“Would you take advice on what is and isn’t cool from a guy who still thinks black turtleneck sweaters are the height of sophistication,” Andrew Thomas asks for The Inquirer?
“What finer example of the Apple marketing machine’s power over the gullible could there be than the launch of the ‘HiFi’ ghetto blaster add on for the iPod? After years of flogging overpriced products on the grounds that they were technically superior, Apple now launches an overpriced product so demonstrably inferior to a genuine HiFi system that it would be laughable were it not for the power of the Apple Marketing Juggernaut,” Thomas writes. “Make no mistake, the same gullible saps who think an iPod is cool will rush out and snap up these useless things and push up the level of credit card debt around the world to new heights. Because the battery-powered cereal packet with a couple of tiny speakers in it carries an Apple logo, they’ll fondly imagine it sounds great, but as they’ll only be listening to James Blunt and Coldplay anyway, who cares?”
“Once upon a time, expensive Macs were, arguably, more stable than the WinTel equivalents, but those times are long gone… Apple’s given up and gone over to Intel processors. It’s given up its own operating system and bolted a pretty GUI on an ancient OS called UNIX. Steve, it seems, likes both his clothes and operating systems to come from the same decade,” Thomas writes. “Now what rational person can doubt that rumours of a wholesale move to Windows are founded in fact? The bottom line is that Apple doesn’t care about computers any more. It never sold very many in real terms, which is why the price tags were so eye-watering. Today it makes its money by selling music online and by launching a constant stream of ‘must have’ iPods and accessories that the gormless Jobs worshippers slavishly buy.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Articles about Apple from people who don’t use Apple products are always funny. They look at things through the perspective of their own sad situation. They always look at the highest priced Mac compared to the lowest priced piece of junk Windows PC they can find. They don’t do a fair price/performance/features comparison because that would clash with their warped perspective. They never factor in the value of their time. They can’t imagine that Apple’s way could just be better and more cost effective, so they invent the fantasy of an entire class of Apple fanatic Steve Jobs worshippers who will buy anything with an Apple logo simply because it looks nice, or because they’re gullible, stupid, brainwashed or whatever – anything they can think up except that Apple’s products are actually genuinely better. That idea they cannot admit to themselves because it would mean they they chose wrong with their Gateway Windows XP PCs, discontinued Dell DJs, Napster 2.0 subscriptions, Internet Explorers, and the like. They like to pretend they have choice, but their choice is always shackled to Microsoft; Windows or Windows Media regardless of whatever PC or media player that buy then try and fail to use effectively. Some “choice.” Or they’re just trolling for hits. The facts are, as those who’ve used both Apple and non-Apple products know, that Mac OS X is remarkably better than any other competing operating system, the iPod+iTunes+iTunes Store is remarkably better than any other competing hodgepodge of digital media player and online service.
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Related article:
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness – December 20, 2003
Yeah, I thought the L-1011 was a good plane, too. Maybe the F-14 is being replaced by a version of the F-15. Point’s still the same.
my email to him:
Apple makes more money from their PCs than they do their ENTIRE ipod line combined. Not to mention software sales.
Your attitude insinuates that you either wrote this article partly to get a rise, or that you are just another pissed off, close minded, windows user.
Judging from your pic I would say a little of both.
also about the ipod hifi, you dont know anything about it, nor have heard one, so why waste our time?
Dont you have somehting better to do?
Isnt it time to reinstall windows again?
email him here: http://www.theinquirer.net/?page=24&authorID=4
…and the hi-fi is not great looking, just looks like a speaker. but has anyone seen sharper images’iPulse?
m
“Demonstrably inferior”
Read Apple’s published specs: “Frequency response: 53Hz to 16kHz ± 3 dB”
A real High Fidelity stereo blows that away. And a real high fidelity stereo is actually STEREO. This 17″ system has less than a 15″ stereo soundfield.
That is demonstrably NOT high fidelity.
Its $350 fer chrissakes. You can buy a 5.1 receiver speaker combo for that money!!!
Is it my imagination?
Or is this decade shaping up to be the birth of the PROFESSIONAL ASS TALKER?
Seems everywhere you look these days, from computers, to software, to video game systems, to video game and movies…
You see more and more clueless idiots talking out their asses about things they have no hands on experience with and likely never will.
They reach their off-base/WRONG conclusions by relying on FUD and other misinformation, never considering for a moment that some ACTUAL research might just provide the REAL answers.
In a word… PATHETIC
Ultimately the quality of these new products (the hi-fi and iPod case) is not the issue, what people seem to be most pissed off about is that apple have released something that isn’t revolutionary and isn’t what their wild imaginations were dreaming up, instead they come out with products designed to take advantage of a lucrative market which they are responsible for but have no share of.
Apple products have never been cheap, they’ve always been at a premium but they were high quality so could be easily justified. These new products are no different, of course quality is subjective so some people won’t like them, but those who do will buy them. No-one loses out.
How exactly is the new Hi-Fi demonstratably inferior to a “genuine” system? For the equivelant money you’d have to buy speakers and an amp basically, you’d get a wider stereo field admittedly but quality wouldn’t automatically be better.
Other companies make similar systems and yes some may be cheaper, some may be better, or both. So what? That doesn’t mean this is crap. Why shouldn’t apple take advantage of the market? And yes when you buy apple you pretty much are paying something towards the badge but so what, the badge is worth something for a reason, it inspires confidence in the products, is cool etc. You pays your money you makes your choice.
Also just because something is old (ie Unix) doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s only bad if you fail to build on it and improve it. If apple used something which was “old” and bad in the first place then he’d have a point but they didn’t. Why reinvent the wheel? They went Unix because it’s proven to be good. That’s why it’s a selling point.
Also, irrespective of if Job’s clothing is considered cool or not, it works for him, plus he looks a hell of a lot cooler than fucking Bill Gates ever could.
“the other other Mark”
You bet your petunias. After 20 years of listening to people slap me in the face with fanatical-anti Apple rhetoric, the conclusion I’ve come to is that there ain’t nothin more gullibley fanatic than a bunch of pc heads who won’t even consider using anything but Windoze no matter how much it costs them and their employers in real time and real dollars and cents.
Beyond a show of a doubt, if corporate America would move away from MS products and over to anything else, Mac, Sun Solaris, Linux, for God’s sake even Amiga; The cost of owning and operating and mainting personal computers in the work force would go down so much that MS would be out of business inside of two years from the mountain of lawsuits that would follow once people were awakened from the stupor that MS and it’s IT minions have had the whole country in for the last 20 years.
A little like what’s happened with the cigarette companies over the last 20 years.
He was sounding right, until he got off the HiFi subject and into stuff he knows nothing about.
The iPod HiFi IS a piece of over priced ugly garbage we almost all can agree on that.
Also this “peral white” theme is getting quite old, it’s worn out. Perhaps that’s why the black 30GB iPod is Apple’s best seller.
That I agree on, the rest of the article is nothing but a troll from a whiner.
Typical level of journalism from The Inquirer….. pure crap
“ancient OS unix” …. yeah, XP with Windows NT & DOS foundation is more modern and robust LOL
“gullible saps who think an iPod is cool” ? … yeah, i want the new Sony Bean player (discontinued), er..Dell player (discontinued) …
“today it (Apple) makes its money by selling music online” ? …. yeah, financials show music sales to be just above break even, but that’s factual information so it doesn’t matter
Wow…the level of BS in this article is amazing.
What kind of idiot reads The Inquirer ? What’s the draw, because it is not informative journalism.
I don’t care what the definition of HiFi is. In this case they are using HiFi as more of a marketing term than a technical definition. People think they know what it means. To most people it just means something that sounds good and that’s why they are branding it as a HiFi.
I don’t care what all your tech spec manuals say or how much experience you have in the audio field. Bottom line is, if it sounds good then people will buy it. And my point was, that you were just damning this thing and I know you haven’t heard it because no one has them on display yet.
“What’s the draw, because it is not informative journalism.”
Yea, I’ve seen better draws taken from crack users…
Mama says alligators are ornery cause they got all dem teeth and no toothbrush…
and its portable, is that $379 5.1 system portable?
I think they need to make a weather resistant one to take to the beach
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maybe a yellow sports model with plugs for the ports to keep the sand out…
where have I seen that before??? hmmmm
What a fcuking arsehole. I refuse to go near the register, so if someone posts his email I’ll send him some venom too…
One of the brilliant things that Apple consistently does is to make products which are understated, which to the superficial appear to be nothing special. It could be described as a self-powered speaker in a box, just as a Rolex can be described as a timepiece, but that merely reveals the ignorance of the observer.
Apple have made sensible choices over materials, drivers and the amplifier. It’s a well-balanced combination of features and will do a great job of doing what it’s supposed to do. The acoustic design of the bass enclosure is to a good standard, the materials used to make the housing are the same as used on professional speakers, offering rigidity and toughness with a resistance to self-resonance.
My initial thought was that it’s too expensive for what it is, but when I took the trouble to find out more about it, it became clear that the design is a very clever one and I think that users will be delighted with it.
The thing that must worry companies already in this market is that Apple are offering a very high quality item at an appropriate price point. Of course you can get cheaper speakers, but getting equally good speakers in a similar sized housing might be much more difficult at that price point.
I’m also sure that this is merely the first product of this type and that Apple will be releasing other units to address different requirements.
I stand corrected. I just noticed that the iPod HiFi does have an analog/digital input. Still not exactly built to replace your main home stereo but it’d be great for an office.
As MDN says, don’t knock it till you try it. Or as I always say, “People who know use Apple.”
Macromancer:
The definition of high fidelity is quite well established. It is the ability to accurately reproduce the full range of human hearing.
The term has been in use for over a half century.
I don’t need to hear the plastic box to know what it will sound like.
>What kind of idiot reads The Inquirer ? What’s the draw, because it is not informative journalism.
Same kind of idiot as reads MDN. Only MDN readers use Macs and Inquirer readers use Windows or Linux. MDN is hardly a shining example of informed journalism either…
m, I hope you were joking about the iPulse. That thing was hideous! It looked like a disco ball threw up!
And I don’t need you to tell me the definition of HiFi to determine whether I like the sound or not. The people who KNOW the definition of HiFi will know that it truly isn’t. The people who don’t care will just listen to it and decide on the spot if they like it.
Maybe it makes you feel more comfortable living within your definition, I’d just rather hear it and decide.
I think you have your panties in a bunch for no reason. Just don’t buy it if you’re that rabidly against it. It’s that simple.
Reality Check FYI the article was linked to at Google News.
Okay I have a question.
I’m not an audiofile, nor do I play one on tv… however this is something I’m wondering about:
Hi-Fi is clearly not an audiofile system as a stand alone piece, nor does it seem that it could ever will be given 128k and the existence of true high-end systems…. however, what if what we are seeing here is more like “iCenterChannel” to be followed by some sort of iSub and iSat (wireless even)?
(brief aside- Bonjour could let you organize these components into groups and sprinkle the groups throughout your home. Hi-fi remains the mobile component).
So the question is, could we be seeing the first salvo in a semi-sweet audio set up? Or given the build specs, will this type of thing always be a low-end device?
Fidelity fantasy or emerging strategy? Inquiring minds want ot know.
He starts by dissing a speaker system he has never heard. It may be crap but how would he know?
He just goes downhill from there. Dissing Unix is going to piss off a hell of a lot more people than dissing Jpb’s mock turtle neck.
He obviously is either trolling for hits or he’s a complete asshole.
Probably both.
has some time on my hands to write him (part 1):
i had some time on my hands, so I wrrote a small rebuttal…
—
“Voice of Unreason”
well, yeah, i should think so.
OK, let´s´look a your drivle point by point:
A QUESTION for you: Would you take advice on what is and isn’t cool from a guy who still thinks black turtleneck sweaters are the height of sophistication?
–> wrong question: It´s not about cool, it´s about what tool gets the job done without wasting my time.
but even I think Apple’s Steve Jobs looks like a 1960s throwback.
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–> 1960s? I am not that old, but it reminds me rather of the 1980s, right?
Besides: Who cares? – Jobs is one egomaniacal asshole, and drives people to extremes, afaik – and even to some decent engineering & design. I couldn´t care less about what he wears onstage or offstage as long as I don´t have to see him without clothes (yuck
Apple’s products are increasingly becoming a triumph of style over content
–> show some proof. no really, bring it on.
What finer example of the Apple marketing machine’s power over the gullible could there be than the launch of the “HiFi” ghetto blaster add on for the iPod?
–> the leather case is even more laughable – Do I care? Of course I don´t care. Should they start to throw 10 different accesories on the market for every new iPod or Mac model, I still wouldn´t care.
Now if Macs and/or iPod and especially Mac OS X started to fall behind Win/Linux I´d worry…
Apple now launches an overpriced product so demonstrably inferior to a genuine HiFi system
–> a.) compared to a genuine HiFi system it is inferior, regarding performance as well as price
b.) if you´d actually researched your drivel, you would have realised that most Mac forums are full “less than thrilled” Mac enthusiasts
Make no mistake, the same gullible saps who think an iPod is cool will rush out and snap up these useless things and push up the level of credit card debt around the world to new heights.
–> cheap trolling.
Once upon a time, expensive Macs were, arguably, more stable than the WinTel equivalents, but those times are long gone.
–> Bullshit
Sure, they looked quite nice, but why pay 50% more than an equivalent PC system and then hide the thing under a desk?
–> You cannot possibly that dumb:
a) Over 50% over all Apple CPUs are laptops, i.e. always on the desk. Of the half of the desktops are either iMacs or Mac minis or eMacs (disc.): So 80% of all Macs will be constantly in view.
b.) When buying / leasing your last car, did you spend a minute on which model to buy based on its apperance / i.e. what it should express, what people should think about you driving that car? OK, let me rephrase: Would you agree that most people base their decision whichcar to buy not only on economical/ecological/practical reasoning, but also on status/message/statement? (That 2nd question was a rethorical one, answer it with “yes”) So, a whole lot of people base their decision on which $20,000 car (that they use an hour a day) to buy on “looks”, but buying a $2,000 computer, that they have to look at for 10 hours a day is stupid?
Talk about a double standard, pal.
part 2:
But now Apple’s given up and gone over to Intel processors. It’s given up its own operating system and bolted a pretty GUI on an ancient OS called UNIX. Steve, it seems, likes both his clothes and operating systems to come from the same decade.
–> More cheap trolling. I won´t even bother to comment on that.
Now what rational person can doubt that rumours of a wholesale move to Windows are founded in fact?
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />)) Nutcase.
–>
The bottom line is that Apple doesn’t care about computers any more.
–> Right. They should have just stayed with a sloooooow G4 that freescale/motorola didn´t manage to develop properly , so that it actually could compete with Celerons
and with the G5, that IBM
a) didn´t manage to optimize so you could use it in a laptop
b.) didn´t manage to develop (read 3GHz) within 2 years so that even the lousy quad 2,5 GHz model had to be overclocked (read woter cooled) in order not to toast it (remember Apple´s “toasted Intel Bunny Ad”?)
That´s why Apple switched to Intel: Because they don´t care about computers.
Now what rational person can doubt that rumours of a wholesale move to Windows are founded in fact?
–> Every single person with an IQ above room temperature.
Today it makes its money by selling music online and by launching a constant stream of ‘must have’ iPods and accessories that the gormless Jobs worshippers slavishly buy.
–> may I quote: “Some people couldn’t get a clue if they smeared their body with clue musk and did the clue mating dance while sounding the clue mating call in a field full of horny clues at the height of clue mating season.”
a) apple makes music by selling computers and iPods. If the sales curve continues like is it soon starts making much more money in iPods than on Macs. Why should they abandon the Mac? (Why should MS abandon MS Office for Macintosh: It earns them $1billion profit per year)
b.) To my knowledge, iPod buyers are not gormless (at least most of them)
c.) Between 90 and 95% percent of all iPod buyers are certainly no Jobs worshippers, most probably ever heard of him.
good, reliable products you could rely on.
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–> Even if it waters down my argument, this one is too good to ingnore: “reliable products you can rely on?” – I damn sure hope you didn´t major in English
rgrds
Matt