How strong is your loyalty!?
- Thread starter CrippsCorner
- Start date
Russ
Active Member
Kayzee --
Mostly with me. I am a pragmatic guy, so I do what makes my life simpler or better, or both. Like KristalSoldier, I am not a fan of any company, but will stay with one if changing means complications in my life. My camera is a good example here: I am an avid photographer (even sometimes do it for money), and am solidly in the Canon camp, even though sometimes Nikon offers a better camera (they take turns doing that). I have a lot more invested in lenses and accessories than I will ever invest in the camera itself, and not about to start replacing all that stuff.
Desktop Computer - I have several -- all self-built, all Intel based and running Win8Pro or Win7Pro. I usually build a new one when Intel introduces a new line of processors, and aim near the top of the line. It's not that I really need a new computer, but I just like to try new stuff (except women). I am the classic "early adopter" for products in which I am interested -- especially computers.
Tablet - Surface Pro 128. Love it! It replaced my laptop, which goes to my daughter on her next visit. It will not be a "desktop replacement" for me unless they can put an I7-4770 and 16 gigs of memory in it -- probably not even then.
I also have an Ipad, which I would never have bought, but my Ladyfriend bought it for me. I quickly decided that, as the Spaniard says, it was a toy, not a tool, and used it exclusively as a reader. I still took my laptop when I traveled, and left the Ipad at home. The Surface Pro replaced them both.
Phone - I have two: a conventional cell phone and an Iphone 3GS that my daughter gave me when she upgraded. That's another that I would not have bought. I have minimal phone service on it, and no "data plan." That, again, is a lifestyle thing. For me, the cell phone is something that I have in case I want to make a phone call. I don't even give out my cell phone numbers. The cell phone lives in my car, and the Iphone I carry around here, in case a tree falls on me and I need to call somebody with a chain saw.
Game Console - None. I can do that on my computer if I feel the inclination.
Social Media - None. I am asocial on my good days, and anti-social on most of the others. I was on Facebook for 1.5 days, at my daughter's encouragement, but it's just not my thang. Cancelled it and never looked back. I do participate in a couple of technical and political forums (fora?), which might be on the ragged edge of "social."
Camera - Canon 5D, Mark III. My next camera will also be a Canon, unless they change the lens mount, in which case I would just stay where I am.
Software & O/S - Solidly in the Microsoft camp. In the Windows ecosystem, I have so many choices to solve my problems or add to my enjoyment. The last Apple product I actually bought was an Apple II GS. I moved to the MS-DOS world from there. Have never owned a Mac. If I had one, I would void the warranty on the first day by removing some sacred screw.
Interesting exercise. Thanks for the provocation.
Regards,
Russ
mitchellvii
Well-Known Member
Buelligan
Member
Browser- IE, I have for used it all along. I do have Chrome installed and I have occasionally used it but it really seems no different. I just don't get the reason why "it's so much better" that everyone claims it is. I have even run them side by side on my 3 monitor setup and could not find any discernible differences. Load times were only millisecond apart and it went both ways either one would lag behind the other depending on the site. So my point is this, why install another browser over the default when both perform equally well. I guess I am missing something. The only thing I found was that Chrome has some wallpaper feature in which I installed a Porsche background with some nice examples, but so what, it gets hidden when I use the browser for its intended purpose, surf the web. So that feature just isn't a selling point at all! What else am I missing that makes it so much better?
Console - I have the original Xbox and a 360. I was a console gamer from Atari 2600 to the Sega Genesis (Sega CD and 32X) to the Xbox. But as most of our gaming was Auto Racing, we migrated to PC when Dave Kraemmer (Sp) wrote Indy 500 and consoles just could not provide the "simulation" we craved. So since iRacing.com came along my console has been relegated to media consumption device. I bought the 360 for the purpose of Windows Media Center (lots of in-car video from my race car on the hard drive of my i7 simulation and video editing desktop) and also access to Netflix and Hulu Plus and other media services. SO my choice was based not on brand but the plug and play access to all my digital media. So if and when I upgrade I will go with Xbox One, because while it will play games as well as a PS4 it will do SO MUCH MORE. And it's the more that I will buy the console for not the library of games.
Phone a Samsung Ativ Odyssey, 10 years ago I had an HP iPAQ Windows CE pocket computer (about the size of a Galaxy Note only thicker) and your basic flip phone. So when I saw a phone built with Windows CE, both devices in one, I was sold! As a tech guy I loved having the power of windows in a mobile device. When the new "Windows 7" mobile came out I was shocked at the lack of control and access ( no file explorer was the biggest) I was hesitant. But what I found was that for my phone and "mobile" needs, this "streamlined" version was just what the doctor ordered. I have all the access and control I need and find my mobile life to be much more efficient. Also as far as Android. I never owned one but my non-tech wife decided that was going to be her first smart phone. So I was constantly having to provide assistance and man I did not care for the complex and convoluted ways I had to get things to work on that phone. SO after a few years of maintaining an Android phone I had NO DESIRE to own one. I realize that her "Ice Cream Sandwich" is not the "Jelly Bean" of today (man I got a craving for sweets LOL) but it still kept me away.
Social Media - mostly just Facebook, but not all that much. Have a Twitter, Linked-in and Google+ but I just browse through them occasionally because my Windows Phone consolidates all of them in to one place known as the people hub. All posts show in one place.
Camera - Cannon (12MP but kills batteries too fast don't use often), Go pro Hero 2, and my Ativ Odyssey.
So while I use MS for most everything, it is more because it is a "Windows" world and because it has always worked for me, not so much just for loyalty. And I never had any reason to go elsewhere. And now with the "ecosystem" they built, My phone, my Surface Pro, ny home network and my work computers all working and syncing so wonderfully together I see and have zero need to "migrate" to another. Nothing so far is that much better.
Last edited:
EMINENT
Active Member
Desktop - Windows 8.1
Tablet - Surface Pro 8.1
Browser - Firefox on PC mostly, IE on Surface Pro
Console - Don't own one, but will be getting XBOne.
Phone - Nokia Lumia 920
Social Media - Facebook, Twitter
Camera - Lumia 920
I came from Apple and Android. Will never go back.
Reasons: Apple fanboism and Android users holier-than-thou attitude firstly. Second, Apple wouldn't go bigger on the screen and I got tired of limitations. Android limitations and lag pushed me over the edge too with a previous Asus Transformer I was always trying a workaround to get different file types to work. When I heard about Surface, I knew it was for me. I originally got it to replace my pc, but I was too lazy to get rid of it.
Tablet - Surface Pro 8.1
Browser - Firefox on PC mostly, IE on Surface Pro
Console - Don't own one, but will be getting XBOne.
Phone - Nokia Lumia 920
Social Media - Facebook, Twitter
Camera - Lumia 920
I came from Apple and Android. Will never go back.
Reasons: Apple fanboism and Android users holier-than-thou attitude firstly. Second, Apple wouldn't go bigger on the screen and I got tired of limitations. Android limitations and lag pushed me over the edge too with a previous Asus Transformer I was always trying a workaround to get different file types to work. When I heard about Surface, I knew it was for me. I originally got it to replace my pc, but I was too lazy to get rid of it.
OP
CrippsCorner
Well-Known Member
I didn't get rid of my old PC either, it's just been demoted to another room to act as a server 
one thing I don't agree with you on is small screens on phones! I much prefer 3.5"-4" and tbh I find it frustrating that there's not many premium phones to choose from... even the 'Mini' HTC One is 4.3" which is quite frankly ridiculous.
one thing I don't agree with you on is small screens on phones! I much prefer 3.5"-4" and tbh I find it frustrating that there's not many premium phones to choose from... even the 'Mini' HTC One is 4.3" which is quite frankly ridiculous.
Absolutely important!
mitchellvii
Well-Known Member
As far as Microsoft is concerned I think it is a horribly managed company which constantly makes idiotically myopic decisions based upon market research which is dubious at best and non-existent at worst. I mean, did they focus group the ridiculously pointless Surface commercials at all before releasing them or did they market-test the pricing of the Surface RT?
Nevertheless, my relationship with MS continues, not out of loyalty but dependence. I am like the battered wife who stays with her abusive husband because she has nowhere else to go.
Nevertheless, my relationship with MS continues, not out of loyalty but dependence. I am like the battered wife who stays with her abusive husband because she has nowhere else to go.
Browser: Google Chrome -on laptop, IE on Surface RT, Firefox on work PC. Rather eclectic I know. I would prefer to stick with just Chrome but it isn't offered on my RT
Console: Wii, my autistic daughter loves it so I won't change
Phone: HTC 1. A very good phone. I had two different iPhones then a Galaxy S3. Waiting for the HTC 1 Max. I also carry a Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Social Media: facebook
Camera: I've been through a lot of cameras, now it's just use what ever I can swipe from the marketing department at work.
Console: Wii, my autistic daughter loves it so I won't change
Phone: HTC 1. A very good phone. I had two different iPhones then a Galaxy S3. Waiting for the HTC 1 Max. I also carry a Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Social Media: facebook
Camera: I've been through a lot of cameras, now it's just use what ever I can swipe from the marketing department at work.
I don't have any special loyalty to MS. I've worked on MACs, PCs, and even tried an couple of flavors of desktop Linux for a while. I appreciated certain things about all of them, but always ended up preferring Windows PCs. I have always been attracted to Apple hardware, but never been much of a fan of OS9 or OSX. I never really loved Windows either, but I found it functional and the most economical option. I have always been very indifferent on the desktop.
I first found myself as a "fan" of an MS product when I bought a Casio Palm-Sized PC back in the 90s, then a Pocket PC. They were so far ahead of anyone in mobile at the time - large, full color screen, decent handwriting recognition, stereo audio (it was my MP3 player before the name iPod existed). Strangely, they hardly marketed these devices. Most people had no idea what they were capable of and bought the cheaper Palm devices instead. Then, I was given a Tablet PC at work. The platform was so badly marketed, the IT department didn't even know what they were giving me was a tablet. I was taking classes at a local university and really became a fan of the tablet PC. It seemed like MS was on a roll with mobile technology. The Tablet PC was a little rough, but I thought it had a lot of potential if MS would aggressively push Windows and the hardware.
Then MS lost me. The squandered their leading position by sitting on their laurels and not pushing the technology. PocketPC became Windows Mobile, but was basically the same old thing with a phone. It had a nice feature list and could run all kinds of apps, but was not polished. The Tablet PC was hardly marketed also stagnated. They did nothing with it - no new hardware, no major accommodations to Windows to be more pen or touch friendly. The iPhone came out and showed what could be done with mobile. I switched to Android, then got a few iterations of iPads. The iPad always felt lacking compared to the Tablet PC, but was more portable and reasonably priced compared to newer Windows Tablet PCs. The user experience was far superior.
I had given up on MS as an innovator until the whole unified platform concept came along. WP7/8 and Windows 8 has me interested again. Because of the integration, I'm less indifferent about the desktop, now strongly preferring Windows 8 because of the unity with my tablet and phone.
As for the other stuff:
Browser - used to be a fan of Opera - definitely the most innovative of the browser developers out there. I finally got tired of compatibility issues though. Switched to Chrome, but since Windows 8 and IE10, I haven't felt the need to install Chrome.
Console - not much of a gamer, but I have an Xbox basically as a Media Center extender. (Media Center is another great, poorly marketed MS product)
Social Media - pretty committed to FB because that's where everyone is. I prefer Google + and I tried to get friends to switch, but was unsuccessful. A social network is no good if no one is there.
Camera - I started with Canon, bought a few lenses and have stuck with it. No particular loyalty there, but everything works well enough that I haven't felt the need to explore alternatives. I've used Nikon and Minolta (old film stuff) and thought they were all pretty much equivalent for my needs.
TLDR version - I've gone back and forth on MS throughout the years. Never cared much about Windows, but have loved some generations of their mobile products.
I first found myself as a "fan" of an MS product when I bought a Casio Palm-Sized PC back in the 90s, then a Pocket PC. They were so far ahead of anyone in mobile at the time - large, full color screen, decent handwriting recognition, stereo audio (it was my MP3 player before the name iPod existed). Strangely, they hardly marketed these devices. Most people had no idea what they were capable of and bought the cheaper Palm devices instead. Then, I was given a Tablet PC at work. The platform was so badly marketed, the IT department didn't even know what they were giving me was a tablet. I was taking classes at a local university and really became a fan of the tablet PC. It seemed like MS was on a roll with mobile technology. The Tablet PC was a little rough, but I thought it had a lot of potential if MS would aggressively push Windows and the hardware.
Then MS lost me. The squandered their leading position by sitting on their laurels and not pushing the technology. PocketPC became Windows Mobile, but was basically the same old thing with a phone. It had a nice feature list and could run all kinds of apps, but was not polished. The Tablet PC was hardly marketed also stagnated. They did nothing with it - no new hardware, no major accommodations to Windows to be more pen or touch friendly. The iPhone came out and showed what could be done with mobile. I switched to Android, then got a few iterations of iPads. The iPad always felt lacking compared to the Tablet PC, but was more portable and reasonably priced compared to newer Windows Tablet PCs. The user experience was far superior.
I had given up on MS as an innovator until the whole unified platform concept came along. WP7/8 and Windows 8 has me interested again. Because of the integration, I'm less indifferent about the desktop, now strongly preferring Windows 8 because of the unity with my tablet and phone.
As for the other stuff:
Browser - used to be a fan of Opera - definitely the most innovative of the browser developers out there. I finally got tired of compatibility issues though. Switched to Chrome, but since Windows 8 and IE10, I haven't felt the need to install Chrome.
Console - not much of a gamer, but I have an Xbox basically as a Media Center extender. (Media Center is another great, poorly marketed MS product)
Social Media - pretty committed to FB because that's where everyone is. I prefer Google + and I tried to get friends to switch, but was unsuccessful. A social network is no good if no one is there.
Camera - I started with Canon, bought a few lenses and have stuck with it. No particular loyalty there, but everything works well enough that I haven't felt the need to explore alternatives. I've used Nikon and Minolta (old film stuff) and thought they were all pretty much equivalent for my needs.
TLDR version - I've gone back and forth on MS throughout the years. Never cared much about Windows, but have loved some generations of their mobile products.
