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Yet more proof the whole Switch campaign worked. Would we be reading, hearing, seeing testimonial after testimonial if not for the high-profile Switch campaign from a few years ago? I don't think so.

The Switch campaign made talking about the switch experience popular, even necessary. Sure, it didn't "work" in terms of driving immediately driving sales to Apple, but strategically, it was a brilliant piece of work.

Thus, the Switch campaign was very similar in spirit to Think Different. When the first of the Think Different ads appeared, many Windows and Mac users had an immediate negative reaction to it. "They don't even show the Mac!" came the the whines. "How dare Apple associate the Mac with Einstein or Ghandi!"

Which was totally missing the point because Think Different wasn't meant to sell boxes. It was designed singularly to be inspirational, to remind people to forget about dollars and cents, features and megahertz. The bad '90s had gutted Apple of all the creativity that had resulted in the the Apple II and the original Mac, and Steve Jobs was determined to do something to make the employees of Apple and Mac users believe in the Dream again.

So I think the Switch campaign was a spectacular success because of one very simple fact - it caused people to think about Switching, with a capital "S." Making "the Switch" is now de rigeur among the alpha set and once a good fraction of them have done the deed, the masses will surely follow.

The fruits of the Switch campaign are only being realized now, with testimonials like this, because it's literally taken this long for the Microsoft mental block to be broken down in so many minds....

Welcome aboard!

very much like my experience.

Doesn't it make you wanna hug a rainbow and ride a teddy bear?!?
Love you Mac! Love Life!
Peace.

Microsoft is dying the death of a thousand (or a hundred million) switchers

Actually NewType, I'm not sure it has as much to do with the Switch campaign as with the iPod's halo effect. The success of the iPod has given people a familiarity with Apple products and made them seem a safer choice. The Intel switch hasn't hurt either.

Welcome to the fold! The grass really *is* greener on this side of the fence.

MDN word: talk, as in, the more people talk about how great Macs are, the more people can leave the Windoze world for good!

What's he curious to see in Vista? How much was stolen from OS X??

Ballmer, send in the hounds.


MDN word: "clearly"

"I can see clearly now that the stockholm syndrome is gone,

I can see exactly the obstacles Microsoft was placing in my way."


"Gone are the frustrations that kept me blind

It's going to be a bright, bright, sun shiny day"

Not disagreeing with you, MacJack. The iPod halo effect is very real and undeniable, but all I'm saying is that the Switch campaign created the basic mental framework that is now resulting in millions of people to make the switch.

If not for the Switch ads and how quickly it became a part of pop culture, the iPod halo effect would be much weaker today. Why? Because the Windows iPod user will think, "I love my iPod, too bad Windows is so sucky." It would never occur to them to actually consider making a move to the Mac because without the Big Idea of Switching, the whole idea of getting a Mac would largely be unknown. The Switch ads made sure that everyone who wasn't living under a rock was accutely aware of the idea, essentially acting as a seed crystal that was waiting for a catalyst to be introduced in order to suddenly grow.

BTW, no matter how many of these testimonials I read, I never seem to get enough of them. There is always something new and exciting in each Switch experience, even if they share many common elements.

I switched in '03. Where Macintosh feels like an "Operating System", Windows feels like "One Big Application" now. Maximized windows on MS now seem like a joke, an ironic one at that. Does that make any sense? That's how I've always felt after the switch.

I agree with this author. For me, Windows XP "feels" like I am working. Mac OS X "feels" like I am having fun, even when I am working.

"If this sounds like fanboy zealoutry"

Yeah, it's only zealoutry when... um... one of the other 20 million Mac users recommends Macs...

"My Mac feels pristine, my Windows work machine feels dirty"

This is EXACTLY how I feel... But, very few people I work with would understand. I think it is because they think of OS 9 when they think of a Mac. The OS X experience is quite different.

I started to use Mac 2 months ago ( after 6 years with windows ) and i feel so good !!!! no stress to work, i feel organized , i feel when i saw the screen like i was seeing a beutiful lake with mountains and no a jungle like windows ( ugly desktop ) and this is the begining....



( sorry for english mistakes )

i feel when i saw the screen like i was seeing a beutiful lake with mountains
Microsoft thinks it can give you that feeling with desktop pictures!

It's funny what he said about having that *urge* to keep his desktop so neat.

I think it's something alot of us are compelled to do. On Windows, I thought I kept a clean desktop, with maybe one full row of icons and a few moe in a second row.

But in OS X, my Desktop consists of my Hard Drive, 4 folders, my external, and a few things I'm currently working on. Sometimes it could contain more, but normally, this is what's here. i always hate it when I have something in there that makes the row bigger, and I always love it when I find I don't need to keep something on my desktop anymore.

There just is nothing better than the Mac.

MW: The world's most advanced operating system.

Welcome to Peace of Mind.

I've been a Mac user since about '93. After the release of OS X and iLife, I've successfully "switched" 7 people and they all feel the same way. They're never going back. A few years ago it was a bit harder, considering the cost, but since the intel switch and the cost reductions half of those 'switchers' have been in the last few months.

It took twenty plus years before I took the personal computer purchase plunge, with an iMac (Early 2001, [toes in OS 9]), & then a late 2004 iBook.

I've always had a feeling that Apple makes the Computing Experience easier/safer, thanks to Unix, NeXT, software 'acquisition', and Mac's GUI.

It is as if Windows XP/Vista is the Titanic, and OS X + future versions, are/will be more like a Hydrofoil.

Ok ok... I know "7" doesn't seem like that much, but seriously...

The last 2 people that switched, came to me asking about my computers. Both of which said they went to their local Apple stores and the sales people "didn't sell me on anything.". They thought they were just preaching some blind faith and didn't give them any real reason to dish out the cash for a new Mac. After about 10 minutes of running thru some things on my iMac G5 and my MacBook (running both OS X and XP) they were SOLD!!!

It's incredible satisfying when they call me up and say "MY NEW MAC CAME TODAY" with so much excitement in their voice.

One of the biggest arguments I used to make for trying a Mac is that the difference between a Mac and a PC is that most people who use Macs do so by choice. Most Windows users do it by default, or because that is what they were told to use.

Welcome to freedom.

stock market crashes tomorrow. not apple tho.

"One of the biggest arguments I used to make for trying a Mac is that the difference between a Mac and a PC is that most people who use Macs do so by choice. Most Windows users do it by default, or because that is what they were told to use."

I heard something similar over 10 years ago. The guy basically said people love thier Mac, people tolerate a PC.
Or the more famous, people work on a Mac and play games on a PC.

BTW, my first experience was on a Mac II playing Lode Runner.

"How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
once they've seen Paris?

If this sounds like fanboy zealoutry, it's not.

I also noticed this one. Soon George will realize that is "I am from Windows, I am not a Mac zealot" will not work anymore. All the others will simply label him as ZEALOT, Machead, fanboy, cultist and drinking Jobs kool-aid.

Microsoft is not the answer.
Microsoft is the question and the aswer is NO!

I hate them. Msoft that is. I wasn't only "let down". I was RIPPED OFF ...BIG TIME...and when you've spent thousands of dollars (in personal and business computing), there is NO WAY you're not going to feel RIPPED OFF.

Windows IS the virus!

MSoft ARE the pirates!

Magic word little: "I have very little worries now that I use OS X"

My Macbook Pro is the first of many Macs,

My experience has been totally positive (touch wood)...

My partner and I have been travelling alot recently and she amazed me one day while sat in an airport departure lounge watching a load of business travellers using heir laptops, she said, "I haven't seen anyone using a laptop as nice as yours, in fact they are all bricks!"

I didn't know she really cared! The point is she is absolutely disinterested in technology but the aethetics of the Mac are clear to everyone.

While we were travelling we used cybercafes to stay in touch with home and invariably they would have PCs running XP. It was like going back in time. I had only ditched XP a few months ago but I was struck by how old it felt compared to OSX.

When Vista is released you'll get all the "second coming" style comment from the journos and users but its only because they don't know any better. I'd probably be the same if I was still using a PC.

I feel I have the best OS running on the best hardware. I fully intend to get a Mac Pro when a dual quad (8 core) is available next year. I just hope Apple can kep up with the pace of processor development.

A delighted switcher who'll never go back.

I've had three people in three days ask me about switching to a mac. they all wanted macbook's (still don't like the name). it was nice to have a captive switcher. i could be less fanatical and just give plain, simple advice.

the tide is changing ladies and gentlement....

peace

One Guy…

I don't think it really matters, because if Microsoft or Windows is the answer I'm not really sure I even want to know what the question might be.

I hear of more and more people here in Germany who are considering buying a Mac, and a lot of these people are over fifty (like me) and have been using MS all their lives

I really do believe now - and I'm aware of the dangers of wishful thinking - that what is now happening is the beginning of what might in the future be known as 'The Big Switch'.

"If this sounds like fanboy zealoutry, it's not."

Yes it is!

Now it's only a matter of time before he gets pissed off that he was tricked into using a crap OS for so long. Hehehe.

I wonder how many switchers he will be able to convert over the years.

Welcome to the club!

Hey...where's all the windows trolls that always come out of the wood work and flame bait on articles like this one? They can't ALL be removing viruses and malware from their computers, can they?

My AAPL heart is going into endless orgasm over the comments on this thread. Don't stop. It feels so good.

I switched 3 years ago ... My Powerbook 17" was a birthday present for going back to college. (I'm LUCKY like that) Since then, I have converted my whole family to macs. They all love them and now I don't have to hear complaints about viruses and gremlins ... and I don't have to try and fix them anymore. Now, I am their instructor in how to use macs and OSX. Slowly but surely they are seeing OSX as more logical and easier to use but they sometimes have that old PC mentality which I'm breaking them of. At this point in their experience, which for some is only a few months, not one of them wants to go back. My work is done and I'm a very satisfied mac user. Now if I could just get them off hotmail and yahoo for email (it just looks so ugly on the mac UI and is completely unneccessary).

My switch from Chevrolet to Ford.
My Switch from Pepsi to Coke.
My Switch from Canon to Nikon.
My switch from Heinz to Del Monte.
My switch from beige to blue.
My switch from NBC to CBS.
My switch from Protestant to Catholic.
My switch from Democrat to Independant.
My switch from United to Delta.
My switch from ying to yang.
My switch from up to down.
My switch from zipper to button.

yawn.
Post cognitive dissonance

Being a recent switcher I agree. My WinXP machine also runs flawlessly and does everything I need it to do but the Mac just does it better. I think that the user interface on the mac is just nicer. Like I said, my WinXP PC does everything I need it to do, the only MS software on it is the OS and it doesn't crash. But still I gravitate to the mac. Hard to explain - as I am preaching to the choir here everyone knows that it needs to be experienced. The only reason I keep the computer around is because it has a licensed copy of XP on it and I need it to access my work VPN otherwise I would wipe the system and install Linux on it.

At work many people remember the pre OS X days and laugh at me when I talk about my mac. About 10 years ago one of the guys at work will remind me how his mac would crash 5 to 10 times a day. I think that there is still a misconception out there on what Macintosh computers are today compared to where they were 10 years ago.

"My WinXP machine also runs flawlessly and does everything I need it to do but the Mac just does it better."

So you write better emails on a Mac?
Post at forums better on a Mac?
You surf the internet better on a mAC?
Draw better illustrations with a mac?
Write better reports for school with a mac?

Computers are tools.

Can you tell which computer I used to write this forum message?

Now that I have been precribed MAC OS extended release, I have less congestion, my vision has cleared, the back aches are gone, and I am less constipated. Thank you Apple-Once A Day!

Own Mac and PC

If you owned a Mac or operated one for any period of time you would understand exactly what C was talking about. No one can deny that a Mac is just plain simpler to use. Trust me, I use both.

Try this on a PC:

Import video, combine with a few stills, alter the background audio, create web page, and embed. Upload, and test.

14 minutes.

Sure, the same things can be done on a PC, but you rarely see such fluidity of application handshaking. I am fluent in both OSes, and can't imagine such a quick effort being done without murderous consequence on a PC.

Maybe it's just me.

Own Mac and PC -- reading comprehension is clearly not one of your strong points. Try again.

I'm forced to use a PC at work and cannot stand it. So is it fair to say that my work PC pays the bills, and my new Mac at home creates bills?

This is one time I think that bills are a good thing.

If you don´t agree with the crowd of people who like to keep convincing themselves that they are so smart, please don´t throw logical arguments lilke "computers are a tool" into the discussion. This is about people telling themselves and others how wise and clever they are that they can write a better e-mail on a mac vs. a slimy pc.
next we will get the widget heads who tell us now they have a mac they actually got a date with a real female (as opposed to the plastic, blow up kind).

ps i, 2, own a mac and pc. both work fine. i take credit for all the geniousness that spews from my computers. does a carpenter give credit to his stanley brand hammer for the house he built? does the mechanic say if it wasn´t for brand x screwdriver i would have done a worse job on your car? does pixar go, damn we should have used more macs on the cars movie, then it would have been a big hit? did picasso whine my paintings suck because i am not using a boesner model 3rt brush?

"Try this on a PC:

Import video, combine with a few stills, alter the background audio, create web page, and embed. Upload, and test.

14 minutes."

---------
ahhhh-----its not how good the movie is, it is how fast one can slap it together! Darn, I have been doing it all wrong!!!
Move over Steven Spielberg another genius movie director has been born!

I am a recent switcher, about a year or so. I am a graphic designer and use Windows at work, but a Mac at home. I am always amazed at how, especially our I.T. folks, absolutely HATE Mac, don't want to have anything to do with it and are not interested in the least of even trying it.

I went to the my local Apple store the other day however and it was completely FILLED with people and they were all 'ooh'ing and ahh'ing' over the Macs. I think that once enough people get to experience them, there will be a sort of critical mass that takes place and people will start demanding to have more Macs in the work place. Just my 2 cents.

Sean Paul,

"The combination of "Stockholm Syndrome" and "cognitive dissonance" produces a victim who firmly believes the relationship is not only acceptable, but also desperately needed for their survival," writes Joseph M. Carver, PhD for Mental-Health-Matters.com.

Interesting, you say, but what does this have to do with the price of iMacs in China?

Well, nothing, but it does have a great deal to do with a recent issue I had with an IT department head at a company with which I was consulting recently. I won't get into the specifics, but you know the drill, this guy hated Macs for some reason, made outright fun of Macs using all of the usual myths (too expensive, no software, no one uses them, Apple's going out of business, etc.), but was getting pounded by his company's workers and management as his network repeatedly failed due to viruses and patches and just plain Windows crashes.

I think I've figured out the answer to my own article from last November, "I really wonder what some Windows users think about Macintosh."

These Windows users are sick. Sick, I tell you! Mentally ill. Want proof? Okay, but keep in mind that this gets eerie, proceed at your own risk:

Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness

Sean Paul -- you are spot on about the Apple Stores. I think it was a really smart move to disabuse people in a "hands-on" way of the idea that Macs are so different than regular PCs.

The Apple Store is always a happening place in the mall. I wish they would add a coffee shop so you could go work/hang out there.

Another key aspect for my choice of os X: Exposé & Dashbord.
It just helps me go through all the apps I need to and provide that clean and seemless experience, giving me a sense of productivity.

Which begs the question:
To all you mac users forced to use a windows box at work:<br>
How many times a day do you point your mouse to the top right or left corner of your screen in an attempt to get to the window you want?


After intense, backwards, windows behavioural control, I am nowdown to 3 a day.


MDNW: choice
As in given a real choice, most would use macs.

BillyDude

I too use windows at work and have found myself on accasion trying to use expose on my work pc. I just smile to myself when it happens, some of my coworkers have no idea what they are missing.

Whiners

A good artist, mechanic, doctor etc, always choose the best tool to use. I don't want my mechanic using cheap tools on my porsche. Cheap tool produce poore work..