In order to determine steps Apple has taken to better the user since the first Apple computer in 1976, both scholarly articles and news articles during different eras of Apple computers were viewed. Multiple different types of user experience were considered such as hardware capabilities, UI changes, price, and “polishes” that were then contrasted to the PCs at the time. For instance, in the article, “Pc vs. Mac: The War Goes On” in the magazine Computer Bits, an in-depth comparison between the new iMac and the leading PC is made. The article tends to lean more towards personal preference in UI and products being used which is an opinion also shared by the Landscape Magazine’s “Macs vs PCs” also made in 2002.
There were some specific positives that Mac has done to improve user experience. In Punchkick’s article on how Apple has shaped user experience, Apple’s team “built a radically new user interface that has charted the course of computer history for the subsequent 30 years” (Punchkick p.12). Apple was a leading member in user interfaces when starting out and has continued to push the user interface ease-of-use throughout its history. Aside from user experience, Apple has developed a new chip, the M1 chip, that is exclusive to Apple products and is competing with top CPUs at a fraction of the cost (Higgins, p. 3). These two major additions to Mac computers have separated them from other computers and improved the overall user experience.
However, there are some drawbacks to owning an Apple computer. One of which is the higher price for Apple computers compared to its counterpart and the lack of price decrease in older products. According to Snell, the Mac Pro has been at the same price for three years starting in 2013 and the selling price preowned is drastically less than the full price (Snell 2). Apple also tends to design its products to lessen manufacturing costs and make repairs difficult at the cost of the consumer. The Macs’ software compatibility issues are of note as well. Mac computers provide fewer applications compared to Windows or Linux computers which can greatly limit the use of the Mac. Windows emulators are available for the consumer to purchase but can be a hassle to set up and use (Sipes 1).