MetaCatholic

I’ve been continuing to get some helpful feedback on my series of posts on switching to a Mac. I still haven’t made the switch, though I’m still thinking about doing so. The reason I haven’t switched is one of the big culture switch issues, and what seems to me like a fairly big argument to drop in the PC side of the scales.

The machine I would be most likely to buy is the iMac. However, the current models are almost certainly reaching the end of their shelf-life. They were released in August 2007 – so they’re now eight months old and growing older by the day. Given the speed of technological development: that’s really old. Coming from the PC world, where one or other manufacturer is releasing something new every week in a constant round of catch-up and competition, it seems quite bizarre. When the aluminium iMac was first released, it was a good buy. I would guess that Apple’s profit margin was tending to low. Now, however, I would guess that the same hardware is bringing in quite a high profit, and the balance has tilted away from the consumer. Buying at this stage of a product cycle, when there is no discount or sale price is paying over the odds, and I can’t bring myself to do it.

A related issue is one of screen quality. There has been quite a stir among fanboys over this lawsuit, alleging that the screens in the 20-inch iMac are not as advertised. As far as I can see, Apple have walked a fairly thin line. Their advertising makes a claim that, while not untrue, is misleading in so far as unaware readers might well think the only difference between the screens is size. In fact there is a significant difference in quality as well. One can’t help feel that Apple are trading on their reputation for quality while delivering lower quality than one would expect at the price-point. The problem is, whereas again in the PC world, there is oodles of choice, in the Mac world it is very limited, and if one is looking for a Mac, the company has rather more power than the consumer.

Don’t get me wrong. I still think there are significant pluses weighing down the Mac side of the scale in my buying decision, but I’m not entirely comfortable surrendering quite as much consumer power and choice as any of Apple’s customers must.

Welcome to the new egalitarian world of education in the UK, where Bucks New University is offering a degree in selling beds. Bucks is technically an abbreviation for the county of Buckinghamshire, but it might say something about the commercialisation of education. This university’s range is remarkable; apparently it offers three separate degrees in textiles: Textiles Surface and Fashion, Textiles Knit and Textiles Print. There’s nothing like specialisation in the “Faculty of Creativity and Culture”.

There seem to be two very different engines driving this “educational” train. The first is a hangover of silly sixties socialism. Universities are elitist, therefore we shall call everything a university, and allow everyone to gain a degree. The second is a commercial brashness that sees no value in anything that is not immediately economically productive. Skills take priority over knowledge, and training displaces learning.

Next week, a doctorate in crayoning and colour.