Where is Apple headed?

[Bill Joyce]

When comparing hardware, it is HP and Dell that are being compared to Apple, not Microsoft Windows. I have seen some very well made PCs from other companies, like Lenovo and Sony, over the years.

[skp51443]

As a long time Dell user I can tell you that when you buy one these days what you get may surprise you and usually not in a good way. My last two (for both meanings of last - recent buys and no more) Dells both were what I consider little above floor sweepings, not what I expected. They shipped me a very expensive server, a T-310 that was supposed to be a new piece of equipment and Dell claimed it supported the tasks I needed it to accomplish. After much wasted time it does not do what it was supposed to, it needs a motherboard upgrade along with new RAM chips to actually work properly. It also has a bunch of stuff built into the BIOS that is impossible to turn off and that adds 30 plus seconds to the startup time from sleep, not a killer but it ticks me off every day. If I actually turn it fully off startup is a couple minutes to get to the Loading the OS screen and all the internal fans run at full speed during that time, very loud. So I live with the slightly slow boot and put up with wasted power rather than deal with a cold reboot. The other system was one of their Small Form Factor ones bought for one of the kids as a gift, it runs hot and noisy which is far different than their documentation led me to expect. A good deal of time spent working on changing poor air flow patterns (like the cpu fan didn't blow the hot air out of the case) has calmed it down to where it is acceptable but not what I'd call good.

 

I have a few HPs and find HP support very helpful, they will walk you through your problems, identify the problems and assure you that HP is not going to fix them. My last two had issues with the HDMI video output and would not connect to a couple different monitors, fix a new video card. Out of my pocket, not theirs since the card they included did work with an HP monitor it was my problem. There is also a little glitch with the power supply, it reboots the computer when the power fails and my UPS starts. They acknowledged the problem and told me it only impacted a few of their systems. They also said they would not warranty the power supply since they never promised the system would work on a UPS. It now looks like HP has had the great idea of requiring a paid support contract be in place before you can download any updates from them. Nope, nope, nope... Even Dell makes updates (like BIOS and drivers) free and keeps them available for years after the systems go out of support.

 

I'm still shopping but Dell and HP are off my list, Apple doesn't make what I'm looking for and Western Digital who do has too many buried surprises and limitations that I am tired of stubbing my toes on. So this time I am beating Google half to death doing my research before I end up with another underperforming box full of surprises.

 

Apple stuff on the other hand seems to work well with other Apple stuff and Apple supports it very well. If you add non-Apple stuff it may be a different situation. I only really see Apple stuff that belongs to friends but they seem more than happy with it and the support, the price isn't great but they think it is worth paying it in return for what they get.

[Ron]

 

 

…… Apple stuff on the other hand seems to work well with other Apple stuff and Apple supports it very well. If you add non-Apple stuff it may be a different situation. I only really see Apple stuff that belongs to friends but they seem more than happy with it and the support, the price isn't great but they think it is worth paying it in return for what they get.

 

Exactly my experience ever since I purchased my first Apple in 1984. I've never owned a Windows PC although I "suffered" with them for many years at work. I've never had an Apple computer hardware failure except for one hard drive failure (not really a piece of Apple hardware, and that was after at least 4 years of use), and one MacBook that died when I spilled my cup on coffee on the keyboard. That one I sent in to a 3ed party repair shop about 5 years ago, which fixed it for $150, and it's still working great. Also, I've never had a complaint about Apple's technical support - it's always first class, dealing with people who know what they're talking about, and speak English as a first language.

 

I place a high value on good solid engineering and that's why I'm willing to pay for it. In my opinion OSX, a UNIX based OS, is an inherently better OS than the evolved MS-DOS. Over the years Apple's OS's have proven to be more stable and more trouble free. Integrating with third party hardware that I've needed (e.g., drives, printers etc.) has never been a problem. Just plug them in and they work - the OS already has the necessary drivers.

 

Several of my friends have switched to Apple computers and find they can do everything they want to do with no need for a Windows OS. Not a single one of them have switched back to a Windows PC. A couple of them that still need to run a Windows-only application just run Windows OS on the Apple when they need to. They notice no reduction in performance vs. running the application on a Window's only computer.

 

For my own purposes, and in my own opinion, the extra money I've spent on Apple hardware over the years is minuscule compared to the value I place on the time and frustration avoided solving problems with, or related to using, Windows OS's.

 

This is all just my experience and my opinions - yours may be entirely different. I'm not trying to change anyone else's opinion nor start a debate.

[Jack Mayer]

I have not had a SINGLE crash or lockup on a PC since Windows 7 came out. Not ONE. And I own at least 5 that are used almost on a daily basis.

 

As for hardware, I do think that Apple makes great hardware. But there is equal PC hardware. Not Dell and HP though. And that PC hardware is going to cost close to the Apple hardware price.

[Barbaraok]

Like Ron, we've had Macs since 1984 and never have had problems. They work for us. Over time I think the extra $ paid for each computer worked out fine because we kept them for years only upgrading when there was a real jump in technology. But not every one will agree.

 

Barb

[RV_]

Kirk,
Your sudden credentials in servicing electronics and computers aside, how do you explain the same components made on the same factory assembly lines, by the same people having higher failure rates in one badged brand, or higher quality on another? I have no trouble showing proof.

I can't speak for prior to 2005, when Jobs dumped the power PC chipset in favor of using the computer chipsets made by Intel for all the rest of the computers in the world, Windows and Linux. So now they have their computers built in the same factories, by the same workers, from the same components exactly as are used on similarly spec'd computers. With different cases

Kirk, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, not their own facts. Apple stands in line with the rest of the brands we know, who make nothing themselves either like HP, Dell, Apple, etc. All computers, tablets, smart phones and LCD screens for them are made by what are called ODMs, or Original Design Manufacturers. One week they will do a run of Apple computers, then HP, then after a week, switch to orders from another vendor like say Dell. There are only a handful of ODMs making the lion's share with names like Compal, Quanta, HonHai, Wistron etc. It has been the computer industry's dirty little secret since the mid 1990s.

Excerpt:

"With orders for Apple's new iPad mini with Retina, which is set to start shipping at the end of the second quarter, and Amazon's entry-level tablets, Compal's tablet shipments are expected to surge in 2014, the sources noted.

Although Quanta is said to have landed Apple's large-size iPad orders, limited volumes mean it is unlikely to help offset the company's lost orders from Amazon. As a result, Quanta is now aggressively trying to land orders for phablets, which have started becoming popular in Asia, the sources noted.

In 2014, Compal is expected to ship 14 million tablets, double its 2013 volume of seven million units, the sources added."

That article in full: http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20140115PD216.html

Let me remind you that items made by the same factory, with the same components, will have the same mean time between failure rates, and the same defect rates percentage wise across the boards.

I am not disputing your satisfaction with your computers, but I take extreme exception when the same components are given god-like powers of endurance when the name Apple goes on one run, and say HP on the next.

Let me repeat that I believe that each of you have been very satisfied with your Apple products. I am NOT questioning your happiness with Apple or your experiences with them.

I do however, take exception to the erroneous claims to our Windows hardware or software failure rates being higher than Apple's. You know you can just say what your experiences are, without going out on that limb. I built my own systems for years and still do hardware and software repairs for some of my old customers.

So to be clear, I am not disparaging Apple owner experiences because that would be delusional. Just as delusional as making a blanket statement that Apple hardware components are superior because Windows components are inferior, when they are the same components. At the same pricepoints or better.

So for more facts, inconvenient though some might find them, let's go here:

Title: Apple working with WD on OS X Mavericks data loss disaster (Nov 2013)
http://blogs.computerworld.com/mac-os-x/23106/please-delete-apple-working-wd-os-x-mavericks-data-loss-disaster

Let's let Apple owners tell us themselves how their upgrade just works. Go here to Apple support community forums and just scroll down the list from the last 24 hours.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os/os_x_mavericks

All that not to say Apple Macs are inferior in any way, nor are the vendors ordering hardware and using Windows OS' inferior.

Apple and Windows are both backing away from Android and Google. They have agreed to not hassle each other about patents. Apple is making moves into the enterprise space, teaming with IBM, which has yet to recover from losing control of the x86 designs and patents. We can only hope. But given a choice between a Google OS' of any kind, and Apple, mobile or desktop/tablet, I'd buy Apple every time. But since MS is still there I can stay with my favorite.

Kirk,
This forum is open to different opinions, I asked for your fact source. Your answer boiled down to pretty much "Because I said so.

Ron and Barb,
This thread is a good idea as all but a very few of us agree to disagree on our choice of computer. Most of the non Apple users do give a free pass to Apple folks when the erroneous narrative that Apple products just work, Windows doesn't, gets blue screens, and our machines are infected daily. That wasn't even true in the Windows XPSP3 days. No one is challenging your preferences or disputing the design and high end PC components they use. Which are also available on Windows units. My Dell 2720 has the ~ same resolution as the Apple retina display, they call it quad HD. Has a SSD large hard drive combo, even has a thunderbolt port, an Intel design not Apples. HDMI in as well as out ports. Six USB 3 too.

I picked the WD hard drive software conflict with a new OSX software example from lots of possible choices. You see, Apple controls what hardware is on their machines, and what software is on them. Apple goofed and did not thoroughly test their new upgrade with their own selected hardware and the software they allowed on them. No biggie. We get that from all OS' from time to time. But my goodness, they only have to test a relative few configurations than say HP who has to match their hardware choices in hundreds of configurations of desktops, laptops, tablets, All In Ones, and that's just one vendor of dozens.

No US company makes their own computers here anymore. Some small start ups might be assembling desktops here from components made by the same folks over in Taiwan/mainland China. Jack said it right.

Apple makes an OS run on computers that have always been manufactured by other companies in Taiwan since they switched to x86 hardware nine years ago, just like the rest of the Industry. Some few will have factory defects, and others will have owners who have great difficulty with operating them.

So can we stop comparing hardware made in the same factories by the same people, with the same parts, as if WD drives installed in Apple computers are sprinkled with pixie dust, and in Windows computers aren't.

Besides, life is good the weather changes have made the usually triple digit hot July here, be an amazing 67-75°F here for the past week! We have better things to do than get huffy to cover up that we don't have any source when asked for a source for a statement based on anecdotal hearsay. (terms specific and intentional - anecdotal is personal experience, hearsay is the unproven experience of another as told. So anecdotal hearsay would be my personal experience as told to me by someone else.) Now that's funny, I don't care who you are. Besides, anything can be googled that exists in the tech world. Some people will always have trouble with their computers, and some hiccups occur with OS upgrades of every flavor.

Back to the topic of where is Apple going. The enterprise news with IBM? Interesting?

[RV_]

Ron,
Those PC Magazine editors in your link gave the exact same rating to the then $374.99 Windows 8 ASUS TA100 hybrid, and a Chromebook by HP with Verizon LTE for $299.99, as they gave the two sizes of MacBook Pro at $1899.00 for the 15", and $1699.00 for the 13" laptop. It was a four-way tie for first place. They just listed the top four in descending price order. And what a price descent that was indeed. I don't do laptops but I do own the old HP hybrid x2 that came to market in late 2012. There's room in the top ratings for both OS'. Yhey even included a Chromebook as one of the top four?

 

There are great systems out there from everybody, and the older slower models are being clearanced out fast.

[Ron]

>>> snip

 

Let me remind you that items made by the same factory, with the same components, will have the same mean time between failure rates, and the same defect rates percentage wise across the boards.

 

I am not disputing your satisfaction with your computers, but I take extreme exception when the same components are given god-like powers of endurance when the name Apple goes on one run, and say HP on the next.

 

>>> snip

While I agree with much of what you said in your very long post, the quoted text is another matter. Perhaps I don’t understand what you intend to say but as I interpret it, it is totally wrong. It is obviously very possible for the same electronic components to have different failure rates based on their usage. A computer is a system. A system requires good system design, mechanical design, and electrical design. Components of a system will fail at different rates depending on factors such as shock, vibration, heat, and how much margin each component’s electrical specifications and tolerances have in the circuit into which they are designed. The mechanical design is critical to avoid thermal hot spots inside the system and to provide a structure that minimizes cracked solder joints, broken etch, and a whole host of other problems that are totally beyond the control of the factory or the component manufacturer.

 

With that said, I know there are very high quality Windows PCs built to exacting standards and they will have very low failure rates. It is also my opinion that, for the most part, many people who believe “PCs are cheaper than Macs” are not comparing two computers with the same level of quality.

[Jack Mayer]

PCs of the same quality are generally cheaper than a similar Apple machine. I've done comparisons for many years on similar - not exact - hardware. But they are pretty close....not a HUGE gap. The reason the PCs tend to be cheaper is competition, and faster hardware churn. Thus retail sales/price reductions.

 

I will agree that the gap for similar hardware is not as great as many make it out to be. But the gap is there and it can be significant because of sales that occur more often in the PC market.

 

As to which system is best....that is like saying "who's wife is best". It is a personal preference. Not based on significant facts on one side or the other. IMO. I can show you dozens of things better in the PC world, and turn right around and show you a dozen things better in the Apple world.

 

I buy PC's for a few simple reasons - first, I have way more choice. Second, if I WANT a cheaper price point machine they are available, and are above average quality. Mainly because of competition. A top-line machine is not always the best choice for all people. I view these machines as "throw-away". I use them for 3 years or so and then they recycle. By that time there is significant change in hw/software and time to upgrade. Third, the innovation in form factor and capabilities is faster in the PC world. Just look at the hybrid machines for an example.

 

If I was doing anything in the music or digital photo world at a professional level I'd certainly have an Apple of some sort. They actually excel there.But for my use a PC has significant advantages.

[RV_]

Ron,

I'll defer to Jack's summation. My post was as long as it needed to be when discussing the fact that all those factors are designed to fit together and soldered together be Compal, or Quanta, as contracts are let to the lowest bidder as Apple does and every other manufacturer does, quarterly. However also to make it clear that your preference is just that. My comments about Apple are always acknowledging their terrific business model and passionate regard, approaching veneration for them by their users. I have never, when discussing Apple PCs compared them to Windows PCs from a mine is better perspective.

 

I am just as tickled with the advances of the industry and the competition that drives it from all directions not just one. I am enamored of Windows tablets and All In Ones right now. you your Apple products. But it is true that Apple has, like any manufacturer had their failures too.

 

I provided the direction for you to easily expand your research to each ODM, however I did not branch out into the logical to me conclusion of this odd way of doing business where a company orders a particular set of components manufacturing engineered by the ODMs (you'll find no Apple or Dell supervisors there.)

 

The question most fail to ask because the Dell passionate ones, which I am not as my next tablets will be a mix of Surface Pros and ASUS, is why don't these ODMs just sell under their name and cut out the middle man. If one had no idea that manufacturing computers is entirely out of our hands, and was uninformed to the point that they believed their brand was made by a plant with their brand name at the entrance, well that entrance is not owned by the distributors of the hardware. The OS' are still made in America. And we still have a choice of four OS' that all run on the same hardware.

 

But once one knows that ODMs actually figure out the manufacturing methods to use to solder in those components, and in many cases do all the engineering, then one can look at the ODMs who stepped out from behind the curtain, like the wizard of OZ in more ways than one, and decided to not just design and make the computers/phones/tablets/and components, but to sell them directly to the consumer. You see, Acer was an ODM first. Now they sell and service directly to the consumer. ASUS , HTC, HuaWei, MSI, Acer all now cut out the middleman. Why do you think that Apple makes OSX hard to run on other hardware and when psy computers cloned them spent millions to shut them down? Some folks might want in and out HDMI ports like on mine, along with thunderbolt and Quad HD without having to switch OS'. Some won't.

 

Apple has Acquired its own chip fab and its own chip design and engineering firm that used to consult for Samsung in 2012 but it hasn't turned the tide of cheaper Android phones because Android phone manufacturers, including those who make their phones, don't have to pay a licensing fee for Android, which still has 70% of the smartphones market worldwide, and is still taking the lion's share of new customers. Apple's sales increases are real. But if to make it simple there are 100 new users who turn old enough for parents to get them their own smart phones, many will opt for a more disposable Android. If 30% get an apple then they will cause an increase in Apple's sales. Notwithstanding the 70% buying Android.

 

I think more than ever Apple is headed for transitions as great as when Jobs came back and switched to the new chipset around 2001, or the switch to Wintel hardware.

 

I see the competition between Apple and MS heating up more than ever. But in a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" way.

 

Apple has finally acknowledged the declining sales of iPods:http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/01/28/apple-is-finally-acknowledging-its-declining-ipod-sales/ Since most folks like me buy a 32GB SD card and load all our media on that on our Android phones. We have no need of a limited, non expandable MP3 player when our 16 dollar 32 GB micro SD cards can also be swapped out as needed, and new devices are getting 128 GB capacity cards that are already selling for $75.00 or less: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=893909&Q=&is=REG&A=details

 

Apple stayed away from SD storage on their phones and tablets because then who would buy the ipods? Today they charge a 100 buck premium to increase their iPhone 5 onboard flash storage (same as SD flash storage) from 16GB to 32 GB. Now check the price of a new SD 16GB micro SD card. My new tablet uses SDXC cards which allow up to 128GB of Storage. I received my 64GB micro SD card yesterday, a Sandisk extreme with the fastest speeds and is waterproof, shockproof, temperature proof etc. $29.99 with free shipping on sale last month at TigerDirect. It sold out and I had to wait foe restock. My new this year model Dell Tablet can handle all SDXC cards. My last year's slower tablets can handle only SDHC (up to 32GB capacity) except for the full size SD slot on my x2 hybrid.

 

I agree with you that it takes some excellent engineering to make all the new tech fit into, and work, in increasingly smaller form factors. The Surface Pro squeezes the equivalent of an iPad, an iPod, and a MacBook Air into one superbly performing all in one device. They have SDXC ports, up to i7processors: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Surface-Pro-3/productID.300190600?vid=304047200&tid=sa0r8F5S&cid=5250&pcrid=2641275130&pkw=surface%20pro%203&pmt=e&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=pointitsem_Microsoft+US_bing_5+-+Surface&WT.term=surface%20pro%203&WT.campaign=5+-+Surface&WT.content=sa0r8F5S&WT.source=bing&WT.medium=cpc

 

So if indeed Apple did all of its engineering, and is expert at making it work elegantly in engineering terms, why are they still making single purpose devices? With no touch on OSX or any OSX tablets?

 

Where Apple is headed is the same place MS is headed, Samsung is headed, and every phablet manufacturer is headed. The all in one device that goes mobile and is modular in that there is overlap. HDMI out ports for older folks like me whose vision focal range is narrowing fast.

 

But I submit that the air gestures are where we are all heading like seen in science fiction today. We already have webcams that do kinect-like control of computers. The only thing missing are the holograms and fine locators in air reference points based on the user as plotted.

 

I think that Apple will be joining the all in one crowd soon. You see Android is free, iOS is not allowed on other devices. Thus despite Apple's one year jump on Android to market, Android now has 70% market share. But back out a bit more macro and we find that of all devices worldwide MS has only 14%. The frenemy is not Apple or MS to each other. The frenemy is Samsung which goes to bed with both, and Google who is free for the taking as long as the Apps that track is are under the control of the Google spystore.

 

The newest player, MS, ha just announced that Windows phone 8, like Android, is free for phone makers to use, yet still profit from ongoing development, and the regular Windows updates for all regardless of manufacturer. Unlike the Google fractured ecosphere, where some products are never updated by the manufacturer, and even the majors like Samsung and ASUS stop supporting two year old smart products and expect their customers to buy new not able to upgrade them. Or the closed Apple ecosphere where they make three products at high prices to do the work of one, and charge 1000% markups on flash memory.

 

Your initial question is not limited to within Apple. They, like MS and Google must offer their products advantageously to the consumers, and acknowledge the market. MS doesn't manufacture their own Surface products either.

 

So the interesting thing to me about where Apple is headed is the same story as the MS Zune late to market and already beaten by SD cards. I was also late to the MP3 player market and found an old Samsung smartphone with its SD card slot, and free in trade could do more than the vaunted iPod. Digital music is the same once ripped to mp3, and I prefer to do my own at max fidelity of 320Kbps instead of the iTunes or Amazon lower fidelity MP3s. So where do I get my new music? From Amazon Prime music,free, as well as playlists I can play like Pandora.http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=8335758011&tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=4961682785&ref=pd_sl_1usj9rowkt_e

Amazon intends to do with music what they did with books. And they are doing their own cloud storage which is making inroads into enterprise.

 

So who will be dominant in 15 years when I'm 67? Fifteen years ago there was no streaming movies, music, and broadband was only obtainable at 128 kbit/s ISDN telephone systems (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISDN) and look where we are now! Fifteen years ago there were no tablets and smart TVs, and wireless B routers could only do 10Mbps speeds and were mostly connected to dial up at 28Kbps at most. There was no Internet built into cell phones or from Satellites. 15 years ago Intel to Apple was part of the Evil Wintel! That overnight went from a lying cheating enemy of Steve Jobs personally and Apple owners in general, to a wonderful provider of chipsets and a framework for a better Apple. So if thy make their own stuff, and always engineered them, why, with the exception of their A6 chips for cell phones haven't they built their own designs?

 

The only things the same are Apple and MS are major players, and both Gates and Jobs no longer run them. So sorry, that question's answer is not confined to Apple. Apple does not operate in a vacuum. And once we stop thinking the defects of another system makes our own better, then we can see the vision of the future which is always change.

 

Three or four airbursts as the better informed ex and current military know, set off by terrorists much like the ones that shot down a civilian airliner, and designed to use the atmospheric multiplier effect to only create a massive EMP would be a time machine that would set us back to the 19th century in a millisecond. Which brand of computer then becomes null.

[Ron]

Tim Cook has put together an OUTSTANDING team of experts in various technical and marketing disciplines to develop a new wearable device. This article lists the background and expertise of a long list of these experts and it suggests to me that this new device is likely to be a blockbuster for them. Calling this new device an iWatch would be about the same as calling your smart phone a pocket watch just because you generally keep it in your pocket and it can tell you the time of day!

 

With AAPL moving up to new highs it looks like the expectations are growing.

[L&JSteinmetz]

Ron,I'll defer to Jack's summation. My post was as long as it needed to be when discussing the fact that all those factors are designed to fit together and soldered together be Compal, or Quanta, as contracts are let to the lowest bidder as Apple does and every other manufacturer does, quarterly. However also to make it clear that your preference is just that. My comments about Apple are always acknowledging their terrific business model and passionate regard, approaching veneration for them by their users. I have never, when discussing Apple PCs compared them to Windows PCs from a mine is better perspective. I am just as tickled with the advances of the industry and the competition that drives it from all directions not just one. I am enamored of Windows tablets and All In Ones right now. you your Apple products. But it is true that Apple has, like any manufacturer had their failures too. I provided the direction for you to easily expand your research to each ODM, however I did not branch out into the logical to me conclusion of this odd way of doing business where a company orders a particular set of components manufacturing engineered by the ODMs (you'll find no Apple or Dell supervisors there.) The question most fail to ask because the Dell passionate ones, which I am not as my next tablets will be a mix of Surface Pros and ASUS, is why don't these ODMs just sell under their name and cut out the middle man. If one had no idea that manufacturing computers is entirely out of our hands, and was uninformed to the point that they believed their brand was made by a plant with their brand name at the entrance, well that entrance is not owned by the distributors of the hardware. The OS' are still made in America. And we still have a choice of four OS' that all run on the same hardware. But once one knows that ODMs actually figure out the manufacturing methods to use to solder in those components, and in many cases do all the engineering, then one can look at the ODMs who stepped out from behind the curtain, like the wizard of OZ in more ways than one, and decided to not just design and make the computers/phones/tablets/and components, but to sell them directly to the consumer. You see, Acer was an ODM first. Now they sell and service directly to the consumer. ASUS , HTC, HuaWei, MSI, Acer all now cut out the middleman. Why do you think that Apple makes OSX hard to run on other hardware and when psy computers cloned them spent millions to shut them down? Some folks might want in and out HDMI ports like on mine, along with thunderbolt and Quad HD without having to switch OS'. Some won't. Apple has Acquired its own chip fab and its own chip design and engineering firm that used to consult for Samsung in 2012 but it hasn't turned the tide of cheaper Android phones because Android phone manufacturers, including those who make their phones, don't have to pay a licensing fee for Android, which still has 70% of the smartphones market worldwide, and is still taking the lion's share of new customers. Apple's sales increases are real. But if to make it simple there are 100 new users who turn old enough for parents to get them their own smart phones, many will opt for a more disposable Android. If 30% get an apple then they will cause an increase in Apple's sales. Notwithstanding the 70% buying Android. I think more than ever Apple is headed for transitions as great as when Jobs came back and switched to the new chipset around 2001, or the switch to Wintel hardware. I see the competition between Apple and MS heating up more than ever. But in a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" way. Apple has finally acknowledged the declining sales of iPods:http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/01/28/apple-is-finally-acknowledging-its-declining-ipod-sales/ Since most folks like me buy a 32GB SD card and load all our media on that on our Android phones. We have no need of a limited, non expandable MP3 player when our 16 dollar 32 GB micro SD cards can also be swapped out as needed, and new devices are getting 128 GB capacity cards that are already selling for $75.00 or less: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=893909&Q=&is=REG&A=details Apple stayed away from SD storage on their phones and tablets because then who would buy the ipods? Today they charge a 100 buck premium to increase their iPhone 5 onboard flash storage (same as SD flash storage) from 16GB to 32 GB. Now check the price of a new SD 16GB micro SD card. My new tablet uses SDXC cards which allow up to 128GB of Storage. I received my 64GB micro SD card yesterday, a Sandisk extreme with the fastest speeds and is waterproof, shockproof, temperature proof etc. $29.99 with free shipping on sale last month at TigerDirect. It sold out and I had to wait foe restock. My new this year model Dell Tablet can handle all SDXC cards. My last year's slower tablets can handle only SDHC (up to 32GB capacity) except for the full size SD slot on my x2 hybrid. I agree with you that it takes some excellent engineering to make all the new tech fit into, and work, in increasingly smaller form factors. The Surface Pro squeezes the equivalent of an iPad, an iPod, and a MacBook Air into one superbly performing all in one device. They have SDXC ports, up to i7processors: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Surface-Pro-3/productID.300190600?vid=304047200&tid=sa0r8F5S&cid=5250&pcrid=2641275130&pkw=surface%20pro%203&pmt=e&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=pointitsem_Microsoft+US_bing_5+-+Surface&WT.term=surface%20pro%203&WT.campaign=5+-+Surface&WT.content=sa0r8F5S&WT.source=bing&WT.medium=cpcSo if indeed Apple did all of its engineering, and is expert at making it work elegantly in engineering terms, why are they still making single purpose devices? With no touch on OSX or any OSX tablets?Where Apple is headed is the same place MS is headed, Samsung is headed, and every phablet manufacturer is headed. The all in one device that goes mobile and is modular in that there is overlap. HDMI out ports for older folks like me whose vision focal range is narrowing fast.But I submit that the air gestures are where we are all heading like seen in science fiction today. We already have webcams that do kinect-like control of computers. The only thing missing are the holograms and fine locators in air reference points based on the user as plotted.I think that Apple will be joining the all in one crowd soon. You see Android is free, iOS is not allowed on other devices. Thus despite Apple's one year jump on Android to market, Android now has 70% market share. But back out a bit more macro and we find that of all devices worldwide MS has only 14%. The frenemy is not Apple or MS to each other. The frenemy is Samsung which goes to bed with both, and Google who is free for the taking as long as the Apps that track is are under the control of the Google spystore.The newest player, MS, ha just announced that Windows phone 8, like Android, is free for phone makers to use, yet still profit from ongoing development, and the regular Windows updates for all regardless of manufacturer. Unlike the Google fractured ecosphere, where some products are never updated by the manufacturer, and even the majors like Samsung and ASUS stop supporting two year old smart products and expect their customers to buy new not able to upgrade them. Or the closed Apple ecosphere where they make three products at high prices to do the work of one, and charge 1000% markups on flash memory.Your initial question is not limited to within Apple. They, like MS and Google must offer their products advantageously to the consumers, and acknowledge the market. MS doesn't manufacture their own Surface products either.So the interesting thing to me about where Apple is headed is the same story as the MS Zune late to market and already beaten by SD cards. I was also late to the MP3 player market and found an old Samsung smartphone with its SD card slot, and free in trade could do more than the vaunted iPod. Digital music is the same once ripped to mp3, and I prefer to do my own at max fidelity of 320Kbps instead of the iTunes or Amazon lower fidelity MP3s. So where do I get my new music? From Amazon Prime music,free, as well as playlists I can play like Pandora.http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=8335758011&tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=4961682785&ref=pd_sl_1usj9rowkt_eAmazon intends to do with music what they did with books. And they are doing their own cloud storage which is making inroads into enterprise.So who will be dominant in 15 years when I'm 67? Fifteen years ago there was no streaming movies, music, and broadband was only obtainable at 128 kbit/s ISDN telephone systems (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISDN) and look where we are now! Fifteen years ago there were no tablets and smart TVs, and wireless B routers could only do 10Mbps speeds and were mostly connected to dial up at 28Kbps at most. There was no Internet built into cell phones or from Satellites. 15 years ago Intel to Apple was part of the Evil Wintel! That overnight went from a lying cheating enemy of Steve Jobs personally and Apple owners in general, to a wonderful provider of chipsets and a framework for a better Apple. So if thy make their own stuff, and always engineered them, why, with the exception of their A6 chips for cell phones haven't they built their own designs? The only things the same are Apple and MS are major players, and both Gates and Jobs no longer run them. So sorry, that question's answer is not confined to Apple. Apple does not operate in a vacuum. And once we stop thinking the defects of another system makes our own better, then we can see the vision of the future which is always change.Three or four airbursts as the better informed ex and current military know, set off by terrorists much like the ones that shot down a civilian airliner, and designed to use the atmospheric multiplier effect to only create a massive EMP would be a time machine that would set us back to the 19th century in a millisecond. Which brand of computer then becomes null.

I mean to not insult you, quite the opposite. However, this reminds me of a Doonesbury (if memory serves) cartoon from many years ago where two people are asked to rate a song they just heard in an obvious parody of American Bandstand. The first person gives the musical equivalent of your answer above, knowledgable and very detailed. The second person, call him Larry, could only muster up "it has a good beat and is easy to dance to"!

[RV_]

Well said Larry. I am not ashamed of having long detailed posts. I retired from the military long ago, and no longer am I required to do executive summaries, one page, preferably less, using crayons and small words for the O-6 and up briefings. Kind of like dealing with folks who try to cut having degrees from more than two universities, and missing the school of hard knocks degree was first! No offense taken. It is a fact that I like to check my premises and present both sides.

[mikekey]

Learned to program on a Commodore 64. Long time die hard PC guy. Years of defending PC's. Got attracted by the Macbook Pro's physical hardware in 2010, gave it a try. Switched and never went back. No crashes, no cursing my machine. Everything works. And my work flow is more productive, more secure and faster. I used to spend so much time, tweaking Windows and settings and fixing crashes.

 

I used to be a big time HP user. But when I picked up my last HP laptop and the cheap plastic cracked, I started looking at the MacBook Pro's. I stopped building desktops awhile ago, because my career has become so mobile.

 

The one thing I appreciate most, is you pay 1100 for your HP, and try getting 200 bucks out of it on CL a year later. My first Macbook I bought used on ebay and sold 1 yr later for 80 dollars less than I paid. I have since bought and resold a dozen used apple devices. They hold their value better than PC's, and are coveted.

 

A big block shoved in a Pinto a Ferrari it does not make. So please, don't try to compare a Pinto to a Ferrari because you managed to make it go faster.

[RV_]

Bold,

Putting a Ferrari body on a pinto frame chassis and drivetrain doesn't convince either.

 

Here is the problem. We can't seem to have any Apple discussion without Windows being brought into the discussion by Apple folks first. And usually just like that references to crashing catastrophic non working machines. Then when I tell them that reality is just not what is being "painted by such a broad brush," it becomes the de facto why are Window people interfering with Apple discussions! Well keep discussing Apple then.

 

The real answer would be simple, and here it is: man, were you that bad in running a Windows machine? My grandma runs Windows just fine once I set her up with it. She never crashes it!

 

However, I am not going to try to talk down Apple. Just wondering why you don't ever reference Linux as not working and crashing all the time.

 

So let's stay on topic, where is Apple going! Here is one article:

 

Where's Apple's 'Chromebook'? The need for a cheap Apple product

 

Excerpt:

 

"I think the Chromebook is going to give Apple a bit more competition than first assumed. Consumers, schools, and businesses are buying Chromebooks instead of more expensive devices. This could put new pressure on Apple to create a cheap device.

 

If you own any Apple devices, it's likely that you didn't buy them at a significant discount or at a cost savings. It's obvious from Apple's earliest days that its founders didn't care much for the low cost market, but I think that's about to change and the humble Chromebook is the breaking point product.

 

If you compare a $1,300* Macbook Air (Air) to a $200-$300 Chromebook, there's not much to say just based on price alone. But Apple has responded with a price drop. You can now buy an 11-inch Macbook Air for $899 and a 13-inch for $999. Is a $600 to $700 difference enough money to sway Apple fans to Chromebooks? Unlikely.

 

But is it enough of a difference to sway new buyers away from the Air? Yes, I think it is.

 

And now that users can find apps and web-enabled applications to rival their installable counterparts, I'm not sure that there's enough of a feature difference to justify the extra cost of an Air, even at the discounted price.

 

I bought a Mac mini that cost $800, as some of you know from my mini mini-series, when I went to buy the much-desired Air. I just couldn't justify the price at the time. I'm not sure that I still can. The mini is somewhat portable, but it's no Air or Chromebook.

 

But enough of the complaints about Apple's overpriced products. What should Apple do, in my humble opinion, to combat the Chromebook onslaught?

 

Meet the Apple Slice: The enhanced iOS notebook computer.

 

The whole article describing the "Slice" idea is here:

http://www.zdnet.com/wheres-apples-chromebook-the-need-for-a-cheap-apple-product-7000032679/?s_cid=e539&ttag=e539&ftag=TRE17cfd61

 

Apple has some interesting options. They are also considering a split from Intel hardware too!

[Ron]

…. But enough of the complaints about Apple's overpriced products. ...

 

Apple's products have always been considered "overpriced" by people using competing brands. Apple has never gone after the low end of the market and I'll bet they never will. They will sell premium products to that segment of the market that's willing to pay for them so they can maintain their margins. Many people invoked a similar argument about smart phones, and before that, desktops, but Apple never joined the race to the bottom. Now Samsung has a larger share of the phone market but their profits are slim while Apple continues generate huge cash flows by following their strategy. In almost any product category there is room for different companies to address different segments of the market. I suspect there will always be a market for GM's Chevy and always a market for a Mercedes and both companies will produce products to address their target markets. Neither one will "take over the car market".

[RV_]

Ron,

I think that the Apple Slice suggestion of that author was interesting, not demeaning.

 

You do know that Samsung makes the SoCs for the iPad and iPhone right? And that Samsung's cash registers go "Ka-Ching!" every time an iOS product is sold right?

 

http://9to5mac.com/2013/11/11/apple-contracting-globalfoundries-with-samsungs-help-to-make-iphoneipad-chips-at-new-york-plant/

[TheDuke]

Just looking, a 2010 (4 years old) Mac pro sells for $499 on ebay.What did he lose, $700 or more in four years?

Another one for for $256. Tell me again how Mac's hold their value.

[Ron]

… You do know that Samsung makes the SoCs for the iPad and iPhone right? ...

Yes. And I think Apple would prefer to send this business elsewhere. And I think this could actually happen in the not-to-distant future. This speculation in a recent Seeing Alpha post sounds logical and somewhat likely to me:

 

"Apple has two interests in this. First, they have continued to surprise the integrated chip world with their bold designs of their A-series processors. (SeeHow a processor works.) They are always trying to squeeze the best processing power out of a given design system. They would love to get their hands on cutting-edge chip processes technology.

Now add that Apple would also like to shift its processor fabrication away from Samsung (OTC:SSNLF), due to other conflicts. With all this, one has to wonder if Apple is working with IBM in this field as well.

Conclusion

Tim Cook worked for 12 years in IBM's personal computer business, ultimately serving as the director of North American Fulfillment. So he knows IBM very well. If you watch the CNBC interview of him and Ginni Rometty, you can see that the connection between them is real. It is therefore logical to think that they may very well be planning more partnerships for the future."

The more I see Tim Cook in action the more I respect his management of Apple.

[skp51443]

A lot of IBMers still remember Microsoft and OS2, plenty of bad blood there to cement an outside relationship. IBM is pouring money into Linux too, partly I'm sure to make certain no one vendor can hang them out to dry ever again.

[Ron]

There is a great deal of speculation about what Apple will be announcing on Sept. 9. One of perhaps the least recognized new thrusts could be Apple's movement into mobile payments. Over the next few years this has the potential to provide another large high margin revenue stream for the company. This recent article provides interesting speculation:

"Summary

• Clues are piling up that Apple is about to introduce a whole new payment eco-system on September 9.
• There are multiple paths for monetizing such an eco-system.
• Apple shareholders should understand the huge benefit this eco-system could bring."

[RV_]

Since it has become so public, so fast, and the individuals involved are moneyed and influential stars with media access, their resolution of their cloud and device security from Apple cloud and device storage, easily it seems, and getting very private pics of Jennifer Lawrence and others that are now viewable online needs to be addressed first. If they can't keep private and Apple cloud storage secure from hackers, how are they going to keep money secure. This was a very bad time for the criminals responsible to have come to light so glaringly. And a very bad time to debut a new online monetary exchange until they get their ducks in a row security wise.

 

There is no gloating here. Any OS having a breach of security so basic and complete, just before asking folks to trust them with their money, is very bad publicity for all they hope to get involved. After a few news cycles maybe it won't be so glaring. But they will need to be very public with their fix. You see the show is on the other foot. Android and iOS are being very successfully attacked and because of their market share of the new mobile markets they will, as long as they are the market leaders, get breaches as they get targeted. I wish them luck with that. I don't want to see any computer users hacked regardless of OS.

[Kirk W]

There is a great deal of speculation about what Apple will be announcing on Sept. 9.

One thing that Apple can't do, is to appease those who are determined to attack them. It is interesting how many of the most innovative companies are always criticized for doing things wrong at every turn. History really does repeat itself. Business really isn't all that different from politics. Economic tactics of those with ties to the old ways are pretty much the same in both arenas.

[skp51443]

Apple may not even be at fault for the leaks.

 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/09/02/apple_says_icloud_not_compromised_in_celeb_hacks

 

 

Apple has denied any compromise of its systems in relation to this weekend's celebrity photo dump.

The company said that none of its iCloud or Find My iPhone databases were breached in the attack, which resulted in the release of nude photos of a number of prominent actresses and models.

"After more than 40 hours of investigation, we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the internet," Apple said of the hacks.

"None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple's systems including iCloud or Find My iPhone."

[Barbaraok]

Apple's update:

 

"Update to Celebrity Photo Investigation

 

We wanted to provide an update to our investigation into the theft of photos of certain celebrities. When we learned of the theft, we were outraged and immediately mobilized Apple’s engineers to discover the source. Our customers’ privacy and security are of utmost importance to us. After more than 40 hours of investigation, we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the Internet. None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple’s systems including iCloud® or Find my iPhone. We are continuing to work with law enforcement to help identify the criminals involved.

 

To protect against this type of attack, we advise all users to always use a strong password and enable two-step verification. Both of these are addressed on our website at http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4232.

 

Press Contacts:

Natalie Kerris

Apple

nat@apple.com

(408) 974-6877

 

Trudy Muller

Apple

tmuller@apple.com

(408) 862-7426

 

 

Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh and iCloud are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

 

Apple Media Helpline (408) 974-2042 media.help@apple.com