Mac vs. PC #1

Forwarded-by: ran@rdt.monash.edu.au (Ralphe Neill)
From: the "Feedback" column in this week's "New Scientist":
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 1995 09:58:47 +0100


  FEEDBACK was present when the International Data Corporation held its
  annual European Information Technology Forum in Paris recently. Top
  executives from top computer companies Lotus, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard,
  IBM and Compaq all gave speeches. So did Bill Gates of Microsoft, who
  was in France to launch Windows 95.

  Needless to say all the speakers relied on electronic "slides", stored
  in a computer and projected by a video system. The picture quality was
  fine, but several speakers had a lot of trouble controlling the
  computer. Perhaps they do not often use the equipment they sell to the
  public.

  Whatever the reason, their slides kept refusing to change, or changed
  too soon. When Andreas Barth, senior vice-president of Compaq, took the
  stand he announced that he was not going to risk the same embarrassment.
  So he was using an Apple Mac to show his slides.

  It took a moment or two to appreciate the full significance of Barth's
  remark. The vice-president of a huge company that has built its success
  on selling PCs that run Windows was admitting to a top industry seminar
  that he dare not use a Windows PC for his presentation, and was using
  the rival Mac system instead.

  Compaq's Mac presentation progressed without a hitch. But Feedback was
  more than a little disappointed to see that Bill Gates had already left
  the hall. So there was no chance to see the look on his face.

  One is left wondering how many of the other presenters secretly identify
  with Barth and, in the privacy of their own homes, use Apple Macs
  instead of PCs.