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Red-hot Apple sales shock market

CATHERINE MCLEAN

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 8:48 AM EST 23/10/07

Shares jump in late trading as company caps a 'magical transformation' with strong shipments of iPhones, iPods and Macs ...Read the full article

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  1. Tkk Z from Canada writes: 67% rise in quarterly profit. Yes, the iFools strategy works! All those fools buying those 'i' at inflated prices for a a cocaine-like high. A fool is born every 1 nanosecond and Apple knows how to feed them.
  2. Ziad Fazel from Calgary, Canada writes: Yes, Tkk Z. iFool. iHappy. iProfitable. iGot Lots of iCompany.

    iMac and iPod way cheaper than cocaine, and way iBetter for a lot iLonger.

    iThank U for your iNput.
  3. Jimmy K from Toronto, Canada writes: Hm... It seems like selling my shares at about $130 dollars ago was a big iMistake.
  4. Larry Robinson from White Rock, Canada writes: Tkk Z - the iPod I recieived last week was dead out of the box but my shares .... didn't know the NASDAQ traded in drugs.

    iCare ... not.
  5. Just trying to make sense of it all from Canada writes: Maybe the apple buyers are fools, but my mac experience (as a recent convert: MacBook Pro is by far the best in a long line of laptops) shows this very small sample size that it goes beyond a nice box. The quality sells the product.
  6. Fugget About It from Victoria, Canada writes: Yeah lets keep that coal firing out of those factories in China! Keep fueling the killing of the earth by consuming more and more Apple products.
  7. Michael Jahonneson from Vancovuer, Canada writes: Fugget About It from Victoria, Canada writes: Yeah lets keep that coal firing out of those factories in China! Keep fueling the killing of the earth by consuming more and more Apple products.

    ----

    I'd like to know how you posted without using a computer. Are you one of the fools in Victoria that paid to fly the Goracle in on a jet to Victoria to talk about saving Mother Earth? LOL
  8. P Gray from Canada writes: Can APPL go much higher? At 48 P/E it seems expensive, but if Leopard does well they can make a lot of money. Also, the new iMac's are simple and great looking.
  9. K Wong from Victoria, BC, Canada writes: The MacBooks are great little laptops. Combined with the fact that Vista is such crap, I'm not at all surprised that Apple is doing well.
  10. A Smith from Canada writes: This is nothing more than spinoff of Windows Vista. I can't use Windows Vista for not even 10 minutes and a message says 'windows explorer is restarting' Now granted I'm always connected to a Windows share and I think that's a source of the problem (so other users may not be experiencing it), but it's still a bug and needs to be fixed ASAP. There are too many things wrong with Vista, it should still be a beta release. So a lot of people are switching to Mac. Microsoft has got to get the service packs out or this will continue.
  11. David Stevens from Great OS, Canada writes: Yes, the hardware is good and not more expensive than brand name PCs.

    The only mistake they have made recently is the horrible new gloss screens they have on the iMacs and iBooks with no build to order option for matte screens. This renders them unuseable by print designers who need colour accuracy.

    The designer's I know are all holding off on the new iMacs. They seem to have made the iMac more consumer and less pro. Not for the better.
  12. Tkk Z from Canada writes: Pleased to see appreciation of my iFools characterization. Unless, of course, you have been iFooled. Further entertainment of that other Apple greatest product, the iRack, can be viewed at:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw2nkoGLhrE

    The genius of Apple, like good politicians, is to fool and get with it. Microsoft, unfortunately, is not as smart. Consider Vista, developed at a cost of $5B over 5 years. The result is the greatest and most expensive pile of junk ever created by man. Greater than the Soviet moon rockets, cost a national fortune and blew up on the ground. Greater than, yes, the Great Wall of China - a million workers to build and the enemy just open the gates and walked in. It takes a very special kind of genius to create billion-dollar junk.
  13. biggar thomas from Guelph, Canada writes: call me a fool!!?? My home has been an Apple/Mac household since 1984. There are a couple of times (mostly in the late 80s) when I cursed Apple computers (probably still less than Windows users cursed their clunker of a system) but overall the experience has been great. My kids now grown and gone are both Mac users too. The tyrouble is that we are all committed Mac users at home but have to endure Windows in the workplace. We all also have iPods and three weeks ago, I purchased an iPod Touch which i think is the best iPod yet. I am a webaholic and need the internet wherever I go. The iPod Touch lets me log on in any wireless hotpot and mostly FREE. I have reduced by cellphone data charges to ZERO. I have done my banking, received and sent email, kept a watch on my 175 shares in Apple that I bought at $49.00 per share, downloaded music, watched some great music videos and youtube videos (may favourite is Miles Davis and John Coltrane playing playing 'So What'and stay current on breaking news (I'm a news hound).

    I am a quite satisfied fool.
  14. David Jenkins from Kelowna, Canada writes: I'm a recent convert to Apple products, prompted by concerns about having to migrate our PCs to Vista. I now understand why MacAddicts are so devoted to their products and am a now happy owner and shareholder.

    To David from Great OS - we ue iMacs with the glossy screen, but we do calibrate them (as we would any monitor) and have no problems with colour management.
  15. P Martin from St. John's, NL, Canada writes: Hate Vista...If another company tells me I have to buy Vista all of our business laptops will be macs.
  16. Gary Dare from Portland, Oregon, Canada, writes: David Stevens writes, 'Yes, the hardware is good and not more expensive than brand name PCs.' True as long as you realize that low end Macs should be compared against mid-level PC's. Apple has suffered from having comparisons made on price against low end PC's that don't yield the same performance and the clock rate myth. [from my humble old eMac ...]
  17. Patrick Matheson from Canada writes: In 1987 I bought a Mac SE after using one of the original Macs 'all-in-ones'
    I added a Powerbook 100 laptop for touring. Next it was a Mac LC575 to replace the desktop, later an eMAC to replace the 575. Upgraded to an IBook in 2002 and now I own a MacBook Pro. (I gave my eMAC to my mom, she loves it!) Yes the ipods are great and I LOVE the iTouch.
    I have never regretted any of these purchases.
    The MAC has been reliable, productive and FUN to use, at work, at home, on the plane...
    The OS is creative and innovative. It suits me and my various needs.
  18. Ziad Fazel from Calgary, Canada writes: The only worry I have about the growth for Apple, priced into the share price, is whether the supply chain can keep up. In quantity and quality.

    iPod usually sells as much in the Christmas quarter as the 3 previous quarters combined. Half the current product line is a few months old.

    iPhone is 6 months old, and ramping steeply in the US. Add the huge GSM markets in the UK, France and Germany to the Christmas demand and the buzz.

    iMacs and laptops still grew in units and $ revenue, despite only cosmetic changes and a delay in Leopard OS. Add the pent-up demand from Leopard now available, to the Mac-Windows market share shift, and the next quarter should have even higher growth.

    All this growth in relatively new products with sole-sourced critical components. Other booming consumer electronics problems have had their meteoric rise clipped by similar problems. Just off the top of my head: short-circuiting laptop batteries, Xbox 360 defects, insufficient Playstation and Wii quantities, etc. Apple itself had problems getting Intel Xserve's to market within the last year, and had a several-month gap when the G5 Xserve's ran out. It severely damaged their attempt to gain credibility in a market where they barely have a foothold.

    I don't want to jinx my favourite company, but that is the risk I see from pricing flawless execution into the share price.
  19. James Royal from Canada writes: Here's another comment from the 'choir'... a Mac user since '86, and much more recently a very pleased shareholder. We run 3 Macs and a Windoze machine on a wired/wireless network at home. The PC is still on XP, and needs more attention than all 3 Macs combined. The Macs range from a G4 laptop, a G5 iMac and a dual Intel Mac Pro. They all just work... Family and friends over the years have been falling in line... my Dad (84 years old who loves his iMac) my brother (professional writer) MacBook Pro, a recent co-worker grabbed a MacBook etc. etc. As the article states it is largely customer satisfaction, and being able to control the whole experience (hardware AND software) Also it is truly amazing to open a new Apple product. They take so much care in packaging... that you feel right from the beginning that this (computer, ipod, peripheral etc.) is something very special
  20. D K from Canada writes: Apple can thank Microsoft for releasing Vista. Automatic sales boost
  21. Jenn D from Aylmer QC, Canada writes: When the company's CEO quit in the summer of 1997, Mr. Jobs stepped back into his roll as king of Apple. Since then, the company has climbed its way back to the top.

    ---

    Am I not the only one who caught the above error? What does the roll(sic) of King of Apple entail?
  22. Liberal Elitist from Windsor, Canada writes: Tkk Z, you obviously never used an Apple product. To speak frankly, I held the same view as you before I purchased the iMac. I have done extensive research on both a medium high end PC vs. iMac, including all the required software. It turns out, iMac is much cheaper than the similar performance PC (if you include only half of the required software). Everything is in a nice all-in-one package, looks great, and never fail. It's much better than the XP experience I had, let alone Vista. By the way, A Smith, Vista is a copy of the Mac OS X, not the other way around.
  23. kirk shaw from Calgary, Canada writes: When our computers at work failed this fall I luckily had my new macbook to get me through, the IT guys sent to fix the problems see Macs as evil as more people switch we need less of them,my co-workers who bought them seem really happy as well.
  24. Christopher Kiely from Canada writes: There is no knocking the Mac OS, best out there. But the rest of the 'i' line is overpriced techno-snob junk.
  25. Rain SCM from Canada writes: David Stevens. The serious designers I know use the Mac Pro, not an entry level computer like the the iMac.
  26. RD Lone from Vancouver, Canada writes: Attack of the macheads.

    Yeah, clearly Apple is giving you a GREAT deal with their 31% profit margin. Those who think it is 'comparatively cheaper' should put down the crackpipe and put on your iPod headphones. I'll be more than happy to disprove your silly theories if you want to post some links that so-call prove the price advantage. Truth is that most mac users (and PC users) know zero about hardware and couldn't tell the difference between a $50 videocard and a $500 videocard. Bottom line is that 99% of the population is not qualified to do a cost comparison, and that likely includes you. Think about it.

    I (well, my gf forced me to) recently bought a mac and it was better than expected. I can see why those that are technically un-savvy would like it as it is more user friendly than Windows, however, it is lacking in software, compatibility, and is overpriced.
  27. Spencer Coulthard from Halifax, Canada writes: As an owner of both a PC and a Mac, I am happy to say the Mac runs better and is easier to use than any PC I have owned.
  28. A Smith from Canada writes: Liberal Elitist from Windsor, Canada writes: 'By the way, A Smith, Vista is a copy of the Mac OS X, not the other way around.'

    That's interesting that you claim that Vista 'copied'. Let's take a look at Mac. Aside from the innovative user interface and their philosophical differences from other operating systems, they are nothing more than taking existing technology and applying their model to it. The OS itself is an extension of the Mach kernel which is an extension to the BSD kernel, which is.... UNIX which has been around since 1971. The user interface is based on NextStep which has been around for a long time. Mac purchased it in 1997. I remember using OpenStep, an open version of NextStep, in 1997 in University--I didn't think much of it then. But then Apple came along and scooped it up and applied it's innovative user interface and their philosophy to it brining us... Mac OSX. The technology behind Mac OSX is nothing special and nothing that Apple can lay claim to. They should thank their predecessors at BSD and NextStep.

    Best operating system goes to Windows XP SP2. It just works. And it supports pretty much everything. There are a lot of incompatible devices on the market that don't work with Mac. I'll take XP SP2 any day over Mac. As a shareholder, I'll take AAPL any day. :)
  29. Rain SCM from Canada writes: Those who slam Mac may think they are in a better position, however, the Mac person spends 95% of his time being productive, rather than spending 50% of the time trying to figure out what driver they need to accomplish a specific task or whatever other error I used to get every 10-20 minutes with my old PC. That productivity translates to more profits for the company. With the exception of specific examples and highly specialized uses, the Mac can do anything better than a PC, including running Windows with significantly more stability than on the intended machines. Those who believe PCs are better than Macs are iDiots
  30. Duane Freemantle from writes: It seems that the Mac propaganda is in full swing. There is a wider variety of PC's that Mac, and by placing all PC's in the same camp is wrong. Other than the operation system the Apple's computers are more like PC, than different PC's are like each other. I would strongly agree with RD Lone. Most people do not know the difference, and would rather spend more money on a Mac than on a better PC. The Mac is a good machine, but now the only real different from a PC is the operation system. When you know what you are doing, there is no difference in the experience of either Windows or OSX.
  31. k p from Montreal, Canada writes: A Smith, I would agree with everything you said untill 'Best Operating System....' But to be honest, so what? The world is full of products invented by one person, but better exploited by someone else - think Toyota if you want to step out of the computer mindset.

    In a year, I have had less problems with two macs, that I had in a month on one PC running XP with all the patches, Sps, etc installed. Half the time the patches seemed to be the problem. MACs are not perfect - Quicken for MAC is a joke - but current generation MAC vs current generation Wintel, I'll take MAC everytime.
  32. Eric the Red from Canada writes: This just in: In other news, millions of Ipod users continue to bemoan Itunes.
  33. K Kennedy from Toronto, Canada writes: A Smith from canada writes...Apple should thank their predecessors at BSD and Nexstep for Max OS...

    Actually, Steve Jobs founded Nextstep if I'm not mistaken after he first left Apple in the late 1980's. Therefore, in reality Nextstep is really Apple by extension and a continuation of Jobs' work in this field. Apple doesn't owe Nextstep as much as it owes it's success to Job's return to the company.

    As far as Windows XP goes. Crap! All the way. To suggest that Windows or ANY Microsoft product is good is downright hilarious. It's not PC's per se and their hardware that's bad as much as it's the software they require to function. To that end all Gates and his empire have done is build one version of Windows after the other on the same crappy platform. Namely the registry. Maybe the techno geek folks love to play around with that stuff and mock those of us that care not to, but frankly you'll find most computer users are more interested in productivity thatn trouble shooting.
  34. A Smith from Canada writes: K Kennedy: and you've had a need to edit the registry? The only time I've had to do that is when a virus/spyware/adware was involved. But that doesn't happen on Mac... yet. Nobody has bothered with Mac because it's been irrelevant. By the way, 90% of my time is spent on Ubuntu because, along with Mac OSX, it's also a POSIX based operating system. But I've never had problems with XP once SP2 was released. Most of the time I see problems, it's because of cheap hardware with poorly written device drivers. Yet everyone blames Microsoft.
  35. K Kennedy from Toronto, Canada writes: A Smith...so you only have to edit registry when dealing with viruses, spyware and adware? lol! Isn't that pretty much all the time? Come now! You've defeated your argument haven't you. Yes, Mac may one day have similar problems, but right now the registry is indeed Windows downfall. Everytime one installs and removes programs it affects registry entries, and by virtue of the way Windows is structured, complete files are never fully removed that have been deleted which leads to system instability and crashes. If it weren't for the registry, Windows might actually work, however I will concede that XP SP2 is probably the most reliable of Microsoft's ventures at present if you have to use it.
    Mac is no longer irrelevant as we are indeed finding out and I've heard that the day may not be far off when Apple starts releasing versions of its OS to run on a PC which will finally put Gates' empire out of it's misery.
  36. Dick Nails from Desoronto, Canada writes: Ahh yes, the old time religion: Macs vs any other OS or h/w combo. The debate is over.... I love to say that to the Apple phanatics. What Jobs stole and implemented from PARC was not as good as Gates et al riding the IBM bear with DOS and Windoze 3.1. Jobs also lost the licensing war and because of this, Apple will remain a marginal PC competitor. Their other products lines are fashion statements, nothing else.
  37. K Kennedy from Canada writes: Dick Nails from up the Valley...Ahh yes, spoken like a true Microsoft drone. Tell me. Do you by any chance earn your bread and butter from Bill? 'cause there is little other explanation for your rant that is completely out of touch with reality.

    There is little that you can't do on a Mac that can be done on a PC these days and you'd acknowledge this if you knew anything of what you're talking about. Furthermore, as we've seen on these forums all to often, participants bashing Apple products know owe so much more than the consumers out there laying down their hard-earned dollars on these 'fashion statements' because we all know how looking cool is more important than purchasing products THAT WORK. Aesthetics being the bonus.

    And market share has nowhere to go but up for Apple. Where do you think Microsoft is going? They've had over 90% of the market for nearly 20 years now and I think most would agree Gates doesn't make news with his sub-standard product line anymore.

    Keep dreamin Dick
  38. A Smith from Canada writes: K Kennedy from Toronto, Canada writes: 'so you only have to edit registry when dealing with viruses, spyware and adware? lol! Isn't that pretty much all the time?' That's odd because I never get these problems. These problems are always caused based on what exists between the chair and the desk (if you want to reduce these risks, use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer... I never said MS was perfect). Usually it's because someone went to a fringe web site but then denied that they did anything wrong. The registry has a lot of pros and cons. But what alternatives are there? Text property files all over the place which is usually what is done on Posix operating systems? I've had zero time in the registry editor in the 3.5 years since I built my Win XP computer. My reference to Mac being irrelevant is that it's irrelevant to the evil doers who create the viruses, spyware and the like--they go after the big company, not some small OS provider like Mac (and yes Mac is still a small player)
  39. K Kennedy from Toronto, Canada writes: A Smith....

    Point taken, but you're one of the few that can claim to not have had major issues with viruses, adware, spyware etc. I for one have mandated in our offices that PC's are to be phased out over the next two years. All the productivity software that were exclusive to PC's for so long can now be used on a Mac and to better efficiency in my experience. Yes, Mac OS is a small player compared to Microsoft and I think I speak for many when I say that's probably not a bad thing and preferable. You guys can figure out ways to fight off your cyber terrorists with your constant need for patches and upgrades to Windows and we can get on with doing our work and getting results.
  40. Dick Nails from Desoronto, Canada writes: K Kennedy from Canada writes: Dick Nails from up the Valley...Ahh yes, spoken like a true Microsoft drone. Tell me. Do you by any chance earn your bread and butter from Bill? 'cause there is little other explanation for your rant that is completely out of touch with reality. There is little that you can't do on a Mac that can be done on a PC these days and you'd acknowledge this if you knew anything of what you're talking about. Furthermore, as we've seen on these forums all to often, participants bashing Apple products know owe so much more than the consumers out there laying down their hard-earned dollars on these 'fashion statements' because we all know how looking cool is more important than purchasing products THAT WORK. Aesthetics being the bonus. And market share has nowhere to go but up for Apple. Where do you think Microsoft is going? They've had over 90% of the market for nearly 20 years now and I think most would agree Gates doesn't make news with his sub-standard product line anymore. Keep dreamin Dick >> I have used just about every kind of h/w and s/w combo you could think of over the past 30 years. I have hauled boxes of h/w and hooked them together in a rack to become a computer; I used Lisa's, Macs and PDPs etc 25 years ago; it is just a tool, nothing more . Gates et al have done more for the world than Jobs' lil Macs will ever do. When I fly over Redmond I shake my fist and say thank you and if you ever met a Softy you might hear the same thing. I could care less what the h/w and s/w are, I use the PC as my father used a slide rule... get over it, it is a computer and nothing more. More people make their living using MS stuff than any other OS. Get over yourself. You got the religion bad and that makes you blind. And I do not work for MS. I have been on the campus more than once, attended the Uni from which Bill gets his Softies and know some (lots) of Sr Softies. You got religion, it is just a PC, nothing more.
  41. Dick Nails from Desoronto, Canada writes: K Kennedy from Toronto, Canada writes: A Smith.... Point taken, but you're one of the few that can claim to not have had major issues with viruses, adware, spyware etc. I for one have mandated in our offices that PC's are to be phased out over the next two years. All the productivity software that were exclusive to PC's for so long can now be used on a Mac and to better efficiency in my experience. Yes, Mac OS is a small player compared to Microsoft and I think I speak for many when I say that's probably not a bad thing and preferable. You guys can figure out ways to fight off your cyber terrorists with your constant need for patches and upgrades to Windows and we can get on with doing our work and getting results. >> The OS of choice for national security, intel etc is not any MS product. Gawd you hate them so much, pity. When did you go blind? But only a true Job-ite would rant so... no one using a normal PC really thinks about it that much, they use the technology and aren't in love with it. And that separates men from boys. Boys lover their toys... and in the future, when computing is totally embedded, their will still be a crew of foaming Job-ites and a few other open sore OS's and free/nag ware types around, screaming how 'we' are all drones... What type of electric motors are in your car? Do you know? Care? Some fool will tell you that you have the wrong kind... know the type? Embedded and forgotten.
  42. K Kennedy from Toronto, Canada writes: You fly over Redmond and shake your fists and say thank God and yet accuse me of being so heavily indoctrinated in the Church of Steve. lol! Sounds like you're the same at the Church of Gates.

    Just because Microsoft has dominated the industry for so long and because it still has substantial market share doesn't make it the better product, but you are blinded into thinking otherwise. Yes, fundamentally, Macs and PC's share many of the same characteristics as a tool to get the job done, but since when does Microsoft have a monopoly on getting the job done right? Gates has had a free ride for over 20 years releasing garbage OS that has had one security patch piled on after another. So much so that it's become a cottage industry working in IT and tech support. If it weren't for the flaws inherent in Windows there wouldn't be the need for these 'professionals' to chase after viruses, constant updates and frequent crashes at exhorbitant hourly rates. And I've used just about every PC product, clone, Mac, UNIX-based, Linux product out there since the early 1980's. We both know that Mac was a force to be reckoned with back at that time when it was widely used in offices and schools. Because of Apple's refusing to allow clone products, the expense of the units and the way the company was being run we saw the ascendancy of your crappy empire out of Redmond.

    Yes Gates has revolutionized the industry in ways that Jobs may never, but is it really all about that? I don't think so. You're only defence of the operation is rooted in history and nostalgia and that's just downright hilarious.

    And you're wrong about my being a worshipper or a convert, although I admit to being sold on what Mac OS can do personally and professionally and more reliably. They are machines and tools, but I'll take the one that does the job more efficiently than the one I have to spend hours firewalling and maintaining. Your comments about boys and men is thin at best
  43. Hornsworth Portswiler from otnorot, Canada writes: I had a Macbook Pro for a year, it was ok. Then I sold it and got better hardware. Problem with the Macbook line is they're all overweight and oversized. You can get a comparable 'Windows' notebook that's half the weight of a Macbook.

    I agree Vista works entirely in Apple's favour. It's an OS only a Windows fanatic could love. Prettier, yes, but more complicated. Mac OS isn't that great either, lots of inconsistencies and in the end it's an iPod accessory, all devoted to Apple's idea of media and lifestyle management. XP is boring and stable enough for what most people need to do (run a browser and office apps), which is why Microsoft has changed their tune and will continue selling it till mid next year. However ultimately virus and general maintenance on a Windows machine is a complicated and pointless time suck.

    We need different choices, which is why its nice to see more Linux distributions offered for regular users. With Dell, HP and maybe IBM offering real Linux support, combined with hardware commonality and virtualization, it could be a real third choice for more than just geeks. Aside from the uncompromising free access aspect, it does shave $60 off the cost of a PC, which is especially good for low end systems.

    Another nice choice would be if a company like Sony was able to put Mac OS X on their hardware. There are some nice designs coming out these days, but Vista on them is rather sad; its such a corporate, soulless OS it makes any thing artsy feel sold out.
  44. Hornsworth Portswiler from otnorot, Canada writes: And by the way, I don't think Apple will ever be more than a niche player for operating systems, if they try to go mass market they won't scale. We're more likely to be using a next generation Xbox, Wii or PS3 as a general home computer in a few years.
  45. Dick Nails from Desoronto, Canada writes: Kenedy, You don't read what I wrote. I wrote I shake my fist (damning MS) and say thank you. You putz, I never wrote 'thank god'. I pity the phool that prays at the foot of technology.

    You are a mere stripling, boy. A gamer (that is an insult if you are too dense to figure it out). Go outside and play once in a while, it might strengthen your puny arms and legs.

    'spend hours firewalling and maintaining' And that is the point. You love or hate the technology. I could care less and the longer that computers become embedded in society, only the lame sysadmins will care about the h/w and s/w itself. It doesn't matter. Get over it.
  46. Dick Nails from Desoronto, Canada writes: Kenedy: Yes Gates has revolutionized the industry in ways that Jobs may never...

    So Gates was a better thief and did more than Jobs. You missed the bit about PARC where Zerox gave away the future. And even Jobs admits he could only manage to steal 3 of the 4 gifts given to him on his shopping trip to Palo Alto.

    Gates will be remembered long after the purple ipod. And for extra points, what has Jobs done for the world other than selling purple ipods? His considerable fortune has done what? I'll see your Jobs and raise you and Ellison. And call your pair of deuces.

    Get over the technology. It does not matter.
  47. K Kennedy from Toronto, Canada writes: hornsworth portweiler...claims we will be using xbox, wii or ps3 as general home computer in a few years.

    I doubt it hornsy. In the media field Apple already has the set top box or the mac mini which can do pretty much all your computing outside of gaming. Xbox has potential as a tv content unit but sony and nintendo are for gaming period. Btw i type this response using wifi ipod touch and to read all the microsoft arse kissers wax eloquent how great PCs are. LoL
  48. K Kennedy from Toronto, Canada writes: Dick from Deseronto you are a dick and presume much but know little.

    Fyi I'm not a gamer and don't even own games, an xbox or the like. All i'm interested in is maximizing productivity and getting results with minimal downtime, need for upgrades and contracting out pizza-faced IT guys to keep the operation up and running smoothly. I suspect you belong to the latter group who sees his living threatened that has little need in the world of mac osx. At the end of the day OS and h/w that works with minimal need for maintenance and upgrades wins out with business and consumers. The rest of your posts are just the product of a blowhard who is still probably walking around with a sony walkman and one burned out cd with all your polka favs.
  49. Austin So from Canada writes: A Smith...

    Guess what? When Jobs was kicked out of Apple, he started NeXT. Unix based operating system. No floppy. Optical drive. Then Apple invited him back. So guess what? Jobs impemented the whole NeXT concept. What we see now is entirely due to Jobs. There has been no change.

    Windows has always tried to be a cheap imitation of the Mac. To believe otherwise is foolish. And it will always fail because trying to mix and match hardware with different performance characeristics to an OS that is supposed to talk to all of them just doesn't work as effectively as having the hardware and PS compatible from the outset.

    Running Windows on a PC versus a Mac is like night and day.
  50. Hornsworth Portswiler from otnorot, Canada writes: K Kennedy: I doubt it hornsy. In the media field Apple already has the set top box or the mac mini which can do pretty much all your computing outside of gaming. Xbox has potential as a tv content unit but sony and nintendo are for gaming period.

    What we have here is a failure of imagination. I suppose some decades ago, it was a choice between Ford and Chrysler. But there is nothing that a modern PC can do that a modern games console can't, including gaming. Sony already offers Linux for the PS3, but who needs something as complicated as an operating system? You can use USB or the net to access as much storage as you want. How many people do you know that manage much of their content online?

    Speaking of which, Apple is lagging behind with their iLife stuff. Everything they offer is boutique wares in a commodity market. That's why they'll always be a niche player, creating an experience based on the innovations of the mass market, just like everyone else, aside somewhat from items like the iPod, which they've managed to make successful (for now) by leveraging quantity (which as pointed out above is about good manufacturing relationships) and maintaining a good brand image - which would turn into 'McDonalds' or 'Microsoft' if they ever gained a majority.

    K Kennedy: Btw i type this response using wifi ipod touch and to read all the microsoft arse kissers wax eloquent how great PCs are. LoL

    LoL indeed. You missed that I'm a Linux not Windows 'arse kisser.' And I've yet to hear anyone say the ipod touch is as good as a keyboard (or even close). Is this what you're saying? Or are you just high on iPod Touch(tm).
  51. John Williams from Ajax, Canada writes: MAC products are for superficial arrogant weenies who enjoy paying more for an inferior product, and are weak-minded enough to fall prey to culty marketing techniques. Its the same crowd that will buy an 'energy drink' which does nothing at all, except take $5 for a cup of caffeine-water from your pocket. Apple and MACS are a rip-off, and a scam.
  52. John Williams from Ajax, Canada writes: by the way, the $200 price-drop for the iPhone PROVES that Apple was ripping you off, more than $200 a product. Their lower price still had a fat profit. But the MAC-dummies bought the hype, and got ripped off for $200. Pretty sweet profit margin...losers.
  53. Tom W from Taiwan writes: John W., do you work for Apple ? I swear, jerks like you push more people to try Apple products than any fault of Vista.

    Apple certainly does have healthy profit margins, the best in the business. Their market capitalization is now higher than IBM and is just about on par with Intel, amazing !

    People have mocked their strategy of completing controlling the users computing experience (design/manufacturing, software design, all the way down to retailing it at Apple Stores), but for many people it's been an attractive and fruitful choice. Sure, I'd probably like a little bit more hardware choice but in the end I've been enormously happy with every Apple purchase I've made.

    And guess what, you CAN put OS X on PC hardware if you have some technical know how, google Mac OS X x86. It's a bit of a hack job, which is why I recommend people to put windows on any new Mac and give it a try. Don't like it ? Return it !

    Fanboys of both Billy and Steve need to get over themselves. They're just computers ... buy a stylish one if that's what suits your needs, or buy an ugly beige tower if that suits you better!
  54. Hilary D from Canada writes: I am the owner of a 7-year-old bulky, noisy PC that required 2 trips to the repair shop in 5 years (had to replace the mother board and hard drive), was excruciatingly slow, crashed regularly, and the CD burner just up and died. I was talked into buying an iMac and I love it! I had to buy and install all kinds of software on the PC but literally 10 minutes after I walked in the door with my new iMac I was downloading email, surfing the web and happily checking all the new features on my purchase. I don't regret for 1 second buying an iMac. I can even get Leopard for only the price of shipping and taxes after the release date. Way cool!
  55. Robes Pierre from Calgary, Canada writes:
    Wnder what tunes Gates has on his Ipod??
  56. Craig V. from unhappy customer land, Canada writes: Globe Insider subscribers ... did you know that you will be billed for an ENTIRE month of access if you try to cancel your subscription the day or two after your billing date? That's right. If you want to cancel your subscription on October 22, but you were last billed on October 18 ... guess what? The good folks at the Globe and Mail will bill you again on November 18 and then cancel your subscription. How's that for service. No wonder I'm cancelling.
  57. Hornsworth Portswiler from otnorot, Canada writes: Hilary D, you can check email and surf the web on any system without paying for extra software. You can even use the same software on each (Firefox / Mozilla mail). And Microsoft also provided a free upgrade period for Vista. But enjoy your purchase. ;)
  58. K Kennedy from Toronto, Canada writes: John Williams from Ajax writes..."MAC products are for superficial arrogant weenies who enjoy paying more for an inferior product, and are weak-minded enough to fall prey to culty marketing techniques. Its the same crowd that will buy an 'energy drink' which does nothing at all, except take $5 for a cup of caffeine-water from your pocket. Apple and MACS are a rip-off, and a scam"

    You know when I read ignorant comments like this I get the impression you either can't afford a Mac product yourself or simply haven't even tried the products on for size before jacking your jaws. To each his own of course and if you prefer Microsoft and some crappy PC tower then so be it. There is plenty to be said about your personal preferences and their shortcomings in that department. BTW, the idea that the products are overpriced is laughable. In the case of iPhones the price of these units is really no different than an overpriced Blackberry that doesn't do half the things the iPhone does or as well.

    Get over it.
  59. Edward Mulcare from Canada writes: Go to any computer store in Toronto that doesn't sell Apple products and look a the faces of the people shopping in the store. The faces you will see are of the defeated and the frustrated. Then walk into the Apple store downtown. You will see the faces of the happy, the excited, the creative and the playful.
    I have a friend who is a Mac IT guy. Fixes, trouble shoots and networks Macs. He has 300 Mac clients. Couldn't make a living. So he hired a couple of PC IT guys and went after some PC Windows clients. He has 10 or so PC clients and his company is run off it's feet trying to put out fires.

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