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Apple second only to Microsoft in cash and investments and thats about to change
- Thread starter DrStrange
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Yes yellow displays, stripes on displays, crashing Macs, people that have 5 or more computer replacements and not one that works properly, iPad with no Flash and multi-tasking, e-books up 5$ in price...
Good stuff man, good stuff... Watch out Microsoft!!!
Good stuff man, good stuff... Watch out Microsoft!!!
Problems will happen. Yes, even to Apple. Unfortunately, no matter how good your tech is, there will be a failure rate. The nice thing is that on average, it happens to Apple less, but when it DOES happen, Apple gets all the coverage. When Dells break no one really cares. It's not news. But when Apple goodies break, it's front-page news because Apple is held in the highest regard in the industry. Apple has a certain long-standing reputation.
Nothing new.
Apple's QC has never been any better or worse than at other times in their history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBook
Quality issues
In late November 2003, a number of iBook G4 users reported display problems with their laptops. In December 2003, a group of users headed by Michael Johnson and Bill Owen sought to file a class action suit against Apple. In response, Apple initiated the "iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program" in January 2004, which covered the expense of repairing affected iBooks for three years.[2][3]
The iBook G4 seemed to suffer from similar display problems as the iBook G3, but was not covered by the repair extension program. Owners of iBooks that required expensive repairs for these problems submitted new class action lawsuits in December 2006.[4]
Yet, Apple has remained #1 in customer satisfaction and #1 in customer service for several years running, even through the Nvidia/Unibody Macbook Pro difficulties.
You and BRLawyer keep saying Microsoft is dead. DEAD.
And yet they posted record profits just recently.
I really hope BRLawyer isn't really a lawyer, he sounds like a malpractice case waiting to happen.
MS is all about Windows running on boxes. That's the problem. All MS really has is . . . another version of Windows. And we all know exactly why it sold so well.
Microsoft dead? Who said that? Certainly not me. Dying slowly, exhibiting a gradual, tedious decay from lousy management, an inability to execute on key strategies, and just outright making barely more than amateurish efforts in the consumer sector?
Absolutely.
You spend an amazing amount of time harking on about Microsoft. Why are you so obsessed with them?
You know, when i watched the iPad keynote, I didn't read the conference call thread at all, and didn't hear any of their numbers. I watch the keynote, and when Steve says "we made $15.6 Billion dollars in revenue last quarter" I was like: "what??!?" In three months, they made almost half of what they have in their cash reserves. That means in one year at this rate, they will make $60Billion+, even more because they're revenues go up each quarter. Even if you don't like Apple, you have to admit, they know how to run a company. I'm sure if all your input was used on their board, they wouldn't be making this much..
But Microsoft will still be the market leader in OS share for a long time. But to Apple, it's not marketshare that counts, it's profit. That make sense, is the point of a business to sell the most items, or to make a lot of money? I could see Apple having more money than the Federal government of the united states at one point. And it wouldn't surprise me, either, with the way they spend money like there's no tomorrow..
But Microsoft will still be the market leader in OS share for a long time. But to Apple, it's not marketshare that counts, it's profit. That make sense, is the point of a business to sell the most items, or to make a lot of money? I could see Apple having more money than the Federal government of the united states at one point. And it wouldn't surprise me, either, with the way they spend money like there's no tomorrow..
I betcha if the news were reversed, people would be saying that it proves how much a company overcharges their customers, and shows how little money they put back into R&D and American jobs instead of banking it away due to a CEO's old memory of former money problems.
I'm a little creeped out by people who think higher profit is a sign of greatness. Perhaps they hope that getting something made by a rich and popular company will rub off on them.
I'm a little creeped out by people who think higher profit is a sign of greatness. Perhaps they hope that getting something made by a rich and popular company will rub off on them.
I must say that my support for Apple has always been rooted in a confidence in the reliability of a company that made good quality stable computers and a habitual tendency to support the underdog. These days they're no longer the underdog and, to be fair, Microsoft have come up with a good product in Windows 7.
Yeah, stick with Apple. At least you'll know what it is you're supporting.
And supporting the underdog for the sake of supporting the underdog makes no sense.
Let's all get Dells now because Windows sucks a little less this time around!
Great products are a sign of greatness. The profits are inevitable.
No, supporting underdogs is a bit of a foible, but the main reason was the quality of the products. As far as pro computers are concerned, Apple are moving backwards. I'm typing this on a Santa Rosa MBP with an FW800 port, FW400, expresscard 34, which I paid £1100 for new a couple of years ago.
These days I'd pay £200 more for a computer with a 0.3Ghz faster processor and swapping out my Expresscard 34 slot for a poxy SD slot. SD is what cheap USB SDHC adapters are for, suggesting that could take the place of Expresscard in a product supposedly aimed at quite often media pros with esata requirements and other interface card requirements, is a joke.
I won't pretend I won't miss my Mac, but unless something changes, the benefits over a PC won't justify the price.
You really believe that...... No the publishers are going to pocket the difference not the authors.
According to the writer's market that's illegal. Even if it raises writer's profit by a mear 2 cents, they deserve it, they wrote the book. I have a friend that is a aspiring author. I have seen him working. Heard about him working from friends. Writing a book isn't easy.
Apple is in it for the money like everybody else, thinking that you defend higher values because you buy Apple products is totally retarded. All their stuff is manufactured by low income chinese in chinese factories who also manufacture Windows PCs. Hardware is hardware and Apple's hardware is the same but packaged inside a shiny box.
More than 90% of the planet buy Windows PCs and that is not gonna change anytime soon. Especially as overall the economy toughens and people have to refrain from buying unnecessary luxury products.
Apple is clever, it makes more profit than the others while selling less volume. Still the end-user is paying more just for the bling.
Anyone is free to have his ideas and spend his money as he wishes, but trying to justify Apple pricing or economic model as being more honest, more ethical or whatnot that is total BS.
I can live with people saying that they buy Apple computers because they personally prefer them over Windows PC. But people pretending they buy Apple because it is superior to Windows PCs that's retarded, end of the story.
+1
apple's first goal is to make money for itself and keep it's stock holders happy. No different then microsoft. People have accused apple of some unfair practices as well. They're not perfect and while their tactics are not on the same scope of MS and their monopolistic tactics of the past. They have run over the small developer more then once
just compare delicious library and iBooks. Apple completely ripped off the look
apple's first goal is to make money for itself and keep it's stock holders happy. No different then microsoft. People have accused apple of some unfair practices as well. They're not perfect and while their tactics are not on the same scope of MS and their monopolistic tactics of the past. They have run over the small developer more then once
just compare delicious library and iBooks. Apple completely ripped off the look
Common interface.
http://xander.am0.co.uk/2008/10/classics-iphone-ap ...
http://code.google.com/p/shelves/
http://www.gadgetvenue.com/iphone-c64-emulator-090 ...
http://www.gstsdesigns.com/Educational/SoftTouch/M ...
http://scottrhoades.com/wordpress/?p=146
FYI:
Delicious Monster Visual Designer = Mike Matas
Sr Visual Designer at Apple = Mike Matas (left Apple July 2009)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delicious_Monster
This is EXACTLY what people are doing. Why do you think they're "pretending"?
If they had to "pretend" they wouldn't be willing to pay a premium. Personal preferences notwithstanding, there are people out there who honestly believe the Apple ecosystem provides a superior experience to anything the competition puts out. I certainly believe it. And I wouldn't be surprised that the consumers handing Apple record quarter after record quarter in Mac sales (in a recession) believe it.
This guy certainly does:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/12/simon-aldous-windows-7-in_n_355043.html
for those that keep sticking up for microsoft, just go what "Pirates of Silicon Valley" or watch some Steve Ballmer videos on youtube.
i'm not saying that microsoft is the root of all evil, or that apple can do no wrong, but i do hope that microsoft continues in the trend that they are in now, which is going backwards. granted, windows 7 isn't that bad, but still. until they get rid of Ballmer, i just don't see them even maintaining their current marketshare.
and they're really losing with windows mobile.
but apple has to continue to release great products if they want to keep this up.
i'm not saying that microsoft is the root of all evil, or that apple can do no wrong, but i do hope that microsoft continues in the trend that they are in now, which is going backwards. granted, windows 7 isn't that bad, but still. until they get rid of Ballmer, i just don't see them even maintaining their current marketshare.
and they're really losing with windows mobile.
but apple has to continue to release great products if they want to keep this up.
Hey, If I was a nerd, I'd be a Ballmer style nerd. Steve Jobs is just so boring. Ballmer makes things exciting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8M6S8EKbnU
I think you've hit the nail right on the head. Effectively, as far as Macs are concerned, the premium price of the machine is for access to the software rather than the hardware. Simultaneously, the ridiculous price of the hardware keeps them from reaching a situation where they're forced to unbundle hardware and software by competition bodies. And, in the end, the quality of the OS probably makes paying stupid money justifiable in view.
Thing is though, where else do you go for a comparable OS? The Linux world is just too haphazard for anyone other than enthusiasts. I believe that OSX is the only consumer-standard (as opposed to IT pro standard) implementation of UNIX, and all its security and stability benefits (I'm happy to be corrected on that: just tell me and I'll check it out).
The door is open for Microsoft to write a new consumer/business OS from scratch based on the UNIX model if they so wanted. The legacy software question can easily be addressed by releasing it in parallel to the current Windows path like they did with NT and Windows 9x.