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MapleOne

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 30, 2008
14
0
Ontario, Canada
iMacs are a niche product.
iMacs have never been a threat to the PC market.
iMacs are not a threat to the PC market now and they never will be in the future.

There is healthy competition in the PC market, something that cannot be said about iMacs.
Thus Apple will never succeed in taking any serious chunk of the PC segment with their flashy, over priced, proprietary garbage.

From this website:
http://www.betanews.com/article/Apple_refreshes_its_iMac_line/1209394974#c1597328

Made me laugh.... Apple and Google are the two biggest single threats to the Microsoft empire. This guy has his head so far buried it is not even funny.
 

PlaceofDis

macrumors Core
Jan 6, 2004
19,241
6
well there is a lot of issues with the iMacs if Apple wanted to really push into the PC marketshare well past what they're doing they'd have to offer an upgradable screenless mac with similar specs as an iMac. but the problem is they won't. apple will gain huge ground in the laptop segment, and they already are, but the desktop won't grow much because people don't always want to buy the limited and closed nature of the iMac in a desktop, but it does work for a good portion of people.
 

jb60606

macrumors 6502a
Jan 27, 2008
871
0
Chicago
They'll continue to gain a little market share, but Apple would have to open their OS to other hardware vendors (which they'll likely never do, especially considering they're a hardware company first, software company second) if they ever want to compete on that level.

And how is Google a threat to Microsoft? The last I checked, 90%(+) of their revenue came from their OS, applications and gaming consoles. Don't get me wrong - MS wants more market share in search engines, but it's no back breaker.
 

PlaceofDis

macrumors Core
Jan 6, 2004
19,241
6
And how is Google a threat to Microsoft? The last I checked, 90%(+) of their revenue came from their OS, applications and gaming consoles.

google owns the web, and the web has a lot of say of what will be happening in the future, microsoft hasn't been very successful there, so google is indeed a threat, especially with their web based apps and their size.
 

Sun Baked

macrumors G5
May 19, 2002
14,941
162
Made me laugh.... Apple and Google are the two biggest single threats to the Microsoft empire. This guy has his head so far buried it is not even funny.

Flexibility in a woman to do that is kinky, and stimulating.

On a guy it is just creepy. :p
 

MapleOne

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 30, 2008
14
0
Ontario, Canada
And how is Google a threat to Microsoft? The last I checked, 90%(+) of their revenue came from their OS, applications and gaming consoles. Don't get me wrong - MS wants more market share in search engines, but it's no back breaker.

First: Almost everything is going to go web based, it is conceivable that eventually even operating systems could go web based. This would require mobile computers to have very little processing power.

Second: Even Microsoft has admitted they are losing ground to Google. The recent attempt to acquire Yahoo shows that Microsoft is deeply concerned about Google.
 

duncyboy

macrumors 6502a
Feb 5, 2008
724
1
An iMac didn't just threaten my PC- it outright killed it! :p

And now Mac Mini's threatening my HTPC.
 

Eraserhead

macrumors G4
Nov 3, 2005
10,434
12,250
UK
google owns the web, and the web has a lot of say of what will be happening in the future,

First: Almost everything is going to go web based, it is conceivable that eventually even operating systems could go web based. This would require mobile computers to have very little processing power.

I don't agree that web applications will be massive in the future, they have a lot of flaws.

  • Cannot access the applications offline.
  • Have to trust a large (and generally offshore) company with my data.
  • More expensive setup costs for the company, and uses excessive bandwidth.
  • Poor latency, so the applications are slow to respond to user input.
  • Difficultly with interacting with files from a different application unless specifically granted by both parties.


They should be looking at profit, not revenue though if they can...
 

jb60606

macrumors 6502a
Jan 27, 2008
871
0
Chicago
First: Almost everything is going to go web based, it is conceivable that eventually even operating systems could go web based. This would require mobile computers to have very little processing power.

Second: Even Microsoft has admitted they are losing ground to Google. The recent attempt to acquire Yahoo shows that Microsoft is deeply concerned about Google.

I believe you're thinking too far ahead. 30% of this country doesn't even have the internet. Even more are withou high speed, always-on, broadband access, yet you expect them to be on internet based apps within even just 10 yrs? Not to mention, the internet - in it's current state - does not have the capacity to handle such a large scale increase in traffic. A forklift overhaul is in order.

when google begins development of large scale business and even just home productivity software and operating systems, then I think Microsoft should worry. Until then, they develop digital marketing technology and largely "gadget" software.

This whole ideology of, "if Google wins, then Microsoft loses" doesn't hold water. I have no doubt Google's prospects worry Microsoft, as they would any publicly traded company, but they're not the threat (at least, no where near immediate) that everyone makes them out to be.

And if you think that businesses will expose each of their workstations on a global public network through the use of internet enabled applications - maintained by a single company that intentionally sells user info to 3rd parties - I'd say you were crazy and far too ignorant of security issues that would arise. If you think Microsoft is bad - wait until Google truly "owns the internet".

And don't think for one minute that Google is safe from competitors, either. It's a lot easier to switch search engines than it is operating systems and productivity/corporate software. And Google is already finding themselves in a heap of legal troubles and public backlash for some of their activities. That'll increase in time.
 

Eraserhead

macrumors G4
Nov 3, 2005
10,434
12,250
UK
I believe you're thinking too far ahead. 30% of this country doesn't even have the internet.

To be fair that would be strange, especially if that 30% have computers at all. I highly doubt that that is the position in other developed nations. Hell even in poor countries they have internet when they have computers.
 

jb60606

macrumors 6502a
Jan 27, 2008
871
0
Chicago
To be fair that would be strange, especially if that 30% have computers at all. I highly doubt that that is the position in other developed nations. Hell even in poor countries they have internet when they have computers.


"Google it" :)

I'm sure the statistic has decreased a tad, but I know it was almost exclusive to the poor.

And there are still portions of this country so distant from the civilization that they can't even access the internet over dial-up without it being an expensive long-distance call.

Some found no value in it because they get all the net access they need at the office. Some weren't computer literate enough, or didn't own a computer at all.
 
J

jmadlena

Guest
"Google it" :)

I'm sure the statistic has decreased a tad, but I know it was almost exclusive to the poor.

And there are still portions of this country so distant from the civilization that they can't even access the internet over dial-up without it being an expensive long-distance call.

Some found no value in it because they get all the net access they need at the office. Some weren't computer literate enough, or didn't even own a computer at all.

As far as technology goes, that segments doesn't matter much, I'd think. Technology doesn't wait for people who refuse to "advance,' it just goes along its way.

I'm not saying 10 years is a good bet, or that we will ever reach the level of operating systems in the cloud, but I think at one point we will have a constant internet connection (through WiMax, or 4G, or 5G, etc...)

We will get there, and there will always be luddites.
 

MapleOne

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 30, 2008
14
0
Ontario, Canada
YOU HAVE TO THINK BIGGER

Yes I know the web will not replace everything but the growth will be staggering. As far as applications going online, it has already happened, just look at some of the online tax programs. The end file sits on your computer but the program sits on the web. It is not inconceivable that a word processing program sits on the web and the file is stored on your computer or the web (o yeah that's already happened and it's called Google).

I totally disagree with the members saying that too much bandwidth is required. It is the exact opposite. I see the telephone going away and getting replaced with an internet connection. In the future an internet connection will be your telephone and everyone in the modern world will have access to web based programs.
 

jb60606

macrumors 6502a
Jan 27, 2008
871
0
Chicago
YOU HAVE TO THINK BIGGER

Yes I know the web will not replace everything but the growth will be staggering. As far as applications going online, it has already happened, just look at some of the online tax programs.

One application with a small footprint that we use once a year.

The end file sits on your computer but the program sits on the web. It is not inconceivable that a word processing program sits on the web and the file is stored on your computer or the web (o yeah that's already happened and it's called Google).

am I the only person that sees flaws in this, or do I have to learn to be more wide-eyed and trusting of major corporations and hackers? I'd personally like to keep my personal computing... personal (read: local)

I totally disagree with the members saying that too much bandwidth is required. It is the exact opposite. I see the telephone going away and getting replaced with an internet connection. In the future an internet connection will be your telephone and everyone in the modern world will have access to web based programs.

that's my point. With a global introduction of VOIP (and the wealth of other interactive media being introduced), HD media (including broadband television/movies/music), an overhaul is absolutely necessary. And not just in terms of bandwidth (the internet backbone is slowly being crushed), but security as well.

see above
 

Eraserhead

macrumors G4
Nov 3, 2005
10,434
12,250
UK
YOU HAVE TO THINK BIGGER

Yes I know the web will not replace everything

So why say:
it is conceivable that eventually even operating systems could go web based

I see the telephone going away and getting replaced with an internet connection.

Thats only because that is a more efficient way of using the bandwidth to your home as telephones use as much bandwidth as a whole internet connection, but via VOIP they use only a tiny fraction.
 

nick9191

macrumors 68040
Feb 17, 2008
3,407
313
Britain
I think it is safe to say eventually phone and TV will be delivered by Internet.

Back OT, they need to make a cheaper iMac. Say 2.1ghz Core 2, 1gb RAM, 250gb HDD, X3100 graphics, £549.
 

zap2

macrumors 604
Mar 8, 2005
7,252
8
Washington D.C
Wait, the writer knows that the iMac is just one computer, right?

Of course that machine won't threaten a whole market.

The last I checked, 90%(+) of their revenue came from their OS, applications and gaming consoles.

I'd check again. MS has lost billions on the Xbox 360.
 

surferfromuk

macrumors 65816
Feb 1, 2007
1,153
0
If Microsoft continue doing exactly what they've been doing for the last 3 years and Apple continue doing exactly what they've been doing for the last 3 years - in 10 years time Microsoft will go BUST!

Apple has just entered the Jet age whilst Microsoft is simply adding more propellers...

Everyone can see that - will they admit it ? I highly doubt it...but doesn't change the essential truth of it...
 

jb60606

macrumors 6502a
Jan 27, 2008
871
0
Chicago
Wait, the writer knows that the iMac is just one computer, right?

Of course that machine won't threaten a whole market.



I'd check again. MS has lost billions on the Xbox 360.

Look up the word 'revenue'. That's beside the point.
 
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