Mac360 Twitter TweetsSponsorship and Advertising on Mac360Forums Member LoginRegister for Mac360 ForumsFrequently Asked QuestionsYouTube Video WatchDashboard Widget WatchPolls & SurveysMac360 Power Search Options
RSS FeedThe Mac360 Article ArchiveThe Cheap MacWhat's New!Mac Tips & TricksMacintosh User ForumsMac360 Reviews

Who’s Smarter? Mac Users Or Windows Users?

DummiesDon’t you just want to pull out your hair when you explain the benefits of Mac to Windows users. What happens?

They shrug, roll their eyes, and say, “I don’t get it.” There’s a reason why and it’s not pretty.

In the simplest of terms, many computer users “don’t get it” and never will. They don’t want to.

We call them Windows users. Ouch. That’s a poke, but you’ll understand in a moment.

Most of us in the tech and support field know that the weakest link in computing use is the user.

So it is with security issues, too. Educating users is pointless, so says Stefan Gorling who researches such things.

CNET is running an insightful article that basically says, “User Education Is Pointless.” I have to agree.

While some computer users learn to improve their habits and productivity, most are still stuck in the stone age of usability.

As Gorling says, they don’t understand secure passwords, they write them down, give them out to others, and can’t spell “phishing.”

Here’s the connection. Most computer users are Windows users; to the tune of some 90-percent of PCs around the world.

Applying the traditional Bell Curve to most users results in a few that “get it”, quite a few that don’t, and some that never will.

Generally speaking, Mac users have made an educated choice not to deal with the frustrations caused by their computers.

We chose Macs. We did so because Macs work better. Arguable, but not very.

While most surveys indicate that Mac users are better off economically, have more spendable income, and are better educated, what of the unwashed masses of Windows users?

Are Mac users simply smarter than Windows users?

Can Windows users be educated to better use their PCs, thereby gaining sufficient knowledge to understand the need to switch to a Mac?

Gorling doesn’t think education will make much difference in some areas, hence the relatively slow adoption of Macs by Windows switchers.

Why are Windows PCs less secure than Macs?

Two reasons. One is the inherent secure design of Mac OS X vs. the poor design of Windows. The second must be because Mac users are smarter than Windows users.

IBM’s Martin Overton says:

“It really is a nightmare. User education is a complete waste of time. It is about as much use as nailing jelly to a wall… There is no good trying to teach them what phishing is, what rootkits are, what malware is, etc. They are not interested; they just want to do their job.”

Many others would insist that education is necessary for computer users, even Mac users—and necessary to enhance security, and reduce fraud.

I can’t deny the benefits of education for some. For many, it’s a lost cause, an exercise in futility, the never-ending-job, the last crusade, true job security.

Macs will never reach 15-percent market share ever again. Not because the Mac doesn’t perform better vs. Windows PCs. It does.

The problem is the user. Most of the world of Windows users, those necessary for Mac’s market share to increase, don’t care enough to make the switch because they’re just not…

I could say they’re just not well educated enough. I won’t.

Why not? Because, as the man says, education doesn’t matter, for security or market share. Mac users? We’re just smarter.

Post your own Comment.

Classy Mac360 PhotoBy Jeffrey Mincey | I work as a PC System Administrator (Windows, Macs, Linux) for the state government in Atlanta, Georgia and have used Macs for more than 20 years. Most of it late at night.

• Email This Article  •  Follow Mac360 on Twitter
• Posted in the Opinion Section

Mac360 posts daily Mac updates on Twitter, too. If you Twitter, give Alexis, Bambi, or Ron a tweet and follow Mac360 on Twitter to get daily Mac tips and tricks.

Safari
Need Safari to do more for you? Add a single plugin and go crazy.
Fri Mar 12 - Full Article »
Say No To Mac
Do Mac users need all that power and flexibility? Or, just convenience?
Thu Mar 11 - Full Article »
Dock
A new way to use what you already know how to use to find files.
Wed Mar 10 - Full Article »
Email
Hidden inside a Mac is an email monster. Turn it on with a click or two.
Tue Mar 9 - Full Article »
Database
Database users rejoice. FileMaker Pro is easier and more powerful.
Tue Mar 9 - Full Article »
Docks
Love the Dock? Hate the Dock? Here's how to make the Dock better.
Mon Mar 8 - Full Article »
Walmart
Apple's market value skyrockets ahead of the iPad launch.
Mon Mar 8 - Full Article »
Predictions
Can you predict Apple success or failure as well as technology pundits?
Fri Mar 5 - View Topic »
SyncMan
Keep your contacts fully synchronized online with the SyncMac.
Fri Mar 5 - Full Article »

Off Topic Note: Help support Mac360 by visiting the Mac360 Store (it’s really Amazon). We get a small commission on every purchase you make through the Mac360 Store (it’s really Amazon). Plus, you get Amazon’s best discounts on Mac software such as Snow Leopard, iWork ‘09, iLife ‘09, Adobe Photoshop Elements, all MacBook and iMac models, and all iPod models.  Check out more Mac software reviews on Page 2. Elsewhere around Mac360, Kate Mac is back on the Mac after flirting with and dumping Windows. Ron has updated the NoodleMac site to include more daily mini reviewsof Mac software, and launched Mac musings on McSolo.

Snow Leopard
What's in the FORUMS?
Mac360 Link Farm