SAN FRANCISCO -- Using a Mac is a choice that excludes users from using a wide range of PC-only software. And some Mac users say the same conditions apply on the "universal" landscape of the Web.
It's a problem that has plagued the Mac community for years: Software developers have made Mac versions of their software a low priority. Apparently, so have some Web developers.
"Surfing the Net just works better on a PC," said Scott Gruber, who uses a Mac and a PC. "Pages seem to work more smoothly, and back-end systems don't seem so buggy."
"Every day, we Mac users are berated and told just what minority players we are in the world of the PC," said another slighted user, Steven Poleske.
There have been consistent, if sporadic, complaints since the early days of the commercial Web. "The site only worked on the Windows version of Internet Explorer"; "I logged in on a Mac, nothing happened."
A friend of Gruber's who uses a Mac was unable to complete a ticket purchase on the site of a major American airline, Gruber said. Switching to a PC solved the problem.
When the user consulted tech support, the airline explained it had had ongoing difficulty processing Mac transactions.
Apple representatives qualified to address the issue of Mac compatibility online were unavailable for comment at last week's Macworld Expo, a company spokeswoman said. But she added that Apple regularly helped software and service providers make their systems Mac-compatible.
Mac users questioned at Macworld reported few problems with their Web browsing experience, although some said it's often the little things that stymie Mac browsers.
"Web sites' main goal is to get it out to the most possible people at once [but] the [Mac] market is smaller," said Jonathan Graham, a user from Sebastopol, California. As a result, Graham said some of "the fluff" on the Web -- flashy animation software, video players, and music plugins -- don't always have Mac versions available.
In light of the ongoing disparities, Mac users welcomed Apple's plans for Mac-specific Web services with open arms. Users have felt left out in the cold for too long.
"It may be that after years of being derided and excluded it's OK for Mac users to have a little something geared toward their world," said Mac devotee Jack Plugh.
"Such services [like Apple's Mac-specific iTools] mean more Mac users, which means more leverage in convincing other sites and services to give Macs equal treatment," said Joel Dabrowski. "Paradoxically, it will mean a more open Web. I am not too worried about the poor Wintel user out there."
Dabrowski and others said Apple's iTools are no different than Intel's efforts to make sites perform better on its Pentium III chips, using its Pentium-specific WebOutfitter service.
Users who complain that online Mac users get short-changed frequently blame their longtime rival, Microsoft. Wintel-based machines running Microsoft software dominate the Net-connected PC market and Mac users say Microsoft promotes its dominance at the expense of other platforms.
"There are Microsoft sites that require their own behemoth Windows to access, not to mention their proprietary media player," said Mac user Steven Poleske. Microsoft's Windows-specific ActiveX components, which enable interactive Web content that is similar to Java, are one way the company slights Mac users online.
Poleske noted that the judge in Sun's lawsuit against Microsoft found that Redmond had violated its Java licensing agreement, having altered Sun's proprietary Java technology to make it more dependent on the Windows platform.
Dick Craddock, manager of the Internet product unit with Microsoft's Macintosh business unit, said his group had worked to ensure that the Mac version of IE was as compatible as possible with Web standards.
"It's actually getting better and better," Craddock said of the Mac browsing experience.
But what of the Windows-specific Web technologies built and promoted by Microsoft?
Craddock acknowledged that the company's efforts can be at odds with the goals of individual products, such as IE for Mac.
"That's the way it is. Microsoft is a very large company with lots of different interests," Craddock said.
Apple is trying to offer better services for its customers, and so is Microsoft, he added. It may mean that some technologies are proprietary, other technologies may be more standards-based and cross-platform.
"There's not a great Mac answer, but I think what we're finding is that those [incompatible Mac] sites are few and far between," Craddock said.
In any case, Mac users are looking for a turnaround, and it may be imminent.
"The Mac market is growing," said user Graham. "I'm hoping a lot of software companies take note. It's just a matter of the numbers."
