Why all the angst against Apple lately?

[ob81]

A couple of things

The shift to Intel has made it more simple than ever to compare, apple-to-apple (pun intended) the value of Apple hardware. People try to defend it, but sorry, it's just not defensible. It's over priced. Fact.

on those interim UBMB's. £300 netbooks have better displays.

While I am usually on the fence about Apple and some of the crap that they have been doing for a dollar recently, I have to agree with your post. Apple had some issues when I first started using their products around 2004, and while their hardware was more expensive, I had NO issues with anything. Hardware worked as it should have, and everything was going great. The whole intel shift brought a lot of laziness on their part, and it brought fresh fanboys that came in on the notion that Apple delivered awesome products, and they do, but they are surely a lot more things going bad than before.

These fresh fanboys are trying to keep up the tradition of praising Apple, when blatant crap is done by Apple on a near monthly basis. That outrageous introductory iPhone price started the ball rolling. The whole Macbook to Macbook pro thing was a slap in the face. At least now they lowered the price.

In my opinion, they have grown quite lazy. I don't need bluray in a laptop, but where is my option? I don't need a netbook, but where is my option?

 

[MacDSmith2]

... yet windows owns 95% of the OS market share, which you counter by saying windows is a terrible os used by a ton of people. A ton of people you just said wouldnt buy something if it is indeed terrible.

You have to understand that PEOPLE don't buy windows. OEM PC makers buy windows and give it to the PEOPLE for free! That's why a ton of people use windows. And windows is junk but who can compete with FREE? That's why Gates got rich. But it's a double edge sword as Microsoft is trapped by those same OEM contracts.

 

[djellison]

who can compete with FREE?

How much did you pay for the copy of OSX that came with your Mac?

 

[BongoBanger]

You have to understand that PEOPLE don't buy windows. OEM PC makers buy windows and give it to the PEOPLE for free! That's why a ton of people use windows. And windows is junk but who can compete with FREE? That's why Gates got rich. But it's a double edge sword as Microsoft is trapped by those same OEM contracts.

Really? So is Linux which can easily - especially with Ubuntu - be installed on pretty much any x86 ISA gear.

And yet people still prefer Windows. Sorry, your argument doesn't hold water.

 

[anjinha]

I watch the iPhone forums for the entire time and up until MMS was rumored to go to the iPhone if any one complained about it with in seconds a few people would come screaming about how email was better and MMS was old technology. that needs to be phased out. Tell your friends to do email .... and so on.

It was really kind of sad how blind the followers were.

To many of the blind apple fan boys can not see apple screws up. Apple makes mistake. Any one complains about apple they go off calling them a troll, Microsoft lover, non mac users ect.

Actually no. There were both people: people who thought email was better (and that still think email is better) and people that wanted MMS (and that now are happy with MMS). Just search for threads with MMS in the title and see how many come up. Not only that, most of them are complaining about the lack of MMS, discussing alternatives to get MMS (SwirlyMMS, modified carrier files, app store apps for MMS...), asking when MMS will come out... This has been one of the major complaints about the iPhone since day 1, along with copy and paste and others.

 

[KeriJane]

You have to understand that PEOPLE don't buy windows. OEM PC makers buy windows and give it to the PEOPLE for free! That's why a ton of people use windows. And windows is junk but who can compete with FREE? That's why Gates got rich. But it's a double edge sword as Microsoft is trapped by those same OEM contracts.

Hi MacDSmith

Well, that's only part of the story.
Mr. Gates spent an awful lot of time and effort building his empire.
He started out by writing all kinds of computer code. He was an absolute genius at it. Quickly, he realized that people were copying it without paying for it. This got him very upset. He went on to obtain rights to an OS named 86-DOS and went on to dominate and monopolize the micro computer software market.

How?
Well, partly by writing new, original software but also by buying out or destroying his competitors! If he liked your software in the 80's or 90's, he probably made an attempt at buying you out by hook or by crook. Once bought out, your software was quickly assimilated under the MS brand. (ex. FrontPage)
If buying you out failed, he would then attempt to destroy you as a competitor.. one not so funny way would be to make sure that your business application wouldn't run very well on his OS. Other ways would be to hire off your best talent, buy out your suppliers, whatever it took. If you competed with MS in any way, you were TOAST.

Speaking of his OS, he did and continues to practically give away MS Operating Systems to OEM computer manufacturers for very little cost.
Why? So he could dominate the market and make considerable profit on full-price software such as Office. Also, once all competitors are gone the need to compete goes away too..

IBM for one wanted their own OS... First PCDOS, then OS2. THey made the mistake of contracting with MS for it. That ended in tears for IBM.

So here we are in 2009 and MS has decimated and monopolized a once varied and vibrant market.
Only ONE semi-major competitor remains standing: Apple. MS did such a great job of destroying competitors they had to prop Apple up at one point to avoid a monopoly breakup like AT&T went through.

When you buy an Apple product, you are helping to support a company that barely survived the MS plague of monopoly.
When you use Linux or other Open-Source software you likewise use the talents of people that may have or once have had their own companies if not for MS.

Microsoft = The Railroad Tycoon / Robber Baron of the 1980's and 90's



This is ONLY my take on it OK? Yes, I know I'm not 100% right. Or at all if you prefer.
Keri

PS. Their Achilles heel is Piracy! Not having (much) Hardware to sell makes MS completely vulnerable to unpaid-for copying and distribution.

PPS. Apple wisely makes the bulk of their profit from Hardware. Hardware is more difficult and expensive to copy with lower reward for the potential Pirate.

 

[bruinsrme]

So if apple makes money off of hardware, how did Microsoft almost ruin them?

 

[KeriJane]

So if apple makes money off of hardware, how did Microsoft almost ruin them?

Really simple.
By dominating the market. Up until very recently, Apple computers would not and could not run Windows.

If it can't run Windows, those millions of people conditioned to use Windows probably won't buy it.

The ability of Intel Macs to run Windows is a very large selling point. The "Safety Net" factor for those unwilling or unable to completely drop MS is probably largely responsible for Apple's recent resurgence.
Even I've got Bad, Evil XP on this Mac Pro just for Legacy's sake!


MS succeeded wildly by the way. I don't dispute that for a second.
I might not like that fact or like MS's business practices or their Software, but they still completely took over a market and successfully destroyed practically all competition.


Mr. Gates is a very smart person.
Unfortunately, (in my insignificant opinion) he went all evil on us.

Just because some good came of it doesn't make it less evil.


Buy an Apple!
or
Build your own and use Linux!

See if you can avoid MS and don't support the Evil Empire,
Keri

 

[bartzilla]

You have to understand that PEOPLE don't buy windows.

Really? Do you blame aliens then, or should I make sure my cat is never alone with my wallet?

OEM PC makers buy windows and give it to the PEOPLE for free!

No they don't. There's a line charge for it in most places I go to buy PCs from.

That's why a ton of people use windows. And windows is junk but who can compete with FREE? That's why Gates got rich.

Why isn't Linus Torvalds as rich as Bill Gates? Why aren't more people demanding their PC comes with Linux pre-installed instead of Windows?

If windows really was total junk then people wouldn't be able to get real work done on it and it wouldn't have a majority of the market as it does now.
Fact is, it's "good enough" for most people, which isn't the same as "junk". Especially when "good enough" is all they need to do what they got to do.

 

[bruinsrme]

Really simple.
By dominating the market. Up until very recently, Apple computers would not and could not run Windows.

If it can't run Windows, those millions of people conditioned to use Windows probably won't buy it.

The ability of Intel Macs to run Windows is a very large selling point. The "Safety Net" factor for those unwilling or unable to completely drop MS is probably largely responsible for Apple's recent resurgence.
Even I've got Bad, Evil XP on this Mac Pro just for Legacy's sake!


MS succeeded wildly by the way. I don't dispute that for a second.
I might not like that fact or like MS's business practices or their Software, but they still completely took over a market and successfully destroyed practically all competition.


Mr. Gates is a very smart person.
Unfortunately, (in my insignificant opinion) he went all evil on us.

Just because some good came of it doesn't make it less evil.


Buy an Apple!
or
Build your own and use Linux!

See if you can avoid MS and don't support the Evil Empire,
Keri

Very large selling point for whom? Apple?
So you are banging on Microsoft because their OS couldn't run on a Mac?
Did macs back then support x86 instruction coding? I do not they did. So when they switched to intel chips that decision by apple opened up that possibility, not that microsoft was preventing it through hadware, firmware or software.
Does MS officially support windows running on a mac? Honestly I couldn't tell you.
But you condone Apple for still not allowing PC users to run OSx on their non-apple machine? Why not open up OSx to PC users?

 

[pdjudd]

Does MS officially support windows running on a mac? Honestly I couldn't tell you.

Well as long as you have a valid license (Full or OEM) and the right version, they would support it. Their licensing has a provision for installing on compatible hardware and software. MS could care less as long as they get their cut.

 

[djellison]

MS could care less as long as they get their cut.

Could? You mean COULDN'T

How or why are people getting such a simple turn of phrase utterly wrong?

 

[edesignuk]

How or why are people getting such a simple turn of phrase utterly wrong?

heh, that's baffled me for years too. It's couldn't FFS!

 

[FakeWozniak]

How or why are people getting such a simple turn of phrase utterly wrong?

heh, that's baffled me for years too. It's couldn't FFS!

Whom made the silly langwidge anyhow? Irregardless, the point is mute.

 

[*LTD*]

What angst?

 

[Goona]

I find it funny that Windows users call Mac users drones and sheep but yet they use Windows which is on 95 percent of computers.

 

[belvdr]

Irregardless, the point is mute.

The point isn't silent. The point is actually moot.

 

[palebluedot]

If Apple potentially gets hit with an anti-trust suit from the FCC for it's dealings with the App Store and iPhone (two things I think Apple is in the right on as they developed the product) I hope that mac2x apologizes to djelison

The fanbois on this forum are really frustrating. As a gamer who converted to MBP and has a bunch of engineer-developer friends... it is hard to justify the Apple tax being worth it these days.

 

[leekohler]

A couple of things

The shift to Intel has made it more simple than ever to compare, apple-to-apple (pun intended) the value of Apple hardware. People try to defend it, but sorry, it's just not defensible. It's over priced. Fact.

The iPhone. revolutionary? Yup. Flawed? HELL yes.

The Mac Book Air - never has form dominated over function so badly.

Snow Leopard - that's £25 I can't have back - and, hand on heart, I can't tell the damn difference. Indeed, on a 2.2Ghz MBP - it's made it slower - not faster.

Shift to Mobile Me? What a bloody disaster that was.

The treatment of apps-store developers is utterly unforgiveable.

iTunes 9. Bloatier, slower and again, no new features I'm noticing.

iPod Touch...no camera. But they fit one in a damn iPod NANO? What the hell?

Hang on - where did my Firewire port go? That's right - Apple took it out of the Macbook. Then wrote 'Pro' on in crayon, and put the firewire port BACK IN, after telling us all we didn't actually need firewire anyway.

CRAP - there is no other word for it - CRAP screen quality on those interim UBMB's. £300 netbooks have better displays.

DL-DVI adaptor for Mini DP machines. It's £70 to plug your monitor in. and IT DOES NOT WORK.

What's that on the floor? ANOTHER chuck of plastic falling off a plastic Macbook.

Apple have done a lot of things over the past couple of years that are very very worthy of criticism.

I tolerate these because Keynote (the single 'killer app' for OSX for what I do) does one thing, that powerpoint will not. I want ONE laptop. And so it's a Mac because of keynote. That's it. Without it, I would switch back in a second.

But I can't stand the ever increasing volume of Apple fanboys...

Claiming the above problems don't exist
Claiming the above problems are NOT problems becuase Micro$oft (LMFAO I swapped a S for a $ how cool) do the same or worse
Claiming that one OS is 'better' than the other
Lying - there is no other word for it - LYING about competing products, or the abilities and value of Apple products.

So - you have a double whammy effect. Apple doing some very annoying stuff, and the fanboys being exceptionally annoying defending it and going on the offensive against other products.

It's very very very easy to really hate Apple and it's fanboys at the moment.

Agreed on all points.

 

[ArrowSmith]

There are several points of angst:

* Mac OS X makes Windows look like cheap crap
* Apple is the most profitable company in the tech industry
* Apple already has a bigger net cash pile then MSFT
* Even as nice as the Zune HD is, it's inferior crap compared to the IPod Touch
* Windows 7 is still bloated crap with registry and ancient file system
* Steve Ballmer is a buffoon
* Steve Jobs is CEO of the decade/century/history
* Windows Mobile is DEAD baby, dead
* iPhone has cracked the Japanese market(unthinkable, but true)
* nobody thinks of MSFT as innovative, but 99% think of Apple as so

keep adding more

 

[thejadedmonkey]

keep adding more

Mac users like ArrowSmith who mistake angst with Jealousy.

 

[mac2x]

Mac users like ArrowSmith who mistake angst with Jealousy.

I don't think that means quite what you intended it to mean.

 

[mac2x]

There are several points of angst:

* Mac OS X makes Windows look like cheap crap
* Apple is the most profitable company in the tech industry
* Apple already has a bigger net cash pile then MSFT
* Even as nice as the Zune HD is, it's inferior crap compared to the IPod Touch
* Windows 7 is still bloated crap with registry and ancient file system
* Steve Ballmer is a buffoon
* Steve Jobs is CEO of the decade/century/history
* Windows Mobile is DEAD baby, dead
* iPhone has cracked the Japanese market(unthinkable, but true)
* nobody thinks of MSFT as innovative, but 99% think of Apple as so

keep adding more

Can't speak for all of these (Zune), but I have to agree on Steve Ballmer. I find it hard to believe that crazy man is anything more than a figurehead.