Reading Response 1- Maddie Schroeder

In reading Stephenson's article, "In the Beginning was a Command Line", I was left with some useful insight on the importance of advertising and appealing to the public eye. This article, about the comparisons of the computer systems, Macintosh and Microsoft, was actually quit interesting to me, especially because my household is a huge fan of Macs and have purchased our last four computers from them. I found myself totally agreeing with how their design aesthetic is so much more appealing when compared to Microsoft. I really do look at Microsoft as this kind of outdated software that was used in the 90's and then trashed when Macintosh’s sleek computer styles came out. Its almost as though Microsoft will always try to be classy and sophisticated, but with their reputation, will never succumb to the simplicity that Mac owners crave.

When purchasing my MacBook Pro last year, I remember being so excited when my parents finally picked it up from the store. I noticed while taking it out of its packaging, the step of unwrapping the laptop was so user friendly. There was no obnoxious plastic to rip off, no scissors needed to cut through things, all I had to do was simply open the beautifully crafted box and lift it out of the snug protective casing. On top of that, there handy little tabs on everything I needed to unwrap. It was then that I realized how important design is when is comes to packaging things.

The way Macintosh is so innovative with the design of their computers and other products sets them apart from Microsoft in a way that people feel like they are buying something special and elite. Their actual product may work just as well as Microsoft, but because their product is more beautifully crafted, they are in higher demand because that is what people see first. This article really does show the importance of design in almost any commercial field. People will buy products that are pleasing to the eye, its not all about the reliability of the product.