I was reading a review on the 8 the other day (sorry, didn't bookmark the site) and after some very nice comments, the author felt the RX-8 mainly appealed to folks who would like OS X. OS X, of course, is the latest operating system software from Apple. As an Apple Technician, I tend to agree; it's different, performs well and is stable. I particularly like the part about being different :D

1.3L

Most agreed as a few year mac user and a new(2 mo) 8 driver they both are great and something i don'e dread useing. Also you see Apple's on tv, like rx-8 ad's but in the real world they can be rare unless surrounded my enthuisast(sp?).

eh. That's a stretch. I bet there are far more PC users than MAC users simply because the market is so much larger.

I see Mac users liking VW Beatles more than I see them liking the RX-8, even though the RX-8 IS different.

I have an 8, I'm also an MCSE/MCSA :D

No way would I use a MAC and I am a Graphic Designer, but I love my RX-8 because it out handles just about anything out there as does my Shuttle PC. For the cost nothing beats it.

{No_flame_intended}
Ok, that's cute, but I'll bet a greater percentage of RX-8 drivers do their daily computing on a Windows box. No offense, but I see no correlation. I like Windows AND I wonder why I don't see more people buying/driving an 8. :)
{/No_flame_intended}

Silly poster, MACS are for kids!

Apple's uniqueness cannot be compared with the RX-8, think how truly rare the Rx-8 is

you should be comparing it with some rare Linux OSs

Hey now... coming from someone who has both, a mac and a windows based pos... er... machine. I believe the original poster was referring to the car like some reffer to the Mac. It is unique and eccentric. Mac users tend to be very creative and goofy, as do 8 owners. Mac users have computers for work AND play and have been known to be more stable work machines. Windows computer, while very good for work, suit more on the gaming and internet side of things. The comparison: RX-8 is like a Mac... work and play, suited for sall needs, and very versatile. You can even run windows on a mac. Let's see you run OSX on XP! Whereas, windows computers are run of the mill, ordinary and every-day. Kinda like a Honda Civic... a dime a dozen.

Wow... ramble...

Heh.. I'm getting ready to switch to OSX in a couple months.. I think personality wise the two choices are similar. No huge numbers in the hardware, less support vs. the competition, but excellent at what it was designed to do. With windows, I'm tired of having to tune it and worry about virii, etc.. With other cars there was always something I didn't like or wanted to upgrade. Both choices are for the 'buy it and forget' mentality, I think..

I thought Mac users would prefer pickup trucks? For those of you who read Ctrl-Alt-Del anyway :)

http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/images/comics/20021126.gif

Spyware what? :)

I was reading a review on the 8 the other day (sorry, didn't bookmark the site) and after some very nice comments, the author felt the RX-8 mainly appealed to folks who would like OS X. OS X, of course, is the latest operating system software from Apple. As an Apple Technician, I tend to agree; it's different, performs well and is stable. I particularly like the part about being different :D

1.3L

I'm a Mac user - and I must say it's nice to meet a tech! You guys are doing an EXCELLENT job!! Keep up the good work!

"Alert, I am a fucktard" (watch the video I linked to)

does anyone remember macs before OSX? crash crash crash, little bomb icon, I f-in hated macs back in the day...now for people who don't know, there isn't much about the core of OSX that is Apple at all, OSX is based off Unix, that is why it is stable

check out this funny video to see what I mean: http://media.ebaumsworld.com/apple.wmv

1.3L do you work directly for apple? I'm a system admin for a print and design company. I agree Mac os 9 wasn't my favorite but I still preferred it over a win machine. My background was all PC before I got to this company. It didn't take long for me to make the switch. Now I sit here and post from my powerbook while my Dell sits there and stares at me. But all joking aside in my business I run Mac, Win, and Unix and I depend on all of them the same. I can't get by without neither one of them. All of my end users are mac with the exception or the web designers wich use both. My main servers are all Xserve servers and Unix servers, but all of my rips that proccess the work and run my machines run on windows. To me I can the same thing done on both, but I just prefer the Mac over the PC. My name is otrovago and I approve this message.

I work as IT manager with primarily Macs with some UNIX thrown in, I have a PC at home and a Ti-Book I use at work and on the road. I love the Macs for what they are: stable, virtually virus & spyware free (never had a problem) nice GUI, modern looking, and with the guys I work with really easy to keep them out of trouble. No Windows registry. What I don't like is there is no Direct X or anything realatively comparable, games dont' run as fast, nor does the internet browsing. So for gaming and most practical use, I like my PC box with XP, almost as stable, but I'd never own any laptop unless it was made by Apple.

Ctrl-Alt-Del Online is the best comic ever...

'nuff said.

repost, but seriously watch this video, reminds me of grades school and the macs we would have http://media.ebaumsworld.com/apple.wmv

This topic has come up a lot. There are a lot of techie people here, so the percentage of non-MS OS (Linux/Apple) is much higher then the general public. That being said, this place would be a ghost town if all of our Windows users went away.

Well here goes...My wife and I got our Titanium 8 in August. We're both over 50, both design school grads and in our lifetime have owned lots of cars...from vettes to a mini van. The RX8 does reminds us a bit of our Macs, but even more so of our 6 Amigas and Video Toaters that are still working! We owned a special effects and model shop for years and did most of the CG work for the Amiga commercials and print ads. We were a beta site for the Video Toaster...it was a paradign shift along with the Amiga computer for video. The RX8 is much like that as well. Mazda dared to introduce a 4 place sportscar and did it while most were making look a likes...the Z, the G35, the Boxter, the Lexus SC2005, and so on. The proof of the RX8's devoted following is the sheer size of this board. The 8 is really unique and appeals to unique individuals who recognize that. I knew I'd found the right car when I got that same feeling I'd gotten when I created my first 3-D animation on an Amiga computer and it ran on network TV. Did I mention no pistons?

I agree w/ abracadabra. Have you guys heard of http://www.applegeeks.com/ ? great site.

I've been doing graphic design for years, ever since Photoshop 1.4. The only reason I use PC's is that the Navy can get them cheap, beat them up, and get new ones easily. What I'm trying to say is that they're practically disposable! j/k I've been using PC's for almost as long as macs, but I see them as limited use, games.

Macs are similar to the 8 in a few ways; they can be quirky (just like our 7's and 8's), but there's a great mac community (just like here) to support everyone without having to call apple support (mazda service). Apple has a really small percent of the market share (very small percent of the market uses rotaries)..., I could go on. But really it comes down to what you like, what you're willing to put up with, and what you need it for.

I'm putting my mac sticker right next to my rx8club.com sticker :)

I've been doing graphic design for years, ever since Photoshop 1.4. The only reason I use PC's is that the Navy can get them cheap, beat them up, and get new ones easily. What I'm trying to say is that they're practically disposable! j/k I've been using PC's for almost as long as macs, but I see them as limited use, games.My wife used to be the head of the largest advertising agency in NJ. She used to have a Mac that cost $21,000 including the monitor. They sure were expensive. She now uses only PCs. Macs used to have an advantage over PC computers, both hardware and software. Much of the graphics programs these days are built for PC then ported to Mac. Mac video cards tend to be modified versions of the high end PC video cards. The PC market has competition, Macs have hardware and software regulated through apple, including price control.

I don't have anything against Apple or Macs, but their time of glory is long gone. If you want productivity, games, development, etc. It's all found on a PC.

I'm a Mac user - OS X is definitely my preferred operating system. It's the little things about it that makes it so user friendly that makes Windows look SO primitive.

And I love the people who are ignorant and think that Macs are expensive, always crash, are slow, and have no software. Maybe that was the case 10 years ago...but surely not today.

Then there are those who say that there are hardly any games for Macs. Well YEAH - that's what PS2 is for. Id much rather play games on my 43" widescreen TV sitting on my comfy sofa than my 20" iMac sitting at a desk. :rolleyes:

Also, getting back to the RX8/OS X comparison, I guess you could look at it like this: the Mac community is still a small but dedicated fanbase, who will not let ANYONE bother them with their opinion - just like, oh I don't know....the RX8/350Z comparison.

Rock on, Apple. OS X forever.

I think you miss the point about the Apple vs PC debate. The OS is not the platform. As can be demonstrated by running BSD on both PC and Mac.

OSX could be ported to PC if Apple allowed it. There wouldn't be any point to porting Windows to Apple though :)

I think you miss the point about the Apple vs PC debate. The OS is not the platform. As can be demonstrated by running BSD on both PC and Mac.

OSX could be ported to PC if Apple allowed it. There wouldn't be any point to porting Windows to Apple though :)

sure :rolleyes:

Comparing a Mac and the 8 is silly. First of all, 8’s are sensibly priced; even with all the bells and whistles it’s far cheaper than its competitors. On the other hand, the Mac is overpriced; if you purchase a bare bones system it’s usually several hundred dollars more than a comparable pc. And what do you get for all the extra money? With the exception of video editing, there is really nothing a Mac does better than a pc. So unless you are professionally editing video you’re throwing your money away.

Now while the 8 goes about things a little differently, that in no way correlates it with what Apple is going for. Apple learned a long time ago, that there was no chance of toppling “Wintel,” so they designed the Mac to appeal to those who disliked the environment. In doing so they created a machine that does not appeal to the masses, but instead the minority. On the other hand, the 8 was designed to appeal to a greater segment of the population than a sports car usually does. By adding a backseat, a quality ride, and lowering the horsepower (cheaper insurance), Mazda created a car that could be owned by parents, as well as the typical sports car crowd. With the exception of the rotary engine (and I admit it’s a big exception) nothing about the 8 appeals exclusively to the minority of people who usually go for the mac.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2087172/

That's the article. I think it's a pretty neat idea, really, comparing the RX-8 to Mac OS X, at least in the sports car arena. The 8 looks radically different than other cars, almost to the point of seeming kind of silly sometimes; sounds very different than other sports cars; but underneath it all, there's a huge amount of power and fun lurking around, easily accessible, just very unconventional.

Also you get dropped jaws when people see them out in public -- a lot of people aren't totally sure what they're looking at, and then you get a kinda smug pride from explaining it to them.

And man oh MAN are the people that have each of them completely and totally dedicated to their machines, no matter what anybody else says :-D

( yeah, I'm a Mac user ;-) )

Actually, there's a build for OSX for pentium processors. It's beta, and being developped open source, but it IS available. And that's another thing, since OSX is built off of BSD, they provide an open source version of their OS. If you want to DL it and compile it yourself, go to it. Where's microsoft's opensource version of windows?

I do graphic design, I have a Ti Powerbook with wifi, photoshop, a really nice scanner and color laser printer. The printer alone cost more than the laptop. I'm sure I could build a pc setup that would cost $21,000. It's all about the peripherals. Looking at a mac performance/quality wise, compare it to a machine produced by Alienwares.

All of the graphics programs that are industry standard are developed for the mac first. Adobe products (illustrator, photoshop, indesign, golive); Quark Xpress..., shoot, I could waste 20 minutes typing them all out and not convince you. Really, the only programs that are ported are games. Heck, for the first couple versions, illustrator and photoshop weren't available on the pc. Even microsoft has a mac development section that purely develops, not port. I've used worrd on a mac and word on a pc, the one on the mac performs better, is more stable and even has more features... funny huh?

Pkskull77 I think that the original point isn't that the 8 only appeals to mac users, it's just that it appeals to a similar market share, meaning a small one. not sure what you meant by the environment, pc's and macs are made of the same elements and processes, all are bad for the environment (no biodegrade). If you meant the "windows" environment, I think you don't know your history, apple bought the GUI interface from xerox, gates stole the idea from apple.

Not that I can convince you, but you can do a lot more with a mac than video editing, though it is better on a mac than a pc, so I feel that I do get my money's worth. What do we get for our money with the 8? Looking around on this board most of what you see is complaints..., but we still love our cars. Can we all just agree to disagree? We all have unique cars, some of us perfer a unique computer...

Comparing a Mac and the 8 is silly. First of all, 8’s are sensibly priced; even with all the bells and whistles it’s far cheaper than its competitors. On the other hand, the Mac is overpriced; if you purchase a bare bones system it’s usually several hundred dollars more than a comparable pc. And what do you get for all the extra money? With the exception of video editing, there is really nothing a Mac does better than a pc. So unless you are professionally editing video you’re throwing your money away.

Puhlease....

I hope you aren't referring to the whole Megahertz myth. An Apple G4 or G5 can keep up with the best Pentium 4 chip. I have seen Dell machines that have been purchased for $800 that are absolute crap. You can buy an entry level 17" iMac with a G5 that will do anything an entry level Dell can do, and then some..Yeah, maybe you're paying a couple bucks more, but you're also getting a rock solid operating system that doesn't require security patches every day. :rolleyes:

Macs do WAY more than graphics/video editing that the world has been brainwashed to think Macs are only good for. I guess we can add you to that list too.

OK...first let me say, I'm primarily a PC user. I build and maintain my own systems. When it comes to laptops, however, I own an Apple Powerbook. There is simply no comparison when it comes to laptops, Apple has leads the pack in design, functionality, and abilities. I run OS X, Unix (obviously), and Windows 2000 & XP all on my powerbook, and no issues. (Plus no viruses :D )

The real point though, is....how many OS X carputers do you see? Personally, I've never seen any. I've seen Linux, and MS.

Just food for thought when comparing computers with cars.

Oh, and for referance my carputer is XP.

1 other consideration for those Apple mockers....who made the iPod?

Give Apple the due credit it deserves. They make some really incredible hardware (laptops, iPod, etc.) And now they are doing pretty well in the market. That's pretty good going up against the MS giant.

Actually, there's a build for OSX for pentium processors. It's beta, and being developped open source, but it IS available. And that's another thing, since OSX is built off of BSD, they provide an open source version of their OS.BSD isn't using GPL. OSX far as I know isn't open source, even though it's based on an open source operating system. I would love to see a link where I can download OSX.

I'm sure I could build a pc setup that would cost $21,000. It's all about the peripherals.This was a few years back. The 21" monitor cost somewhere around $6,000 as I recall.

All of the graphics programs that are industry standard are developed for the mac first. Adobe products (illustrator, photoshop, indesign, golive); Quark Xpress..., shoot, I could waste 20 minutes typing them all out and not convince you.This article sums it up pretty nicely:

He explained that the landscape of the Mac industry
has seen a drastic turn of events as dedicated
developers such as Adobe adapt to a changing
market. "The viability of the Mac market has
decreased, and the revenue opportunities are no
longer independently possible," Staten said.

Other manufacturers, like Macromedia, Avid
Technology, Data Translations, and Quark, have all
expanded their reach as Mac opportunities have
shrunk.

Avid, for example, said in a recent filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission that its
products operate primarily on Apple computers.
However, "it will be necessary to develop additional
products which operate using Intel Architecture
(IA)-based computers and the Windows NT
operating system."

The filing continued: "Apple has recently been
suffering business and financial difficulties. In
consideration of these difficulties, there can be no
assurance that customers will not delay purchases
of Apple-based products, or purchase competitors'
products based on non-Apple computers, that
Apple will continue to develop and manufacture
products suitable for the company's existing and
future markets...which could have a material
adverse effect on the company's business and
results of operations."

Companies are making the shift because they can't
afford to keep all business in the Mac marketplace.
If they do, they will see their competitors take over
their market share, said Chris Le Tocq, a consumer
software analyst at Dataquest. "It is a very
Darwinian process. It is survival of the fittest. And
the fittest are adapting to the Windows/Intel
platform."

Is anyone still thriving on the Macintosh platform?
"Microsoft," he said.

In the business software and consumer software
arena, not including entertainment, Microsoft was
the top vendor, generating 19 percent, according to
Dataquest's most recent figures; Adobe came in
second place with 17 percent; Claris generated 13
percent; Quark made 8 percent; Intuit and
Macromedia each generated 3 percent.

Analysts estimate that Adobe generated 44 to 49
percent of its revenue from Mac-based products;
Claris generated 83 percent; and Quark generated
74 percent, according to recent figures. But Le
Tocq says the numbers are deceiving. "We should
see the Mac portion decline as they make
transitions to the Windows platform," he said. "The
question is who can survive the transition?"

Puhlease....

I hope you aren't referring to the whole Megahertz myth. An Apple G4 or G5 can keep up with the best Pentium 4 chip.The Pentium4 chip is a worthless POS. I have several dual xeon servers and I wish I could swap them with AMD's Opteron processors. They run many programs several times faster than the xeons, and with much lower mhz.

I've found that it comes down to the right tools for the job, and the bonus is if you can get some positive emotional feedback while using them. On a daily basis I have a G4 for the desktop work and a 17" ti laptop for client calls. The desktop outperforms the laptop, but there was a consious decision to get the 17" laptop for the wow/ break the ice factor with clients. Works every time. Not the most rugged laptop in the drop test, but earns a spot in the Museum of Modern Art for product design. It feels good to use it. Our minivan is for the everyday stuff, but whenever we can, we use the 8...simply because it feels better. A guy at a Jag/Aston Martin dealer said to us..."you don't need a Jaguar...you want a Jaguar"
Once and a while a product comes along that has a spirit to it...the video toaster, the apple iPod..63 vette, 69 Jauar XKE. I think the 8 has captured some of that, and that;s why there's such a strong following by those who sense it. Somewhere in one of the Mazda RX8 online videos I remember them talking about it in those terms...soul or spirit associated with a mechanical device. BTW...we use an IBM PC for all our web site proofing, simply because it is the machine of the masses. No thrill associated. As a side note my avatar is actually me from a 3D game we once did...he ranted too! LOL

The first thing you notice about an RX-8 is how it LOOKS. Unique, exciting, and reeking of thoughtful and creative design. Then come to find out its engine is even more unique, different, and elegant in its simplicity. You sit down, turn it on, and take it for a spin; you're thrilled with the responsiveness, athleticism, nimble handling, and the beauty, intuitiveness, and ergonomics of the user/machine interface. You've never been one to follow the pack blindly along; you can get one of these puppies and not only be different, but better! Then you look at the price and go, "Dayammm!"

Substitute "Mac" for "RX-8" and you'll understand. The last line about the price, though, has two different meanings, depending on which machine you're talking about. :)

*Edit: I'm a lifelong Mac devotee and rotary engine enthusiast, in case it's not already obvious. ;)

The RX8 does reminds us a bit of our Macs, but even more so of our 6 Amigas and Video Toaters that are still working! We owned a special effects and model shop for years and did most of the CG work for the Amiga commercials and print ads. We were a beta site for the Video Toaster...it was a paradign shift along with the Amiga computer for video.

Ok, now I feel old. I remember '86/'87 going to a Commodore Users group meetng in Newport RI where Commodoore was showcasing a Prototype Amiga.

Not soon after, they came out with them. I scraped up some cash, and bought one. Then the video toaster. MMMMMmmmmmmmmmm.

I still use lightwave at work for animation (Altho on a PC render farm now). Haven't switched away from it since it came out. Haven't touched a toaster in years... but Lightwave still is used weekly.

Also, you'll find that on-line car forums.. you'll find a great percentage of 'computer types' becuase... it's on the 'net and we're the type of people that gravitate towards and seek out an online community much easier than those not in the 'computer type' profession.

PS: Never owned a Mac. It was C-64 to Amiga to PC for me. I've worked on them on various jobs... just something about right-clicking instead of hot keys that appealed to me. :) Plus, networks in their infancy were better suited to PCs than Macs (Apple talk?) And you couldn't run the Mac years ago in a hybryd networking environment with any reliability. Since most of the company didn't require macs for 'business type' work, Macs were replaced with PCs in the work place for connectivity, IT management and even licencing issues.

--KC

BSD isn't using GPL. OSX far as I know isn't open source, even though it's based on an open source operating system. I would love to see a link where I can download OSX.

http://www.cherryos.com/

"Microsoft Corp.'s Virtual PC software has been lauded by critics as a convenient way for Mac users to run Windows applications on their Macs, but what if you need to do the opposite? Maui, Hawaii-based MXS announced Tuesday the release of Cherry OS, an emulator that does the exact opposite -- its developer says Cherry OS lets PCs run Mac OS X instead.

The virtual machine emulated by Cherry OS sports full network capabilities and has complete access to the host computer's hardware resources -- hard drive, CPU, RAM, FireWire, USB, PCI, PCMCIA bus, Ethernet networking and modem. It purportedly runs at about 80 percent of the performance of the host CPU, according to the developer.

"Now about 600 million PC users can have the MAC advantage," said the software's developer, Arben Kryeziu. "One computer to use all software and if PC users would use MAC software to get email, perhaps they would avoid viruses, Trojans and spy-ware."

Cherry OS is being distributed as an online download, and costs US$49.95. Mac operating system software and application software is not included."

EVEN PC'S CAN'T DENY THE POWER OF OS X. :D

All of my co-workers have PCs but I've stuck with Mac. On a regular (actually an ever increasing) basis one or more of them are experiencing outages and I listen to them all day as they format, re-image, play with registries, etc. At some point one of them will say "guess we should all go to Macs, <chuckle> ho ho" as a joke. Yeah. Hillarious. :rolleyes: ;)

I converted from PC's to Macs a few years ago after OS X came out, let me state for the record that if Macs were still running OS 9 I would still be using PC's, but they aren't and so I am a very happy Mac user.

I enjoy not having to worry about viruses (at least not yet), being able to set up and administer a web server with no prior training or experience, the ability to get some hands on Unix experience, and the knowledge that 99.9% of the time everything will just work.

When I first made the switch I was concerned about the price of the hardware, but a little research showed me that while I could buy a stipped down PC for almost nothing a Mac and a PC similarly configured were almost identical in price, and quite often the Mac was cheaper than a Dell or a Gateway with the same features.

Macs aren't for everyone, I will be the first to say that PC's are a better choice for many, if not most people, but for how I use a computer PC's just don't compare. The same thing is true about our cars, I love my 8, I loved my Miata and 1st generation MR2 before that, but 3 years ago when I was commuting over 100 miles a day I would have never considered trading in my Miata for a RX-8. And as accomodating as an 8 is, if you need a minivan then an 8 just isn't going to cut it for you.

So Macs aren't better than PC's, or vice versa, they are just different, but one may be better for you personally than the other. And RX-8's aren't better than 350Z's... oh, wait a second, yes they are, but an 8 still might not be the best car for you. But there is really no reason to argue about any of this, just buy what will work best for you and enjoy it as much as you can.

just something about right-clicking instead of hot keys that appealed to me
--KC


Pssst... you can use 2+button mice on Mac's now! Right click works in just the same way as the ctrl-click.

And get this... it even works plug and play just like it's supposed to! What will they think of next...

Still... old habits die hard (Same thing I have head Mac users say for years.) ;)

And besides... who's going to pay for my PC Licensed software that I'll have to buy/upgrade for the MAC? No thanks.

eh. That's a stretch. I bet there are far more PC users than MAC users simply because the market is so much larger.

I see Mac users liking VW Beatles more than I see them liking the RX-8, even though the RX-8 IS different.

anything to do with the marketing campaign they had with buy a beetle get a free ipod? :)

BSD isn't using GPL. OSX far as I know isn't open source, even though it's based on an open source operating system. I would love to see a link where I can download OSX.

Sure, you have to downlaod it in peices, the kernel portion is called darwin. All available info on the opensource is here: http://developer.apple.com/

When I first got OS X, apple included a "developer" disk with the Os install discs. If I was so inclined I could go in and build my own version of OSX. I've heard of one operating on pentiums, but haven't heard anything for a while now.

This article sums it up pretty nicely:

Interesting article, what are the author, source and date or it? It comes off sounding more like an opinion peice, and we all know about opinions...