The economy may suck, but not for Apple

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by One_more_turn
Asher is a chronic Microsoft cheerleader. But we know already that Bill Gates is throwing the towel, that Windows Vista sucks badly, and that the Office franchise will be under assault very soon.

How many false things can you post in one post? Asher is a Firefox "cheerleader", which would be impossible if you were a "chronic Microsoft cheerleader", because they kind of have a web browser too. Bill Gates has a **** load of money and wants to dedicate time to his charity. Vista most decidedly does not suck (I prefer it to XP). And Office under assault?!

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Oerdin
If no one cares about Microsoft, as you claim, then why does it have a 90% market share to Apple's 6%? Stop being retarded.

Apple is a hardware vendor. It does not sell software to run on non-Apple computers. Apple's competitors are Dell, Sony, HP, etc. It would be unlikely, and frankly undesirable for any one of these companies to gain a 90% share of the computer business.

As for the question of why Windows has a 90% share: are you being deliberately obtuse? They're called network externalities. It's the same reason that we're still stuck using a keyboard format that was deliberately designed to make typing difficult. The situation is quite similar with the Windows OS, as you would understand if you thought about it for more than 10 seconds.

What's worse in this case is that the network externalities (and look that term up, please, I'm tired of retorts from people who don't understand the terms being used) are combined with a monopoly power. You do understand why monopolies are generally seen as a bad thing, right? You do understand that Microsoft's business strategy has largely been to use its desktop OS monopoly to extend its monopoly to other areas of computing? You do understand that they have been found guilty of doing this multiple times, right? I thought you Americans understood the value of competition.

The computing public would be much better off if various forms of open source software were used to create OS standards. That way it would be easy for Dell, Sony, et al to customize their own distros for their own customers without having to be dependent on the Microsoft standard. As it is, these companies and their customers are hobbled by Microsoft into accepting what perpetuates the monopoly rather than what is in their own interest. You know why the internet is so much better and more innovative than desktop computing? Because the internet relies largely on open standards.

This is all completely obvious, has been discussed for decades in the tech media, and is understood by anyone with the merest capacity for thought about the state of computing. In this little digital ghetto, it is in short supply.

[Victor Galis]

I used to go to the Apple store in New York just because you could use the internet free on their computers... and work blocked Gmail

That said, I doubt I would ever buy something made by Apple, I just don't see the point.

[Asher]

Agathon is the new Ned.

[One_more_turn]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui


How many false things can you post in one post? Asher is a Firefox "cheerleader", which would be impossible if you were a "chronic Microsoft cheerleader", because they kind of have a web browser too. Bill Gates has a **** load of money and wants to dedicate time to his charity. Vista most decidedly does not suck (I prefer it to XP). And Office under assault?!

After using Google Apps, I see no need to cough up $200 for MS Office.

We in the investment business have known for a very long time that when successful founders bailing out of their own creation, REGARDLESS of reasons, is the ultimate sell signal; and we do not easily BS like journalists because our own money is on the line.

Microsoft will be one of the greatest short of the next decade, if it decides to swallow Yahoo.

[Asher]

Originally posted by One_more_turn
After using Google Apps, I see no need to cough up $200 for MS Office.

Google Apps is a competitor for Microsoft Works, not Office.

I'm a huge Google fan, but let's be realistic here.

70%+ of Office's use is in businesses. These businesses do crazy, crazy stuff with Excel that are nowhere near to being practical with Numbers (Apple) or Google's app. These businesses use .DOC to talk to eachother as well. And they all use PowerPoint. They also don't want Google hosting their sensitive data.

Office 2007 (and Office 2008 for Mac) just set new sales records. These were released after Google Apps and iWork and OpenOffice existed.

I don't think you know what's going on in the market.

[Dinner]

I agree that the purchase of Yahoo is likely to be a drain more then a plus. Successful mergers are few and far between. That said the stock went down because earnings growth wasn't as big as some analysists wanted it to be however in real terms earns still went up. How can earning be going up and the company be "going down the toilet" as Aggie has claimed? Especially when those earnings are many, many, many times Apple's which Aggie claims is the best?

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Oerdin
How can earning be going up and the company be "going down the toilet" as Aggie has claimed?

It's a stagnant company that is going nowhere. Look at that retarded surface table. Oooh, you can make yourself a customized surfboard. Ooh, someone buy me a Zune, because I am teh ghey. Let's make a game console that sounds like a 747 and which has a 1/3 hardware failure rate. Let's spend six years writing a new OS that's so good people are demanding that the old one be kept on sale.

Especially when those earnings are many, many, many times Apple's which Aggie claims is the best?

Companies like Apple and Google are actually doing interesting stuff. Microsoft is a bloated vampire that lives off of its desktop monopoly and contributes nothing new or interesting.

[Wiglaf]

Google Apps is a competitor for Microsoft Works, not Office. Etc 70% use it for business You know nothing!!

He never said anything about businesses. A metric crap ton of people use Word for home use, and the fact remains that Office 2007 is overkill for them because of all the free options.

It's a stagnant company that is going nowhere. Look at that retarded surface table. Oooh, you can make yourself a customized surfboard. Ooh, someone buy me a Zune, because I am teh ghey.

You're a philosophy professor, right. I just find it amazing you act like you're 14.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Agathon
It's a stagnant company that is going nowhere. Look at that retarded surface table.

...which is driving all kinds of high-margin business for my company.

I don't think you understand its purpose -- it's not made for philosophy instructors or home users.

We actually have a few Surface tables at the office. It's far more than a supersized iPhone interface.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Wiglaf
He never said anything about businesses. A metric crap ton of people use Word for home use, and the fact remains that Office 2007 is overkill for them because of all the free options.

I don't think Microsoft cares too much about Office home users. It's a much smaller market than businesses that has been shrinking for a long time.

Their focus on Office is in business -- which is still growing -- and internationally, which is the major source for growth.

Whether home users ditch Office for Google Apps is unlikely but not that big a deal. MS already offered value software like MS Works, acknowledging that it's not a big Office user base.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Wiglaf

You're a philosophy professor, right. I just find it amazing you act like you're 14.

This is the internet. Everyone is 14.

But nice job avoiding any substantive criticism (which is par for the course here, so it's not as if you're unusual). Perhaps I would be less sarcastic if my critics here had any obvious sign of having nous enough to understand the bleeding obvious. Unfortunately they don't.

[Asher]

That post is simply hilarious to anyone who is familiar with your posting. It's hilarious to anyone at all who also reads the stuff in your sig, especially the stuff about MS being an "abuse company".

To say you are deluded is to have "nous".

[Asher]

This is a perfect spoof of a Jobs keynote...

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1811646

[Agathon]

Real posters only, please.