“In case you didn’t hear about it, January marked the 20th anniversary of Apple Computer
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So now the Apple I, Apple II, and the Lisa never existed. I know this article is very favourable towards Le Pomme, but whatever happened to journalists doing research?
this is a personal piece, because in real objective articles, the journalist doesn’t inject himself directly into the story.
Good God, some people will never be happy!
And those people…are the village people.
You know, I think mac users should start a campaign to push people to not use the “marketshare has shrunk to less than 5 percent” rhetoric. It does not really paint the true picture — what has really happen is the market has grown. It is not that fewer people are buying macs — in fact is probably the case that more people are buying macs, but that proportionately more people are buying windows — one reason being that pc based computers have a shorter lifespan — because a 4 year old mac is way more capable than a 4 year old pc, they don’t have be replaced as often.
Macs can be considered a “durable good” which is defined as a product which should last at least three years. To date, PCs could hardly meet this as they are designed and marketed as a comodity, to be replaced as soon as a new OS comes out or the next best cheapo PC is available at WalMart. To use the argument of market share to does not make much sense.
Do you think Apple would look better in most people’s perception if, instead of “market share” percentages (which tracks sales, not use), the journalists used a “installed user base” percentage? Granted, Apple’s pretty much conceded the fight for widespread corporate use, but what about the number of users in the gov’t, education and consumer sector? What are those percentages compared to WinTel? Just Curious…
I agree. The market share argument is pathetic and weak.
It doesn’t take into account that Macs last 2-3 time longer than the comparable PC and as such, Mac users buy less machines over the course of 10 years. These numbers also don’t separate the dumb terminals and other installations from actual IN-HOME installations which gives another unfair advantage to the numbers supporting Windows.
I have no doubt that if the world was running on OS X it would be far more happy and secure place. I can only begin to imagine how much more productive everyone would be and how much extra $$ the world economy would have by not needing to throw so much of it away on the damage virus, worm and other security breaches have on the economies of the planet.
If the human species was more intelligent as a whole, this would be the case. However, when you consider that the average IQ hovers somewhere around 110, it is not surprising that we have what we do.
An interesting aside to this story is the fact that Microsoft has now decided to put out a new version of XP prior to releasing Longhorn. (By the time it gets out, it’ll be renamed Long-In-The-Tooth). So, they’ll be pulling some resources from the Longhorn development in order to get the new version out, delaying Longhorn even more. And, after all is said and done, the new XP (stands for X Pretender because it pretends to be Mac OS X) will still be years behind OS X.
Actually Average IQ is pretty much by definition 100. The original concept being the ratio of mental age to chronological age.
R.V. writes “Mac users buy less machines over the course of 10 years.”
Maybe if Apple would bring out new computers faster (and had some competition…) then consumers would upgrade, buy new computers quicker. (What�s it been, June, July since the last apple desktop came out?)
I would guess the main group of people that upgrade/change windows computers at a faster clip are:
– gamers that want to keep up and play the latest games;
– businesses that write off the cost of the computers after 2-3 years.
I bet the average windows home pc user keeps his or her computer around just as long as mac user.
I was scanning the computer want ads and saw lots of old 200 MHz, windows 95 computers available. ebay has about 1000 pc up for auction at 366hz and less – somebody is using those ancient beasts! And microsoft was forced to continue to support windoze 95 and 98 because they found so many people still using them.
and had some competition…
Wow, statements like that really show how clueless the poster is. In case you haven’t noticed, Apple’s competition is every wintel shitbox assembler out there, running windows, or whatever you want to punish yourself with. The reason Macs can sell for slightly more than the junk you’re probably sat in front of is that they offer something of value to those who buy them. Of course, that would involve wrapping your head around the notion that computing can actually be different, better than what you know, OUCH!
Maybe if Apple would bring out new computers faster (and had some competition…) then consumers would upgrade, buy new computers quicker. (What�s it been, June, July since the last apple desktop came out?)
Ah, so you’re saying PC’s last less than 6 months then? Otherwise this statement would be completely pointless and false. That really WOULD make Mac market share look good!
And that crap on eBay? Most of it has probably been gathering dust for a while not doing anything. And 200Mhz Win95 crap? Guess what. That ain’t old! I’m writing this on a computer introduced in 97. Originally 266Mhz (PowerPC had the lead in frequencies in those days), I have another two from 95 that are still in active use. A further one from ’92 still gets some light use. It’s even running the original system. And I’m still waiting to get a quadra from ’93 off a friend so I can put that to use. Another good example is a design department at a company I worked for. They were all still using quadras for technical illustrations. They only switched to G4s about 3 years ago! THAT’s what I called OLD and in service!
“I bet the average windows home pc user keeps his or her computer around just as long as mac user.”
You must be high!. Why do you think that crap is on ebay? It’s worthless and nobody wants it. Try putting XP on these machines. Ooops, need a new POS.
Amazing RV didn’t know about that 100 iq thing, given his own love of the subject.
Apple is a wonderful innovator, and their top of the line is always the cream of the crop. However, the current difference between what can be had for less than a grand pc vs. mac is obscene. I think they are failing as a desktop computer retailer, and I don’t think they care. Other fish to fry, ie ipod, expensive g5’s, and the g5 laptop when it shows up are what they are into.
Now, in RV’s world this is completely as it should be, because intelligent people earn enough to buy the pricey stuff and the average folks can go pound sand. Nice of dell to service the sand pounding market, I think.
I am an ardent Mac supporter and I have a seven-year-old Mac that unfortunately recently suffered a HDD crash. But to be perfectly honest, I suspect that one of the reasons that Macs “last longer’ is not just higher quality. Before the release of the G5 I would argue that the performance improvement in Macs was gradual enough that a processor upgrade could effectively add a few years to the useful life of a Mac. The addition of a G3/300 upgrade was the only reason that I kept my PowerMac 8500/120 for so long.
What I am getting at is that OS X and the G5/G6 series of processors will likely speed up the rate of Mac upgrade purchases. IMO, as apps develop that take full advantage of the latest software and hardware the older stuff will become obsolescent sooner than in the past.
1hunglo writes:
“You must be high!. Why do you think that crap is on ebay? It’s worthless and nobody wants it. Try putting XP on these machines. Ooops, need a new POS.”
The writers point was, I believe, that there are people using windows computers after 2 years contrary to what mac people think.
And as a note to your comment above, Try putting 0SX 10.3+ in a Mac that is as old as the PCs the writer referenced in the original kikireekee post (Win 95 & 98). It don�t work.
And as Apple�s diminishing market share proves, those Apple buyers with old macs are indeed switching to a new OS, the trouble is it is XP and not OSX….
The Bo’ster sez: —-“I’m writing this on a computer introduced in 97”.
REPLY: So you are not really an Apple customer either. Last time you bought an apple was 7 friggin� years ago!!!
—————-
The Bo’ster sez: “The reason Macs can sell for slightly more than the junk you’re probably sat in front of is that they offer something of value to those who buy them”.
REPLY: Well, you are still using one you bought 7 years ago, guess Apple has never made anything new of value to you.
And since you seem to be living so far in the past – Windows 95, 98 era??? Maybe you should try out the new XP computers.
We got a couple and just like the couple of Macs we have, they work just fine.
I’ve tried the nex xp computers. No thanks.
Maybe it’s the fact that anything identified as “better” about mac OR wintel is purely subjective stuff?
Yes OSX is lovely, but what does it give me above and beyond?
Maybe it’s the fact that most Apple users hold the folks they feel should be spending their dollars on Apple in such contempt for their stupidity?
Maybe it’s the fact that you cannot build an Apple?
Maybe it’s the fact that all of your un-provable assertions about the useful lifespan fall by the wayside when you consider that Macs have to last long since upgrades are prohibitive?
Tell me more about how hardware is cheap and software is expensive for wintels when mac users get gouged for OS upgrades (while smiling and asking for more) and I buy a copy of XP for $5 from my university or download any of several Linux flavors gratis.
“Of course, that would involve wrapping your head around the notion that computing can actually be different, better than what you know, OUCH!”
This poster makes the false assumption that the only people not using OSX are those who haven’t experienced it. Maybe they use it all the time and just think it’s not all that special?
Whatevah, you can buy xp for $5 from your university, but the small nonprofit I work for got gouged when our exec. dir. accidently got xp home edition on his new pc and even our outside IT consultant couldn’t get it onto the server. Paid more to get xp pro on that new pc than I’ll be paying when I upgrade to Panther. Nice you are at a university, most people aren’t. And yeah, I could download linux for my Mac too, but I don’t need to. The only thing I’ve paid too much for on my Mac was M$ office. That was a total waste. I don’t have time to build a computer. Heck, I don’t have time to fix the windoze pc’s that belong to my family members, though they wish I did. What I don’t like (note, I don’t hold people in contempt, contrary to your assumption) is when people buy cheap pc’s and then ask me to take the time to make them work correctly, and yes, people do that. If people don’t want to use OS X, fine. I don’t have a problem with that. I just don’t want to hear about their problems.
Oh yeah, as far as subjective opinions, they might be, but my first experience downloading phots onto an xp machine took me 45 minutes (conservative estimate, probably longer) from start to finish. First experience on my eMac, 4 minutes. iLife alone is worth the cost of the Mac.
“but the small nonprofit I work for got gouged when our exec. dir. accidently got xp home edition on his new pc and even our outside IT consultant couldn’t get it onto the server.”
So your argument is that it cost your nonprofit money because your director made a stupid mistake? (kidding)
” The only thing I’ve paid too much for on my Mac was M$ office”
OpenOffice runs on xp and many other OSes and it is remarkably good.
“I don’t have time to build a computer. Heck, I don’t have time to fix the windoze pc’s that belong to my family members, though they wish I did”
I can build a PC in 20 minutes (and three hours for installs, updates, etc lol) . I can’t build a mac at all.
“Nice you are at a university, most people aren’t.”
Most ‘people’ are not. Most computer users have gone, are going, or will go to one.
” (note, I don’t hold people in contempt, contrary to your assumption)”
I didn’t make an assumption, I made a statement, and it wasn’t about you – it was about “most Apple users.” One need only look at the leftnavbar of this very website for tacit confirmation of my claim.
I don’t have a problem with anything said here except people need to realize that irrationally supporting all things apple is just as sad as irrationally supporting all things wintel.
They are both tools and nothing more, despite what MS/Apple want to tell you. Just as being a mac user doesn’t automatically make you an elitist, using wintel hardware doesn’t make you a drone or a denizen of walmart.
“Oh yeah, as far as subjective opinions, they might be, but my first experience downloading phots onto an xp machine took me 45 minutes (conservative estimate, probably longer) from start to finish. First experience on my eMac, 4 minutes. iLife alone is worth the cost of the Mac.”
Funny, I plugged my digital camera into a machine I built for $500 and it recognized my camera immediately, and brought up a dialogue asking me if what I wanted to do with the photos from a range of choices and if this is what I always wanted to happen by default. It took 5 mins (and 2 of those were plugging the usb cable into the back (this machine didn’t have front-side usb until I wired it in later)).
Then again, my machines work…I can’t say the same for any other vendor
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I can envision the day when Apple reports that it has sold 1,000,000 computers in the last fiscal quarter and Business Week announces that Apple’s marketshare has dipped to below 0 %
Windows users have or will catch up? Wow, what a thought. Is that possible? If so, is it even likely? I’ll go ask the talking dog.