“I’m not the only one who thinks that Apple Computer’s prime asset is its software. That gorgeous user interface the company has developed for its OS X operating system is more of a selling point than the hip design of its iMacs and PowerBooks. And if Apple would rework its software to run on Intel chips, I suspect quite a few PC users would consider OS X an alternative on their Windows-based PCs,” writes Paul Gilster for newsobserver.com.
Gilster continues, “Until this happens, getting Apple’s market share to rise means persuading Windows users to buy entirely new hardware. Steve Jobs surely hopes to do just that, announcing new Power Macs at the company’s annual developer conference in San Francisco. Intriguingly, the high-end Power Mac G5s are to be built around an IBM chip called the PowerPC 970. They’re fast , though whether they’re as fast as Jobs says is debatable.”
“…storm clouds unexpectedly gathered with recent projections that Linux would pass Apple in market share for desktop computers in 2004. Wal-Mart is now selling ready-to-use Linux-based computers for $248. Linux will run on Intel-based PCs (and Macs, for that matter). Apple would be smart to counter it with an Intel version of OS X, for all those who don’t want to buy a new computer just now but would welcome the chance to try a less demanding Windows alternative,” Gilster writes. Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We propose that Apple make Mac OS X run on Casio calculators. That way many more people wouldn’t have to buy a new Mac to run OS X. Make it work on Game Boys, too, Apple. We suspect that Gilster most likely thinks the “X” in Mac OS X is pronounced “ex.” Will these uninformed calls for OS X on Intel ever end?
Anybody who still believes a top of the line Dell is half the price of a top of the line Mac is so fooling themselves. I configure these options every week as I am a computer purchaser at my university.
If you want the Dell to MATCH the specs of a top of the line Mac, good luck. Still no FireWire without third party add on. The only place Dell will save you money is their monitors. They’re lowballing them to get you into their system. Cost difference between two systems I did lately was $130. Does that sound like half?
And yes, I am willing to pay more for what I get. We keep our Macs on average of six years. We have some a lot older than that. Why? Quality.
Dell’s quality is suffering. Our Accountant had to send her Dell monitor back after four days. Our Associate Dean had to have his hard drive replaced twice in 3 years (and he used the thing an hour a day, so it’s not from wearing out). Our Assistant Dean’s Dell is as twitchy as a cat hopped up on caffeine. And those are the only three Wintel machines in our office. The rest we have are Macs. Guess who is getting more work done in our office??
Before the introduction of the G5, and all the architecture that comes with it, this was a somewhat interesting topic. The keyword there being WAS. As other users note below, Apple is a hardware company. The last thing a hardware company should do is the take steps towards commodity hardware. What does commodity mean? It means devaluing your hardware, making it common. That would be the most bonehead move a company such as Apple could make, for both its customers, and investors (both kinda one in the same when you think about it). In summary, I don’t want a Ford engine in my Porsche!
Isn’t this MacDailyNews? Where are all these Wintel trolls coming from? Aren’t there any Microtrolls discussion boards for you to vent your inferiority complexes on?
Oh, wait a second… I guess not. After all, there really is no Wintroll “community”, is there? Well, since you’re so desperate to be a part of the Mac community, how about ponying up $799 for an eMac G4? Then you can spend less than you do on those cheap POS generiboxes and get something that you won’t have to replace in 12 months.
Maybe I will ditch my PC after I finish HL2. Games and my current software investment are the only things that keep in the wintel camp.
The eMac was obsolete before you could buy it.
A PB or G5 makes sense. Even the iBook, but eMac? Come on.