June 2004 Archives
I've had my Powerbook G4 15" 1.5ghz for a couple weeks now. I was a Mac-head way back in like 1989, so I really want to like it. I have to say, though, that the jury is still out. Here are some of the specific turnoffs (turns-off?) which threaten to spoil my Apple homecoming:
- Traffic Lights Everywhere. I guess they're cute, but they really doesn't map well to what they actually do. I much prefer the simple close/minimize/maximize icons in the XP windows. Plus, the Green Light button doesn't even work - I have a great difficulty getting my windows to 're-maximize' properly on the LCD after they have been maximized on my larger desktop monitor.
- Mouse Acceleration. Apple has decided that the distance the pointer moves should partly be a function of how fast you move the mouse, not just how far you move it. I am finding this incredibly irritating, and there is no way to adjust it in the control panels. I've tried a few hacks on the web but none have worked.
- Lousy Java support. As Sam rightly points out, Apple really missed the boat here.
- No default view style There is no way to tell it to open all of my windows in 'List View' as opposed to icon view. This is just plain dumb. (Yes, I do know about the 'Open new windows in column view' - that is not what I want. That works fine until I navigate to a new folder, which then opens in icon view again. Duh.
- Single-button trackpad Seriously, Apple, pull your head out.
- Lost preferences. Safari refuses to remember my settings, such as home page. Have tried hacks on internet, no avail. Hello, QA?
- The Dock I hate to say it, but I think I prefer the Windows taskbar to the dock. Apple seems to think that I care about my applications. I don't - I care about my documents and tasks, regardless of which application they happen to be open with. And while the taskbar can be made to behave like the Dock (i.e. be application-centric), the Dock gives me now way to get a document-oriented view of my tasks. Bummer.
- IT WARPS! No, that isn't nerdspeak for saying "it's fast." I mean the fancy aluminum case actually becomes slightly misshapen after the thing's had a good workout. It runs hot, and after an hour or so of playing a DVD or doing a long build, the case no longer sits flush against a flat surface. After reading some advice from others who have encountered this problem, I was able to force it back into shape by putting it across my leg and applying a gentle pressure to the 'high' corners, so maybe it's not that big of a deal, but come on! For three grand, I don't expect to have to call a blacksmith for tech suport.
So, I dunno. My new powerbook sure is pretty and OS X does have a lot of nice points, but so far I've been a bit underwhelmed. I guess the basic problem is that Microsoft has done a lot to close the usability gap in the last ten years or so, and this has made me a lot less willing to tolerate stubborness and stupidity on Apple's part.
How do you argue with this? There are folks who claim that George Bush's obstensible stupidity is actually sign of diabolical genius. Maybe it's Karl Rove's, maybe it's not. In any event, I think I have to finally throw my hat in with them.
Oh man, this is priceless:
