Florida “Journalist” Beats Up On Mac Users.

Tera wrote a letter to Tony’s boss, Marc Davidson, at the News-Journal attempting to set the record straight regarding an ill-advised article written by Tony. Click Here for the full article.

It was one of those typical fluffy pieces about how Macs are over priced, blah, blah, blah. For whatever reason, that set Tera’s hair on fire.

Remarkably, writer Tony Briggs sent a note back to Tera thanking her for the publicity and hits to the newspaper’s web site.

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Of course, Tera was still steaming (burned hair and all) and managed a response of her own before deciding that select graduates from the University of South Florida’s School of Mass Communications should have stayed away from the influences of recreational pharmaceuticals.

Tera’s response:

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Aloha Tony,

Good to hear from you.

Most computer users who read your drivel probably felt the same way. You demonstrated that you’re just another ill-informed so-called “journalist,” similar perhaps to Joe Gannon, previously a so-called reporter in the White House who regularly tossed biased, soft-ball questions to fellow Republican George W. Bush.

Your article was an ignorant, heavily biased, and poorly researched fluff piece, the tone of which demonstrated either 1) hate of anything non-Windows (I chose that angle), or 2) you’ve been spending too much time at a Windows computer (20 years on the same job, Tony—it gets to you) to understand there are better things in life than, um, oh, let’s see—low computer productivity, viruses, worms, trojan horses, security alerts, blue screen of death, and life as another victim in the MIC (Microsoft Industrial Complex).

I guess your dues are paid up with the MIC, though, so you keep marching to the same tune.

Oh, did I say there were “Mac hating comments” in your column? Nope. No need to. The conclusion was obvious. Did your column list any “facts” on the cost vs. a PC, as you said? Nope. No facts. Just the typical line from a poorly educated Mass Com grad from the University of South Florida (now there’s a fine J school for future reporters to look up to).

“Overpriced?” Compared to what? See, Tony, that’s where your shoddy journalism rose to the top to be sucked off by the mass communication drivel sucking readers who take in what you write and believe it to be truth. You didn’t really compare anything. Not hardware (feature for feature). Not software (feature for feature). Not cost of ownership. Nothing.

How about taking on a challenge, Tony.

Get an iMac (mid range consumer machine) and try it for 30 days without using Windows. Mike Wendland of the Detroit Free Press did. He’s now known as “Mac Mike.” David Coursey of eWeek did it for three months.  Have you checked on his “shift” away from MIC recently?

Even noted Windows apologists in the media, Paul Thurott and Rob Enderle, have “examined” the Mac mini and declared it worthy.

Try the challenge, Tony. 1 month. 3 months. Whatever. No Windows for the same period. Just use a stock iMac with stock RAM. Or get a stock Mac mini with Stock RAM and attach it a decent monitor with USB keyboard and mouse.

Write about your experiences over that 1 month or 3 month period.

Now, back to the “comparison” and the facts. Go to Dell’s web site and find the cheapest-assed Dell computer you can buy online. Get the features as close as possible to the hardware of a Mac mini.

256 megs RAM
32 megs Video RAM
Firewire Port
USB Ports
DVI video out
40 gig hard drive
DVD/CD-RW drive (upgrade to DVD burner if you like)

Either subtract keyboard and mouse from the Dell, or, assuming it comes with such, add similar cost to the Mac mini.

That’s just the hardware, Tony. Not the software that’s included with Windows or Mac OS X. Just the hardware.

Now, do a software comparison. Make sure the Dell comes with comparable software to what’s available on a Mac mini. iCal, AddressBook, Safari (that’s a browser), iSync, Garageband, iMovie HD, iPhoto, AppleWorks, and iDVD.

Oh, the Mac is free of viruses, trojan horses, worms, pop up ads, spyware. Obviously, you’ll need to buy those things to run the Dell. You know, just for parity.

Then, be a real journalist and write about what you find. Chances are good you won’t, but it’s a challenge anyway. What you’ll find is what many of us who use Macs (and Windows) have found. The price difference isn’t “a lot” as you state, it’s nominal.

That’s just the hardware. Do your best to show that you can be fair and reasonable.

Mac software that’s included in the Mac mini? Find a comparable Windows version to the above and then add up the costs.

Again, be a real journalist and write, with accuracy this time, about what you find.

You see, Tony, you are the one that missed the point. In fact, you missed a whole bunch of them, and that’s what true journalists should strive not to do.

The Mac mini? Yes, it has a speaker. All Macs have a speaker. Anyone who’s actually looked at or used a Mac mini would know that. Which means, and it’s obvious by now, you didn’t actually USE the Mac mini about which you wrote.

Shame on you.

Somehow you seemed to think your kind of cursory examination is OK and passed it along as journalism to unsuspecting readers: “Hmmm. PC at $400. Mac at $499. Mac is expensive. Lots. PC is better.”

You can do better, Tony. After all, you’re a graduate of the University of South Florida, right?

Looking forward to your results.

Aloha and best wishes

tera
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Tera Patricks
Los Angeles, CA
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OK, I’ve calmed down. I feel better, though. Enough opinions (and rants) for awhile. Next week we’ll have more product reviews. I promise.