leekohler
May 5, 02:59 PM
Oh please. If the NDP had got in then Canada would be royally screwed. The NDP has a poor record in a number of provinces of running the provincial governments into deep deficits and scaring away businesses.
I would take the opinion piece from someone with the Toronto Star with a little bit of salt. They are like the Huffington Post of Canada or a left leaning Canadian version of those British tabloids that they try to pass for "newspapers" in England.
So, I should not take Harper's word on his beliefs regarding social issues? Really? Do you really want to put money down that he won't act on those beliefs?
I would take the opinion piece from someone with the Toronto Star with a little bit of salt. They are like the Huffington Post of Canada or a left leaning Canadian version of those British tabloids that they try to pass for "newspapers" in England.
So, I should not take Harper's word on his beliefs regarding social issues? Really? Do you really want to put money down that he won't act on those beliefs?
rhomsy
Feb 23, 12:44 PM
This is welcome news. I hope all purchases, not just from the app store, are completely regulated and controlled. They also should pass some regulations into what not only our kids should eat, but also us adults. What about the fashion and clothing industry. What a waste of money. Regulate that as well. We don't need fancy clothes when our money could be used instead to fund pensions and research the growth of algae in tropical coral reefs.
If they are successful at enacting all of these wonderful regulations, then we can all get lobotomies and be led around with a government helper on full benefits. Our day will come. Government is indeed good.
If they are successful at enacting all of these wonderful regulations, then we can all get lobotomies and be led around with a government helper on full benefits. Our day will come. Government is indeed good.
twoodcc
Oct 26, 09:32 PM
as much as i'd like to use .mac, i just can't justify the price
SPEEDwithJJ
Oct 7, 01:31 AM
i dont know if it was posted yet but god please put out an iphone with a physical keyboard.
IMHO, adding a physical keyboard will most likely add thickness to the iPhone device & that goes against what Apple are doing. I could be wrong but it seems that one of Apple's main design focus has been to get thinner & thinner with each new revision of the product line. Therefore, I think that Apple will "unfortunately" not be adding a physical keyboard to the iPhone design anytime in the near future. :o
IMHO, adding a physical keyboard will most likely add thickness to the iPhone device & that goes against what Apple are doing. I could be wrong but it seems that one of Apple's main design focus has been to get thinner & thinner with each new revision of the product line. Therefore, I think that Apple will "unfortunately" not be adding a physical keyboard to the iPhone design anytime in the near future. :o
more...
res1233
Mar 28, 09:42 AM
Nice dude, you really had to go there right? A good'ol racist comment.
dude, there was nothing racist about that lol don't be so sensitive
dude, there was nothing racist about that lol don't be so sensitive
WigWag Workshop
Mar 13, 04:28 PM
No issue with my VZ iPhone
more...
simsaladimbamba
Dec 12, 04:41 AM
What about downloading a heart shape image (found via Image Search, large or bigger) and use that as mask via the WAND tool?
Sample: http://www.mediafire.com/?ibqtaapgzam3z53
Sample: http://www.mediafire.com/?ibqtaapgzam3z53
twoodcc
Apr 17, 06:20 PM
Great! I look forward to you chasing me down ;)
haha. i don't think that's gonna happen just yet. maybe next year though :)
Want to welcome Monitor and Pixellated to the team, thanks for your contribution :)
Monitor your stats: http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/user_summary.php?s=&u=510149
Pixellated your stats: http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/user_summary.php?s=&u=509269
welcome to the team!
haha. i don't think that's gonna happen just yet. maybe next year though :)
Want to welcome Monitor and Pixellated to the team, thanks for your contribution :)
Monitor your stats: http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/user_summary.php?s=&u=510149
Pixellated your stats: http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/user_summary.php?s=&u=509269
welcome to the team!
more...
mad-dog-one
Jan 4, 10:21 AM
Whoever advised them to now put the maps onboard and download as needed, needs to be fired- poor decision.
I agree. I need my GPS to have maps where I am, particularly when I'm in remote areas out of wifi and cell phone range.
I agree. I need my GPS to have maps where I am, particularly when I'm in remote areas out of wifi and cell phone range.
str1f3
Dec 29, 12:52 AM
This is the stupidest POS news. AM I RIGHT? Can't buy an iPhone ONLINE in NY for a day and something is interesting about this? I can't believe CNBC is so anxiously awaiting tablet and new iphone news that they think this is significant.
This has been going on for a long time. You could not order an iPhone for at least for the past month from AT&T in New York state. I know. I tried and family members have tried as well. I thought it was a website error originally until criss1205 had mentioned it. It's just that nobody had checked this out until a couple of days ago.
This has been going on for a long time. You could not order an iPhone for at least for the past month from AT&T in New York state. I know. I tried and family members have tried as well. I thought it was a website error originally until criss1205 had mentioned it. It's just that nobody had checked this out until a couple of days ago.
more...
efoto
Sep 18, 11:48 PM
<snip>
If you do get a chance to talk to her again, BE CREATIVE! Send her an instant message on iChat from across the store... save her from a masked man robbing the store at gun...., well you get the picture.
Lastly, Dont get to into detail in this post... there is a possibly she or one of her co-workers cruises the macrumors forums, and she could find this really creepy or really cool :D
I sincerely apologize if I have repeated anything that someone else has said
but I think its really cool that you reached out to a community that usually deals with computer questions. :D
How would one send an instant message across the store to another computer in the same store? I realize the whole to her portion would require her presence in front of a computer, I am just talking in general, unless you signed into both and sent it to yourself or something :confused:
I decided it didn't matter to go into detail in the post because it just doesn't matter. If she is on here, or a friend is on here, well fine and dandy, I hope she remembers who I am. If she is as smart as she was cute (building the points here in case she is reading ;) ) then she can go check the member photo directory and recall what I look like, I don't care. I would dare to say that if she finds this really creepy then she probably didn't read the entire thread, because after doing so she should realize that I am just shy and unknowing, not stalkerish and creepy (at least I hope not). Either way, if she realizes who this is and is interested, she can say hi next time....guys don't mind when women act too, at least I don't :)
As far as reaching out here, well who else would I ask? :rolleyes:
Computers, personal finances, women, life goals, car help, it's all here....I think :confused: :D
If you do get a chance to talk to her again, BE CREATIVE! Send her an instant message on iChat from across the store... save her from a masked man robbing the store at gun...., well you get the picture.
Lastly, Dont get to into detail in this post... there is a possibly she or one of her co-workers cruises the macrumors forums, and she could find this really creepy or really cool :D
I sincerely apologize if I have repeated anything that someone else has said
but I think its really cool that you reached out to a community that usually deals with computer questions. :D
How would one send an instant message across the store to another computer in the same store? I realize the whole to her portion would require her presence in front of a computer, I am just talking in general, unless you signed into both and sent it to yourself or something :confused:
I decided it didn't matter to go into detail in the post because it just doesn't matter. If she is on here, or a friend is on here, well fine and dandy, I hope she remembers who I am. If she is as smart as she was cute (building the points here in case she is reading ;) ) then she can go check the member photo directory and recall what I look like, I don't care. I would dare to say that if she finds this really creepy then she probably didn't read the entire thread, because after doing so she should realize that I am just shy and unknowing, not stalkerish and creepy (at least I hope not). Either way, if she realizes who this is and is interested, she can say hi next time....guys don't mind when women act too, at least I don't :)
As far as reaching out here, well who else would I ask? :rolleyes:
Computers, personal finances, women, life goals, car help, it's all here....I think :confused: :D
Chef Medeski
Nov 21, 05:21 PM
I haven't read the whole article yet, but from the sounds of it, it seems as though a laptop can be charged without plugging in it. That is the processor that converts heart to electricity could either charge the battery or provide it's own power to the laptop. That would extend battery life, not sure by how much, but if it is a decent amount, this technology would be great for laptops.
Then again there's the heat issue. While the heat will provide electricity, your going to have to have a decent cooling system, which hopefully wouldn't suck to much power. Or maybe the converted power can be used only for the cooling system leaving the rest for the battery, thus conserving power anyways....just thinking aloud here though. :)
lol.... decent amount... nah... about a couple minutes.
Then again there's the heat issue. While the heat will provide electricity, your going to have to have a decent cooling system, which hopefully wouldn't suck to much power. Or maybe the converted power can be used only for the cooling system leaving the rest for the battery, thus conserving power anyways....just thinking aloud here though. :)
lol.... decent amount... nah... about a couple minutes.
more...
alent1234
Mar 25, 09:16 AM
a lot of it is luck. only reason apple is big is because the former palm CEO found a tiny hard drive and used it to build the ipod. apple got lucky with the smart electronics revolution and rode it. we still have a few years left in this cycle and i don't know what's going to come next.
everyone experimented with limited devices going back to the 1980's but it took other tech like flash memory and wifi to make them a reality. i played with Palm and PocketPC 10 years ago and while they were cool most tasks were useless because you spent as much time putting in data as the time saved. it wasn't until iOS and the apps store where you could do things like select a few recipes and make a shopping list did a PDA become useful
everyone experimented with limited devices going back to the 1980's but it took other tech like flash memory and wifi to make them a reality. i played with Palm and PocketPC 10 years ago and while they were cool most tasks were useless because you spent as much time putting in data as the time saved. it wasn't until iOS and the apps store where you could do things like select a few recipes and make a shopping list did a PDA become useful
mgargan1
Nov 21, 04:08 PM
hmm... i wonder if they're a public company. If they can get rid of those problems, and what they're talking about actually works, then i think that company's stock will get pretty high
more...
magicman007
Mar 24, 03:21 PM
Most everyone is talking about the hardware, but what about the software that Apple develops? Gesture technology, 3D rendering, AI, all the graphic intensive stuff Apple has always been known for. There's a lot of potential for software application outside of the Apple hardware the military may be interested in too.
Now, a hardened Macbook Pro or iPhone would still be cool! :D
Now, a hardened Macbook Pro or iPhone would still be cool! :D
Giuly
Apr 29, 03:52 PM
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/1890/photowkb.jpg
$4 a gallon? Hilarious.
1.61€ = $2.386/Liter. $9.031 per US gallon. And that's 95RON EuroSuper, which equals the US' premium/supreme (91AKI).
EuroSuper Plus 98RON/94AKI is $9.365 a gallon - and there is 100/102RON Shell V-Power Racing/Aral Ultimate, which comes near $8/gallon.
The prices are mostly due "eco taxes", which make about 40% of the price.
To my knowledge, this is the cheapest gas station in town. I'll give you Shell tomorrow, I guess there is something on the "menu" beyond $10, as the prices are rising really fast recently.
Only good thing here is that the sunset in the picture looks nice.
$4 a gallon? Hilarious.
1.61€ = $2.386/Liter. $9.031 per US gallon. And that's 95RON EuroSuper, which equals the US' premium/supreme (91AKI).
EuroSuper Plus 98RON/94AKI is $9.365 a gallon - and there is 100/102RON Shell V-Power Racing/Aral Ultimate, which comes near $8/gallon.
The prices are mostly due "eco taxes", which make about 40% of the price.
To my knowledge, this is the cheapest gas station in town. I'll give you Shell tomorrow, I guess there is something on the "menu" beyond $10, as the prices are rising really fast recently.
Only good thing here is that the sunset in the picture looks nice.
more...
seanf
Sep 20, 03:11 AM
Ok just so my pea brain has a proper handle on this, are people saying that all I have to do is simply install XP, off of my XP disk, onto a free HDD, and viola, I am done? I'll assume that I will also need some drivers for video, and such as well...If you have a RAID setup you cannot run Bootcamp, but you can get the drivers. Find the Bootcamp package, right click on it and select Show Contents. Then find an image file in the Window that comes up and burn this to a CD. If you don't have a RAID setup just run Bootcamp and select the option to burn drivers to a CD - don't go through the partitioning bit.
You need to configure the drive where you will install Windows as a Windows boot drive. To do this go into Disk Utility, select the drive you want to install XP on, format the drive as MS-DOS and set the options to Master Boot Record (very important or you wont be able to boot XP). Once you have done these stick your XP installation CD in and shutdown your Mac. Remove all hard drives, except for the one you want to install XP on and start your Mac by holding the command or c key. Once you've installed put your other drives back in and you should be able to boot OS X and XP.
Sean :)
You need to configure the drive where you will install Windows as a Windows boot drive. To do this go into Disk Utility, select the drive you want to install XP on, format the drive as MS-DOS and set the options to Master Boot Record (very important or you wont be able to boot XP). Once you have done these stick your XP installation CD in and shutdown your Mac. Remove all hard drives, except for the one you want to install XP on and start your Mac by holding the command or c key. Once you've installed put your other drives back in and you should be able to boot OS X and XP.
Sean :)
EricNau
Nov 21, 04:23 PM
It's an interesting concept that could be very useful for many applications - although I'm doubting their current timeline.
westonharvey
Sep 25, 10:50 AM
Yes, where's the MacBook Pro with integrated toaster?
Quite why people keep expecting announcements of upgraded laptops at a photography conference is beyond me.
The rumors were just so persistent this time... I think the "sources" that have been stringing us along on these Merom updates should be ignored from now on.
Quite why people keep expecting announcements of upgraded laptops at a photography conference is beyond me.
The rumors were just so persistent this time... I think the "sources" that have been stringing us along on these Merom updates should be ignored from now on.
Dont Hurt Me
Oct 15, 01:55 PM
Boy I hope not. Unless they can get some cooler silicon off-board, giving up battery life for 12 FPS in Quake just isn't a good bargain for 97% of the market.
That is idiotic, there are plenty of low power graphics solutions that blow the doors off Integrated garbage, Almost like saying I hope they use the least expensive cheapist solution they can find that uses no power. A computer is a tool and for you to say 97 % dont need a GPU is a lie. In that case they could be using G3s with rage 128's. More spin from the fan club of crapo graphics. What they should do is offer a option for those people who expect a modern computer to be just that.
That is idiotic, there are plenty of low power graphics solutions that blow the doors off Integrated garbage, Almost like saying I hope they use the least expensive cheapist solution they can find that uses no power. A computer is a tool and for you to say 97 % dont need a GPU is a lie. In that case they could be using G3s with rage 128's. More spin from the fan club of crapo graphics. What they should do is offer a option for those people who expect a modern computer to be just that.
mrsir2009
Apr 28, 10:51 PM
seriously just shut ur pretty faces with the tired backlit keyboard anthem. this is like the least desirable feature esp since it has a direct impact on battery life.
You know if you were that worried about your precious battery life you could turn the keyboard lighting off.
You know if you were that worried about your precious battery life you could turn the keyboard lighting off.
taylermatt42146
Jun 13, 10:11 PM
Yes, all your purchases, and downloads should be backed up in iTunes. Actually, when I restore my iPod touch it gives me the option to restore from a backup. (that is, if you ever backed up). After running the backup, it's just like it was before.
If you have never backed up, just click the restore button, then after all is done you should still have an "applications" tab in iTunes which let's you put the apps back on.
Hope this was some help to you.
If you have never backed up, just click the restore button, then after all is done you should still have an "applications" tab in iTunes which let's you put the apps back on.
Hope this was some help to you.
MikeTheC
Nov 3, 01:19 AM
I'd like to tackle a few points in the discussion here.
Dirt-Cheap vs. Reasonable Economy (a.k.a. "The Wal-Martization of America"):
Apple has always had the philosophy that their name needs to mean a superior product. They have tended to shy away from producing bargain-basement products because it tends to take away from the "high-quality" reputation they are otherwise known for and desire to continue cultivating.
At direct odds with this is the pervasive and continually-perpetuated attitude in the U.S. (and elsewhere, perhaps) that the universe revolves exclusively around the mantra of "faster, cheaper, better", with emphasis on the latter two: cheaper and better. What I have noticed in my own 34 years on this planet is a considerable change in attitude, most easily summed up as people in general having their tastes almost "anti-cultured". It isn't "... cheaper, better" for them, but rather "cheaper = better". You can see this at all levels. Businesses, despite their claims to the contrary, tend to prioritize the executives specifically and the company generally making money over any other possible consideration. They try and drive their workforce from well-paid, highly competent full-time people, to part-time, no-medical or retirement-benefits-earning, low-experience, low-paid domestic help; and the second prong of their pincer movement is to outsource the rest.
Or, in short, "let's make a lot of money, but don't spend any in the process."
My goal here is not to get into the lengthy and well-trod discussion of corporate exploitation of the masses; rather it is to show the Wal-Mart effect at all levels.
More and more over the years I find that people have no taste. Steve Jobs accuses Microsoft of having no taste (a point I am not trying to argue against); I think however that he's hit a little low of the mark. The attitude out there seems to be one of total self-focus -- and not merely "me first", but rather "me first, me last, and ******* everybody else". They're the "I don't want to know anything", "all I want to do is get out of having to do anything I can, including not using my brain except for pleasure-seeking tasks," and "For God's sake, I surely don't want to have to spend more than the minimum on a computer" bunch.
Now, clearly, not everyone in the U.S. is like this; obviously, if they were, Apple would have no customers at all. But this is a real and fairly large group. Short of Apple practically giving away their computers, it's hard to imagine them being all that specifically attractive to that demographic. Moreover, those people are not merely non-enthusiasts; they want all of the benefits of having this trendy computer thing, but wish to be encumbered by none of the responsibilities.
To my way of thinking, frankly however large this group of people is, I would encourage Apple to avoid appealing to them whenever and wherever possible. If this means continuing the perception mentioned above of being a computer "for yuppies", then so be it.
Market Share Percentage and it's Perception:
Clearly, there is something to be gained by having the perception that "everyone's doing it". It's part of the reason why smoking, drinking, under-age sex, and drugs are so amazingly popular with us human beings the world over. It's part of the reason (maybe even a significant part) that iPods are so incredibly successful. Now, before someone here puts forth the argument that, "Well, you know, Apple's got a better design, and that's what attracts people to it," -- and that's quite true in it's own right -- let's break things down a bit.
Many animals develop and learn through a process called "patterning", and through imitation. Humans are not psychologically exempt from this; we do it all the time, and particularly so when we're younger. It's the fundamental force behind fashion, fads, and trends. There are definitely positive benefits to this. Kids, as they develop their social skills, learn from others the socially approved ways of behaving and interacting. Please note I did not use the term "correct" nor "right", but merely the "approved" (or, one might call it the "accepted") way. We also learn and learn from such things as casualty (actions have consequences), and other factors too numerous to pursue here.
Anyhow, all of these factors are in operation when it comes to buying technology (which is the boiled-down essence of what we're talking about here). Microsoft has learned this game, and has played it well for many years. Regardless of the "technically, we know it's bulls**t" truth, the reality of it is (and has been) when an unsavvy person walks into a store to buy a computer, and they see ten Windows-running computers on the shelf, and only one or two Mac OS-running computers there, they get the prima-facia notion that most computers are Windows computers, and by extension that statistically most people must be running Windows; therefore they should buy a Windows computer, too. There's a whole other subject here about how the ignorant sales people in electronics stores essentially use the same process to unwittingly deceive themselves into thinking the same thing. This is one of the factors which helped catapult Microsoft into the major, successful company they became. In truth, this specific scenario is a bit more 1994 than but it helps to explain why most people today who own a computer have only known life in a Microsoft world. As enough people attained this status, it became the dominant developmental factor in the world at large, which sort of helped to self-perpetuate the effect.
Let's also not lose sight of the fact that these statistics of percentage of platform used by definition leave out one particular group of people -- those who don't use a computer at all. After all, if you don't own a computer, you can't browse the web, send or receive email, or have your computer platform of choice tabulated in any kind of statistical data sample. One might be tempted to think that such a notion is silly, but it isn't. True, once we get to the point that only a statistically insignificant number of people on this planet don't own a computer (which is still far from the reality of today), counting their numbers won't matter for statistical purposes, it does matter. Why? Well, the statistics as presented make it seem like Macs (or Linux, or anything else) are only used by a subset of people on this planet. Not true! They're only used by a subset of a subset, the latter being the number of people on this planet who have a computer to be counted in such statistics in the first place.
Also, statistics vary depending on a variety of factors. It's also easy to write them off as a business or let them drop "below the radar" by various statistical gathering or reporting agencies; or merely through the informal process on the part of business owners of anecdotal evidence. Here's a perfect example of that very factor.
When the Macintosh came on the scene in 1984, and as it continued through it's early incarnations in the mid 1980s, it entered the fray of lots of non-defacto computer platforms. Or, to put it another way, it "came late to the party". So, you had all these computer dealers who were already trying to sell Apple ][s, TRS-80s, Commodore 64s (and later, C128s), Timex Sinclairs, an assortment of other PCs running proprietary OSs, amongst which were those which ran this thing called MS-DOS, and so forth and so on. Also, people who wound up buying Macs didn't exactly fit the same profile as those who had bought the other computers. You had artists -- literary, graphic, musical, etc. -- buying these things. While they didn't mind being technologically self-sufficent, they were not people who were interested in such things as tearing their computer apart and having a go at it's various electronic innards. Anyhow, they formed their own communities, and for various reasons didn't get a lot of support initially from local dealers and computer software stores. However, Apple did get quite a number of companies to write software or build hardware for their Mac platform. These companies started using mail-order as a significant portion of their sales strategy. Consequently, Mac owners used it as their more-and-more-primary computer-stuff purchasing regimen.
Ultimately, fewer and fewer Mac owners were going locally to buy stuff, due to availability and pricing. What then happened largely was this "perception" on the part of shop owners (and later their suppliers, etc.) that nobody out there used a Mac. As a result of their mis-perception, companies began to simply ignore us Mac users (I was around back then), acting as if we didn't exist; or at the least there weren't enough of us to bother supporting us or even trying to make money from us.
Now, at this point there's no denying there's more Windows boxen out there than Mac boxen, but this is still a valid factor and should not be discounted.
Besides, what number you hear quoted still, as it has for many, many years, depends on what your source is. I've heard numbers within the past month that range from 4.1 percent to 6 percent. Which one is correct? Does anyone even really know?
Since we can run Windows, why run Mac OS? (paranoia of market erosion):
I've been hearing this since before Apple ever disclosed their plans to switch to x86. It was actually one of the topics frequently -- and rather hotly, as I recall -- debated in these forums. However, I think the fear is greatly unjustified, and here's why.
First, let's look at it from an economic standpoint: Buying a Mac to run Windows is hardly the most cost-effective approach.
Second, let's look at it from a socio-economic standpoint: People don't buy a Mac to run Windows so much as they buy it to either try something different, or to escape Windows and the onslaught of problems that, in more recent years, it has brought to them.
Third, and while this really applies more to tech-savvy people: Windows represents a security and stability liability which most other operating systems do not.
In other words, by and large, people out there who are switching to a Mac are doing more than merely switching hardware: they're switching OS platforms. The fact that they can run Windows on a Mac is only slightly more of interest to them than is running an x86-based distro of GNU/Linux.
Bottom Line: Apple will appeal to and convert those that they can, and those are the hearts and minds which are the most vital and important anyhow. Let's not forget the relative merits of dummy-dropping. Sometimes, Darwin's theories of Evolution are more satisfyingly applied sociologically than biologically.
Dirt-Cheap vs. Reasonable Economy (a.k.a. "The Wal-Martization of America"):
Apple has always had the philosophy that their name needs to mean a superior product. They have tended to shy away from producing bargain-basement products because it tends to take away from the "high-quality" reputation they are otherwise known for and desire to continue cultivating.
At direct odds with this is the pervasive and continually-perpetuated attitude in the U.S. (and elsewhere, perhaps) that the universe revolves exclusively around the mantra of "faster, cheaper, better", with emphasis on the latter two: cheaper and better. What I have noticed in my own 34 years on this planet is a considerable change in attitude, most easily summed up as people in general having their tastes almost "anti-cultured". It isn't "... cheaper, better" for them, but rather "cheaper = better". You can see this at all levels. Businesses, despite their claims to the contrary, tend to prioritize the executives specifically and the company generally making money over any other possible consideration. They try and drive their workforce from well-paid, highly competent full-time people, to part-time, no-medical or retirement-benefits-earning, low-experience, low-paid domestic help; and the second prong of their pincer movement is to outsource the rest.
Or, in short, "let's make a lot of money, but don't spend any in the process."
My goal here is not to get into the lengthy and well-trod discussion of corporate exploitation of the masses; rather it is to show the Wal-Mart effect at all levels.
More and more over the years I find that people have no taste. Steve Jobs accuses Microsoft of having no taste (a point I am not trying to argue against); I think however that he's hit a little low of the mark. The attitude out there seems to be one of total self-focus -- and not merely "me first", but rather "me first, me last, and ******* everybody else". They're the "I don't want to know anything", "all I want to do is get out of having to do anything I can, including not using my brain except for pleasure-seeking tasks," and "For God's sake, I surely don't want to have to spend more than the minimum on a computer" bunch.
Now, clearly, not everyone in the U.S. is like this; obviously, if they were, Apple would have no customers at all. But this is a real and fairly large group. Short of Apple practically giving away their computers, it's hard to imagine them being all that specifically attractive to that demographic. Moreover, those people are not merely non-enthusiasts; they want all of the benefits of having this trendy computer thing, but wish to be encumbered by none of the responsibilities.
To my way of thinking, frankly however large this group of people is, I would encourage Apple to avoid appealing to them whenever and wherever possible. If this means continuing the perception mentioned above of being a computer "for yuppies", then so be it.
Market Share Percentage and it's Perception:
Clearly, there is something to be gained by having the perception that "everyone's doing it". It's part of the reason why smoking, drinking, under-age sex, and drugs are so amazingly popular with us human beings the world over. It's part of the reason (maybe even a significant part) that iPods are so incredibly successful. Now, before someone here puts forth the argument that, "Well, you know, Apple's got a better design, and that's what attracts people to it," -- and that's quite true in it's own right -- let's break things down a bit.
Many animals develop and learn through a process called "patterning", and through imitation. Humans are not psychologically exempt from this; we do it all the time, and particularly so when we're younger. It's the fundamental force behind fashion, fads, and trends. There are definitely positive benefits to this. Kids, as they develop their social skills, learn from others the socially approved ways of behaving and interacting. Please note I did not use the term "correct" nor "right", but merely the "approved" (or, one might call it the "accepted") way. We also learn and learn from such things as casualty (actions have consequences), and other factors too numerous to pursue here.
Anyhow, all of these factors are in operation when it comes to buying technology (which is the boiled-down essence of what we're talking about here). Microsoft has learned this game, and has played it well for many years. Regardless of the "technically, we know it's bulls**t" truth, the reality of it is (and has been) when an unsavvy person walks into a store to buy a computer, and they see ten Windows-running computers on the shelf, and only one or two Mac OS-running computers there, they get the prima-facia notion that most computers are Windows computers, and by extension that statistically most people must be running Windows; therefore they should buy a Windows computer, too. There's a whole other subject here about how the ignorant sales people in electronics stores essentially use the same process to unwittingly deceive themselves into thinking the same thing. This is one of the factors which helped catapult Microsoft into the major, successful company they became. In truth, this specific scenario is a bit more 1994 than but it helps to explain why most people today who own a computer have only known life in a Microsoft world. As enough people attained this status, it became the dominant developmental factor in the world at large, which sort of helped to self-perpetuate the effect.
Let's also not lose sight of the fact that these statistics of percentage of platform used by definition leave out one particular group of people -- those who don't use a computer at all. After all, if you don't own a computer, you can't browse the web, send or receive email, or have your computer platform of choice tabulated in any kind of statistical data sample. One might be tempted to think that such a notion is silly, but it isn't. True, once we get to the point that only a statistically insignificant number of people on this planet don't own a computer (which is still far from the reality of today), counting their numbers won't matter for statistical purposes, it does matter. Why? Well, the statistics as presented make it seem like Macs (or Linux, or anything else) are only used by a subset of people on this planet. Not true! They're only used by a subset of a subset, the latter being the number of people on this planet who have a computer to be counted in such statistics in the first place.
Also, statistics vary depending on a variety of factors. It's also easy to write them off as a business or let them drop "below the radar" by various statistical gathering or reporting agencies; or merely through the informal process on the part of business owners of anecdotal evidence. Here's a perfect example of that very factor.
When the Macintosh came on the scene in 1984, and as it continued through it's early incarnations in the mid 1980s, it entered the fray of lots of non-defacto computer platforms. Or, to put it another way, it "came late to the party". So, you had all these computer dealers who were already trying to sell Apple ][s, TRS-80s, Commodore 64s (and later, C128s), Timex Sinclairs, an assortment of other PCs running proprietary OSs, amongst which were those which ran this thing called MS-DOS, and so forth and so on. Also, people who wound up buying Macs didn't exactly fit the same profile as those who had bought the other computers. You had artists -- literary, graphic, musical, etc. -- buying these things. While they didn't mind being technologically self-sufficent, they were not people who were interested in such things as tearing their computer apart and having a go at it's various electronic innards. Anyhow, they formed their own communities, and for various reasons didn't get a lot of support initially from local dealers and computer software stores. However, Apple did get quite a number of companies to write software or build hardware for their Mac platform. These companies started using mail-order as a significant portion of their sales strategy. Consequently, Mac owners used it as their more-and-more-primary computer-stuff purchasing regimen.
Ultimately, fewer and fewer Mac owners were going locally to buy stuff, due to availability and pricing. What then happened largely was this "perception" on the part of shop owners (and later their suppliers, etc.) that nobody out there used a Mac. As a result of their mis-perception, companies began to simply ignore us Mac users (I was around back then), acting as if we didn't exist; or at the least there weren't enough of us to bother supporting us or even trying to make money from us.
Now, at this point there's no denying there's more Windows boxen out there than Mac boxen, but this is still a valid factor and should not be discounted.
Besides, what number you hear quoted still, as it has for many, many years, depends on what your source is. I've heard numbers within the past month that range from 4.1 percent to 6 percent. Which one is correct? Does anyone even really know?
Since we can run Windows, why run Mac OS? (paranoia of market erosion):
I've been hearing this since before Apple ever disclosed their plans to switch to x86. It was actually one of the topics frequently -- and rather hotly, as I recall -- debated in these forums. However, I think the fear is greatly unjustified, and here's why.
First, let's look at it from an economic standpoint: Buying a Mac to run Windows is hardly the most cost-effective approach.
Second, let's look at it from a socio-economic standpoint: People don't buy a Mac to run Windows so much as they buy it to either try something different, or to escape Windows and the onslaught of problems that, in more recent years, it has brought to them.
Third, and while this really applies more to tech-savvy people: Windows represents a security and stability liability which most other operating systems do not.
In other words, by and large, people out there who are switching to a Mac are doing more than merely switching hardware: they're switching OS platforms. The fact that they can run Windows on a Mac is only slightly more of interest to them than is running an x86-based distro of GNU/Linux.
Bottom Line: Apple will appeal to and convert those that they can, and those are the hearts and minds which are the most vital and important anyhow. Let's not forget the relative merits of dummy-dropping. Sometimes, Darwin's theories of Evolution are more satisfyingly applied sociologically than biologically.
Rt&Dzine
Apr 8, 10:04 PM
It appears that a deal has been made.
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