Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher spoke with Microsoft’s Disinterested Figurehead Chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer at this year’s D conference last evening:
AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski provides notes. Here are a few excerpts:
Mossberg: What about Vista and the lousy reception it’s been given. Is Vista a failure?
Ballmer: Vista is not a failure. Is it something we’d like to improve? Of course. Is it something that with 20/20 hindsight we’d do differently? Sure, he confesses. But Vista has sold a lot of copies, he adds.
MacDailyNews Take: To clueless Best Buy shoppers guided by ignorant USA Today articles. They did not choose Vista, they don’t know any better. Most Windows users don’t even know what an OS is, much less choose one. Most Mac users, on the other hand, have tried to use Windows (at work and/or school) and have chosen Macintosh for a reason.
Walt jumps in and asks about the percentage of Vista sales that result in downgrades to XP. Ballmer dodges. Gates looking a little depressed.
Walt asks if Vista has damaged with Windows brand.
Gates says Microsoft’s philosophy is to “do things better.” And Vista has given us lots of opportunity to do that, he notes. (Audience laughter.) There are plenty of lessons out of Vista–compatibility and other issues vendors are concerned about.
Ballmer says that according to consumer research, the No. 1 complaint about Vista was the change to the Windows user interface.
MacDailyNews Take: And so, in their finite wisdom, they’re about to change the upside-down and backwards Mac WIndows user interface again with Windows 7. Read on:
Paczkowski notes, “We’re about to get a Windows 7 demo (Oh, one more thing …. Here’s hoping Microsoft shares only those aspects of the new OS that it doesn’t end up de-featuring at a later date.) Ballmer says what we’re about to see is ‘just a snippet’ of Windows 7.”
Paczkowski writes, “Windows 7, like other Microsoft OS’s before it, seems to have borrowed a thing or two from Mac OS X. This time it’s Apple’s Dock, which Microsoft appears to have borrowed. Multi-touch and a Dock. In Windows. Steve Jobs must be so proud.”
MacDailyNews Take: Some things never change. Unless Apple does. Then everything changes. Microsoft’s OS, the music business, the smartphone and wireless industries…
Microsoft’s Julie Larson-Green conducts the WIndows 7 demo. Paczkowski notes, “Larson-Green pulls up a brand new app, “Touchable Paint.” She uses all 10 fingers to draw a tree. Then, she brings up a photo gallery. Noting that multi-touch makes it faster and easier to manipulate photos, she demonstrates … well, she demonstrates a lot of features that anyone who’s ever used an iPhone will already be familiar with: two-finger zoom, flicking through a slideshow, single finger panning through thumbnails… Walt asks if multi-touch is built throughout the OS. Larson-Green says it is.”
Walt asks Ballmer if he’s worried about the next iteration of Mac OS X, which will likely be released before Windows 7. Is there a risk that the work you’re doing now with multi-touch will look dated when Apple (AAPL) releases its next OS?
Ballmer says he’s confident Microsoft will have fantastic Windows 7 PCs, regardless of what Apple’s got on the market.
Walt presses him, noting Apple’s recent growth in the PC market.
Ballmer notes the difference in scale between the two companies: “We sell 270 millions PCs a year, and Apple sells 10 million. They’re fantastically successful, and so are we.”
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft sells zero (0) PCs a year. Apple sells 10 million more personal computers per year than Microsoft. Apple created the personal computer as we know it today. Microsoft copied/stole it. If you want to count faulty, Red Ring of Death, sound-like-a-hurricane-in-your-living-room Xboxes as “Microsoft PCs,” you’re desperately grasping at straws. Please stop reading now and head on over to Dell.com to begin configuring your next POS.
Walt hits on Windows quality issue, noting that he’s seen old Macs running significantly faster than new Vista machines.
Ballmer admits there’s room for improvement: Steve Jobs has a great business, he says. His model works well. But so does ours. 10 million people like his model. 290 million like ours.
MacDailyNews Take: 290? We thought it was 270? In less than 5 minutes, Balmy sold 20 million more nonexistent PCs in his mind. Anyway, most of those 290 million never made a choice because they have no idea there even is a choice. They were stuck with Windows at work or school and therefore consigned themselves to Windows PC purgatory because “that’s what they use at work/school.” Fortunately thousands of people awaken with each passing day. Of the now 300 million total, about 10 million people per year have used both; they choose Macs for a reason. And, by the way, the installed base for Mac OS X is approximately 25 million users, not the 10 million Ballmer is trying to insinuate (notice that he dropped the “per year?” We did.) 25 million users LOVE Steve Jobs’ model, the rest don’t know any better.
Kara asks Gates how it feels to have Microsoft defined by Apple via its “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” campaign.
Gates clearly isn’t happy with that question. Dodges. Ballmer jumps in. Hits that 290 million metric again. “Every share point Apple picks up is a share point we don’t like. But we like selling 290 million units.”
MacDailyNews Take: Ballmer’s delusional. Microsoft sells zero (0) PCs a year. Most Mac users have made conscious technology choice and are therefore better informed than the vast majority of Windows sufferers.
Much more in the full article, including a video of the Windows 7 demo and photos of Kermit and Monkey Boy on stage with Mossberg and Swisher here.
MacDailyNews Take: To find out which of the cool iPhone features has been patented by Apple and are now protected from replication and which ones you can expect to be copied soon by the likes of Nokia, Samsung or Motorola, we’ve combed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark database and checked all relevant Apple’s patents.
And we came to a conclusion that this time Steve Jobs did his homework and most of the key features that make iPhone an iPhone will not be easily copied by competitors. This applies to Multi touch display, the idea to use full screen of the device for User Interface, scrolling, zooming and other finger gestures, soft on screen controls, multifunctionality, proximity, ambient light sensors and many other functions.
When Steve Jobs exclaimed [in front of a slide displaying “200+ patents” during Macworld Expo 2007’s iPhone-dominated] keynote, “And boy have we patented it!” it was not an empty boast. The have indeed PATENTED it. And though not all of the claims have received patent protection yet and even less of them may withstand scrutiny in court if Apple decides to enforce them, many of the claims should should stick. – Unwired View, May 2007
Microsoft: “You lead, we’ll follow!”
I love that walt presses the apple issue right on ballmer and gates…
Wow, after looking at the demo, I just feel sad for these guys. Their old winning strategy of just coming up with a cheap copy of the Mac is so doomed and yet they cling to it like a railing on the Titanic.
Didn’t Apple patent the hell out of multi-touch? Did MS have to pay Apple for this?
Can’t they have ONE original idea of their own!
Geez…
Why is it that the “more is better” approach dominates American culture? The whole 270 million vs. 10 million things is just stupid. 270 million computers is not “better” it’s just “more”.
Steve Ballmer is a friggin idiot.
And I just recently watched that video clip where he was sweating like a pig on stage, ranting and raving about developers…
Why does he get paid as much as he does? If he’s the face of Microsoft’s future, nobody should worry in the slightest. One word for ya…”meds”
As in, he’s on ’em and he needed ’em that day.
Nobody wants to touch her/his PC.
@ countdown has started: keep a close watch at Apple’s stock today
Apple will need to sell a fully multitouch Mac before Microsoft/OEM’s release Windows 7 multitouch machines.
I hope that rumor about the Touch Mac is true!
That whole video reeks of desperation.
Sorry, that interview reeks of desperation.
Typo. Or, really, a “write-o”.
Hey folks! Hummer is back. I’m not going to make my joke about him needing a hummer as I did yesterday because that post got deleted.
D’oooohhh!
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Bill and Steve did a rather admirable job defending their innovations and success in the face of Mossberg and Swisher’s vicious attacks—most likely planted by you-know-who in Cupertino. You MAC losers have to be disappointed they didn’t take the bait when patently false and inflated statements about Apple’s me-too business were injected into the conversation. C’mon, even you MAC sheep had to find the Apple bias sickening.
Great job, guys! Way to take the high road, but we always knew Microsoft was about class. And one more thing, Microsoft sells way more gear than Apple, and that’s what really matters. Ballmer gets it. I don’t know why you MAC-tards don’t get it.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Dear Hummer, that’s why Lexus, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche make so much money while not selling as many cars as Ford or Chevy, Discerning buyers buy what they want not what lemmings can afford. This comparison is even more relevant now as all the US is upset over its dominant but falling market share. Microsoft sells it’s OS for Geos. Apples sells its OS on the Lexus, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche of computers. Even Chevy drivers would buy a higher end car if they could afford it. Come to think of it Apples BMW computer is no more expensive than most Geos running Microslop. Maybe one’s taste is in their mouth.
When was the last time Jobs had to answer a question by saying “_______ is not a failure.”?
Oh I remember. It was when he was talking about the Apple TV. He admitted Apple didn’t get right on 1.0. Then he gave us movie rentals and upgraded mine for free!
Multi-Touch is great in theory. The difference is that Apple have designed and built devices specifically designed for it, devices that are on sale now. Apple have designed a UI for their OS that is designed for Touch, something with a traditional desktop environment (Mac OS X) is not.
Just shoe-horning the ability to finger paint, make ripples on the screen and play around with pictures is a gimmick. A cool gimmick, but not something that works as part of an OS that people will be using for large periods of the day, every day for both work and pleasure.
In contrast, as well as the iPhone and iPod Touch, Apple are also selling computers right now that have various multi-touch elements included. Limited ones, ones that don’t offer any new functionality, but ones that are seamless, ones that work as well as if not better than traditional methods. They’re not screen based but they work.
Look at the difficulties of adding resolution independence to OS X. Screen based Multi-Touch is a huge shift in the way computers are interacted with, everything needs to be rethought. I’m pretty confident we won’t see it system-wide in Mac OS 10.6. I am confident that we’ll increasingly see it in Apple devices though. The iPhone and iPod will continue using it and the SDK will create a new world of Multi-touch purposed applications, ones that don’t rely on the traditional methods of interaction. In time the iPhone will probably scale up to encompass a tablet or small laptop and begin to replace the traditional Desktop environment and the traditional Desktop environment will add multi-touch where it fits well – Coverflow being a prime example – but it won’t be done in the way MS are hoping it will with Windows 7. How is their touch going to work with a word processor? How will it be any better than what we already have?
And you GOTTA give Ballmer credit for hiding an iPhone behind a giant screen. Or was the demo just an incredibly well choreographed dance with an .avi movie file, like music stars lip-syncing the Superbowl Halftime.
@ Hummer
Nice. The only thing I disagree with is the “going down the toilet” part. Apple went down the toilet years ago.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Running multi-touch on Windows will require NOTHING else be running…
Joke.
Seemed to me the whole interview was a ‘we will do it better in future’ exercise.. why should anyone give them the chance too?
Sweet! Another version of Windows to fix and line my pockets with cash! Keep releasing quality, MS!!
Multi-touch. On a desktop PC. So, all users will have to upgrade their monitors to new multi-touch capable ones? Whatever.
Oh yeah, “Remember the Gorilla Arm!“
Go Apple!!! If it makes you feel better a couple of faked windows screen shots will convince you of mac superiority.
Wake up people!!!!!! You don’t need a degree in rocket science to serf the internet with Linuix. Get out a little for gods sake.
@Hummer,
Hmmmm, I believe you really want the http://www.Zune.net site. Its just around the corner. >>>
” but Microsoft knows how to market the hell out of their products to their targeted consumers.” Market??? Sell???? They have no choice and what microsoft does well is stump out anyone who is a new comer that would give Microsoft competition. “We stump, you get stuck.” That is not marketing, its just power run amuck.
Every new Mac user is one less PC user. Just a thought.
en
FTFA:
Gates: “Guys like us avoid monopolies. We like to compete.”
Liar.
I’m surprised you can hear Gates or Balllmer speak when they’re sitting down.
Hummer, The iPhone recently won a black pencil from the D&AD;awards in London. Only truly innovative game-changing objects win a black pencil. Obviously you know better than an international board of judges. Go to http://www.dandad.org and learn.
@wondering joe (from work) says, “Microsoft: ‘You lead, we’ll follow!'”
Actually it’s more like, Microsoft: “You blink, and we take over every facet of your personal and corporate lives to the point that, if you try and break the tracker beam you’re entire life will be turned upside down, and it’ll cost you a whole lot of money to get up turned upright again.”
@Zune Tang,
Zunny, baby, let’s do lunch sometime darling!
The proof is made: you can be billionaire and still remain a foolish looser!
Monney makes you rich but not wise!
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That’s “serf” as in surf. While we’re at it, “god” is spelled with a big G. Go back to Linux, you do not belong here.
@M.X.N.T.4.1
I can see a 17″ touch screen tablet, accompanied with an optional stand to turn the tablet into an iMac like device, with bluetooth keyboard. Touch on-screen keyboard when used as a tablet.
@ Linux user
I’ll get out just as soon as I can find the right dependencies to run MP3’s in Totem media player properly after I recompile it. Should take a couple of hours, but I’ll have you know I’ve been struggling with it for days.
Anybody know how to get the sound card working on a 6 year old ThinkPad running Fedora? I also need help with editing samba.conf file. I can’t see my shared volume over the network.
Linux rules!
Your potential. Our passion.™
@MacNScott
M$ does come up with their own ideas…. they see what everyone else does… and then they instantly have ideas on taking that technology and putting it into their OS and saying ti’s better…
Innovative features in over 2 years from now that are currently available to purchase today from other vendors. IMPRESSIVE!!!!
“Why is it that the “more is better” approach dominates American culture?”
Have you ever talked to people here in the US? Ignorance, in a word.
wow, they even copied the map search for starbucks.
why not just CGI bills head on Steves keynote from the last year and release that twice a year. god what a pathetic company……
@bimmerguy
actually an apple computer is like a lexus but at the cost of a scion TC. (the sporty car one not that ugly ass box with wheels)
“Hmmmm, I believe you really want the http://www.Zune.net site. Its just around the corner.”
Actually, he’s better off with the rocket scientists at iwantapinkzune.com. And look! Hummer went poof! Good riddance to the little drool monkey.
“and then they instantly have ideas on taking that technology and putting it into their OS and saying ti’s better…”
You forgot the most important part of all. The last step is claiming it was their innovation.
Did anyone notice the picture of Ballmer’s son in the Windows 7 demo?
And MDN you typo’d your own take: “Apple created the personal computer as we know it today. Microsoft copied/stole it’s OS.” Microsoft couldn’t have stolen the personal computer because, as you pointed out, it doesn’t make any.
Linux user: “Wake up people!!!!!! You don’t need a degree in rocket science to serf the internet with Linuix. Get out a little for gods sake.”
Apparently Linux doesn’t include modern computer features like spell check.
Nor do you need to understand the difference between surf and serf, or God’s and gods.
Kinda sad, really.
“You don’t need a degree in rocket science to serf the internet with Linuix”
Not to feud with you, but I’d rather lord the ‘net with nobility than serf it. Yeah, pawns like us could argue all knight and deus, so it’s a moat point.
Micro$oft and fingerpainting…should anything be said more??
MikeR: “That’s “serf” as in surf. While we’re at it, “god” is spelled with a big G. Go back to Linux, you do not belong here.”
Apparently I was too slow.
Still the big question that I wish Walt would ask Steve Jobs…why does Apple refuse to show their OS on TV commercials? This would be a good time to do it.
I have to say, I am a bit concerned. We all know Walt Mossberg is a respected journalist, but he is also known to be on the Apple’s side often. We don’t want too many guys like him to keep prodding Ballmer. He has been certified mentally unstable; we can’t possibly predict what kind of reaction he could have if he is pushed too much. In his colossal arrogance and sense of infallibility and impunity, he could be pushed into doing something truly horrendous, like doing physical harm to Steve Jobs (I’m sure he has contacts who know people who know people…), just to stop this incessant harassment regarding the superiority of Apple’s OS to his Windows baby.
Ballmer has a strong evil side to him. He is fully capable of orchestrating something sinister. We don’t really want to push him all the way. Let’s just allow him to continue to believe he is the best thing since sliced bread, slowly carving out slice after slice of the big pie.
Blue Dream: “Micro$oft and fingerpainting…should anything be said more??”
More interesting would be its applications for new forms of porn.
Zune Tang, Gates and Ballmer drag the concept of free speech to new lows. I’m constantly amazed at how their rehearsed talking points all sound alike — and very similar to a Bush administration press conference.
Unfortunately, many people don’t always see through sleight-of-hand excuses that are long on double talk and short on facts. That’s why we recently ended up with an embarrassing dufus for president and a poor computer operating system dominating the planet. In the end, neither was really chosen by the people — both were thrust upon us by power brokers behind-the-scenes.
“We don’t want too many guys like him to keep prodding Ballmer.”
Like poking a bear with a stick, Ballmer snaps and leaps onto Walt tearing flesh with his fangs while blood drips from his round, grinning face. Gates croaks, “Oh no, not again.” A black cloaked Ninja security force drops from the ceiling with nets and powerful horse tranquilizers. Ballmer is subdued and lured into his reinforced steel carrying cage with chocolate pudding cups laced with his anti-psychotic medication. Walt is carried away on a stretcher muttering, “See you next year. Thanks for coming.”
HD Boy: “I’m constantly amazed at how their rehearsed talking points all sound alike — and very similar to a Bush administration press conference.”
…and I’m tired of people trying to link Apple and Microsoft to politics.
The Key word for both Gates and Ballmer is delusional. I love the fact that they dodged key questions which they should have answered. Walt definitely hit them where it hurts and they proved that by not answering his questions. Then going into a delusional rant afterwords.
@ampar
for some reason i see a ralph stedman illustration…
LOL
From C|Net:
“Windows 7 demo at D6: Really? That’s it?”
“I was really hoping for Ballmer and Gates to address the changing nature of computing, and not fight Apple for the design award; I really don’t think the Microsoft UI juggernaut committee is going to be able to outflank the Apple design team’s Zodiac runabout.”
Apparently Linux doesn’t include modern computer features like spell check.
Nor do you need to understand the difference between surf and serf, or God’s and gods.
@ MikeR and twilightmoon: Actually I think Linux user is Greek. So he could well have multiple Gods… Zeus, Red Hat, Ubuntu, Debian…
feral: Ralph Steadman is an amazing artist.
I was thinking more of a cross between H. R. Giger and Dr. Seuss.
one thing about Windows 7. I can’t wait to watch some accounting hack try to make Excel work! I tried everything, pinch, twist, rake my fingers across the screen and it won’t Sum!
Need I mention that the MDN Takes start out a bit snippy, move on to downright nasty, then move on again to merely redundant? Now … OK. A little redundancy was called for by the players in question … but you can get the bulk of it out of the way once then move along to “ditto” rather than restating and expanding.
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twilightmoon, the comment from HD Boy was merely LIKENING the computer industry to the political industry. Not LINKING it. And it was a valid comparison. But … I agree: there was no good reason to make the comparison, unless it makes you feel good to denigrate the Bush Administration. I’ll admit, I’ll miss that pleasure starting in about eight months, I hope, but not here. This is not the place for that conversation.
At least he didn’t link the “delusional” aspects of each, as well.
“While we’re at it, “god” is spelled with a big G”
only if you believe it is…..
remember, religion is just myth information.
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“And we came to a conclusion that this time Steve Jobs did his homework and most of the key features that make iPhone an iPhone will not be easily copied by competitors. This applies to Multi touch display, the idea to use full screen of the device for User Interface, scrolling, zooming and other finger gestures, soft on screen controls, multifunctionality, proximity, ambient light sensors and many other functions.”
Apple stole or copied all these ideas from other people. None of the patent applications are worth the paper they’re written on.
“The have indeed PATENTED it. “
They have indeed applied for patents, which is not the same thing as them being issued.
Lets face it, no patent for a phone controlled completely by a touch screen is going to stand any kind of scrutiny. HTC had these years before Apple. Ambient light and proximity sensors? All sorts of devices had these long before the iPhone. Multi Touch? An almost 3 decades old technology recently commercialized by Apple.
Almost none of these patents will be issued, and those that accidentally sneak through will be shot down almost immediately.
I’ve tried Linux and there’s no software for a pro graphic designers on it. What they do have doesn’t even compete with Illustrator or Photoshop.
It’s a hobbyist OS that feels like it’s from 1992.
@Zune Tang®
Dude, I know you mean well and all (and that you’re really a closet Mac fanatic), but can you change your tune for a while? No one buys it anymore that you love Windows (and have life-size posters of Ballmer and Gates at home). Choose a different tack.
“…and I’m tired of people trying to link Apple and Microsoft to politics.”
If you cant see the link, you need glasses. The rampant stupidity and greed on the faces of Bush, Ballmer, Cheney, Gates, Blair and all the rest of the insane scammers that have managed to cheat and lie thier way into power – they are all the same assholes that WANT to rule the world and consider themselves better than the ordinary man and woman.
Wake up – life isnt as simple and compartmentalised as you think.
Make no mistake – Gates and Ballmer are NOT nice techie guys who done good……
“Apple stole or copied all these ideas from other people.”
That’s an awfully big statement coming from such a little person.
You gotta love the way Uncle Walt just relentlessly prods them.
I’ll give MS credit for one thing, though. It’s probably to their advantage to put this out there and talk about it now. That way, when Apple eventually does come out with a larger Multi-touch device (whether it be a pad or some type of laptop or desktop), MS can still give the illusion that they did it first, or at least early. Sure, the iPhone has been out for a year, but they’ll make the case that it’s a phone, not a computer. The educated know better, but the unwashed masses may not.
What’s this about an XP downgrade? Are they offering some sort of deal? I bought Vista for Parallels, but I’d drop it like a brick if I could get XP for free. Anyone know?
Microsoft:
“We simply repeat our lies until you believe it’s the truth.” ™
What a pathetic duo and what predictable answers! Bullshit, bullship, flimflam, vapor, fart, bullshit…. On reading the interview, it occurred to me that those two characters are not so unusual; that the world is full of fidiots in charge of large organizations with a dedicated fan base – starting with religious bodies. Oh the humanity! The deception! The Delusion!
It’s sick! The war in Iraq is sick. Neglect of veterans is sick. Neglect of the poor is sick. The torture of prisoners is sick. Suicide bombers are sick. Abuse of anyone, particularly weak children, is sick. Unjust laws are sick. Belief in a god is sick. The Drug War is sick. The sick are elected to high office by the sick.
I’m stupefied! And you can substitute “stupid” for “sick” in any of my sentences here. Unless you’re sick.
It will be very interesting to watch the patent fight that is likely to ensue Windows 7 being released. Ballmer said multi-touch is part of the Windows 7 OS. That means that if Apple has the patents for multi-touch use in a computer OS, it will likely be able to block Windows 7 from being released due to violation of Apple’s patent.
Looks like Apple may have finally turned the tables on Microsoft. Apple may have backed MS into a corner from which it can’t escape to compete without infringing upon Apple’s copyrights and patents.
DLMeyer: “twilightmoon, the comment from HD Boy was merely LIKENING the computer industry to the political industry. Not LINKING it. And it was a valid comparison. But … I agree: there was no good reason to make the comparison, unless it makes you feel good to denigrate the Bush Administration.”
I’ll take your correction to heart, but the spirit of what I said was not whether the comparison was valid or not, but that it’s irritating and tiring to see Apple vs MS computer discussions getting repeated dragged into the political mud.
There are plenty of people who post on MDN who I disagree with strongly on politics and I don’t mind discussing that but I’d rather not do that on a Mac forum and I’d rather not have every topic turned into a political debate.
If I went to a political forum and repeatedly and consistently tried to turn the debate into one involving Apple vs Microsoft, do you think the people there would appreciate that?
“290? We thought it was 270? In less than 5 minutes, Balmy sold 20 million more nonexistent PCs in his mind.”
All that shows is that to Microsoft, Apple’s entire share is equivalent to a rounding error.
“approximately 25 million users”
So if you want to move away from the per year numbers Microsoft has about a billion customers, not the .
“Apple created the personal computer as we know it today. Microsoft copied/stole it.”
You’re right. The majority of the world’s PCs use the 6502 processor and it’s derivatives. Or the 68k, or the Power PC.
Apple just crushed that early trend towards an industry standardized X86 architecture and all PC vendors now use stolen versions of one of Apple’s architectures.
That is, except for the few rare PCs that Apple ships that use Intel processors, standardized WinTel hardware and can run Windows natively. In that case, but only for those machines, Steve copied what everybody else was doing.
shen: “While we’re at it, “god” is spelled with a big G”
only if you believe it is….”
Oh, I guess spelling is based on religion now?
Let’s look at the statement again: “Get out a little for gods sake.”
So who is being referred to here? Multiple gods? If so the statement should be gods’ sake, so it’s not grammatically accurate and that would be a rather odd phrase.
The more common and expected phrase would be “God’s sake.” This is referring to a specific being. The proper way to refer to the single deity is “God” you do not have to be a believer to respect this convention. The only purpose served by using lower case g is to bait and irritate people who believe in and venerate God.
Say if your name is Ben, and I don’t like you, do I call you “ben”? Are we really going to devolve language based upon personal beliefs?
“Suicide bombers are sick.”
Not to disagree with your sentiment, but I have to agree with Fox News (which is rare) and call them homicide bombers.
Suicide implies that the intent is primarily self-destruction. These terrorists intend to kill others as their main priority. Their own death is a necessary secondary cause but not the primary motive. An actual suicide bomber would choose to explode alone rather than walk through a crowded marketplace filled with children trying to maximize the lethality of his or her weapon.
Consumers that choose Windows over Mac on purpose, do so only to play games on their computer.
Workers who are forced to use Windows against their will also play games on their work computer. Solitaire is their game of choice.
Frickin idiots in charge of things – why?: “”…and I’m tired of people trying to link Apple and Microsoft to politics.”
If you cant see the link, you need glasses.”
I wear glasses.
I’ve already answered your point tho. I don’t give a shit if there’s a link between one thing and another, the point is it’s very irritating having every thread here turned into a debate over Bush or Obama or McCain or Clinton, or anything about politics.
It’s simply rude to expect everyone on here wants every topic turned into a debate on politics. Try going to a political forum and turn every single thread into a discussion on Macs vs PCs and see how welcome you are there.
I don’t capitalize humankind, man, woman or child – and they represent something real. Ben is a proper name.
“Consumers that choose Windows over Mac on purpose, do so only to play games on their computer.”
Or for a lower priced system. Or more system for the same money. Or for features and performance not available on Macs, or for compatibility with software they want to run or because they understand Windows because they work with it every day and don’t need another OS.
Or because, as MDN states, nobody really gives a flying crap what OS their PC runs. Either is good enough for what they want to do.
LiM: “Belief in a god is sick. The Drug War is sick. The sick are elected to high office by the sick.
I’m stupefied! And you can substitute “stupid” for “sick” in any of my sentences here. Unless you’re sick.”
I really think you should go back on your meds.
I’m saying this as a friend.
So by the time Windoze users finally get used to Vista, they will change it again. MS really needs to get a shrink to deal with its Mac envy issues.
7 sounds like a replay of Vista waiting to happen. More forced change, more everything different, more “I might as well get a mac.”
As someone who has to use Windows much of the time.. I just keep hoping 7 will be delayed.
Troll: “I don’t capitalize humankind, man, woman or child – and they represent something real. Ben is a proper name.”
Nice try, but Jupiter is a reference to an ancient god, and is capitalized, regardless if he’s “real” or not. Gandalf? he’s a mythical character from a book, he’s capitalized.
God is a reference to a specific entity. If you’re referring to Him you do so with a capital G. If you don’t believe, fine, don’t refer to God, use your point without bringing Him up.
There’s no reason to needlessly insult people who do believe.
Jupiter is a god. A Big Mac is a hamburger. God is a god. Whose god are you talking about? Must be the one true god claimed by many to be different to yours who goes by a generic name and in whose name much injustice and murder has been committed. Oh wait… should I have capitalized Whose or Name too?
“Apple created the personal computer as we know it today. Microsoft copied/stole it. “
Amazingly, this is still not known by the general public, nor acknowledged by the mainstream media.
“That’s an awfully big statement coming from such a little person.”
Except with a little research you could confirm that it’s all true. But never let the truth get in the way of your fanboy revisionist history, right Ampar?
From an Apple fanboy perspective nothing ever gets invented in the computer world until Steve copies it from someone.
Next you’ll be telling me that he and Al Gore have a plan to patent a new thing they just invented called the the Internet, or praising Steve for the invention of the x86 architecture a year or so ago, or claiming Apple not Xerox invented mice and windowed GUIs, or that Mach and BSD Unix are an Apple invention. Perhaps you’ll tell me how Apple invented USB, or the MP3 player, or the touchscreen or the cellphone.
Apple my be good at commercializing stuff, but they don’t invent much.
Rave reviews:
Silicon Alley Insider:
“Microsoft Windows 7? We Already Hate It*”
InformationWeek:
“Windows 7 Shows Microsoft Hasn’t Learned Vista Lessons”
Conde Nast Portfolio:
“Windows Touch-screen? Oh, Lord Help Us…”
PC Advisor, UK:
“Microsoft still out of touch”
24/7 Wall St.:
“Microsoft (MSFT) Windows For Buffoons”
PC Magazine (by none other than Lance Ulanoff):
“Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are also guilty of doublespeak. Each has been quoted extolling the virtues and success of Vista. Yet, days later, they’re explaining how Windows 7 will be lighter, faster, and more componentized.
Does anyone else but me think this is nuts?”
“Except with a little research you could confirm that it’s all true. But never let the truth get in the way of your fanboy revisionist history, right Ampar?”
You made the statement. Have the cojones to back it up, troll boy. If you’ve got them. Do your own research, slack ass wuss.
Does Ballmer have to ask himself softball questions and then answer them during interview all the time? Of course. Will he throw chairs if he can’t answer his own questions? Most definitely. Is throwing chairs better than ducking eggs? Depends on the kind of chairs.
I’d be interested to know what’s going on during Microsoft’s developer meeting. Probably it goes something like this:
Manager 1: Vista doesn’t do well. We need more features.
Manager 2: What features can we include? We have still have MS Bob.
Manager 3: No, no. There is no need for that anymore. Gates is no longer the CEO. We don’t have to humor his wifey. *his iPhone rings*
Manager 2: Wait. iPhone! Apple does something cool with multi-touch.
Manager 1: We will include multi-touch everywhere in 7! Definitely.
Manager 2: That’s great. We can even do Ctr-Alt-delete with touch now! Multi rules!
Manager 3: Multi-touch! Multi-touch! Multi-touch!
Manager 5: Multi-touch!
Manager 7: Multi-touch!
Manager 6: Multi-touch!
Manager 4: Multi-touch!
Manager 16: Multi-touch!
From the Washington Post:
> With more than 2.3 million people behind bars, the United States leads the world in both the number and percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving far-more-populous China a distant second, according to a study by the nonpartisan Pew Center on the States.
> The growth in prison population is largely because of tougher state and federal sentencing imposed since the mid-1980s. Minorities have been particularly affected: One in nine black men ages 20 to 34 is behind bars. For black women ages 35 to 39, the figure is one in 100, compared with one in 355 for white women in the same age group.
And not a peep. But oh, should China try to host the Olympics…!
More servicemen have died in Iraq than innocent lives have been lost in the 911 bombings.
> To date, more than 1.6 million</a> American troops have been deployed in the Iraq and Afghanistan operations. More than 4,000 have been killed. More than 65,000 have been wounded or injured, or have contracted a disease. Of the 750,000 troops who have been discharged so far, some 260,000 have been treated at veterans’ medical facilities. Nearly 100,000 have been diagnosed as having mental-health conditions. Another 200,000 have sought counseling and re-adjustment services at walk-in vet centers.
Not a peep. And you’ll have to wade through much disinformation to find out the cost to the Iraqi civilian population. It can be no less than an order of magnitude more.
To get back on track, Ballmer and Gates’ atrocities are of a much lower scale – mostly economic and mental. Of course, they are not in control of WMDs and foreign policy, otherwise I believe them capable of no less carnage.
Never mind, “God” will make things right, eh?
A “demo” is having the hardware on the stage and demonstrating it’s operation. They showed a video.
@Ampar:
So from your treatise on suicide v. homicide exploders, we should call him:
Steve homicide Ballmer
The question also arises; is there a separate category of bomber who only hits inanimate targets?
Anyone else notice in the demo video how laggy multi-touch is on that Windows machine? And that’s with a top-o-the-line (I’m assuming) laptop running the OS, not the dinky little ARM chips Apple has in it’s iPhone.
They have a lot of work to do still, obviously!
From the summary:
“Kara asks Gates how it feels to have Microsoft defined by Apple via its “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” campaign.
Gates clearly isn’t happy with that question. Dodges. Ballmer jumps in.”
For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alexanderp378156.html
Not that Gates is an angel, but I couldn’t resist that quote.
All these references to Hummer… I’d like to have read the original comment. Unfortunately, there seems to be a little insecurity in the MDN-verse that doesn’t allow them to keep dissenting comments around long. Come on, MDN, if the guy was that much of an asshat, the regular commenters will keep him in line. It’s better to let Hummer make an idiot of himself than to be fanboi censors.
@ John
“Anyone else notice in the demo video how laggy multi-touch is on that Windows machine?”
Yes. Plenty of Slashdot commenters. Here’s one:
“I can handling wiping off finger marks, but the lag on that demo is totally unacceptable. Unless it was running on a 5-year-old celeron-based laptop with 128MB of RAM, or unless the whole demo was running in emulation, that interface is simply DOA. Would any of us put up with 1/2-second lag in a mouse-driven GUI? No way.”
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=566415&cid=23572983
They were pretty cynical about it, too. Someone else comments:
“The trouble is, when you put together an unoptimized, unscalable, hastily coded demo to prove the feasibility of something or to make a stopgap before the real version is available the code *lasts forever*. The real version doesn’t come and hack is laid on top of hack to make the demo the real thing and you own it.”
That may or may not be true, but it’s interesting to note that some tech people now believe Microsoft to be the home of shoddy, hastily hacked together, pile-rubbish-on-top-of-rubbish solutions. Quick-and-dirty solutions aimed at easy profits not at excellence.
I’d like to make two points:
1. A “demo” is having the hardware on the stage and demonstrating it’s operation. They showed a video.
A video is good enough for me.
2. And don’t you MAC sheep start going off about how when questioned about quality and user satisfaction Ballmer kept referring back to sales figures as if it didn’t address the issue. Sales figures are the only metric necessary. If you sell a lot of something then of course you have a user-focused quality product. Case closed. Ballmer is a god among men. Now stop it, MAC dorks.
Your potential. Our passion.™
This is what will drive people away from Microsoft
“Q: We probably spend more time with Microsoft products than we spend with any other products. Has anyone ever considered taking that engagement and leveraging it as an advertising medium?
Ballmer says he’s not sure layering ads on the Windows desktop is a way to improve the Windows experience. That said, he notes, we live in a world where business must think more creatively about advertising.
Gates jumps in and notes that advertising has been moved creatively to other mediums–the mobile arena, for example. But we must be careful of how we do this, he adds, because we don’t want to interfere with the user experience.”
Sounds like they’re thinking about it. Yikes!
Ballmer: “Vista isn’t a mistake”
No, Monkey Boy its a Vistaster
Ampar: See Retard
“leaving far-more-populous China a distant second,”
Sure, the US should adopt the Chinese policy of summary execution without appeal to keep those prison numbers down.
“One in nine black men ages 20 to 34 is behind bars”
Do the crime, do the time. One in nine black men aged 20 to 34 should stop being criminals if they don’t want to end up in prison.
Also summary execution should help those statistics too.
“More servicemen have died in Iraq “
As shooting wars go, the body count from Iraq and Afghanistan is miniscule. That’s not to minimize any individual death, but rather to put it into historical perspective. At current rates the US could be in Iraq another 75 years and still not exceed the death toll from Vietnam. Don’t even think of doing the US WWII death calcuation, the US could be there for centuries and not exceed that toll.
In the same time frame, 50 times as many people have died in the US in car accidents. Why not put your time into that?
I hate having to do this, but our News contributor here is talking apples and oranges. Vietnam was 40 years ago. Different technology. WWII was 65 years ago. Yet older technology.
Apparently, News chose to miss the point entirely. The sole purpose for Afghan and Iraq wars were to prevent future 11 September events. The purpose of Lim’s post was to point out the irony of the fact that more Americans have now died in this war than in an event, the likes of which the war was purported to prevent.
Car accidents are not the direct responsibility of a government. Foreign wars are. Especially when their purpose is greed and their consequences are death and destruction.
MS is bluffing; multi-touch will never make it into Windows 7.
MS has learned absolutely NOTHING from Vista. So here we go again: What starts out as the Holy Grail in an hopelessly ambitious timeframe, will degenerate into a skinned Windows ME, pushed out years late with broken apps and drivers. Brilliant.
Ballmer needs to “Steve” the entire Windows division. MS can’t even do a laughable job at OSes anymore.
“consequences are death and destruction.”
It’s hard to have a war without some death and destruction.
“The sole purpose for Afghan and Iraq wars were to prevent future 11 September events.”
And arguably they have done that, because there has not been another attack on US soil since.
The US could not show weakness in the face of these attacks. Showing weakness and an unwillingness to fight is what emboldened the terrorists to attack on US soil in the first place. Now every wannabe Jihadist gets on a bus to Baghdad where they can be shot in the street without any messy due process.
I don’t see your point on the body count over time being any different from mine. The US body count is very low. The Iraqi army one was not. It seems that you’re trying to support my point by pointing out how good the US has got at fighting wars without losing many people on the US side.
On to cars: I don’t agree:
The federal government sets and reviews safety standards. The federal government and states design, build and maintain the roading infrastructure. They are responsible for setting licensing standards for drivers, for testing and re-testing them, literally deciding who is and is not fit to get behind the wheel. There are responsible (at federal, state and local levels) for setting the laws for driving and for setting the punishment for violators and enforcing those laws.
They’re involved in the policy and mechanics of driving as much as they’re involved in the policy and mechanics of war.
Windows Vista is commonly regarded as Windows XP tarted up to look (in theory) more OS X-like. Which isn’t 100% accurate – the regressions in performance indicate that plenty of code under the hood has been replaced by something worse – but it is a fair summation of Vista’s lack of added value. Vista’s reputation is basically: a tarted-up XP, only performance is worse.
So what are Gates and Ballmer focusing on with the next version of Windows? Fixing those performance issues? No – they’re going to perform additional cosmetic surgery, in the misguided belief that it’s merely the operating system’s interface that puts people off.
I know that’s what the MS astroturfers like to claim when they post comments under articles and on forums, but when you have the head of the company himself also going with that story… then you have a company in major, major trouble.
“the regressions in performance indicate that plenty of code under the hood has been replaced by something worse “
The Aero interface does a lot more than the old XP interface on the back end. Those cool effects don’t come for free. “Slower” doesn’t always mean “Worse”. On a modern PC Vista, is perfectly fast enough for 97% of PC users.
> The sole purpose for Afghan and Iraq wars…. Ahh… there you go. Al Qaida was in Afghanistan, not Iraq. If they were/are any place else, that would be Pakistan, not Iraq. How easily they slip one through you, eh? Like the assassination of John and Bobby, Ted’s mysterious plane crash a few months later (he survived; years later JFK Jr. wouldn’t). Like the Florida election shennanigans that got a patsy—controlled by the war machine—in.
So you got your war in Iraq. It turned what appeared to be an unending stream of surpluses into deficits. It’ll cost $3-trillion when all is said and done. It will have destroyed the lives of thousands of Americans more than 911, and millions of Iraqis. And what’s the price of oil now? Where’s Osama? The Geneva Convention? Our freedom and right to privacy? Our dollar?
Anybody else notice the intro music used to Bill & Steve onstage?
A little Warren Zevon number called…
“Lawyers Guns & Money.”
Hmm. There’s a statement there somewhere…
“Al Qaida was in Afghanistan, not Iraq. “
So Al Qaida was the only rogue organization or state that concerned you in the middle east? How Naive. How easily the liberal press slips one by you.
The mistake you make is assuming that if the US didn’t go to war that things would be any better. Bill Clinton proved that weakness and appeasement was not the answer, rather the cause of 9/11. A strong response to the first World Trade Center attack would probably have saved all those lives on 9/11.
As for the CIA killing off the Kennedys, I’m sure they also caused Ted Kennedy’s brain tumor, Well we’ve finally found an explanation for his behavior the last few decades.
It’s probably best you keep your tinfoil hat on or they’ll do the same to you.
On Florida elections, Bush won Florida, The hanging chad desperation from Democrats was about as embarrassing as Hillary’s current refusal to concede the Democratic primary race. What is it about Democrats that means they just can’t understand when they’ve lost fair and square? And I know you’ll come back with some “nationwide popular vote” statement. When did the popular vote ever determine who is president in the US? Change the process or get over it.
Twilightmoon: …and I’m tired of people trying to link Apple and Microsoft to politics.
I’m not so much trying to make a connection to politics as much as a connection to how besieged leaders of any organization routinely use false and misleading information to distract the public from the truth when they are trying to hide something. In these instances, it happens to be Microsoft and the Bush administration engaging in similar practices. And both organizations are run by people who are less than honest.
I’m just pointing out the obvious…
Multitouch? You mean I can finally punch windows in the fa.. er screen?
“Vista, is perfectly fast enough for 97% of PC users.”
Where did you get that number? Do you have a link?
“And both organizations are run by people who are less than honest”
Steve is a backdating option crook. That’s understood. Unfortunately for the SEC they don’t have the smoking gun.
Microsoft may be sharp in their business practices, but at least you’re only going to be in the receiving end of them if you’re a competitor. For Steve, Apple was treated by him as his own personal piggy bank.
Here are some alleged screenshots of Windows 7:
http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/05/27/windows-7-screen-grabs-look-better-than-they-sound/
If true, they should ship it with a juice box and a teddy bear.
Ok,
This is my first post so I’ll take it easy on you MAC-users.
First: To the Mac Daily News Editor. If your going edit a story and try to make Microsoft look like it’s doing terrible on sales, get your facts straight.
By saying,”MacDailyNews Take: Ballmer’s delusional. Microsoft sells zero (0) PCs a year. Most Mac users have made conscious technology choice and are therefore better informed than the vast majority of Windows sufferers.” you are implying that the comparison of Microsoft’s 290 million units sold to MAC’s 10 million units sold is COMPUTER sales. You should KNOW that Microsoft doesn’t sell PC’s. They’re an OS company! MAC’s OS compared to Microsoft’s OS… there is no comparison. Microsoft slammed MAC in an amazing twenty-nine (29 for you MAC users) to one (1 for the MAC users once again) ratio for units sold! You guys have no room to try and bash Microsoft on their success of selling more UNITS than MAC.
Two: By trying to correct Ballmer’s quote of 290 million units sold compared to 10 million units sold was laughable. If your defense is to try and say that he “sold an imaginary 20 million units in less than five (5 for those great MAC users) minutes”, no wonder why Microsoft owns thirty (30 for… you guys get it right?) percent of your company! That imaginary 20 million units is DOUBLE what you ACTUALLY sold! Did I sense jealousy in that line Mr. Mac Daily News Editor?
Three: For all you MAC-users: By trying to down another company because your company can’t market, hype the consumers, OR sell their product shows all of us Microsoft “followers” that you truly are pathetic. Be excited about your multimedia and accept defeat. Steve Jobs stole the mouse and DOS from Xerox (did you think we forgot how you got into this business? Using the excuse of,”It wasn’t patented. It’s free game!” isn’t going to work. In fact, it works perfect! That’s what Bill Gates did to MAC! Wouldn’t you know? You guys are mad that someone did what YOU guys did first, only he was BETTER at it…
So to all you MAC-users out there… I’m your worst enemy. I’ll find every little mistake because you pride yourselves on Microsoft’s mistakes, which is funny because you guys even screw up on what they screwed up! Have a great day!
@@Predrag
I stand uncorrected by your weak dodges. You obviously are partially informed.
@Jackal
MDN is like a tabloid. No need to get all excited about it.
“Steve Jobs stole the mouse and DOS from Xerox”, followed masterfully by . . .”I’ll find every little mistake”.
That was beautiful! Bravo!
I think ZT’s got some real competition here, folks. It’s time to make some popcorn.
Oh yeah . . . suck on THAT, MAC dorks!
Jackal,
You are the man, I look forward to you correcting all the errors we MAC users make.
You can start by explaining the numerical error that must be the 10 million computers sold.
Please tell us how is it possible for Apple to sell 10 million computers this year when two-three years ago they were struggling to sell even 3 million of them?
@ Ampar
Those screenies are mockups from a few years back. Deviant I believe. Quite unlikley the screenies will follow this line.
@ ragarcia
Well I think I can tackle that question. No mistake there, Apple is selling that many computers. Not hard to figure that one out, the numbers are there.
I find the comments sections more and more irrelevant.
The left wing screeching, slamming America, hatred of Bush, etc.
What does any of that have to do with the dam article?
Are you so twisted and consumed by your delusions that you can not see anything else in the world?
I strongly suggest you go outside-enjoy the feeling of the sun on your face, the breeze, watch a bird fly, smell a flower. Enjoy the world around you and realize you do not amount to a speck of fly shit as far as the universe is concerned.
So get the fuck over yourselves.
@ragarcia
You asked me to explain what the numberical error of the 10 million PC’s sold was. Crash decided he would get cocky and answer. Thanks Crash, but I can answer for myself, and also Crash… make sure your answer is CORRECT next time.
Now, MAC DID indeed sell 10 million UNITS, not PC’s. Units would be the OS. Ballmer had HIS facts wrong… kinda. Microsoft hadn’t sold 290 million PC’s, they sold 290 million copies of their OS to be shipped with or installed to prefabricated computers. Either Ballmer doesn’t know what his company does, or it was a mis-quote.
I’m going to guess here, and correct me if I’m wrong, that all these articles are re-written by that really ill-informed editor you guys got. Mr. Mac Daily News Editor probably typed the article wrong. In which ever case it may be, I hope that clears up Microsoft’s mistake (I defend Microsoft, but admit when they are wrong).
Now, the reason I said MAC sold 10 million UNITS and not PC’s is because those are two different numbers. Remember: units are OS’s and PC’s are actual prefabricated computers. Apple had actually sold about 25 million PC’s.
In the “article” it states Ballmer said MAC sold 10 million PC’s vs. Microsoft’s 290 million PC’s. This leads me to believe that your WONDERFUL editor actually doctored the article so that he could bash Microsoft. I’m not saying that spokepersons don’t make mistakes; they do most of the time. THIS mistake is NOT something a spokesperson who has been with the company for years and KNOWS Microsoft doesn’t sell prefabricated computers.
Later, the article refers to them as “UNITS”. Why would an article switch itself up like that? At another point it states they are “MODELS”. I think MOST of this stuff about Microsoft screwing up in their articles are your editors having some fun. I would speak with them and let them know they’re going to have a not-so-happy Microsoft “follower” e-mailing them everyday about changing articles.
As for the question about MAC being able to up their sales in two-three years, I’ll answer that tomorrow.
Your worst enemy if a MAC user,
Jackal
“Please tell us how is it possible for Apple to sell 10 million computers this year when two-three years ago they were struggling to sell even 3 million of them?”
They run Windows natively now.
“Please tell us how is it possible for Apple to sell 10 million computers this year when two-three years ago they were struggling to sell even 3 million of them?”
If you change the processor, everybody needs to buy a new one.
Windows 7 … hmmmm!
Next year?
M$ took over 5 years to develop the Vista fiasco.
Windows 7 … next year?
Repackaged XP.
@ Jackal
My error. Apology to you.
to How?
You are wrong on that one, buddy.
I am using a G4 eMac 1.25 GHz machine running OS 10.5.3 to write this message at the moment.
If you want to “MacSpeak”, learn about the hardware and software and use it so you seem to have any credence to your statements.
“As for the question about MAC being able to up their sales in two-three years . . .”
Who is this MAC person he keeps talking about? MACarthur, MACbeth?
“. . . I’ll answer that tomorrow.”
Bated breath, everyone?
This guy could easily send this to 4 pages – and that’s what is really important.
“You are wrong on that one, buddy.”
Well share statistics show Intel Mac usage is now almost double non Intel Mac usage (from MDN’s favorite http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=10). That points to a pretty hefty and fast replacement cycle whether you want to believe it or not.
And that’s installed base, not month to month sales. Almost 2/3rds of Mac users now use a shiny new Intel Mac.
And note how Apple’s installed base percentage has remained essentially flat since December 2007.
That points to all those new Macs going into replacing old Macs, not to new customers.
(Funny how we don’t hear that news from MDN any more, they published the numbers each month when they were going up).
To How?
You missed the point.
You don’t need the “shiny” new machines to run the latest Mac OS.
Read other stats from other sites, even from PC mag; they contradict you.
MDN is far Mac-wing, I agree. That makes it fun!
Please enlighten me [I have searched far and wide with Google]; I still have to find a site that praises Windows as this one does for Mac. Can you direct me?
And, as an afterthought, I have no need to run Windows. The few times that I have needed to in the past few years has been an unintuitive pain in the …
“You don’t need the “shiny” new machines to run the latest Mac OS.”
Maybe so now, but give it one more cycle of software releases and you can bet that companies will put the time into making sure stuff runs right on Intel machines not the legacy Macs.
But the point is that the numbers don’t lie, and they are 3rd party numbers, not MDN numbers. Need them or not, people are buying Intel Macs to replace their PPC Macs without the overall Mac share of installed base going up.
Which answers the original question, How has Apple sold so many machines of late.
@ How?
I guess we read different articles
Mac sales were up 50% the last qtr, and 50% of those sales were to 1st time Mac buyers, on a personal note, I switched July 2006, and since then I know personally 7 other people who have switched,
and I guess you missed the 3rd party articles about Mac having 66% of the over $1,000 price point
and I guess you haven’t read where Macs have twice the average life span of typical PC’s, show me a 4 year old PC that will run Vista
“But the point is that the numbers don’t lie, and they are 3rd party numbers, not MDN numbers. Need them or not, people are buying Intel Macs to replace their PPC Macs without the overall Mac share of installed base going up. “
I am open minded, could you send the link that backs up that statement?
“Mac sales were up 50% the last qtr, and 50% of those sales were to 1st time Mac buyers”
Unfortunately the stats don’t bear out that overly optimistic prediction as to how many are new vs replacement. If that number is correct, an equal number are moving the other way back to Windows.
It is possible for Apple to be selling a lot of Macs, but not increasing installed base simply because people are replacing old PPC Macs.
“I guess you missed the 3rd party articles about Mac having 66% of the over $1,000 price point”
I guess you missed the point that hardly any PCs worth more than $1,000 are available at retail and most of them are Macs. Its easy to have most of a segment when you’re the only product in it.
“and I guess you haven’t read where Macs have twice the average life span of typical PC’s”
Due to the processor switch, show me a PPC Mac that will be anything but a doorstop, or only running Apple written apps in 2yrs time.
“I am open minded, could you send the link that backs up that statement?”
The link is above. Note how in the last few months OS X installed base has stayed flat, even declined a little, despite “record” Mac sales.
Pentium 4 processors from 8 years ago will run Vista just fine with a new graphics card and some memory (perhaps $70-100 total). But that’s also kind of a moot point when you can buy a whole new faster PC plus Vista for $299.
What?!? Ballmer made an appearance, and nobody lauded him with rubber chickens?
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/17316/P50/
> But that’s also kind of a moot point when you can buy a whole new faster PC plus Vista for $299.
Wow… they have to give ’em away nowadays, eh?
“Wow… they have to give ’em away nowadays, eh?”
You’re right. As a trend the price of all other electronics stays the same goes up over time. This ridiculous trend towards PCs getting cheaper over time must be stopped.
Fortunately Glorious Apple stands at the forefront of this battle, refusing to reduce prices over time even as component prices plummet.
I feel like the Mac Daily News is written from a group of 2nd graders that is having a contest of who can pick on the other 2nd grader more.
Alot of this article seems to be based on the opinion of the writer and the writers hostility against Windows. Mac and Windows are the same zeros and ones, my opinion they both clearly suck matter in fact they all do!