“Apple-bashing seems to be at a fever pitch lately. Non-believers say Mr. Jobs has been making too many ‘this-product-is-going-to-change-the-world’ presentations. They argue the company continues to make over-priced, under-powered computers. They compare Apple devotees to a cult, a herd of self-important wannabes who blindly fawn over everything that comes out of headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.,” Christopher Hutsul reports for The Star.
“As a long-time Apple user, I’ve always been quick to defend the company. My computing experience is divided between the slow, cumbersome PC I use at work, and the crisp, breezy Apple environment I use at home. My G4 tower, nearly five years old, hasn’t crashed in over a year, and still handles tasks briskly. The brand has earned my respect,” Hutsul reports. “But I have to admit that Mr. Jobs’s shtick is wearing thin, and there are some troubling developments in Apple-land. First, the iPod itself, despite its success, presents problems. Today, the company’s success is based not on computer sales, but on MP3 players. Can Apple keep finding new iPod customers? Doesn’t everyone who can afford one already own one?”
“iTunes. The MP3 software used by Apple was once a lean, simple program. The most recent version, equipped to manage podcasts and the iTunes music store, is a dud. In a push to make online music buying more habitual, Apple has removed the option of switching off the music store. The result: there’s so much happening in iTunes, that it resembles an early version of Realplayer — one of the many ungainly PC-based MP3 players that prompted people to seek out the simplicity of iTunes in the first place,” Hutsul writes.
Note: As MacDailyNews reader “Suicidal Gingerbread Man,” notes below: In iTunes’ Preferences, go to the “Parental” section and check the box for “Disable Music Store.”
Hutsul also uses the Motorola iTunes-capable ROKR phone as an example of hardware getting “sloppy,” and blaming Apple for Motorola’s design. Another sign that the company is scrambling is the recent release of the lacklustre Motorola ROKR MP3 phone.
Full article here.
For the fiscal year ending September 24, 2005, Apple’s Computer’s revenue on iPod and iTunes Music Store sales, iPod services, and Apple-branded and third-party iPod accessories, accounted for $5.439 billion of Apple’s $13.931 billion in annual net revenue or 39% of Apple’s business. Mac hardware and Mac software sales accounted for the other 61%. And so, Hutsul is inaccurate and misleading when he writes, “Today, the company’s success is based not on computer sales, but on MP3 players.” Apple’s Mac lineup is stronger than ever and about to get even stronger. Next, iTunes is not a dud, the iTunes Music Store is a website; is Hutsul complaining about the ever-changing design of an online store? The store is meant to show the latest releases and maintain a fresh look with each visit. The rest of the iTunes player is comfortingly familiar and has maintained its simplicity very well. So, Hutsul’s wrong on this count, too. Finally, to blame Apple for Motorola’s design is another mistake by Hutsul. By the way, the Motorola ROKR is not a “crummy” phone, as Hutsul writes, its just too limited by song capacity for many people and uses a conventional “candy bar” design based upon a solid, proven phone design. The best thing about the phone is Apple’s contribution: the iTunes software. There are more and better iTunes phones coming from Motorola soon. Hutsul seems to have set out with an idea, and an old idea to boot: “the iPod is distracting Apple from the Mac,” and then conjured up “examples” in an attempt to support his old idea. Sorry, Mr. Hutsul, it didn’t work.
[Update: 10:40am EST: Rewrote portions of the take to clarify that the $13.931 billion figure was Apple’s annual net sales, not quarterly.]
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Related article:
Motorola’s upcoming ROKR E2 Apple iTunes music phone based on PEBL design – December 02, 2005
Motorola to redesign ROKR iTunes phone with new sleek look and 1,000 song capacity in early 2006 – November 16, 2005
Motorola SLVR mobile phone with Apple iTunes – November 09, 2005
Cingular slashes Motorola ROKR iTunes phone price – November 09, 2005
Motorola unveils RAZR V3i Apple iTunes-capable mobile phone – November 08, 2005
Is Apple moving away from its computer roots? – November 04, 2005
As much as I hate to admit it, he is sorta right…
The iPod used to be slick and fully mac-centric. Now, it’s interface is laggy, it’s design clumsy (black!?), it’s connectivity non-firewire.
And the Mac line remains in the stone age, with only one serious desktop model for Joe Everyman and laptop models that never seem to get much more than a minor update (screen resolution is not an update).
I hope that this is simply the transition period between PPC and Intel but I fail to believe that the iBook, MacMini and PowerBook will all be updated in the next 3 months or so
Yes, at best – the guy is a pessimist who’s none too bright and I would sure hate to be his family and b) he just needed to fill out a column so he just ran off some random thoughts – and people wonder they think journalists are idiots these days …
Well, I read the article. And I liked it. Funny, for all the alleged inaccuracies, the only one you guys can drum up is that, yes, indeed you can turn off the iTunes store. It’s an opnion piece. Reads like one. And I happen to agree with it. iTunes stinks. Get over it.
Hey look. The article’s section about not being able to turn off the music store has mysteriously disappeared.. how interesting.
MacWrath,
I will personally fly to which ever burg you live in and kiss your A@@ if Apple delivers Mactels @ MWSF they won’t be ready PERIOD… Video players, ain’t shit until you have content and that requires contracts with Apple and those take forever because of who Apple is dealing with> they can’t wipe their asses unless the lawyers say go. As far as the SNL thing come on man you gotta have more brains than that.
“… the article’s section about not being able to turn off the music store has mysteriously disappeared.. how interesting.”
Yeah, dude. It’s called correcting an error. Get a MacLife.
Laugh Clown Laugh: Milwaukee you f*ckn’ troll. Post your email add and I’ll send you my real address. But before you fly all the way over here to kiss my a$$ in person you twink you better get your mommy’s permission. Rest assured you will be on the receiving end of a seriously traumatic rectal ham lancing the likes of which you have neither experienced nor enjoyed.
BTW Apple just signed more content. Wow you look stupid. Not that you needed my help. And my comment to the author was general in nature not meant to be prophetic in the least. But anytime you are proven wrong (and I’m sure that’s quite often) and want to either kiss my A@@ or kick it (I still don’t know which urges you are looking to quell) feel free to stop on by 76th and Capitol in Brewtown and we’ll have a go. Remember to bring your Go Phone so you can call 411 to find the nearest crisis center after your self inflicted extreme humiliation. (if it’s words you want go reread your well read Archies).
“Here is to the fools of the world… without them, the rest of us could not succeed.” To you my friend… Za vashe zdorovye!
Funny aside:
the MDN Magic Word is physical for this post – prophetic, huh X-(