
As the Mac Turns 30, Apple Ponders ‘Post-PC’ Era - arikrak
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/01/23/as-the-mac-turns-30-apple-ponders-post-pc-era/?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_tech
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coldcode
In the end what matters in business is sustainable profit not marketshare. Of
course if you include all of Apple's devices they have both. When I worked at
Apple in the mid-90's they had neither and I gave up on them shortly before
Steve came back. Aw, crap.

~~~
sosborn
>In the end what matters in business is sustainable profit not marketshare.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't get this. They are so
concerned with "winning" that they lose sight of what's important.

~~~
FigBug
Yup, sure the PC won, but what did IBM get? 1.75 billion from Lenovo.

~~~
ItendToDisagree
Isn't that 'just' for their server division?

I'm fairly certain IBM is up to much more than hardware sales at this point.
Although for awhile they were the eponymous PC manufacturer.

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chx
Nope, he means the 2004 sale of the PC business. The servers sale now is 2.3B.

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ItendToDisagree
Ah so!

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yslow
Why are Microsoft's profits from Windows excluded from the numbers while
profits from OS X are included? Why isn't MS considered part of the PC
industry?

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hk__2
OS X is free now.

~~~
yslow
Does that mean I can legally run it in a VM or on a non Mac computer? Can I
load Macs on bare PCs and sell it?

[http://m.computerworld.com/s/article/9110179/Apple_sues_Mac_...](http://m.computerworld.com/s/article/9110179/Apple_sues_Mac_clone_maker_Psystar?mm_ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dapple%2Bsues%2Bmaker%2Bmac%26%3Dclient%253Dms-
nokia-wp%26oq%3Dapple%2Bsues%2Bmaker%2Bmac%26gs_l%3Dmobile-heirloom-
serp.3...0.0.1.34.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1c..34.mobile-heirloom-
serp..6.2.344.f0r7fGljp4s)

~~~
ItendToDisagree
Of course not silly! Cause free is a marketing euphemism for "You already paid
for it with the purchase!" :)

~~~
hk__2
Except that you don’t pay for OSX upgrades.

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ItendToDisagree
Unless the computer you are upgrading is more than what? 3 revisions old OSX
wise? Seems analogous to Service Packs doesn't it?

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bigdubs
This comment struck me:

"He compared the PCs changing status to how trucks took a diminished role when
the U.S. shifted to an industrial nation from an agrarian one."

It seems myopic now as the F-150 is still the #1 best selling vehicle in the
US.

I do see the point of the PC as the 'utilitarian' device vs. the iOS devices
as the more mainstream, recreational devices. The analogy was just bad.

~~~
ArbitraryLimits
F-150's aren't the "trucks" he's talking about. F-150s are cars for people who
want to feel like they're in a truck. In fact I think by "truck" he pretty
much means "trucks not sold directly to consumers." Like a semi, an actual
delivery truck, MAYBE an F-450 in a pinch.

~~~
protomyth
Uhm, I can say with some certainty that a lot of North Dakota farmers would
take issue with your statement. F-150s are workhorses around here and there is
a bit of concern with the 2014 F-150 given the vehicles many uses.

I can see this being true in the cities, but it is also sold to a lot of
contractors who take it to job sites. The Super Duty (F-450) is actually
something to buy if you have a specialized need.

~~~
bueno
Isn't that the point of Job's statement? The F-150 workhorse is to the
traditional computer as a Dodge Dart is to the iPhone / iPad.

It also seems to be true that many people who own these trucks have no use for
them. I wish I had a picture of my high schools parking lot.

~~~
protomyth
I think it is the point, some people still need all the power.

I guess some people like trucks or think they are fashion statements, but the
sales figures don't get that high without the large number of people and
companies buying them for professional reasons.

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tux05
So profit w low market share, thats just doomed to lose marketshare and
profit, nice formula :D specially w/o including MS. On the other hand Free
OSX? who cares, their file system is just horrid. Better start praying for
another iPod idea Apple, or you will become Sega so fast not even Sonic ll be
able to catch you.

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charleswalter
microsoft is so stupid, haha

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ItendToDisagree
Someone has to be the 'professional' for someone else to be the 'hipster'.

Comparison is important to Apple's brand. Unless I was reading those John
Hodgeman commercials all wrong.

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pooriaazimi
Please don't dignify trolls with an answer. Just downvote them and move on.

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ItendToDisagree
But... but... funnies!

