Filed under: Cult of Mac, Odds and ends
How would you convince a PC user to switch?
We've all tried to
fill this role at some point in our lives. Sometimes we get the job done, and other times, well...Dell is still in
business, aren't they? BeLight Software wants to celebrate Apple's upcoming anniversary by bringing a few more sheep into the fold. Describe to them whatever successful technique you've used in the past, and the top three suggestions will win a 12 month subscription to either Macaddict or Macworld magazine.
Now, we all know how annoying an evangelist on a mission of conversion can be, so don't pound those poor Windows users over the head. You get more flies with honey.
[Via MacMove]
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Jay Contonio said 7:15PM on 3-28-2006
Show this software :
Transmit, QuickSilver, Mail/Address Book/iCal, NewsFire, TextMate, MarsEdit, kGTD, and Adium.
That's it. If they're a developer or somewhat computer savvy this should get anyone to switch in my opinion.
Oh, and the fact that World of Warcraft runs on the mac as well =)
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deuce said 7:20PM on 3-28-2006
One word ... Expose
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Squidge said 7:29PM on 3-28-2006
One more word . . . CoverFlow
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ChipNSoCal said 7:30PM on 3-28-2006
I've had several friends who were curious about Macs, or teetering on the edge. All it has taken is one trip to the Apple Store to get them to convert.
I usually start by showing them iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto, and some of the other iLife stuff. If they're business types, Pages and Keynote are helpful too.
Then I explain to them some of the cool features of .Mac, such as iDisk, syncing email, your address book, etc..
Then I show them the webpages of a few cool apps such as the Salling Clicker and Quicksilver. By that point, they're usualy sold.
To seal the deal, I usually show them iTunes and the iTunes Music Store. It looks so much better, and is so much easier on the Mac.
Before you know it, you have another happy Mac buddy on your hands.
This methodology has been tried and tested several times, with close to 10 new converts :-)
Apple, are you listening. .I want my commission.
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Daniel D said 7:32PM on 3-28-2006
One more word... Cocks
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Silver said 7:33PM on 3-28-2006
Simple. I tell them "This is the last time I'm cleaning spyware off your computer." Two months later, they're asking me to help them pick out a Mac. Done.
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wim nerinckx said 7:34PM on 3-28-2006
In my experience, this appears to be infallable: they should sit in front of an OSX-machine on their own for a few hours, so that they can figure out themselves how easy the system is to start to use from scratch - instead of a Mac cognoscentus telling them how things work. That's what Apple stores should do: provide a cute room with desks and Macs full of software including Office, and allow (even encourage) potential switchers to stay on their own behind a Mac of their choice untill they get it.
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Silver said 7:35PM on 3-28-2006
Oh, Delicious Library makes for a tasty teaser too...
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J.T. Mill said 7:36PM on 3-28-2006
I was writing a paper, on the PC when suddenly it was all *beep beep boop beep bop!*
Err... Actually, I'd probably A) Take them to an Apple Store. B) Show them how they can do all their daily stuff easier on a Mac as well as new stuff such as iMove that they can actually USE. Then C) I'd throw http://www.tuaw.com/rss.xml into their news reader ;)
On another note, I saw one of the best PC laptop sales pitches from a guy at Radio Shack a while ago. After the person he just sold a new HP laptop to left I asked him what brand of laptop he had. He just smiled and said, "Oh me? I use a Mac." Mac users make good sales people, no matter what they're selling.
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Dave said 7:41PM on 3-28-2006
Why would you try? Let them use what they want to. Apple pays tens of millions of dollars talking about their products, convincing switchers - I'll leave Mac proselytizing to them.
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mpeng said 7:55PM on 3-28-2006
Give me a 15" Intel Mac Notebook. I'll switch. Until then, I'm going to use this nice Dell that my company provides.
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Bj? said 7:55PM on 3-28-2006
Well, my walkthru of the Mac normally is:
Screensaver - Expose - Dashboard - iLife/iWork - Microsoft Office.
They are all impressed, but unfortunately, most of my friends want all of this for under 200 . And the rest lives happily with their win98 boxes (I know, it's a shame, but it's true).
So not many converts over here. But perhaps I get a commission for the 'longest-and-hardest' effort - a friend of mine will buy one of the new iBooks, after 6 (!) years of me trying to convince him... . I had to go down a long way, from being a total 'freak' to some 'graphics-freak' to 'hey, you can compare this to a 'real OS' (meaning windows)' to 'Look, you can work with it' to 'Hey, this and that works better than in Windows' to 'Don't discuss it - OS X is the better OS, Apple should do a lot more advertising.'
Believe me, it was a long way... .
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narco said 7:57PM on 3-28-2006
I agree, Expose does it nearly EVERY time.
Also, I show them iLife and they're always blown away. I usually show them iTunes first, then iPhoto, Garageband and the others. I show how it works with .Mac and of course, I tell them how stable the computer is and how I rarely completely shut off my Mac.
I haven't failed yet!
Fishes,
narco.
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narco said 7:59PM on 3-28-2006
Oh yeah, and the Album artwork screen saver. Hell, when people come over i can hardly peel their eyes from it!
Fishes,
narco.
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michael said 8:10PM on 3-28-2006
I had three people in the past 7 months ask about switching. I told all 3 the same thing: wait until you can install Mac OS X on an Intel based machine built by a company that actually knows how to build a computer.
Then, I show them all the parts and pieces of my crApple laptop that I have replaced in the first 2 (two) years of ownership. Finnally, for dessert, I show them the burned images on the screen that Apple claims is normal wear and tear before telling the story of H-P replacing the entire machine of my office mate who had the same problem on his H-P laptop. That demonstration cools their heels on buying a crApple laptop.
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penginkun said 8:15PM on 3-28-2006
I'm sure the screensaver is what seals the deal. God knows they don't have about half a billion of 'em for Windows.
I always tell people to buy what they're comfortable with. If that's Windows, so be it. If they're sick of the viruses and popups and the trojans THEN I suggest a Mac. I always let them bring up Macs first. That way I don't get the angry call from someone who hates the $@!*@#&! Mac *I* pushed on them.
And hard as it may be to believe, there ARE people who legitimately prefer Windows to the Mac OS. What a world, huh?
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Lucian said 8:35PM on 3-28-2006
Show them all the apps.
Their come-back: "Well what about windows-only stuff?"
Mac Fan: "Q"
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Richard Nixon said 8:44PM on 3-28-2006
If you're sick of the viruses and popups and trojans you suggest a Mac? Well, that's all well and good and would probably cut down on those instances but more than a different operating system, what most people need is a better understanding of the smart way to use a computer. I use Windows all the time and am not infected with viruses or buried under popup windows because I know what I am doing. Yes, an OS can protect the user from himself a great deal BUT there's a case to be made for telling people that using a computer requires a bit of know how and willingness to learn. It's not a toaster.
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AJ Ballou said 8:58PM on 3-28-2006
I usually tell people that Mac OS X cures heart disease, ADHD, and Restless Leg Syndrome.
And then I show them Expos?ith the 'Shift' key held down (for those who don't know, this slows down the fancy GUI transitions in OS X), and they start warming up their credit cards.
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Twist said 9:10PM on 3-28-2006
I have converted multiple people just by setting them down in front of a well configured Mac. Let them use it for a bit and walk them through a few of the main differences between Mac OS and Windows and most often they begin to understand why I choose Mac OS over Windows. Funny thing is most of the stuff that Windows does to annoy Mac users also annoys Windows users, you just have to make them realize there are alternatives.
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