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Keynote and Style
Oct. 17th, 2003 01:36 pmA few weeks ago I saw something that at first really upset me. Someone asked someone else, "Why do you have a Mac laptop instead of something that runs Windows?" The reply was simply, "Because I have style!"
I was floored. Really floored.
As a long-time non-Mac user (I can't say "mac hater" because I've always had a lot of respect for Macs, and how could I be a "mac hater" if I bought a Mac laptop for myself 6 months ago) that was the exact kind of flip, smug, arrogant remark that makes everyone hate mac users. Then I realized that while the reply was smug, it was correct. Mac hardware and software has style. In a commodity market where everyone is in a 'race to the bottom' to get things our quicker and cheaper, it has been a delight to finally be using a system that is a delight to use. It has style.
That's why I went out and bought Apple Keynote and stopped using Power Point for new presentations. Keynote, unlike PowerPoint, was designed by people with a keen eye for style so that people like me (without a keen eye for style) have a fighting chance. I've seen very impressive presentations with PPT, but they were designed by professional designers and cost thousands of dollars. I'm presenting 1, 3, and 6-hour presentations. I want my presentations to keep people's attention visually (Keynote) and verbally (my presentation style) at the same time.
What really sold me on Keynote is when I walked into the Apple store and asked for a demo. The sales guy was able to put together some really impressive looking stuff in front of my eyes without much effort. It was so cool, I pulled out my credit card right away.
I was floored. Really floored.
As a long-time non-Mac user (I can't say "mac hater" because I've always had a lot of respect for Macs, and how could I be a "mac hater" if I bought a Mac laptop for myself 6 months ago) that was the exact kind of flip, smug, arrogant remark that makes everyone hate mac users. Then I realized that while the reply was smug, it was correct. Mac hardware and software has style. In a commodity market where everyone is in a 'race to the bottom' to get things our quicker and cheaper, it has been a delight to finally be using a system that is a delight to use. It has style.
That's why I went out and bought Apple Keynote and stopped using Power Point for new presentations. Keynote, unlike PowerPoint, was designed by people with a keen eye for style so that people like me (without a keen eye for style) have a fighting chance. I've seen very impressive presentations with PPT, but they were designed by professional designers and cost thousands of dollars. I'm presenting 1, 3, and 6-hour presentations. I want my presentations to keep people's attention visually (Keynote) and verbally (my presentation style) at the same time.
What really sold me on Keynote is when I walked into the Apple store and asked for a demo. The sales guy was able to put together some really impressive looking stuff in front of my eyes without much effort. It was so cool, I pulled out my credit card right away.
