PowerBook is dead; MacBook Pro is here (Intel-based)

[Apocalypse]

I just thought that was crazy low for a "performance" model.

Though $1,800 is a good price for something Asher calls performance.

[Agathon]

Another no-brainer...

Microsoft announces that Office will be on the mac for at least five years. It cracks me up how people have conspiracy theories about MS support for the mac platform. They will keep releasing software for it because people keep buying it and it makes them money. Hell, they've been releasing mac software since the launch of the Macintosh and it's consistently made them money.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Agathon
Another no-brainer...

Microsoft announces that Office will be on the mac for at least five years. It cracks me up how people have conspiracy theories about MS support for the mac platform. They will keep releasing software for it because people keep buying it and it makes them money. Hell, they've been releasing mac software since the launch of the Macintosh and it's consistently made them money.

I don't recall anyone here with conspiracy theories about MS support for the Mac problem.

Microsoft knows how to make money, so they sell their software on Macs, too.

Apple is slowly cluing in to this idea. Eventually, I expect regular PCs to be allowed to install MacOS X, too. Their walled garden is slowly crumbling.

[Agathon]

The conspiracy theory is that Microsoft keeps the Mac version of Office solely in order to deflect antitrust accusations. It doesn't really make any sense, but people keep going on about it.

As for the Mac OS being allowed to run on non-Apple hardware. It won't happen in the foreseeable future simply for economic reasons. If OS X ends up being sold for generic hardware, that will mean that Microsoft is effectively finished in the OS market, because only that would make it economical for Apple to refocus as a software company.

Apple have said publicly that they won't stop people from running Windows on their Mactel machines. That makes Apple machines the only computers that can run all three major operating systems. I think it's reasonable to expect Microsoft to sell a stripped down, low cost version of Windows for Mactel so that switchers can play their old games and so on. Given the relative conformity in Apple's hardware, that should be easy to do and would make them a lot more cash than Virtual PC ever will.

I'd probably buy it in order to run games (all it is good for really), but I would make sure that my computer was completely disconnected from the internet before I ever booted Windows.

[Asher]

If OS X ends up being sold for generic hardware, that will mean that Microsoft is effectively finished in the OS market, because only that would make it economical for Apple to refocus as a software company.

Allowing their software to be installed on non-Apple computers doesn't make them a software company. It's the smart thing to do.

If they can competently design computer hardware people want, there's no worry in it. The only reason to lock in your hardware to your OS is if you're scared other people can do a better job of making your hardware for cheaper.

[Agathon]

Allowing their software to be installed on non-Apple computers doesn't make them a software company. It's the smart thing to do.

If they can competently design computer hardware people want, there's no worry in it. The only reason to lock in your hardware to your OS is if you're scared other people can do a better job of making your hardware for cheaper.

They won't do it for various reasons.

One is that it simply isn't ecnomical. Apple makes most of its money from hardware. Making their own hardware means that pretty much everything "just works". I know that is somewhat of a cliche, but it is true nonetheless. In order to make OS X work with anything, Apple would have to spend a lot more and take a lot more time on writing the software. With a virtual monopolist as the competition, the entry costs are just too high.

The second is that the company's design philosophy is centred around "making the whole widget". I can't see that changing any time soon, especially not with Jobs in charge.

The third is that there is no financial reason to do it right now. Apple just had its best year since the 1980s. The shareholders have made buckets of money, and they've been selling a ton of macs even though everyone knew that they were changing architectures. I've met so many people recently who have switched to Macintosh that it's getting ridiculous. In each case the story is the same: "I liked my iPod so much that I wanted to try one of their computers".

It's not a case of "making better hardware for cheaper", but of making hardware that is simply "good enough" for a cheaper price (like the low cost Dells). Apple is never going to do that.

Jobs has basically been proven right. I thought the iPod thing had peaked last Xmas, but I was wrong – it just keeps getting bigger.

I thought that the retail stores were a dumb idea. I was wrong. The one in Yorkdale is always full and they have been a complete success.

I thought that selling music probably wouldn't work out, and that they would probably get crunched by some bigger retailer. I was wrong about that too (the competitors have all suffered from major suckage). For the record I don't think the TV shows thing will work either.

So it looks like Apple will be around in one form or another for 10 years or so. That means my migration to Linux will be delayed at least that long.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I'd probably buy it in order to run games (all it is good for really), but I would make sure that my computer was completely disconnected from the internet before I ever booted Windows.

No multiplayer CivIV for you!

[Asher]

Letter from Jason Kottke to Apple Support:

From: jason@kottke.org
Subject: Powerbook support
Date: January 10, 2006 4:55:31 PM ET
To: Apple Tech Support

Hello,

I purchased a new Powerbook three weeks ago. It was working fine until a few hours ago when you announced the new Intel-powered MacBook Pro at MacWorld and I started to cry. "Four to fives times faster," I sobbed, "a built-in iSight, and a brighter, wider screen."

My display, while not as bright or large as the new MacBook Pro display, illuminated my wet cheeks and red, swollen eyes as my tears rained down on the backlit keyboard. An acrid smell rose up from inside the smooth metal machine as my salty tears joined with the electronics, joyfully releasing the electrons from their assigned silicon pathways to freely arc into forbidden areas of the computer and elsewhere, including, somewhat painfully, my hands.

Is this covered under my warranty and if so, can you send me a new MacBook Pro as a replacement, please? Thank you for your time,

-jason

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

I'd probably buy it in order to run games (all it is good for really), but I would make sure that my computer was completely disconnected from the internet before I ever booted Windows.

No multiplayer CivIV for you!

I have no desire to play Civ IV.

[Imran Siddiqui]

HEATHEN!

[Sava]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
It's an Apple product => it's underpowered, and will be bought by alot of icky humanist types. I'm gonna keep my distance.

pwnt

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
HEATHEN!

Civ has sucked since Civ II (which is still a pretty good game). Civ I was the best of them all (due to its originality at the time), and SMAC was better than all of them.

If I want to play a strategy game, I will play Victoria or EUII, both of which make Civ IV look like noobsville.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Asher
A professional laptop is, for example, a T60p...with a FireGL video card.

It depends on what kind of professionals the notebook is for.

Originally posted by Asher
And the reason even regular T60s have a premium are the premium features, like shock-absorbing chassis and integrated WWAN (Cell-phone based internet), biometric security, etc.

Biometric security?

[Asher]

Yes...



Fingerprint scanner. It integrates with the on-board TPM chip for hardware-based encryption, password storage (in a secure flash memory chip), real-time hardware-based file encryption for the entire harddisk, etc.

When you combine the two, the data on your laptop is pretty damn safe. The government buys these ThinkPads in droves, particularly.

[Sava]

Originally posted by Agathon


Civ has sucked since Civ II (which is still a pretty good game). Civ I was the best of them all (due to its originality at the time), and SMAC was better than all of them.

If I want to play a strategy game, I will play Victoria or EUII, both of which make Civ IV look like noobsville.