Thursday, September 20, 2007

Macism

If I was a woman and you, as my boss, restricted the opportunities of my career, there would be a case for sexism. If I was Asian and you denied me access to facilities because of my creed, you'd be a racist.

Over the years I've experienced many forms of restriction and exclusion because I am in a minority group. I have been denied access. I have had assumptions made about my habits. I have been intentionally overlooked and forgotten about.

I might be in a minority but it is not acceptable to cast me and others aside in this way.

The minority group I am in is: Mac user.

A few years ago, when I lived in the UK I was interested in a new credit card by Marbles. It was a web-based account so the charges and interest rate were low. Also their selling proposition was that it was all done online: application, aprroval, account servicing - you didn't even have to leave your desk.

I thought that was cool so I took them up on their offer. It all went well. I went to marbles.com, applied online, got approval by email and awaited my new card in the post.

It arrived along with an activation code to enter at their website. I did this, the card was "live" and we were off - or so I thought.

A few week later when I wanted to check my balance I tried to log in and couldn't. I tried a day later putting it down to high traffic volume or teething problems, the same outcome. I tried at home. I tried at work. I tried the computer next to me, nothing helped.

Eventually I phoned them:
"So you're having technical problems, can you tell me what version of Windows you are using?"
"I'm not using Windows"
"Wha? Er, ok sir, could you tell me what PC you are using?"
"Its not a PC its a Mac"
"I'm not familiar with that type of PC, sir"
"Its an Apple Macintosh"
"Oh..okay, can you hold for me, please?"
(sigh)
"I've just spoken to my Supervisor and he's just confirmed that our website isnt built for Mac users"
"I see, well I didnt come across a statement of that sort in the small print. Is there such a statement?"
"Er, no"
"And don't you find it interesting that as a Mac user I was still able to successfully apply online, so you've obviously built that bit okay."
"Hmmm, yes that is interesting. Are you aware sir that you can service your account by telelphone?"
"But I dont want to do that, the whole point of your recent publicity camapign was that I could do everything from my desk!"
"Well, would you like me to tell you your current balance?"
"No. No I don't. So, lets recap. You enabled me to apply for your account without incident. Now you have my business I cant service my account because I am a mac user. And you have no legal disclaimer or small print to inform other potential customer who are mac users of this gross oversight"
"Er, I can tell you your balance or I can put you through to customer complaints, sir"
"Do you think a complaint is really going to get you guys to completely rebuild your website?"
"Hmm, I'd say that was unlikely, sir"
"Yes, I agree. So can you close me account?"
"But sir, you've just opened it."
"Yes, and you've wasted my time, so I want it closed immediately"
"Would you like a few days to consider this, sir?"
"Are you kidding me? Have I not been clear? Close it, send me notification by post that you have and that's all the dealings I want with Marbles"
(click)


More recently I've encountered some travel websites that have notices for Safari users (the mac equivalent of Internet Explorer) claiming "functionality maybe limited". (i.e, you cant use the site for precisely the purpose you visit it: to book flights and arrange travel itineraries). Similiarly with some online banking.

In recent weeks, I've found the assumption that we all use a PC extends beyond banking and travel and into other areas aswell.

Ultrasound
The pictures of our ultrasound pregnancy scans - those precious images that you immediately want to email to your family members across the world - weren't readable on a Mac. A huge amount of frustration of having to wait (and being pregnant isn't news that you want hold off telling as you're so excited) till the next day to take it to work (my wife's not mine, I'm Mac-based at work and at home) to then retrieve the images by taking screen shots and then emailing them to yourself. Come on, thats bullshit.

Surgical x-rays.
I retrieved my medical records from the hospital at the request of my physio. Can I view the records and images on my Mac? No. I've been excluded from access to personal information about myself.

Entertainment
TV on demand. Well, its a bit hit and miss, generally its been accessible but I wanted to watch an episode of Skins I'd missed. So from C4 through to E4.com I find that "Macs (and non-XP or Vista users) will currently not be able to use the service".

Those without mobile phones. Those without broadband. Those without an mp3 player. Those without a digital camera. When I stop to think, I can't imagine how I managed without these, but I try not to assume that everyone else has them. However, those people do exist and they are being left behind. You may argue that these people may be old, poor or have a lifestyle where they don't need these things, that might be true but Mac users arent these people. We however, are still being left behind.

Macintosh users tend to be people who work in the creative sector: graphic designers, art directors, film makers, musicians. These groups because of their very vocation are exposed to more emerging technology than the Average Office Worker and therefore tend to be early adopters of new technolgy in their domestic lives i.e G3 phones, HDTV, Blu-ray. We get on board early, are loyal to your products and advocates for them. By excluding us, you are excluding the very target market you are after:

I can accept that technology-led markets are focussing on those who are the "haves" rather that the "have-nots" but what about us, the "haves but cants" (cos you wont let us)?