How long till Apple Beats M$
- Thread starter Sirtovin
- Start date
btoneill
keeper of the cheese
Hopefully Apple will never overtake MS. MS is the mass market player and always will be, and that can be a good thing. Apple will always be a niche player, and that is a good thing.
Think about this, Ford is the #1 automaker, they sell thousands and thousands of Taurus's which is a bland utilitarian car. Now, look at Porsche, they don't sell many cars, but their cars rock. If Porsche sold as many 911's as Ford sold Taurus's it wouldn't be as good a car, they'd try to make too many people happy.
So, would you rather drive a Porsche or a Taurus? You picked the Porsche didn't you. So, now you picked the Porsche, do you want your Porsche to become a Taurus?
Just something to think about...
Brian
Think about this, Ford is the #1 automaker, they sell thousands and thousands of Taurus's which is a bland utilitarian car. Now, look at Porsche, they don't sell many cars, but their cars rock. If Porsche sold as many 911's as Ford sold Taurus's it wouldn't be as good a car, they'd try to make too many people happy.
So, would you rather drive a Porsche or a Taurus? You picked the Porsche didn't you. So, now you picked the Porsche, do you want your Porsche to become a Taurus?
Just something to think about...
Brian
Sirtovin
Senior Switcher Tech Guru
Originally posted by btoneill
Hopefully Apple will never overtake MS. MS is the mass market player and always will be, and that can be a good thing. Apple will always be a niche player, and that is a good thing.
Think about this, Ford is the #1 automaker, they sell thousands and thousands of Taurus's which is a bland utilitarian car. Now, look at Porsche, they don't sell many cars, but their cars rock. If Porsche sold as many 911's as Ford sold Taurus's it wouldn't be as good a car, they'd try to make too many people happy.
So, would you rather drive a Porsche or a Taurus? You picked the Porsche didn't you. So, now you picked the Porsche, do you want your Porsche to become a Taurus?
Just something to think about...
Brian
lol... I like my Porsche... (G4) lol... but Seriously... I don't want Apple to die... anyone who wishes this... like the mindless millions who worship M$... by force... not by choice... that upsets me a little due to their ignorance of not reserching the big difference.
Arden
Where mah "any" keys at?
I voted "Another 20 years" because around that time quantum-based computers should be entering the mainstream.
If you don't know what quantum-based computing is, here's a very quick, very dirty, very simple explanation that does it little justice:
Current processors are based on binary code: 1 and 0. Either a bit is on or off. You have 2 bit processing. Quantum computers have more like 30 or even more bit processing. That's much more power per clock cycle than binary could ever get to.
If Apple starts selling quantum-based computers, they will simply fly off the shelves. Your Porsche will be upgraded with a jet engine and an airplane cabin to boot. However, if they don't, they will quickly stop selling computers and either subside on software or die off like the dinosaurs. Whoever gets going in quantum computing will make a fortune.
If you don't know what quantum-based computing is, here's a very quick, very dirty, very simple explanation that does it little justice:
Current processors are based on binary code: 1 and 0. Either a bit is on or off. You have 2 bit processing. Quantum computers have more like 30 or even more bit processing. That's much more power per clock cycle than binary could ever get to.
If Apple starts selling quantum-based computers, they will simply fly off the shelves. Your Porsche will be upgraded with a jet engine and an airplane cabin to boot. However, if they don't, they will quickly stop selling computers and either subside on software or die off like the dinosaurs. Whoever gets going in quantum computing will make a fortune.
They have been work on "multi-level" processing for years, indeed some of the current memory technologies are multi-level. Neural network (using analog implementations) are multilevel. But multilevel is just like using wider words (go from 32 bits to 64). The real breakthrough is when connectivity increases. Connectivity increases the complexity of the processing, is much more difficult to control, but also converges much faster to much more effecient states. but are we able to describe tasks to a complex system ? A computer is only useful when we gave give it something to do, have a human interface, it is not just a "compute"r anymore... in French we name a computer an "ordinateur", or a device that creates "order".... quite different from a device that computes ! And I think the future of the computer is to help us put dome order in our minds... and as the user's interface will become more an more important... Apple is well placed. Yes, Apple will survive, nobody knows how, but it will do.
powermac
iMac Dual 2.0 17'
First, I don't have a crystal ball into the future. Apple doesn't have to be #1 to survive. They are an company that takes risks and challenges consumers to "think different." The problem is that many people, especially people in their late 20 to mid thirties think of Apple computers as a thing of the past. "I used to use an Apple, when I was in High-school and college", is a common responses. M$, as I see it has started a downward spin. I remember when M$ started and for many years they were a company that could do no wrong. The media made it seem that whatever M$ did was a great leap of technology. In fact, M$ is a media company, without it, they will not dominate. To many knowledgeable people about computers we know that they are not innovative just good at marketing. It is my opinion that M$ has recently suffered some negative market press. The very vehicle that created them will eventually ruin them. We have all read about security problems with M$, overpriced software (office). Many long time users are seeking a more reliable and secure computer. I don't believe Apple will dominate, because domination comes with a price. They will remain a company for many years. General Motors was created to crush Ford, it has failed to do so in all these years. Yet, Ford sells more vehicles than GM.
I do not see it as you do.
When IBM made their mistake, it was Bill Gates who pointed out that "It is the software, stupid."
Microsoft has already made their mistake as Torvalds and Stalman pointed out: "It is the people stupid."
It probably won't be Apple; as they gave into NextStep and BSD, and are still finding their way. It may not be Linux. But who cares? There will always be hacks out there that are going against the tide. And I, for one, am happy that they are out there
When IBM made their mistake, it was Bill Gates who pointed out that "It is the software, stupid."
Microsoft has already made their mistake as Torvalds and Stalman pointed out: "It is the people stupid."
It probably won't be Apple; as they gave into NextStep and BSD, and are still finding their way. It may not be Linux. But who cares? There will always be hacks out there that are going against the tide. And I, for one, am happy that they are out there
Arden
Where mah "any" keys at?
If one could buy a powerful, modern Mac, maybe not top-of-the-line but powerful still, for under $800, Apple would get quite a boost in sales. The reason they do not, however, is because of all the features, software and craftsmanship that they include in their computers. The reason the iMac is not sub-1-grand is because the flat screen and Superdrive drive the cost up quite a bit. The eMac is a grand, but it's still a CRT and it looks like an old iMac on growth hormones, so I think people are going for better-looking computers. Flat screens definitely will not be dirt cheap until they catch on in mass and other technologies, like TV, become predominantly flat screen.