Apple or Mac?

what is it now? Apple or Mac? which does the company and line of computers go by now?

Kind of like make and model in cars. It's an Apple Macintosh kind of like it's a Ford Mustang. And it's pretty much been the same for over twenty years now.

There, feel better now?

the company goes by apple. the computer is the mac

most people call them mac, jsut because when they first came out it was the Macintosh. But now since the company name is Apple Computer Inc, people refer to them as macs, or apple computers. your choice.

Apple, as shaun89 and CaptainMack have said, is the only way to refer to the company (Apple Computer, Incorporated.) "Mac" is not a company.

Also, Apple IIs, Newtons, and iPods are Apples, but not Macs.

Here's an example:

Apple = company. Hewlett-Packard = Company.
Macintosh = Product Line (Computers). Deskjet = Product line (printers)
iBook = Specific Product name. Deskjet 3320 = Specific product name.

Aptmunich said:

Here's an example:

Apple = company. Hewlett-Packard = Company.
Macintosh = Product Line (Computers). Deskjet = Product line (printers)
iBook = Specific Product name. Deskjet 3320 = Specific product name.

Click to expand...

So is an iBook under the Macintosh product line? I didn't think they used Macintosh anymore, I thought it was just Mac.

Mac is the abbreviation for macintosh, but they do tend to just say "mac" now.

The iBook is a computer that runs the Mac operating system, so yes - it is under the Macintosh product line.

But all apple computers currently are, so the differentiation is basically unnecessary.

Actually, they only have one line, which is called Mac. Even Steve Jobs doesn't call the Macintosh anymore, and it's written nowhere.

The products starting with i are consumer products (iMac, iBook).
The eMac was initially available for the educational market only, that's why it has an e. And to make the difference to the iMac, they simply kept that e.
The products starting with Power (PowerMac, PowerBook) are considered for professionals, they are more powerfull and more extensible.
The servers are called Xserves, and they are based on the PowerMac.

But all of these are Macs, running the same architecture and the same OS.
Apple doesn't have any other computer line anymore.

It's quite funny how computers tend to be referred to by the OS rather than the company name until you are actually going to buy one. i.e You refer to computers at home as "the Linux box" or "the 98 PC" but if you are going to buy one you ask questions like "Dell, Compaq or Alienware?".

I can't think of any other product we treat in quite the same way.

Amen-Moses

I don't always see it with Windows computers. I see them referred to by brand names a lot. With Linux systems, though, you have to take into account that a larger number of Linux systems are custom built, so they don't really HAVE a brand name. This is becoming more and more common as companies like Alienware inflate prices and companies like HP and Compaq use cheap components in their computers. But yeah, I see your point overall. Because like, we don't call a Chevy car by its engine or transmission, nor do we call a steak by the sauce we put on it.

even if its not in the computer name, they all run the Mac OS. so just like you could call any Dell a windows machine, all Apple computers are Macs

Maybe this is just semantics, but isn't the operating system called OS 8/9/X, not 'the Mac OS'?

When looking on Apple's support site, they call it Mac OS since version 7, and I guess they should know... :headphone

And as we are at semantics, Mac OS X is prononced Mac OS 10, the X not only represents the Unix based core, but also a roman 10.

I look at the support site, and I read Mac OS X, and I'm not verbally pronouncing 'ten' but writing it as apple does, OS X.

Where on the support site do you see Mac OS without a numeric designation following?

MichaelSullivan said:

I look at the support site, and I read Mac OS X, and I'm not verbally pronouncing 'ten' but writing it as apple does, OS X.

Where on the support site do you see Mac OS without a numeric designation following?

Click to expand...

Little misunderstanding...on the support site, you can type in the search box the system number, like OS 7 or OS 8...and you'll find mostly denominations like Mac OS starting with version 7.

Mac OS X is always written X, but spoken as "ten". Even Steve Jobs never say "Mac OS X", but "Mac OS ten"

Please don't compare an apple to a ford. I have more respect for apple.

dan828 said:

Kind of like make and model in cars. It's an Apple Macintosh kind of like it's a Ford Mustang. And it's pretty much been the same for over twenty years now.

There, feel better now?

Click to expand...

do much talk about one company.

I refer to the overall company as Apple since they make other stuff like iPods and TFTs, while I refer to all the computers as Macs.

Trivia: What is the only place you will see the full word Macintosh on any currently shipping Apple product?


When Mac OS X starts up, it briefly flashes "Welcome to Macintosh," just as every Mac has since the beginning of time.

I kinda hope they don't take that out.