A European Mac user

Yesterday Steve Jobs, Apple´s CEO, announced that he was taking a medical leave of absence for six months. This after his absence from the recent Macworld Expo, where Apple has traditionally revealed its new products for years. I do not own any Apple stock, and I have no intention to buy. For me Jobs has the right to cure himself. After all it is not the first time he has to leave the company because of his health.

I have recently switched over to Mac computers, after a lifelong struggle with Windows. The only thing I have to say is that, after six months of intense use, I still have not managed to freeze OSX once, whereas with Windows in that period I would have had to reinstall the system a few times. My last Windows laptop, belonging to my employer, awaits at home until I have the time and the courage to take it back to the IT Department for them to reinstall the operating system or, if my dream comes true, to issue me with a new one. All I use this laptop for is to manage two 1TB external disks on my home network. It still manages to screw itself up from time to time, with no help from me.

It really is unimportant if us Mac users are 8%, 12% or 20% of total computer users. When I travel to the US, I feel at home with my white macbook. With very few exceptions, Mac users are welcome and well taken care of by network administrators al over the US. Mac friendly wifi access are everywhere.

In Europe, the situation is exactly the opposite. Whenever I have a problem at a hotel, or with a network admin, when I mention I have a macbook, a smirk comes to their face. “ Ah!!! there you are. You ( yes I) are not compatible! “ 

There is nothing they can or will do for me. This phrase sounds even worse in French! Europe has very few Apple Stores. Spain doesn´t have one. China and Australia do.

I therefore feel like a minority when I carry my macbook around Europe. But not a respected minority like in the USA. In Europe we mac users are still discriminated against.