IP: Mon has a point!! -- Apple to Windows users: join us, interoperate, drop dead?

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Rich Wiggins <wiggins () msu edu>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2002 13:56:17 -0400 (EDT)
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Apple to Windows users: join us, interoperate, drop dead?


Dave,

Apple seems to be sending very mixed signals to Windows users these days.
Their  "Switch" campaign urges us to move to the Mac.  A clever ad
campaign featuring real users who've switched.

On the other hand, they've just now made the much-anticipated
announcement that the iPod will support Windows users.  That's a
welcome move, and I think a smart one.  I might buy an iPod now myself.

In fact I went to apple.com to learn more about the new iPods, and
discovered the .mac Web services offering.  The .mac home page promises
an Imap mailbox accessible from any computer, and a 100 meg of storage
on iDisk, "accessible from any Mac or PC."

Obviously some .mac services won't be useful to a Windows-only user,
but it appears that some will.  So I went to sign up for a trial.
This message popped up:

 To sign up for a .Mac Trial account, you must be on a
 Macintosh computer. If you would like to purchase a .Mac
 membership, click the Join Now button.

If I clicked on Join from the same Windows machine, they offered
to take my credit card info and sign me up.  But I wanted a trial!
I happen to work in a building where there's a store that sells
Apples, so I just used a display model to sign up, and now I
can access my iDisk from a Windows PC.

Apple doesn't seem to be sending a clear message to Windows users here.
If their pitch is that .mac isn't useful for Windows-only users, why not
just say so?

On the other hand, if .mac IS useful to Windows-only users,
why not let me experience a trial, in hopes that I'll pony
up the $100 for a full account?

Exactly what benefit accrued to Apple by forcing me to use their
hardware to sign up for the trial?

/rich


------ End of Forwarded Message

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