better than a modern keyboard. Using the same logic I could say that someone who loves their 1950s Schwinn bike is valuing the form of the bike over modern functionality, but I would be laughed at by anyone who understands ergonomic evolution…not to mention technology oriented folk. But alas, this is a technology oriented column.

On a final note, the author keeps saying that his blurb (to abuse the meaning of words on par with the article) was OVERWHELMINGLY positive with respect to the latest iPod. If that is to be believed, then the author must just loathe the fact that apple has created such a product. Everything about the iPod is a left handed complement, immediately followed by the word of hope that other companies are on the cusp of overthrowing Apple. Yes, new products come out all the time, and yes they are continuously improving on old tech, but that doesn’t mean an iPod should be equated with an IBM keyboard. One is in the process of evolution (with every iteration) and the other is the endpoint of a product’s design.

The next time you (the author) lifts your finger to type, remember you’re paid to write to people at a fourth grade level. As such, we will read it recognizing it as immature and unrefined.

Dane says:

I find it interesting that you believe that “just-as-slick” iPod competitors exist, yet fail to mention which players those are. Perhaps that is because they may not exist?

In Steve Jobs’ keynote address introducing the iPod nano, he compares the nano to the ‘competition’. You can watch this at the apple website: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/specialevent05/
Scroll to 40 minutes and 31 seconds.

Like it or not, the iPod is really more than just a hard drive or flash-based memory music player. The iPod has become a cultural icon. The iPod, in the eyes of consumers, is the symbol of being able to take and listen to music wherever they want. This status has been established (as you realized) by the brilliant design and ergonomics of the iPod, but also with the ease of music transferability, interface of the iTunes software, and the best online music store (in terms of ease of use and content selection.) in contrast, many sony players employ a laborious song ‘check-in/check-out’ process as a militant enforcement of ‘digital rights’, and only play music in a single, sony proprietary format. I would hardly consider that competition. And with apple standing at approximately 80% of market share, I think the market agrees.

David says:

Is USA Today hiring? I don’t have an iPod or really care about them, but my english teacher says that I have problems with completing my arguments but that you would hire me anyway. I can also fog the issue and change the subject to try and cover up these inadequacies. Where do I sign up?

Jon says:

Hey thanks for deleting my post. Hmmm… no swear words, no misspellings, no rants… What was it? That I had a point? I guess that doesn’t sit too well here. I’ll say it again. Grow up.

Steve says:

I re-read your article. I have no problems with it. At. All.

It is an article about quality of design - the Toyota experience - the keyboard experience - the iPod experience.

I infer that you were saying the iPod sells well because it is designed well and is a pleasure to use … and the iPod Nano continues the excellent design tradition (so the user experience is high quality).

Dazzz says:

Dear Mr Kantor, I hope that you take the time to read the many articles written here and further, take on board what people are saying. I would also like to invite you to try an experiment. Recently there have been a number of articles written by long term Windows PC users who either switched or simply borrowed for the sake of review a current Mac.

I would like to invite you to borrow/rent/buy a current Mac for a couple of months. Make sure you have all the comparable software you need, such as Microsoft Office 2004. Get a Mighty Mouse, or even a Logitech or Microsoft mouse with scroll wheel. Then try it out exclusively for that period. When or if you get stuck knowing how to do something that you were used to being able to do in Windows, post a question and the Mac community would love to help you and teach you shortcuts and techniques to make your life easier.

I believe that if you do this authentically, and are a little humble when asking for help, you will love your experience. You’ll find the Mac community to be very supportive of newbies, not the aggressive zealots that you accuse us to be.

It could be a very fun and rewarding experiment.

Xanther says:

Can’t delete these posts:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=1745724#post1745724

Wolfgang Wagner says:

In my opinion, the fervid haze surrounding Mac users is one of Apple’s biggest marketing problems. In other countries, the ‘your product is way inferior to mine’ may win converts, but in the U.S., it just doesn’t. Apple even dumps on Microsoft in some of its advertisements. I don’t think that this strategy does them favors.
As a hooked Mac user, I make an extra effort to point out both the faults and the benefits of the company’s products.

Laure says:

Dear Andrew,

This is such a pity that after a nice little comment about the iPods you are spoiling your positive input with those paragraphs written above.

Why ? Why make such generalizations ? Why be insulting ? (yes, you have to know that “blind lemmings” is not a compliment, and any allusion to some old apple commercial is not very subtle…).

I am a big Apple fan. Yet I stay objective (the most objective possible that one can pretend to be ! ;-) ) concerning my Macintosh’s experience.

It’s not because it’s looking good that it is necessarily good… As a user I’m actually much more demanding towards my Apple products than any other piece of equipment. This allows more critics (and consequently more appreciation !) to be expressed concerning the global quality of the product.

So, please, next time you write something about the “Apple community”, try to be a bit objective and not to answer out of anger or frustration, to some idiotic comment such as : “it is good because it is from Apple”… (cf. previous comment of Erik).

Best Regards,

Laure (from her Mac… ;-) )

Bob Moore says:

When you are a reader, it is rude but acceptable for you to take offense with something a journalist has written.

When you are a journalist, it shows nothing but a lack of professionalism to insult some of your readers as “blind lemmings”.

The fact that you would make this offensive comment and post it to the internet suggest to me that you have a tremendous bias.

Lemmings Jr. says:

We like Apple because is the only company with the “Cojones” to go against popular thinking and be succesfull.

Remember those days of iMacs with no FD.. ufff … risky… and how about a $400 device to store music? That would never sell… right?

So.. yes.. lemmings with Big Cojones… because size does count :-)

Now… Dell, Microsoft.. it is your turn to copy… Power on your Xerox !!

The Guy Next Whore says:

Someone is getting a new one. Si senor, I like tossing salads very mucho!

Brian says:

Macdude: “Apple was instramental in getting ALL the labels on board to sell their music online. They have over 2,000,000 songs, including Madonna, which nobody else has. (not even close to 2M songs neither!)”

Then where is my Linkin Park?

Peter says:

I’m a die-hard Mac fan. But I do concede that iPod, iTunes, and the iTunes Music Store are no comparison to the competition. I have a Zen Micro and it’s great. It has more features too! The only thing that I really don’t like is that I can’t get Windows Media Player 10 for my Mac. So I go over to a friends house to do all my purchas