Pure Consistency

With a lot of people a computer is only a tool. It’s something that you use to make a given job easier. If using the computer doesn’t do this, than what’s the point. Your not gonna use it. Apple’s approach over the years has been to make using the computer as easy as possible. The way it has got to this point has been because Apple has developed an OS that anticipates most of the tasks that a user may try and carry out. And have a human like response ready to any request you may try to accomplish. They have also established a set of conventions to which all apps have to conform to and they also tightly control the work of outside developers to make sure they follow the rules. But lastly, the design and build of the computers are exquisitely suited to deliver the goods stated above. So what does all this mean for the user? It means things are easier for you and me. The regular guy. Constancy is something we Mac users take for granted. Simply put, if your an outside developer and you want to run apps that work on a Mac, you have to play by Apple’s rules. And Apple’s rules are relentlessly aimed at consistency and ease of use. If your a more experienced Mac user, even before you break the seal on the box, you know a lot about how to use t. You know how to instal new software. You know how to open a new file (Apple key + O). And you know the most important command of all. Apple + Z, which will fix the bonehead mistake you just made. You know  what a dialog box is gonna look like, and what kinds of questions its likely to ask, and  the range of response you can give. You know how to save file (Apple + S), quit an app, and even force quit an app if an app freezes. In other words, you can get away with not looking at the manual. Well, not true when digging deep into an app but you get my meaning. Thats why Apples manuals are so short if they package any at all. You KNOW when you ht Apple + S its gonna save it. And some pc users may say “Well, what’s so special about that? My pc does more or less the same thing from app to app.” LOL. Two responses what I will give. First, “more or less” isn’t the same thing as “always”. Its these exceptions that make the windows environment so damn frustrating.  And the only reason Windows is even trying to improve is because Apple has set such a good example of how things should be. Its like zoning. Boston has zoning, Houston does not. Boston has consistency of land use, where peoples individual land uses MUST fit into the bigger picture. Houston does not. The best planners, developers, and architects in Houston try to keep the bigger picture in mind but cant MAKE people not build a trailer park. Like say, in Boston. Boston will say “NO, your not building a trailer park in downtown Boston” were as Houston would recommend against it but couldn’t stop you. The Mac reinforces this consistency. Stuff is almost always in the same place. If you know how to turn on your Mac than you know how to turn them all on. You know how to turn the sound up, and make the screen dimer or brighter. You know what to EXPECT. The other big plus with Apple is continuity.  Improvement to the OS are almost completely seamless. Its just easier to use a Mac. And the main reason why it’s still easy to use a Mac is because it controls it all. It controls the core command for the box, and it controls the key aspects of the work of outside people who write additional commands for the box. Its called quality control. And Apple excels at it.