There used to be a saying about MS; that it took them three goes to get a product right
I was thinking about Apple products, and I think perhaps they deserve this now. Each new (1st gen) product from Apple is a bit short on features and a bit expensive, but they have commitment. 2nd gen is a decent product, and 3rd gen has typically been great. [Cases in point: iPhone, iPod, MacBook Air, Apple TV (3rd gen still to come)]
The difference (between Apple and HP et al) comes down to commitment to a product. Apple (like MS) gear them selves up for the long haul; they expect to spend lots and take years to achieve their vision. Other PC manufacturers (speaking very generally here) seem to have a bit of a half arsed shot at something and kill it if it doesn't fly.
I think you're speaking of the late 90's MS, they seem to have lost much of that edge.
Apple does something a bit different. It starts slow, getting the core features right and then builds on them. It doesn't pile on features, they are added slowly only as they mature.
Of course it also drives demand for several years, a very profitable formula.
It's what all startups (here) should follow; make a MVP and if it works perfect it. Normal practice you would hope, yet it isn't; comments here and to the article directly are too techy. The 'public' wants the air because it looks great and is easy to use; they don't care about 'power'. Don't take it from me or the article writer; just look at the sales. People who would normally not consider spending $1000 on a laptop are buying these, I can see it around me; men and women, computer illiterates a lot of them, went from 300-400$ netbooks to the latest air. No-one knows what processor or memory they have, they are light, just work and are 'much easier than Windows' (between quotes, because I don't find either one particularly easier or harder than the other one; just a matter of getting used to).
People who talk about 'better specs', 'only a few inches thicker but twice the cpu power', 'does have a dvd drive' are tech or at least into computers; most people are not, they don't care.
I was thinking about Apple products, and I think perhaps they deserve this now. Each new (1st gen) product from Apple is a bit short on features and a bit expensive, but they have commitment. 2nd gen is a decent product, and 3rd gen has typically been great. [Cases in point: iPhone, iPod, MacBook Air, Apple TV (3rd gen still to come)]
The difference (between Apple and HP et al) comes down to commitment to a product. Apple (like MS) gear them selves up for the long haul; they expect to spend lots and take years to achieve their vision. Other PC manufacturers (speaking very generally here) seem to have a bit of a half arsed shot at something and kill it if it doesn't fly.