Retronym: computer website

Benjamin Barrett gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM
Tue Jul 23 20:01:33 UTC 2013


On Jul 23, 2013, at 11:16 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> On Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 1:47 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com>wrote:
> 
>> 
>> Seattle, WA
> 
> 
> I think you are right and you are wrong.
> 
> Apple itself calls a Mac a Mac and would never call itself a PC. It uses
> the term PC for all the Wintel boxes when making comparisons:
> 
> http://store.apple.com/us/question/answers/mac/how-difficult-is-it-to-switch-from-pc-to-mac/Q7XTPJ2D47F297YY9
> 
> Much of the rest of the world, however, uses PC to refer to all desktop
> machines, including those made by Apple:
> 
> http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,2355085,00.asp
> 
> " Slimmer and faster, the Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Late 2012) is the desktop
> PC to buy if you're looking to avoid the whole touch-screen conundrum."


Thank you for this response.

Given the name of their magazine, PC Magazine has a reason for wanting to use "PC" for Macs, just as Apple has a reason not to.

Generally, I feel more comfortable referring to a Mac as a personal computer than a PC, but even "personal computer" makes me feel a little uncomfortable. (And that was the case before I switched to a Mac about five years ago.)

Is there more convincing evidence that much of the rest of the world does not feel uncomfortable referring to Macs as PCs?

Benamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

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