I remember the conversation well - almost like it just happened.
The conversation occurred during the 90s, however, when I worked for a different organization. The administrator who had ultimate supervisory responsibility for IT was denying our department’s request to upgrade to Apple Macintosh computers.
She was very tactful during the meeting but it became quickly clear that she had totally bought in to the IT Director’s strong rebuke of Macs. She, like he, was a proponent of the IBM platform. I had done week’s of research to lay the groundwork for our argument that in the world of communications, publications and public relations, Mac was the industry standard.
“I don’t care what department you’re in, PCs can do virtually anything Macs can do,” she said. “Macs have had a nice little run, and Steve Jobs is definitely clever, but their time will soon pass. “
I knew I was licked. I thanked her for her time and politely disagreed. “Macs are here to stay,” I said, as I turned to leave. “I think you will be proven wrong.”
Fast forward to this week. You can understand why this conversation was on my mind as we all learned the sad news of Steve Jobs’ passing on Wednesday.
As I sit here typing this blog on my MacBook Pro, I realize we all had the last laugh in this regard. Macs didn’t go away. They didn’t fall into a tiny niche or slide into veritable obscurity. As of this morning, Apple is more profitable than any other technical company (including IBM).
Jobs and his brilliant team are responsible for many of the innovations we have come to use and enjoy in this modern era – iPhones, iPods, iPads and, of course, this iBook. Of course, there is much more. I could only skim the surface.
As I was thinking about the old Mac vs. PC ‘debates’ I have had in the past with plenty of IT folks. I’m sure they would hate to hear me reduce it to this…but I think it really comes down to what you get used to - Coke or Pepsi? Ford or Chevy?
At any rate, the IT staff I have known never seem to like when us P.R. types have strong preferences for using Macs. I remember this one fellah who used to come to service my machine. ANY problem I reported was always addressed with the perfunctory preface “It’s a Mac issue…”
Sure it is.
But it wasn’t just the IT folks who had an anti-Mac bias. Another administrator in the same organization I mentioned earlier said he thought those of us who preferred Macintosh computers were a bit like a cult.
I just smiled and nodded. What can you say to refute such logic?
And what could I do but admit my bias. From my earliest newspaper days, I cut my teeth on some of the earliest Macs and so did Lisa. When I made the shift from journalist to public relations practitioner, I continued to work in an all-Apple shop. It wasn’t until very recently that I worked places that didn’t offer Mac as an option. Fortunately for me, I have a house full of them at my fingertips. Our kids represent the next generation.
And what a bright future it is for Apple even as we mourn the death of its co-founder.
I won’t be the only person writing tributes to Jobs and his ‘cult’ this week. There will be millions of reporters, techies and bloggers who will do the same.
His innovations and those developed by his team have vastly improved our lives. I read one article this week that compared him to some of the giants in American industry and innovation – Carnegie, Edison, Ford. That’s probably an accurate depiction.
Lisa often quotes what she says to the students in her class and it bears repeating here. As she touts the capabilities of Macs to her students, she’ll say “Apples innovate; PCs replicate.”
Her quote is very apt.
JG
Originally posted 10/7/2011
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