I actually scrolled up to check to see if the date was April 1, 2006. This reads like a cleverly disguised joke. Cat names as an argument? Vista as an argument, followed by the contradictory argument that Apple will sell Mac OS for PCs? Are we sure this isn't a joke or a troll?
My fav:
5. Apple Finally Releases a Tablet and it Fails
The more you hear the rumors the more it seems like Apple is intent on releasing a 10" iPhone to the world. Supposedly, it will be low priced and you'll be able to have constant connectivity with the thing. Sounds good on paper but why would you want a 10" iPhone if you already have an iPhone that fits in your pocket?
Apparently, the cat names will lead to the Mac's extinction, because they can't update their OS anymore. For the very same reason, Ubuntu will stop updating in 7.5 years: No more letters in the English alphabet to name the versions after.
So, why would they ever abandon their actual cash cow? Case-in-point: iPhone 4, 720p video, and iMovie (on the iPhone). If you made iMovie like Apple has, the man-hours invested in that would demand a higher price than a mere $5, right? However, that version of iMovie is a selling point for the phone--which, coincidentally, is where they make their money. The same is true for their Macs and Laptops: they make the biggest margins in their hardware.
And I have to say, as someone who's chided the "our-size-fits-you" model, it sure hasn't hurt Apple's business. They've money in the bank (>$50bn) and a dedicated following.
Apple is a hardware company. Apple hardware could easily compete with Apple software running on third-party hardware. As far as software goes, I would rather be running Windows 7 (though I say this as a desktop Linux user.)
I don't think the market for a legal, barely supported Hackintosh is that large, but I do think opening it up would earn Apple some cash with minimal risk.
The era of the all-in-one hardware and software solution has been gone for at least the last ten years
You know that era may be dead, but I cannot think of a better era to be a technical person. Sure the web is great but things where still exotic then. There was a plethora of exotic machines that where new and novel. I remember the first DEC machine I ran into, not to mention SGI, Amiga, Symbolics LISP machine each new job was filled with wonder lust for someone just out of school. I would not trade that experience for the world and am glad that there was a time when integrated machines reigned.
It saddens me my kids grew up on an x86 desktop world. I think that's why I have a collection of interesting computers - Macs (68K, PPC and x86), RISC workstations, Amigas, Ataris, Apple IIs: to give them a taste of what has been so they can imagine what can still be.
And boy... I want a Lisp machine for the collection...
So a reason for removing one of their main product lines is because Apple is running out of Cat names? Really? What's next, there will be no more Android phones because all the treats in the bakery were taken?
Edit: I don't know much about this writer or blog, but in the comments it seems that he was joking. Oh the joys of detecting humor and sarcasm in writing..
The comments were more insightful than the main article.
That got me to switch over. The ability to dual boot into Windows for work purposes considerably lessened the risk of buying a Mac. That, and the fact that I was sick of my Windows machine.
It is a funny read (particularly the line about Vista) but the line that stood out for me was "Here most people will argue that Apple is a hardware company, the software, they’ll say, is there to drive sales of the hardware."
I did actually used to think that, but I've changed my mind now. Apple are a software company, and they make great hardware to drive sales of their software. I love my MBP, but if it was just an expensive windows machine I'd never have seriously considered buying it. I bought it for OS X.
Also, I personally think that the switch to Intel was a massive deal, and changed the fate of the Mac.
I agree with you that their software is the most compelling part of the Mac. But the reason people tend to say Apple is a hardware company is because that's where the money is made.
It's not wrong to say that the software drives the sales of the hardware. The software is outstanding, and compels people to purchase the profitable hardware.
You know, after having owned one of the unibody MacBooks, there's no way I could buy another brand, no matter what the OS. I know there's supposed to be some other premium laptop makers out there (Sony?) but I've never seen evidence of them; every time I walk past the laptop section in JBHiFi or Dick Smith, all I see are rows of the same fat, heavy plasticky laptops that have always been there.
Sure it has its faults (the screen is crap, for starters) but damn it's some sexy hardware.
> The era of the all-in-one hardware and software solution has been gone for at least the last ten years
Hum, completely backwards; it's the other way around, appliance computer devices are everywhere : NAS, media hub, phones and tablets... it's the customisable computer (the one you can open and extend) which is nearly dead. Everybody buys laptops or small integrated machines like macs mini and the likes.
http://www.applematters.com/article/the-bad-enough-issue/
This article argues that producing some generations of Macbook Pro without a Firewire port was a bad idea.
But I cannot recall (and Mactracker neither) of any MBP of this kind!
"I also think that it would benifit Apple to start thinking about shaping OS X to work on a mobile platform. Think about it. OS X running on a cell phone or a pda? F*ck!ng awesome!"
