apple

It is worth paying a premium to me to avoid countless minutes and sometimes hours trouble shooting hard ware and software.

Bond ? I have no more of a bond with my computer than I do with a favorite wrench.

Look... you buy a good quality screw driver or wrench, or chef knife, or drink blender if you use these items frequently. Correct ? Otherwise you spend more time dealing with a bent screw driver with a striped bit, or a drink blender that won't crush the ice cubes for your margaritas than you really ever wanted to. Some people have found that apple computers do the job with a minimum of hassle. They get excited about a quality product and start raving about it to their friends.

Yes, some people take their devotion to a product just a bit too far. Thus the apple fan boy, but honestly, every other product on the earth has its' fan boys and girls also. Just ask the PS3 versus XBox 360 crowd.

You want to really do accurate, in depth research about the subject ? The buy or borrow a mac, and find out if it does the job for you.

I was an IT manager. Me and the 5 folks on my team were responsible for about 500 Windows machines, 500 Macs, thirteen location inter-office connectivity (routers, hubs, switches), printers, file servers, remote and internet access, email and pretty much anything else that had anything to do with computers or networks at the company.

Of the five people, 1 was the network admin responsible for the file servers and email system. He also was an escalation point for the more difficult Windows issues. Three were dedicated to Windows desktop issues. For every 1 Mac trouble ticket that came in, we would get 5-6 Windows trouble tickets. One of my folks was dedicated to Mac issues, but had enough free time where he started picking up Windows issues. I was an escalation point for the Mac issues - but also picked up some of the Windows issues because there were that many.

My strongest "loyalty/bond" with Apple is purely financial. While they did cost more (back then) to acquire, their support costs were substantially less and they lasted years longer. The last thing I felt like doing when I got home was to do more troubleshooting - so my hard-earned money was spent on Apple gear... My son and wife rarely required assistance. Macs had (an in my opinion continue to have) a lower total cost of ownership.

I have since moved on from that IT Manager role - but I continue to buy Apple products for home use. The only traditional Windows machine in the house is the one my current employer makes me use. While my employer's IT department does not support Macs, I regularly remotely access the corporate intranet and email - and am much more productive doing work on my Mac than on the work-issued Windows machine. (Their stance is, if I can get remote access and work done on my Mac without IT's support, that's fine, but I cannot use them for any assistance. Interestingly, it took me less than an hour to get my Mac in remotely - but an "experienced" IT person a couple of days to get my new Windows machine in properly).

On top of that, Apple's form/function designs are head and shoulders above what the Windows world has ever made. I have paid a 50% premium over name-brand Windows machines because I know (and I had the spreadsheets to prove it) in the long run, the Apple computer TCO would be lower. Today, I would probably put a 20% premium on it, though I have done recent comparisons, and when similar-equipped name-brand machines are compared, the Apple machines are the same as - or less than - a comparable traditional name-brand Windows based machine... and I feel satisfied knowing I am making the right return on investment decision. Though today, I suppose I *could* just run Windows on the Apple hardware... but why waste a perfectly good machine for that?

There is only one other company with which I might consider "similar loyalty"... I bought my first product from them in 2003. Earlier this year, I bought my second Cadillac CTS... I'll get back to you kn how it makes me feel... Up until now, I hadn't really thought about it.

I'm in the visual effects/animation business.

It was around 1990 and I was between jobs. A friend of mine who was working for Industrial Light and Magic (Lucas Films) told me to get a Mac and go digital or I would be out of the industry in a few years.

At that time all the great graphics products were Mac only, so it was a no brainer. I got on board. In a few years I had to switch to SGI because all the high end 3D software was UNIX, but I was Mac at home.

During the late 1990s when the computer price wars were bringing the price of PCs really low, I was tempted to go PC but because I had a bunch of Mac licenses I decided to stay Mac. During this period there was only one usable 3D application for the Mac, Electric Image, and it wasn't very good in my estimation. But SGI was still the platform of choice.

In the last five years I've been on my own, still with Mac and am I glad that I'm not tied to a PC. I use Boot Camp to run Windows XP. Note, XP not Vista. My wife has Vista (home basic) and because of what I've had to go through fixing her machine, I would rather avoid it in any form, though I believe my MacBook Pro would handle it better then her low end Dell laptop. Anyway, I don't want to take a chance with Vista when XP works just fine.

Now the important stuff. OS X, in my humble opinion, is a better operating system in every aspect. Because Mac has a much smaller market share, Apple has been able to make much more dramatic changes, like switching to Intel chip sets and completely rewriting it's OS.

As a person in the arts I can appreciate the fact that Apple has much better industrial and graphic designers then their PC competitors.

Because Apple controls the software and hardware, the system as a whole is much better integrated.

With the type of work I do, I have to use a high end machine. So the cost of the machine would be comparable which ever system I would use and I can run Windows when I want to and any Linux application in one machine.

I can run any 3D software now.

Finally, Apple, in most cases is the trend setter, which brings me to the last issue. Mac is really a cult and there is something fun about belonging to an exclusive group. Mac has made it hip and fun to be a member. Who wants to be John Hodgman? (Sorry John)

A million years ago, I worked on PCs running DOS. Half a million years ago, a friend gave me a Macintosh SE. I've never looked back. The ease of use has always been number one. User-friendly should have been coined with the first Mac. An easier way to go would be to try to think of something I don't like about Apple. Can't come up with anything. I enjoy everything Mac. Now I get to have things like the iPod Touch too. Life is good. I wish I could sit with everyone individually to show them my Mac and answer any questions they had so they could make an informed decision instead of listening to all the hype. But I digress...I don't feel it's a cult but I do walk into an Apple store and feel that I'm surrounded by my people. We speak the same language. We enjoy the same cool things. I pay $99 a year and go to the Apple store once a week for an hour to learn about any Apple product I choose. Holy mackerel, does it get any better than that? They have a schedule of free seminars at every Apple store. If you want to learn something, you can, for free! Apple software has incredibly low prices. Where else can you get a suite of apps for $79? Price always comes up but I think Boya84 said it best, "a lower total cost of ownership." It may cost more than other machines but the headaches you won't have after that is worth a lot. I love all the Apple commercials. I love going to MacWorld every year. Of course, I'm also lucky enough to live in San Francisco. I love working on my Macs. Not figuring them out. Not fixing problems. Not cursing at them. But working on them. And playing on them too.

Personally I feel one should not encourage PC users to use Macs. It will just lead to massive attempts to install nasty exploits on Macs. PCs should retain their role as sh** catcher in chief.
To answer your question, the feeling one gets of being really pi++d off after seeing that one's friends PCs can't play a film that was made for and by a PC user and opens in seconds on our iMac, plus a mass of other failures by those PCs, just convinces me that one is better off with a Mac. I have always really enjoyed the Macs I have had, whereas PCs just do not give me that feeling. One leaves the latter disgruntled and exhausted.

What created the bond?:
Quality, ease of use, design and identification with company image.

What price premium will you pay for the bond?
I'm not sure what this question means but I will say that price is not relevant. I make my living with my computer an will pay the price for what I need. So, 100%

How does the bond make you feel?
Informed and exclusive.

Who are the other companies that you share a similar bond with?
SONY, BOSE, TOYOTA, Adobe

Hello:
Your employer seems to think that there is some sort of magic in the loyalty of Apple customers. In my case, there is no magic.

I work with PCs every day and had several in my home. I spent hours every week troubleshooting one or more PC and the network connections. My bond with Apple was created by great products, first iTunes, then an iPod, then a Mac.

As others have mentioned, I believe that the total cost of Mac ownership is much lower than the cost of owning a PC; therefore I would pay about 30% in acquisition cost in order to save money later.

This "bond" makes me feel secure and comfortable that my Apple products will just work.

Other companies with which I share a similar bond: Honda automobiles, Backroads Travel.

I think your employer by the mere use of his basic marketing terminology is barking up the wrong tree. Q..Bonding !!! or how do we feel Satisfied, intelligent, valued etc????

Perhaps thats your answer, the majority of the apple Mac users don't need a product to give them a sense of value or self worth. A large percentage are achievers or creative and therefore they communicate on a like minded platform. Very necessary as other users are often the only source of help we get.

Am still trying to comprehend the 'bonded' terminology and how it relates to my IQ levels.