Dear Final Debug: Am I nuts, or are Macs starting to look like PCs?
Final Debug Responds: Last month, I visited a client in Manhattan. It has standardized on Microsoft Word for word processing, Microsoft Internet Explorer for Web browsing and Microsoft Outlook Express for electronic mail.
That might seem typical — not unlike any number of sites running Windows NT — but you might be surprised to learn that nearly every computer on that client’s network was a brand-new Apple Macintosh.
I’ve since learned that this was not an isolated case of Apple-standard hardware mixing with Microsoft-standard software on the corporate level.
Since Netscape fizzled and office-suite competitors defected to the nascent Linux platform, it’s become just as difficult to find alternatives to Microsoft in key areas on the Macintosh platform as it is to find them within Windows. You can avoid Outlook Express safely — Eudora still runs nicely on a Mac — but Microsoft’s e-mail client is free and Eudora isn’t, so companies are likely to go for the free choice.
Since the long-forgotten Lisa computer nearly 20 years ago, Apple’s triumph has been as much about design, experience and ergonomics as it’s been about computing. The company’s hardware looks inviting and the Macintosh’s fundamental graphical interface (swiped from the XEROX Star project and improved tremendously) has influenced — to put it mildly — Microsoft Windows and other similar projects.
Part of what makes the Macintosh interface so welcoming is its rigid adherence to standards. Unlike Microsoft Windows, which in its eighth iteration still can’t decide whether single- or double-clicking more successfully performs a specific operation, the Macintosh has been remarkably consistent. (Big exception: HyperCard, a fascinating pre-Web hypertext system now used by few.)
Upcoming Macintoshes seem likely to maintain Apple’s tradition of graphic-design excellence: The screen shots floating around the Web of the company’s next-generation operating system are truly lovely (once you use the new system, aqua will probably become your favorite color).
However, recent changes in popular programs might worry longtime Apple watchers concerned about its continuing commitment to the original interface. The QuickTime 4 player is the highest profile of Apple software products that breaks the consistent UI that is the company’s greatest value.
Apple has, in many ways, regained its footing since the return of Steve Jobs. Its streamlined product line makes more sense, and it has returned to the original formula: selling cool-looking boxes that perform fundamental tasks swiftly.
But all reports suggest that the company’s long-term survival necessitates a move from the “computer” market to the “personal technology” market. In that market, consistent interfaces don’t exist.
If indeed the company is moving more in the direction of Sony than of Compaq or Dell, I hope its designers remember why consumers think Apple is special. Macs shouldn’t look like PCs or VCRs or CD players — they should look, feel and work like Macs.
