C-change?

I'm a bit baffled at the term c-change in Stan Beer's article on Apple's share of the computer market but he makes some good points about whether Apple's market share is actually higher than the statistics suggest.

Web views aren't a bad measure, although they can very between sites. PC Rescue has a surprisingly low 2% visits from Apple users, while this blog has 12%. So we have to be cautious with statistics for individual sites.

It's somewhat unfair to criticise the shipping statistics from IDC and Gartner as these are the key measure on how much money the vendors make. Apple's 2007 annual report shows Mac sales made up $10bn of their $24bn sales. Peripherals, software and services made up 2.7bn.

So sales do matter for the company and analysts are right to focus on that.

But Stan is right about the Mac's longevity. In our comparison between Macs and Windows systems on the PC Rescue website we made exactly that point. The fact there is a vibrant resale market for Macs changes the cost of ownership dramatically in Apple's favour.

Given green IT is going to be such an issue in the next couple of years, we can also expect the longevity of the Mac to become a factor in people's purchase decisions. The fact a Mac is less likely to end up in landfill after five years is a serious point in their favour.

Greenpeace doesn't take take that into account in their Guide to Greener Electronics. It might be worthwhile considering this in future as re-use is even more environmentally friendly than recycling.

Stan's main point is more people switching to Macs (I'm assuming C-change means "computer" change) and I've certainly found this true with the number of people asking me about it. I wouldn't say though it is a huge proportion of users, more are concerned about whether they should get XP or Vista.

While Stan's right that the shipping numbers probably don't tell us the full story, it's still hard to see how the current uptake of the Mac is "opening the floodgates of an exodus from Windows in the consumer space".

It's good news for Apple, but I wouldn't be giving the last rites to Windows for some time yet.

More MS Office confusion

I've previously ranted about Microsoft's confusing the market with too many versions of Office and Windows but today I stumbled on another problem; Office 2007's Home and Student edition doesn't come with Microsoft Outlook.

Thankfully, I hadn't sold it or recommended it to the fellow I was discussing this with, but he made a very good point that at a time when are looking at alternatives like Gmail and Yahoo! or even ditching email altogether, it makes no sense to be discouraging customers to go elsewhere.

To add insult to injury, installing the Home and Student edition over trial edition that's been bundled with a system leaves Outlook on. When the user opens it, they are prompted for an installation key. Naturally the Home and Student key doesn't work.

I wonder how many phone calls Microsoft get on this topic, my guess is the support costs and ill-will generated dwarf the money MS make from customers upgrading to the full Office versions.

I'll be adding the different flavours of Microsoft Office to the PC Rescue website this week. The buying a computer page will be revised to include choosing the right version of Office as well.

Gartner ITxpo

I've spent the last week at the Sydney Gartner ITxpo which was a very useful, if exhausting week.

Despite being critical of Gartner surveys in the past, I found a lot of the analyst's comments to be very interesting and thought provoking.

Two of the themes that really stood out to me were education and Green IT: where the IT industry has to come to grips with the issues of global warming, sustainability and higher energy costs.

The education statistics cited for Australia were absolutely stunning. We are in trouble on all levels and this is going to be the number one challenge for the incoming Labor government.

I'll be going over my notes from Gartner this week and I'll be posting here and on the Austechblog website.

Linux at home

Stan Beer's column on using Linux at home raises some interesting points, but I'm still not convinced that Linux is right for most homes.

One of the compelling reasons for ditching Windows at home is security. There's no doubt about it, kids are the best way to get your computer infected with malware.

The stupid thing is Windows can be locked down, it's a simple matter of setting up the kids (and any music or porn obsessed adult) with a Limited User profile.

There's no doubt about it though; for the vast majority of users Linux and Mac systems are more secure simply because users don't have root access.

The problem for households going to Linux is compatibility. The very people you want to protect are those who are going to need Windows features for school and/or work. Stan touches on this when mentioning Intuit (an outfit guaranteed to get this tech cranky).

Another problem with Linux is that it's the OS of choice for tinkerers. Another of Stan's columns touched on this when he discussed moving from Ubuntu. He decided other Linux versions weren't as user friendly.

The comments were surprising polite, but still argued with Stan's view.

This is the big problem for Linux. It's supporters can't accept the majority of computer users don't care about the operating system or customising it.

It's like cars; a few people enjoy tweaking them and hotting them up but for most car owners it's a tool to get you and your family around in.

Personally I think Linux is great, particularly if you want to understand how computers work.

But for home users, I'd tell 'em to get a Mac before trying to get their heads around Linux.

Choosing your markets

Further to my Aus Tech Blog post on the TIO annual report, Dan Warne picks up on Dodo's problems with the TIO.

While Dodo hasn't covered itself in glory with it's "free" Internet plans and support that does leave a lot to be desired, I do have a little sympathy for them.

Dodo has chosen to chase the cheapest customers. This is a mistake for anyone in the tech services sector.

The simple fact is if you choose to chase the sort of customers who buy your services based on your being the cheapest, or the fact your ads feature bikini clad babes, then you are getting yourself a nasty pile of headaches.

At the bottom of the retail technology market lies a big, seething mass of demanding, whingeing customers that want gold plated, Rolls Royce standard service for the price of a Hyundai, if they want to pay at all.

Even if they do get what they want, they will still whine and take up your time.

The trick to succeeding in selling technology is to avoid these customers like the plague. Let the bloke up the road have them. Even Bigpond have sussed this out.

It's not just an ISP or IT thing either. Steve Neil's HiFi Gossip diary the October 19 entry describes how he's learned this lesson through selling some cheaper sound equipment.

My advice to Dodo is stop selling to the bottom end of the market. Increase your prices and use some of that extra money to improve service levels.

You'll have fewer customers, but they'll be happier and you'll make more money from them.

Say no to door to door Internet salespeople!

We've starting hearing stories from customers who've been duped into Internet contracts by door to door salespeople. The common theme is the salesdroid has made ridiculous and impossible claims about the service.

In some cases the client's been on a much better older plan and has found the new plan doesn't give them the same data limits as the old plan. When they try to go back, they are told "tough luck".

We recommend all consumers avoid signing up to commitments like Internet plans through door to door sales.

I personally did some work for a company that was doing this with mobile phones some years ago. These folk would hire a bunch of backpackers, bus them out to one of Sydney's more remote Western suburbs and unleash them on the locals.

This worked well for the backpackers; they would sign up children, invalids and even the family dog. They would get the commission and by the time the complaints started arriving they would be sitting on a beach in Thailand.

For the company it looked good too at first, they'd get fat cheques from the big telco every couple of weeks. But when the complaints started coming in, they found those cheques stopped arriving. Eventually they went bust.

The biggest loser in that saga was the telco. They had to deal with hundred of complaints, it tarnished their brand name and they lost money when the selling company went broke.

All of this is predictable when you use commission driven subcontractors and don't supervise them closely. I don't understand why big companies do this as it ends up costing them money and damages their brand.

The fact one of Australia's biggest telcos is doing this again just shows these people don't learn.

Morons and shysters: Apple virus hype and tripe

I suppose it was predictable that the revelation of a virus aimed at OSX would start the choruses of that Macs are now as vulnerable to malware as Windows users.

This "security through obsurity" argument is absolute tripe. The simple fact is that if the Mac OS was easy to exploit, it would be. A 1, 2 or 5% share of the computing world is still a lot of computers.

Should you encounter any "security expert" who says something like ""I don't care what operating system I use. The issues are the same but unfortunately people do not agree" tell them to get back to emptying your rubbish bins, because that's all they are qualified to do.

That rant over, there is no doubt a lot of Mac users are cavalier about security. I've come across a number who think they are immune from phishing scams because they use a Mac.

It's clear too that some Mac users will be fooled into being infected. The simple fact though is that the majority of Mac users don't have root access and that one fact makes it difficult for malware to spread.

A Mac virus was inevitable and it is a risk to mac users. But it will not create the problems we've seen with Windows viruses. So let's cut the hype and BS.

Making rebates work for you

I last mentioned rebates over a year ago. I notice this week that a lot of advertising for cheap computers, with offers of "cashbacks" for anything up to $250 per computer.

I hate rebate schemes; they stink of excessive red tape and you can't shake the feeling the whole business case for these schemes is that a large proportion of customers will fail to claim their cashback.

For the customer trying to claim the rebate, this involves a lot of filling in forms, attaching the correct paperwork and doing all of this before the the cut off period.

Even if you do all of this, there's a still a risk your form might end up unopened on a rubbish tip anyway.

We recommend you don't base your purchase decisions on cashback and rebate schemes. Treat these as a bonus.

If you do buy something that offers a rebate, by all means go for it. Follow the points below to make sure you'll get your cheque.

1. Read the instructions and conditions carefully while still in the store. Make sure the shop has given you all the details. Many promotions require the invoice to be machine printed, not handwritten.
2. Deal with the rebate immediately. Don't pin the form to your fridge and leave it there. If possible, fill out the form while you are still in the store. Ask the salesperson to make copies of the documents before you agree to buy.
   
3. Confirm the cashback applies to the model you have bought. Often the scheme applies only to certain models.
   
4. Make sure you are eligible for the cashback. There are often rules that exclude businesses or multiple purchases.
   
5. Make sure you follow the conditions exactly. If the form requires you to fill it out in black pen, make sure you do.
6. Make sure all your details are correct and all required fields are filled in.
   
7. Attach all the required documents. Send copies unless the conditions state you must send originals.
   
8. Make copies of everything.
9. Consider sending by registered mail with delivery confirmation. For a rebate worth $250, the five dollar investment is money well spent.
10. If you haven't received your rebate after a reasonable amount of time, call them. Note that these cashback schemes often have processing times of up to 90 days. We think 30 is long enough.
11. Do not hesitate to complain to your state department of fair trading or the ACCC if you think your claim is not being properly processed.
    

Generally though, we'd recommend steering clear of rebate schemes, they are a pain and they shouldn't be encouraged.

Rogue software

Further to my post about Epson software last week, we now found Logitech software is causing many of the problems with the Leopard Mac OS.

Like Epson, Logitech debase good hardware with poorly written, cumbersome and intrusive software. More than a few times I've had to recommend posters give up trying to use an excellent piece of Logitech equipment simply because the software is screwing with their computer.

Hardware manufacturers have to understand that having the best hardware in the world is wasted if you bundle it with substandard software.

Upping the commission

A client of mine asked me about a laptop the other day. I gave them some recommendations on specs and brands, specifically Toshiba, Lenovo and the mid-priced Dells.

Today they visited their local computer superstore. Afterwards they emailed me with the specifications of a Sony Vaio.

Their reason for Sony?

"I am told that the Toshiba one is twice as big and has half the firepower....."

Am I cynical to think Sony has commissions twice as big and twice the incentives?

Weekend show and osx

We have the Weekend show summary up on the website. We didn't get to cover safe shopping online, but we did have a chat about Leopard and covered a good range of questions.

Epson printer blues

Mike Arrington at Telecrunch has an entertaining article on how Epson's new website sucks. He sums it up, "The last time I bought one of your printers the software screwed it up so badly I had to reformat the hard drive just to get it to work again. Since then, I’ve stuck with HP’s.

Fire the consultants, stop trying to be a conversational marketer and just get back to the basics."

He's quite right, Epson's printer software has been dreadful since the days of Windows 3.1 and it hasn't got better. In fact, they persisted with the horrid Epson Printer Manager well into the Windows 98 days.

The sad thing is the printers themselves aren't bad units, it's just that you have to install a pile of rubbish on your computer to make the things work.

If Epson were to get back to the basics, then they should ditch the software writers.

Confusing wirelesses

One of the common questions I get from customers and on the radio shows are from people who are confused about the different types of wireless technologies.

On the last Nightlife spot Tony fell for this and yesterday's Gadget Guy newsletter does as well. It surprises me with Gadget Guy as this stuff is Peter Blasina's bread and butter.

Here's the basic differences;

Wireless Internet is a way of connecting to the Internet by using the mobile phone network or other wire free technologies. All of these have built in security that makes it almost impossible to evesdrop.

Wireless Networks are a way of sharing files, printers and Internet connections in your home or office. These have major problems with security as many systems come without the basic security set up and most people don't understand how to do it.

There's a bit more to it and I'm posting it as our problem of the week on our website tonight.

User responsibility

One of the reasons we re-write PCs for Dummies for Australian users is the risk of people trying to get around the standard, US based settings. A story in the SMH tech section has a good example of this.

What does bug me with this story is the underlying assumption is that the software company, Microsoft, the laptop manufacturer, Toshiba, or the retailer, Domayne, were responsible for this.

In this case, it's the user that screwed up. They chose the wrong country settings and were stuck with the wrong keyboard layout. Perhaps they should have thought before setting the country location to UK, Uzbekistan or Uruguay.

I'm often less than sympathetic to MS in this blog, but in this case why shouldn't they charge for their time? This isn't anything to do with them.

That said, it's pretty sad that neither Toshiba nor Domayne could figure out what the problem was. Perhaps their techs need a copy of PCs for Dummies.

Vista activation debacle

It's always good to see an Aussie website at the top of Techmeme however of the topic of today's Australian Personal Computer article on changing drivers triggering Windows locking him out of his own computer is not something to celebrate.

While James Brennan's story of updating drivers prompting Windows to lock him out of his system is disturbing, the comments are even more worrying.

Readers have stories of changing USB drives, disabling services and using the encryption functions all triggering the Windows activation process.

For a computer tech, this causes serious problems. If the tech does something innocent and sets off this process, it's the tech who is going to be held accountable.

It also boggles my mind how much this costs Microsoft in support calls. On top of the damage to their reputation, the cost of answer the calls and fixing the problems must be horrendous.

The whole idea of Windows activation is flawed. The fact it's been registered once should be enough. If the customer adds external drives, updates software or even swaps out motherboards, it should be of no business to Microsoft.

Part of the problem MS have with Vista is they allowed DRM and anti piracy measures to take too much of a front seat. They need to stop obsessing about their customers being thieves.

Once they focus on what is the core reason why we buy software, then perhaps we'll avoid future debacles like what we see with Windows Vista.

Bigpond's lousy value

Choice magazine's Internet satisfaction survey gave a big whack to Australia's Internet industry.

While the headline shows the dissatisfaction with Bigpond, Optus also gets a whack about it's slow and incompetent support which is fair enough as well.

It's interesting how Choice claims cost is the biggest factor. One thing I've criticised Choice for is it's unrealistic conclusions in IT related matters. This is another case in point.

Providers of cheap services have to skimp somewhere to make a buck, customers have to understand that a cheap provider cannot provide services of a premium provider and still stay in business. The writers at Choice don't seem to understand this.

That said, the SMH quote from the Bigpond spokesman is a laugh, "the provider was not trying to compete on price and was offering a premium service."

The joke here is Bigpond doesn't provide a provide a premium service, they charge a premium price for a cheap and somewhat poor service.

My favourite tech editor, David Richards of Smarthouse News provides a few more laughs on this.

David has in the past been a big critic of Choice but in recent times Bigpond has been receiving his ire. So it's quite funny to see David approvingly quoting Choice in a article headlining "Telstra BigPond Sucks And That's Offical."

Yes that is a typo in the headline. It's another reason why I enjoy Smarthouse News editorials so much.

2Clix appoints administrators

Stan Beer at IT Wire reports software company 2Clix, notorious for suing the Whirlpool website, has gone under.

It's sad to hear of any company folding. As a business owner myself I appreciate just how hard it is to keep a business running, particularly in the technology sector.

But you can't help but think the management bought negative karma down upon themselves with their legal stunt. What's worse, Stan Beer or myself probably wouldn't have noticed their problems had they not served writs.

The big problem for 2Clix customers is what happens to their data. Given the application locks the data away, 2Clix users are at the mercy of the administrators and any buyers of the package.

This is another reason why we urge business not to go near software that locks data away. Make sure any system you buy has an open backup utility and has an export to CSV function.

Your data is your businesses' greatest asset. You need to protect it.

Commission Junction doesn't want me

Like Darren Rowse at Problogger, I'm finding Google Adsense isn't quite doing the job for the IT Queries website.

The problem is Google does its job too well. The content of the site means the Google Ads are largely for dodgy spyware checkers and registry cleaners.

Funny enough, some of them being ones I rant about on this site.

I want to sign up with commission junction, but they make it impossible as the CAPTCHA is missing from the signup page.

This isn't the first time I've had to struggle with online advertising companies. They seem to go out of their way to make it difficult to create an account.

One would think that these companies, being the engine of Web 2.0 they claim to be, would have their systems right.

Sadly it appears not.

It's a shame really because I'd like to try out Commission Junction as they seem to have some high quality advertisers.

Playing with my mind

I'm working on the keyboard chapter of the Australian PC for Dummies this morning.

While working on it, I start finding the keyboard doesn't respond to every keystroke which means I'm dropping letters. To say this is really, really frustrating is an understatement.

So I start my keyboard troubleshooting.

1. Do a couple of reboots, same problem

2. Redetect the keyboard. Same problem

3. Change batteries, mutter about cheapo no name batteries. Same Problem.

There must be a hardware problem with the keyboard, which is hardly surprising seeing my track record in smashing the things.

Then I notice my web browser is working fine. So too does Notepad and a new Word document.

In fact everything works but the chapter I'm working on.

So, it's the document. I spend some time messing around and find by turning off and on the track changes, spelling and grammar checkers all comes good.

A lesson there and something for the ITQueries website.

Answering the phone

I'm back on deck after a week away and ploughing through the zillion emails, subscriptions and blog entries that I've missed.

One post that caught my eye was an entry in the Sydney Morning Herald Enterprise Blog about "being too honest in your business", Valerie Khoo encountered an e-commerce site that outright stated they won't answer their phones.

I can understand this. Coming back from holidays I dreaded my message bank. Eight calls had me paralysed for two days.

Those eight calls sitting in my unanswered message queue were more intimidating than several hundred emails.

The worst part is technology brings out the worst in people. A normally calm, patient, rational person often becomes a rampaging, demanding fool when faced with anything related to computers. So I'm firmly on the side of the "Internet Ferals".

I don't think it's going to help their business though, Valerie went elsewhere for her purchase and the comments on her post are less than impressed with the business not having a contact number.

I tend to agree that not having a landline is the kiss of death for an online business. I wouldn't shop at one that didn't and I certainly wouldn't recommend it others.

The lesson for any technology based businesses is that customers, as painful as they can be to deal with, are the reason for the business' existence.

Without 'em, you don't have a business.

Get the phone, hire someone patient with a nice phone manner and get the systems to allow them to find and fix problems.

Or just don't bother going into business.