iPhone to Destroy Apple

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Nikolai
Just to list a few things iPhone lacks:'

1) MMS. Says it all, really.
2) No support for Word documents. Which means you can't open much of what you get in the mail.'
3) As far as I know, there is unclear how good the support of Exchange is. Exchange is widespread among businesses.
4) It lacks 3G! Granted, WiFi is in, but come one, no 3G?
5) No support for memory cards. Really, how retarded can they get?
6) No option to change battery when it goes flat or gets old. Really, really retarded.
7) It has no GPS, a feature that is said to become standard on most phones this year.

A lot of these things actually sound familiar with typical Apple practice...no Word document compatibility sounds like that proprietary format on the iPod...trying to do things to their own systems and excluding all competition or compatibility with other platforms. They're trying to use their 'coolness' to sell.

This is where Apple scare me more than Microsoft or Intel, etc...they rely on being 'cool' to sell their products to underinformed morons with more money than sense rather than technical and price merit. At least Microsoft come in for a pasting when they get it wrong - the mindless acolytes of Apple will not hear a word said wrong against them (although we know a certainly mindless acolyte of the Wintel oligarchy also - RIP )

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison

A lot of these things actually sound familiar with typical Apple practice...no Word document compatibility sounds like that proprietary format on the iPod...trying to do things to their own systems and excluding all competition or compatibility with other platforms.

This is false. If you follow the industry, you would know that Apple does not use its own proprietary format on the iPod. The iPod supports various open formats including mp3, none of which are owned by Apple. The only proprietary format that stops any song being played on another player is Apple's Fairplay wrapper for AAC (an open format, which even plays on the Microsoft Zune), which applies to some songs bought from its music store.

But we know that Apple would rather not sell DRMed music that is restricted to the iPod. We know this because they went to the trouble of making a public statement to that effect, and because as soon as a major label allowed them to sell DRM free tracks, they did so. They've also said that they want all their music to be DRM free.

So the idea that Apple is restricting people from using their purchased music on non-Apple players is false. It is the record labels who forced Apple to do so, and Apple is in the middle of trying to persuade the rest of them to stop doing that.

They're trying to use their 'coolness' to sell.

And how many consumer oriented companies, apart from ones that make things like pile cream, do not do this?

I think this is overrated anyway. Old people buy iPods. They were cool 3 or 4 years ago when hardly anyone had them, but they are ubiquitous now, and yet they sell even more.

This is where Apple scare me more than Microsoft or Intel, etc...they rely on being 'cool' to sell their products to underinformed morons with more money than sense rather than technical and price merit.

This is bollocks. Apple's computers are pretty competitive on price for what you get. They just don't sell the really bargain basement pieces of crap you can get for $400 bucks, which no discerning computer user would buy. Nor do they offer vouchers like Dell does, which are hit or miss. I just looked at the Dell equivalent of the Macbook. Once I add in a decent version of Windows (the business edition) and the same processor, the Dell is only 20 bucks cheaper, and those were the first two options in the online Dell store. I hate to think what it will cost when I add the camera, the wireless, and the software.

At least Microsoft come in for a pasting when they get it wrong - the mindless acolytes of Apple will not hear a word said wrong against them (although we know a certainly mindless acolyte of the Wintel oligarchy also - RIP )

Apple gets ripped by its own users plenty. Back in the mid nineties, they were being pasted by them. Even now people complain about stuff (like the iTools furore).

I can't think of what Apple has done recently that was wrong. The Cube was a failure, but people really liked it anyway, so there wasn't much bad feeling.

And as I write, Apple has passed HP in market value, making it the most valuable personal computer manufacturer in the world.

[Provost Harrison]

Damn, I waited 4 hours and all I got was that

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison
Damn, I waited 4 hours and all I got was that

If you'd come up with arguments that demonstrated knowledge of Apple and the personal computer industry, you might have gotten more.

[Provost Harrison]

Asher was more fun than you are

[Nostromo]

And as I write, Apple has passed HP in market value, making it the most valuable personal computer manufacturer in the world.

I have a hard time believing this. Are you saying that Apple is selling more computers than either Dell or HP? Where are the numbers? Or a they comparing all the products sold by Apple (computers, monitors, iPods, iPhones, music) with all the products sold by Dell or HP?

[Kontiki]

Market value = all outstanding shares x stock price

[Nostromo]

Well, yeah, but he was suggesting in another thread that Apple sold more computers than Dell. I'd like to have the numbers on that. Its hard to believe.

[Japher]

The news pushed Apple shares down $8.11, or 6.1%, today to $134.89. One analyst called the news a "reality check" for Apple. The stock was up 0.8% to $135.90 in after-hours trading.

Currently the stock is at $146.97. I feel sorry for Elizabeth Strott, I hope she didn't short any shares.

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by nostromo
Well, yeah, but he was suggesting in another thread that Apple sold more computers than Dell. I'd like to have the numbers on that. Its hard to believe.

I have no idea what the numbers are, but there's no reason why the number or even value of things sold would equal the market value of a company.

[Zopperoni]

Originally posted by Agathon
But we know that Apple would rather not sell DRMed music that is restricted to the iPod. We know this because they went to the trouble of making a public statement to that effect, and because as soon as a major label allowed them to sell DRM free tracks, they did so. They've also said that they want all their music to be DRM free.

Subtle twist, but might I add that the DRM-free music at the iTMS comes at a $0.30 premium?

Given that royalties remain the same, that's another 30 cents in Steve Jobs' pocket. Moreover, if you purchased DRM'ed EMI music in the past, you're still required to pay the 30 cent premium to upgrade.

[Nostromo]

Originally posted by Kontiki


I have no idea what the numbers are, but there's no reason why the number or even value of things sold would equal the market value of a company.

I know, I learned that when the internet bubble bursted. I just clumsily jumped on the occasion to have the numbers on computers sold.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Zopperoni

Subtle twist, but might I add that the DRM-free music at the iTMS comes at a $0.30 premium?

Given that royalties remain the same, that's another 30 cents in Steve Jobs' pocket. Moreover, if you purchased DRM'ed EMI music in the past, you're still required to pay the 30 cent premium to upgrade.

But the albums still cost the same as they ever did. You only have to pay extra if you download individual songs at the higher bitrate.

Jeez... it's 30 cents...

[Agathon]

Originally posted by nostromo
Well, yeah, but he was suggesting in another thread that Apple sold more computers than Dell. I'd like to have the numbers on that. Its hard to believe.

I never said that. I said that Apple's market value is twice that of Dell.

IIRC Apple is the 3rd or fourth in shipments in the US when it comes to personal computers. HP is first by a long way, but they don't make nearly as much money, I guess because they sell more at the low end of the market.

Some people were saying last year that Apple's stock was overvalued at $70 a share. You really have to laugh.

I guess this is a testament to Apple being the only computer manufacturer that has really managed to successfully cross over into consumer electronics. Neither Dell or HP have, and Samsung and Sony were not computer companies to begin with and have always done other stuff.

Microsoft has done better than Dell and HP when it comes to consumer electronics, with the Xbox and Xbox 360.

I don't think people should be surprised at Apple doing well in this regard. It's not because of magic dust or anything like that, but because Apple is the last computer company that makes the whole thing, software + hardware. While that approach didn't serve them as well in the personal computer market, it works much better in the consumer electronics market, where the standardized software approach seems to suck. Given that, I wonder if other companies will stop relying on third party vendors for their software.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Agathon


Why?

So we could have him make **** up, post quotes from sites run by the mentally ill, and engage in personal attacks?

After all, he's been consistently wrong in all his predictions about Apple for years now (and Nintendo, truth be told).

Those are just some of the things we love about him.