Communications

Mac's Faith-Based Initiative

(Page 2 of 2)

  • Friday, January 13, 2006
  • By Kate Greene

There is reason to believe that the new "Macintel" hardware -- along with the ever-growing iPod franchise and the new, personalized software tools for both home and work -- may pose a threat to the PC for one key reason: an evangelical love of Apple products by Apple users. This year, roughly 40,000 enthusiasts packed into the expo shopping for iPod add-ons, testing Apple's new computers and software upgrades, and attending iLife software tutorials. There were even children dressed as iPod nanos and the video iPods. More than 300 exhibitors displayed items ranging from video iPod goggles and solar-powered battery chargers to paisley-patterned laptop bags and pastel iPod skins. And, knowing that plenty of people browse the hall with their laptops in tow, massage therapists were among the vendors (one dollar per minute).

Amidst the festivities, however, the main theme of Macworld 2006 was clear: Apple's shift to an Intel-centered infrastructure. In his presentation, Jobs made Intel-ization appear seamless, by announcing the MacBook Pro earlier than anticipated.

But such a sweeping change will not trivial. Over the next year, there will be plenty of hurdles to overcome in hardware as well as software -- with Mac loyalists watching every step.

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Guest (tom barta)

  • 2224 Days Ago
  • 01/13/2006

Year of the Mac

Well, Apple's computer marketshare has been edging up since the iPod and retail stores shored up brand awareness. Anecdotally, the iPod is creating "switchers". Since the new Macs are Intel based, cost competitive, and hip; and since they can dual-boot Windows at native speed for those few legacy apps still unavailable on the Mac, this promises to be a break-out year. Indeed, why would one buy a machine that CAN'T run Apple's "iLife" suite (eg a Dell) at this point? Add to this that I see nothing compelling or groundbreaking in MSFT's upcoming "Vista"

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Guest (Shawn Bahe)

  • 2224 Days Ago
  • 01/13/2006

Hands Down, No-Brainer

As an amatuer recording musician in love with GarageBand and my current PowerBook by night, and a working network/systems admin by day; I'm ultra-enthused about the MacBook Pro announcement.

I can have my cake and eat it too!  Windows when I need it, and everything else the way I want it.

Sign me up for a new MacBook Pro!

S-

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Guest (Mac will rise again)

  • 2224 Days Ago
  • 01/13/2006

it's only fair

It's a lot harder to invent than to copy.  Apple has done virtually all the inventing, MS virtually all the copying.

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Guest (John Obeto)

  • 2224 Days Ago
  • 01/13/2006

Stop smoking hippie lettuce

What a bunch of crap!
1) There is no clear leader: Windows MCE sold 6.5 million copies or more
2) 'more-elegant' Front Row?
Shake yourself! If you cannot be objective, be bland. And stick to the facts>

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Guest (mel Gross)

  • 2223 Days Ago
  • 01/14/2006

understand the facts

It's been shown that few who have an MCE based machine actually use it as such. Buying one means little.

Yeah, even the PC magazines say FR is more elegant.

You should be objective as well. Or at least know what you are talking about.

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Guest (Heron Bure)

  • 2223 Days Ago
  • 01/14/2006

Faith-based?

More like confidence-based for me. Confidence that my computer will work for me and not the other way around. But that may be just me. FR still has a ways to go before it claims the living room but it's getting close.

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Guest (John Obeto)

  • 2221 Days Ago
  • 01/16/2006

Stop smoking hippie lettuce

What facts?
Have you used both programs? I have. And where is it 'shown' that an MCE deveice is not being used? And which PC magazines?
I KNOW what I'm talking about, I have FR on two machines and several MCE systems.
And I'm objective, not a fanboy!

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Guest (Daniel Velázquez)

  • 2213 Days Ago
  • 01/24/2006

Not sure

Apple hardware it's really good looking but I'm not really sure if it is helpful for the masses, me as an electronics engeneer is useless, MS is the common, but I'm now using GNU/Linux and there's nothing missing in life and it can RUN on a Mac PPC and under anyt x86.Millions of dollars of sold products shouldn't be the base to rate which one's the best. Linux is the best and is costless.

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Guest (Ben Dick)

  • 2223 Days Ago
  • 01/14/2006

Stupid Stupid Stupid Kate

You regurgitate every piece of disinformation you've swallowed, but even so you can't form whole sentences much less get facts straight. This article is simply a piece of garbage, a complete waste of bandwidth. Kate can't even read several day old news and copy facts right, nor repeat ancient FUD with any accuracy. My God do they pay this 'woman' money for writing this garbage? Does this web site have some intense desire to be known to be as the worthless tech site of the decade. Screwing with intelligent informed people in the Mac world isn't like shovelling the usual bull s##t to the ignorant Windows drones. In Apple land you f##k up and your site is excoriated. It would be hard to f##k up more than you have here!

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Guest (Paul)

  • 2223 Days Ago
  • 01/14/2006

Why not AMD?

  I am curious why Apple didn't go with AMD processors.  These processors consistently get superior results over Intel processors and would allow Apple to offer their products at a more competitive price to the PC.   That's why Dell is starting to look at offering products based on AMD.
    Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated.

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Guest (Jeremy Hammer)

  • 2222 Days Ago
  • 01/15/2006

Threefold

The lure of the power and heat benefits of the Pentium Mobile architecture, the security of finally being offered the volume availability of the biggest chip manufacturer rather than a smaller vendor, and the built in id technology that allows OSX86 to only run on Apple branded hardware (without hacks). Can't say I necessarily agree with those reasons, and there may be many more less obvious ones, but that's how I understand it.

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