You do realize that Apple stock is at an all-time high and this is generally considered the best the company has ever been doing, right? I hardly call that "lost in the computer market". You're not interested, that's fine, it's apparent you aren't in their target market.
It's not that I'm not interested in Apple, I would like actual competition in operating systems. What products that apple makes were largely responsible for their huge stock prices, imacs? I think not, I think you know that's not the case either. Apple has gained a very small portion in the home computing market recently, but that is insignificant compared to Windows machines. Apple makes almost all of it's money from devices like Ipods, I don't think the Iphone has really kicked in yet and most stock gaines from that are probably due to speculation that they will take off.
I was attempting to point out that Apple seems to have over the long run lost in the computer market,
however they excel at making small devices that don't qualify in the same category as a personal computer.
tiptone said:
They've written some of the best "software code" around, and have one of the most rock-solid consumer Operating Systems on the planet. They have been able to do this because they know exactly what hardware (and therefore what drivers) their OS will be running on/with.
So Apple writes the best code around? I would argue that apple uses their own hardware because they are incapable of making stable software that runs on various different hardware configurations. Linux and Microsoft can, Apple can not. Apple can not even seem use standard networking protocols that don't go haywire with out special configuration when mixed with PC's running windows or linux. Mac software such as Itunes and Quicktime in recent years has become troublesome in business environments, and they make it a pain in the ass to uninstall portions of their crappy software. Lets also not forget about how certain viruses infect PC's through apple software and apple blames the other software companies for it's poor business practices. That can also be shown as evendence of not respecting their customers and the general public seeing as much of that were people who purchased Ipods. I support both Apples and Pc's and I see what they do in relation to each other and how they compare in reliability. Far more similarly than you might realize. They even get viruses now, new for us in the last year or so. Although I haven't seen it here yet I have been reading reports that they even BSOD now, so maybe they are getting better at writing code
I think you'll find that most people who are actually a customer feel that Apple respects them just fine. I own quite a few of them and don't feel disrespected in the slightest.
I do agree that there is a large number of hardcore Apple people that even if their computer started on fire would not ever say anything bad about apple, and yes that has happened before. But maybe it was really inovative to make a computer with out a cpu fan?
On the other hand have you had Apple brick your phone yet? Do you think they have any right what so ever to do such a thing to your property after you purchase it in full? That is not respecting your customer. Do you think Apple respected its customers when they sent out Ipods with viruses that infected customers Windows Pc's and then Apple first tried to push the blame on their customers for having Windows when it was Apples fault and responsibility? Years ago their CEO made a statement to the effect that apple users felt having more than one button on their mouse was too confusing, is that another way of calling them idiots? I know in more recent years they finally realized people can handle the confusing task of right and left clicking.
And lastly one of the things that makes me the most distrusting of apple is that they know when your Ipod is stolen and they have the capability of deactivating it but have admitted to allowing thieves to reconnect them to itunes and purchase more music for your Ipod so they can continue making money while you're out the often huge cost of certain Ipods. That's damned disrespectful of your customers, but in fairness most companies would probably do the same thing
.
Don't get me wrong I'm not a blind Windows supporter. Windows has it's own well documented problems, but people who support Windows don't
typically deny it. I do however think Apple has a long way to go in customer service and making viable operating systems. I know they have speculated using Dell to make their computers, they should get out of that business. In all honesty a company like Google could probably make an operating system that competes with Apple and Windows and then take the majority of Apples market share with in the space of a few years. There have been many unsubstantiated rumors of this for the last couple years.
Old operating system version Tiger, new one is leopard.. I was hoping for Liger.
Liger it's pretty much my favorite operating system
