I have to admit that I don’t like CROW, but I am eating it.  I have been a huge complainer about the service I have been getting from Comcast.  I would have switched … except that … Oh yeah!!!  There is no other service available with decent speeds.

To Frank, AJ, Shane, and the rest of the team in my area, many thanks for taking care of me.  It took a while to figure out what the problem was; but they eventually did.  I rely on my service to run a small business.  My internet connection is my life-blood and I cannot provide any customer service with out that connection.

This blog post is the only way I could properly express my thanks!

ironwil

The following is a conversation that I had with some friends, I changed some things to protect the original speakers.

SC: Finally got my own laptop…and no it is NOT a Mac.

DCB: did you invent Windows 7 too?

EvC: Good. 90% of the people who own macs don’t need them.

LVT: Shame really.

BD: Macs are too expensive….

Wil: Macs are not to expensive & yes every Mac owner needs it. It isn’t the perfect computer yet; however, all the computer security guys I know prefer them over Windows hands down. Yet, cost for many is a driving factor & when I consult the first question I always ask is what is your budget & then what do you want it with do?

ErC: You will be eating those words in a year…

Wil: me? Nope, we have 2 & I am looking @ more.

LVT: I agree haven’t any problems with a mac in 20 years!!! They are fast and awesome!! I’m glad not to have to deal with regular computers anymore!! Yay me! LOL.

EvC: The only reason Macs have less “issues” is because they aren’t as mainstream. PCs are far more popular, thus hackers, viruses, etc. are geared towards them. There are two solutions to this if you want to save money AND learn a couple of useful things about computers (which can be useful in your life):

1. Learn how to properly secure your PC and how to properly clean it out when necessary.
2. Install Linux on it. It’s free, not mainstream, and destroys PC and Macs as far as customizing goes.

The only people who should be buying Macs are the graphic/music/video editing artists. The software that runs applications for them are specially designed for macs, and are thus better on macs. Everyone else who buys Macs are either way too misinformed, have a “liberal” way of thinking, are gay, or are just too intimidated by PCs for some reason.

GKC: Quit hating on Apple – Steve Jobs rocks my face!! You’re just jealous because you’re not as cool as us Mac folks ; )

ErC: When you say “gay” do you mean “homosexual” or “stupid”…

EvC: Macs are aesthetically pleasing I’ll admit… so yes, I meant gay, because most gay people like aesthetically pleasing things.

GKC: Oh and no Wil, he wasn’t talking about you – he was talking to SC …. ErC is a Mac lover like myself. And Macs are not too expensive…they are worth every penny. ErC and I had a Dell that crashed and burned within 8 months of buying it….I’ve had my Mac for over a year and not one issue and it still runs like the day we bought it. I can see why some people would prefer a PC….they are better for gamers.

LVT: LOL macs are Topline and for people with brains.

LVT: LOL I’ve never been intimidated by PC’s LOL that’s ignorance talking mister!! when I use a PC elsewhere they are exhaustively stupid!! It’s like running on asphalt without shoes when you have a wonderful perfect pair that would save your feet and joints from unnecessary pain and damage!!

EvC: I assure you, your 20 year old mac is not as fast as today’s current PCs. That’s just impossible from a technological standpoint. I’ll go to the Mac = overpriced tricycle example: http://208.116.9.205/10/content/10348/1.jpg

They are safe… you won’t fall, and if you don’t care to ever learn how to ride a “real bike,” they are just fine. … I don’t get how you can argue that they are not overpriced… b/c they most definitely are. Go to any site, store, and see for yourself. You can get the same thing on a PC WAY cheaper… and like I said Mac is ripping you one, because the only reason you don’t have problems is due to the fact that they aren’t mainstream. They are pretty much charging you up the rear for a “pretty looking” computer.

GKC: PC ripped off Mac’s OS with Windows…Bill Gates is a stinkin’ thief….and their current version looks a whole lot like the Leopard OS Mac has had for a while now. PCs are constantly changing to just keep up with Mac’s innovations….but we don’t have to buy all the software or upgrade to a new unit – we simply just install the updates. I understand EvC, you like to tear your computer apart and build your own unit…but I don’t. If I’m going to spend money on a computer, it better do what I want with minimal effort on my part – and that’s exactly what Mac provides…and yes, in a pretty package too.

Wil: wow EvC, you opened up one big can o’Mac-ness. I will agree that you can get “comparable” hardware. However, I agree with GKC that when you want a computer to just work … get a Mac. I have & do PC repair for others often, I recommend 4 applications to help protect their computer from infection.

But the real seller for me besides ease of use is sex appeal, they are very good looking computers, and cost. I would spend about the same or more on my PC over it’s life on components plus I then lost the time it took to put them in & upgrade all the software. OS costs are lower & so are many of the other basic software packages.

Do an actual price comparison for the hardware & software … there is a difference … oh yeah & they have the BEST customer service!!!

LVT: I have traded up every few years….I just meant that over the past 20 years I’ve never had problems…only traded up to the newer faster models.

LVT: I’ve had this argument with friends all the time!! It stops once they get one themselves and then apologize for their stupidity!! Hee hee this is fun!!

LVT: What’s even funnier is this whole conversation has yet to be seen by SC!

GKC: Lol!!! That’s what happened with ErC, he made fun of me for my love of Mac….and then he experienced the awesomeness of Mac for himself – now it is all things Apple in our house.

LVT: EXACTLY!!! =D

LVT: *high five* GKC.

EvC: I took a digital design class with macs. I’m not claiming they are bad computers… I just have no real reason to buy one, nor do I think a majority of owners have any real reason to own one. But I do recall that the mac lab at school (name removed) had terrible issues with connecting to the school network that they were never able to fix. About a fifth of the computers were unable to ever connect to the network that whole semester. Macs have their issues, too.

I can understand, though, wanting “minimal effort” when it comes to handling computers (hence the tricycle comparison). I’ll admit I’m the same way with some of the necessary things in life… for example, I suck at buying cars and getting car repairs. I know next to nothing about cars. In the end, don’t dis the PC/Linux folks. Macs aren’t any better in anyway when it comes to speed and even reliability (depending on how you define it). They are just a “safer” option for people who just want “minimal effort.”

EvC: And GKC, that happens EVERYWHERE in corporate America.

KB: Shoulda gone with a MAC

LVT: Sigh… I’ve been there done that!! Can’t ever prove anything until ya take the plunge!! You’ll never know until then….sorry….

SC: Wow! I am good at starting these long drawn out conversations.

First off. I don’t have any problem with Macs. In fact, I was the one who convinced AC to get one. I just can’t justify the extreme cost.
Second, EvC is absolutely correct about the security issues and the reason why there aren’t more viruses on Macs. They just aren’t as … popular especially in the business world.
Third, I have used the Mac OS and the Windows 7 OS and I have to say just after one day of using it…the Windows 7 OS is better. Plain and simple. Also there are some really silly things about Macs. An example would be that there is no way to easily force out a stuck DVD like you can with a PC. That is a simple design flaw.

As far as Microsoft ripping off the Mac OS, who cares! Bottom line is that I got a PC laptop for a THIRD of the cost of a Mac and it actually has a bigger screen and more hard drive space. I didn’t get a Dell I got an ASUS (the guys that started the netbook craze). I hope my friends will forgive my but this conversation was just to hilarious to not share.

The real bottom line is people use what they need.  They may use Linux/Mac/Windows it doesn’t really matter except to them.  I actually have all 3 boxes working in my house.  I use 3 operating systems and they all have a specific use; however, I use my Mac for 95% of what I do.

ironwil

This week my iPod started acting up and it wouldn’t sync with our iMac no matter what I did. I even booted my MacBook up on the XP partition and converted it to a Windows based iPod [file format]. I double checked the firmware, and even restored it [5 times].  Nothing worked.

So, Thursday was a horrible, long day without music or netcasts or audiobooks. Thursday night I got it to load netcasts & audiobooks, which made Friday a much better day. Today, Lauren took my iPod to the nearest Apple Store and they looked at the screenshots I took and listened to the story. The Genius put my iPod to his ear, heard the HD grinding and said, well, let me get you a replacement. Needless to say, the 60$ in Apple Care [which ends on the 25th of November]- worth it!!!

I recommend that people pay for the Apple Care when they buy the products because the service and value is HUGE.  I know it sounds crazy to somel however, I have found it to be very worth the extra cost. It is also much cheaper than what you can get through PC manufacturers for the same kind of service and ease of replacement.

I know of others that have needed to make a statement to get problems resolved (i.e., Michael). However, these cases are the exception to the rule; and in Michael’s case the rumor mill said they replaced his MacBook after he posted the video.

Personally, once you go Mac, you don’t go back.

iron wil

Today that ‘person’ would the the Staff and Company Comcast. I will tell you a story. Last year, my wife and I moved into a new apartment [temporary] in the basement of Grandmother, she is a sweet kind lady. She had a cable tap already and so I figured we could save 45$ a month by just getting internet with Comcast. As apposed to getting a phone line and DSL. I talked to the sales rep and I could use my 3yr old cable box from my previous provider. Sweet, save a little money.

December, somewhere around the 1st, I called to have my service terminated on the 15th of December because we were moving again. I though, good all done, they will send me a credit for my over payment and it will be all good.

Today, I am livid! Oh boy, I have been hung up on THREE times this morning and it was not even 8:30AM. The last person I talked to told me that I couldn’t use another cable providers box and the 48.66$ bill was because I owed them a cable box. Wait, there is no rental fee on any of my bills for one – head scratching. “You will have to call Comcast Credit”. So, I call Comcast Credit before 8:30AM and I am sent to vMail because apparently they are already bogged down with people calling them with problems.

I just don’t understand it, I was even polite and not sarcastic – once [meaning not once and not more than once]! Which, if you know me will be hard to believe. I am appalled at their customer service.

As side note, I could never get logged into their billing website or my eMail/personal account. I couldn’t even setup electronic billing!!! My landlord would bring the bill down when it came despite the fact I had tried to get it sent to my mailing address.

Com-CRAP-stic!  They need some Charim in the soft jumbo roll to clean up that crap!

iron wil