MacDailyNews - Where Mac news comes first

Umm, most iMac's come with three USB 2.0 ports on the back. So if he ran out of USB ports (which forced him to dump his hard drive), then he should have gotten a small USB 2.0 hub. Like almost everyone with a personal computer.

Wow! This must be a really bad one. 11 MDN Takes about one article. Is that a record?

If he's a 'tech guru' then I'm a brain surgeon.

WTF is an "Ethernet enablement unit"? This so-called "guru" completely lost credibility when he said he had to add a USB Ethernet dongle instead of using the iMac's built-in hardware. How clueless do you have to be to not know that the RJ-45 socket on every Mac is for Ethernet (with the exception of the Air)? How embarrassing. I can't imagine a tech writer for Fortune Small Business is so appallingly ignorant. And yet, there he is.

May 30, 08 - 02:49 pm Comment from: occams razor

First off, the packaging is seriously overdone . . . . . WTF?!?!

Blum was about to get his notice.

Blum had coffee with Dvorak.

Blum knew then how he could save his job.

Hits, baby, it's all about the page count!

May 30, 08 - 02:51 pm Comment from: jjjj

wow. he needs a wizard. and a reboot.

If he didn't have enough USB ports why not do what I do for my external drive? Use Firewire, it's faster.

Our distribution business in Ottawa works with two non Mac consultants who work from their houses in Peterborough ON. We got 24" iMacs to enable collaborative computing using iChatAV, which makes it easy to work on a common document...versus communicating by e-mail. Soon after getting the iMacs the consultants got Time Capsules...they now work very differently from their PC days, and even use iWork and don't have Office anymore. Businesses that function with OS X are simply more productive and innovative. End of story.

You didn't hear that Microsoft redefined "guru". Yeah, there was an international standard/consensus on its meaning, but they decided to embrace and extend it.
The new definition of "guru" is "moron".

May 30, 08 - 02:54 pm Comment from: HMCIV

I think 'guru' is the appropriate term. A guru is a spiritual leader. Everything this guys says is based on faith & mysticism.

However as a member of the Catholic League of Blackberries I have no choice but to excommunicate him on charges of heresy.

May 30, 08 - 02:57 pm Comment from: Famous Grouse

It's amazing anyone this stupid can remain employed as a writer.

It's an issue that Macs are designed in California? What would Blum have us do? We should all start using PCs designed in China? Even Lenovo does their design here in the States.

Why does he have it in for Spaces? Although I rarely use it, I do have it enabled and have never been bothered by it.

Finally, what correlation is there between the experience of a single user who's obviously unwilling or unable to grasp anything new and the experience of a company with 25 users, some fairly heavy server needs, and $50K savings in hand? Even if they spend the $50K on retraining or other transition issues, they'll come out ahead in the long run due to reduced support costs.

I agree with MDN's take. The fear is palpable. Someone should investigate to see if this guy is another paid shill.

bizarro. Is this article for real? It almost seems like a parody.

May 30, 08 - 03:03 pm Comment from: Micro Me

I agree with the MDN takes. This article is a piece of FUD that reflects poorly on the credibility of this "tech guru". But while he's 99% wrong (can't find the "on" switch – geez!), I think Apple could do something about better access to the USB ports. My 24" iMac's appearance is dented somewhat by a short USB extension cord lying on the desk where I can install my frequently-used pen drive more easily. Could something in keeping with the design be installed on the foot? Just a thought.

May 30, 08 - 03:04 pm Comment from: Vague Nomenclature

If you go to Mr. Blum's own Web site, and then click on the "About" button, you'll find that Mr. Blum and his attendants (we assume that means his cats) are totally for hire...

"For a small fee, we can quickly customize or localize blumsday.com blog items for your audience. See example.

For a little more money, we can produce an original story on a topic that originated on blumsday. See example.

For just a little more, we can report and write an original story or produce audio and video reports on any technology-related topic. See example."

http://www.blumsday.com/about/

So, Mr. Ballmer, how much did you pay for this hit piece?

What amazes me is that these people find work, knowing what you're talking/writing about clearly isn't a requirement so you wonder why they even actually bother paying someone to write about tech, they may as well get the person who does the horoscopes to knock something up about how they like to play minesweeper on their lunchbreak.

"Though Apple computers can produce excellent results for small business, expect issues: Macs remain a niche product. No matter what you do with a Mac, you have to deal Apple's peculiar vision of all things computerish. First off, the packaging is seriously overdone: 'Designed by Apple in California' is prominent on the box. Like I care."

Very true. This is an extraordinarily huge problem for small businesses. Overdone packaging means workers spend too much time admiring the boxes instead of working; it is a very serious distraction. Of course, small businesses could throw the packaging away like enterprises do instead of placing them on the desks. However, that solution requires a little thought from a non-existent brain of Blum.

Blum continues, "Yes, Apples can be easier to use, but with some things, like as syncing your Apple to not-Apple portable devices such as BlackBerrys and smartphones, expect real trouble. I and my assistants had terrible problems getting all of our company programs to work properly."


I thought he only bought one iMac to test? .. now he switched the whole office over?

The best part was all the people writing the comments reaming his ass.

Three things. First, I often think that MDN is way over the top with it's criticism. Second, I think there are legitimate reasons to stay with a PC. Third, I think MDN's criticism of this was spot on. The author didn't list one single valid reason to avoid using the Mac listed.

I'll have to agree with "bon", above. The article was so stupid it almost sounded like a parody. Didn't like the packaging? Couldn't find the on switch? C'mon. I couldn't even make this stuff up.

May 30, 08 - 03:14 pm Comment from: Predrag

I can see how an ordinary, ignorant PC guy can complain about lack of USB ports on a Mac. Most desktop PCs these days come with anywhere between six and eight ports (two in front, rest in the back). With keyboard plugged in as a hub, Macs tend to have total of four available ports. However, the math is slightly deceptive; on a PC, out of those eight ports, two are needed for keyboard and mouse, which leaves you with six (at most). If you plug in your keyboard and a mouse on a Mac, you still have three more ports for your devices. The only snag is that the other port on your keyboard has very little power, and is essentially USB 1.1 (i.e slow), while the other two on the iMac are fast(er).

Article clearly isn't worth anyone's attention, as it displays most basic ignorance about everything IT (Ethernet enablement unit??? My spell check flags that word with a big fat red underline!)

I think what he meant by "ethernet enablement unit" for his harddrive is either a NAS enclosure or a USB printer/drive server.

Either way, he now has a better setup than before because his drive is accessible throughout his network without the iMac needing to be on and configured for file sharing.


Also, has he heard of USB hubs or even the extra two USB ports on the keyboard? I use one keyboard port for my mouse and the other for pen drives.

May 30, 08 - 03:18 pm Comment from: January 24, 1984

Must be a drag to have a low IQ.

May 30, 08 - 03:21 pm Comment from: dd

And the song continues...

♪♫ Eric Willard is a moron. ♫♪
♪♫ Jonathan Blum is a moron. ♫♪
♪♫ Billy Gates is a moron. ♫♪
♪♫ Steve Ballmer is a moron. ♫♪

Is he a Martin Short character?

May 30, 08 - 03:24 pm Comment from: dd

All singing aside, this guy really is stupid. The desktop is broken up into quadrants????? THIS is a tech guru? Does he not understand what virtual desktops are? He obviously has 0 understanding of anything that we call computers, whether Mac or PC. His terminology leaves much to be questioned.

♫♪♫ Fortune Small Business hires morons. ♪♫♪

May 30, 08 - 03:29 pm Comment from: Ampar

Tell the editors what you think:
http://money.cnn.com/popups/2005/biz2/email/emailsend.html?send_to=fsb_mail@timeinc.com&article=http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/29/smallbusiness/macs_small_biz.fsb/index.htm

May 30, 08 - 03:30 pm Comment from: Ampar

Or here:

Jonathan, you're fired!

Go on, get your things.
Oh, and leave the iMac here.

This article is not about Macs and PCs. This article is about Mac OS X and Windows. It makes no difference what you choose, AMD or Intel, who your case is made by, Asus or Liang Li, or who your built your video card, nVidia or ATI. Hardware is not what users use... they use software. The bridge between that silicon and that person is the software. These tech idiots have no clue about the heart of the issue.

You can buy Dell. You can by Asus. You can buy Toshiba... it doesn't matter. They all run Windows, and Windows is a flop. The real question is whether to use Mac OS X or Windows. The niggle here is that the former requires an Apple built product, while the latter, well it can run on any joe-shmoe system... quality is not an assurance.

The lays of the world can ogle Apple products, but its the interface that deserves the majority of the credit. It is Mac OS X that should get the accolades... and that's something these idiots (like Blum) have completely missed.

WS,

Who you calling a niggle?!

May 30, 08 - 03:41 pm Comment from: Gandalf

@Vague Nomenclature

Good catch, Bum appears to be looking to dethrone Enderle (that should be good sport).


@HMCIV

I think 'guru' is the appropriate term. A guru is a spiritual leader. Everything this guys says is based on faith & mysticism.

Some vague understanding of nomenclature in that. Guru's are about communicating with one's spirit, faith and mysticism is religious fare, like seriously old much edited books, invisible 'friends' and voices in the head. Not voices in their own heads, alleged voices in the heads of their leaders.


@January 24, 1984

Must be a drag to have a low IQ.

Depends what you do with it, IQ is just one measure. Some people with low IQs do very well in terms considered conventional and desirable, for corroboration I cite Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates, Mickey-Mouse Dell, GWB.


@MDN

Keep on doing what you are doing.

May 30, 08 - 03:41 pm Comment from: Ferf Muckmeyer

This guy's got an ass for a brain.

May 30, 08 - 03:44 pm Comment from: cheater

Email sent to editor of CNNMoney:

"CNNMoney should be absolutely ashamed of itself for publishing this article by Mr. Blum.

It isn't worth my time to list all the evidence for the opinion stated above, with one exception: how seriously should a reader take Mr. Blum's drivel when his basis is that in a day or two he can perform an assessment of Macs for business use that can be compared to the depth of investigation Jaffe Assoc. almost certainly performed before making their decision to switch?

Suggest you peruse the web to see how Mr. Blum's arguments are playing there. Not well, I can assure you.

Any article that ends "Windows Vista, properly installed and used in tandem with Web-based productivity tools, is a powerful, powerful alternative." should be accompanied by a disclaimer that Blum isn't being compensated by Microsoft for his opinions.

But then, I realize it may not be possible to state that."

May 30, 08 - 03:50 pm Comment from: since1985

Predrag wrote: "If you plug in your keyboard and a mouse on a Mac, you still have three more ports for your devices. The only snag is that the other port on your keyboard has very little power, and is essentially USB 1.1 (i.e slow), while the other two on the iMac are fast(er)."

@Predrag: that is old incorrect information. It was true of the white Jay-Leno-chinned iMacs. But the current Aluminum iMacs have USB 2.0 ports in the keyboard.

I wonder how much Microsoft paid him to write this drivel?

For anyone using a desk with a grommet hole in it, and in need of a USB hub but unwilling to clutter it up with the fugly crap that a lot of manufacturers have been making, check out the Belkin In-Desk USB hub.

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=369283

They have others available via Amazon, but that one happens to be the nicest. And it was even reviewed kindly.

May 30, 08 - 04:13 pm Comment from: Hm...

I just discovered Blum's tech credentials. Not bad — he stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

May 30, 08 - 04:17 pm Comment from: HolyMackerel

There are two more USB ports on the keyboard (non-Bluetooth).

I can't figure out whether the "divided into quadrants" thing is a statement of pure stupidity, or if it's just a badly conceived attempt at sowing confusion while retaining some level of plausible deniability. I'm leaning towards the former, but then, these FUDsters never expect to be called to account, so maybe it's the latter... Hm.

May 30, 08 - 04:30 pm Comment from: taojones

i love the left handed aside "if you need basic computing don't buy a mac" this idiot really just needs a calculator not a computer. I'm forced to use both at work (mac's do not play well with Cad mills yet) but i have to sometimes send some weighty files i tried to zip one on the pc and was greeted with " you have 40 uses then you have to buy this software or remove it and all iterations of it from your hard drive" my mac zips them for free add another 40 dollars to that companies savings!

I read through Jonathan Blum's assessment regarding Macs in small businesses, and I found it to be disingenuous and misleading. Early in the article, Mr. Blum describes the results of Jaffe Associates' Shani Magorsky, who was able to 'build a similar system (to a $100,000 Microsoft system) for about half the price.' Then, in his summation, he declares 'Apple is still more expensive and simply not worth the integration headaches for the average small shop.' While I certainly understand Blum had difficulties setting up his single iMac computer (his problems seemed atypical of the standard computer users': his distaste for Apple's slogan, his inability to find the On switch, and some peculiar troubles with the USB ports and an 'Ethernet enablement unit'), it reads more as a 'What I Couldn't Figure Out on My Summer Vacation' piece than an actual review of Macs in a small business place. Where were the details from the Jaffe Associates' experience? Where was any discussion of Boot Camp or the other methods of running Windows XP on an Intel Mac, one of the major selling points of using Macs these days? This article was not a very helpful piece for anyone considering a Mac-based small business, myself included. You might reconsider the moniker 'tech guru' for Mr. Blum; it lends him more credence than he earns from his article.

About the apparently insufficient number of USB ports:
- since the guy is coming from Windows, it is no surprise he owns a disgustingly large number of USB peripherals.
- nobody seems to realize that USB performance drops dramatically with the number of USB devices on the same bus, especially in the presence of USB 1 or otherwise slow devices
- why is it that I see a string resurgence of Firewire external disks (combined with USB and more recently, eSATA)? For that exact reason, namely. USB sucks: even FireWire 400 is typically 3 times faster than USB in real world circumstances; Firewire performance doesn't go down under severe loads as it does for USB.

Time to get rid of a few USB peripherals and to upgrade to modern interfaces!

What hope do you Apple fanbois have that more PC users will ever switch to Mac if your cumulative voices are inconsequential compared to the ranting of one single moron?

Seriously, what the hell are you doing wrong that even isolated morons, idiots, and twits can convince tens of thousands of people that buying a PC is better than buying a Mac?

Your doing one lousy job, people, when even "morons" can out smart all Apple fanbois.

May 30, 08 - 04:51 pm Comment from: Ampar

"Windows Vista, properly installed and used in tandem with Web-based productivity tools, is a powerful, powerful alternative."

And. . . Resistance is feudal.

May 30, 08 - 04:59 pm Comment from: ElderNorm

Ok people. Lets not start a MOB scene here.!!!!!!

You guys are right, this guy is a moron. But for the great part, and MDN, you totally forgot about this.

Go to the article and read the comments.!!!!

Read the comments!!!!!

Almost to a person, they all pointed out how this guy is just dumb. And that the magazine should chastize him. These are great readings.

So, MDN, remember to check out the comments too.

Just a thought.

en

@He, he.

Is 'fanboi' French Canadian?

"In the Middle Ages, lords and vassals lived in a futile system."

http://www.s-anand.net/calvinandhobbes.html#19901026

Here's why I don't like "Apples:"

I tried loading Leopard on my Mac SE and had to trim the disc just

to get it to fit in the slot!!!!

Theeeeen, the damned thing wouldn't even load, so now I'm back

where I was using OS 7.

'Designed in California" my goober peas!