The Times Are A Changin’
“Time...is on our side, yes it is...” (song fades) Ahhh, time....
It’s a funny thing. Time and change go hand in hand all too often. Take Apple for example. When you look back a decade ago, you find a very anemic Apple. A barely breathing shell of its once former glory, bleeding cash, losing billions, and knocking on bankruptcy’s door. Just as it seemed the final death blow would surely come, BOOM! Steve Jobs returns, and the iMac is born. Fast forward a few years later: the iPod is born and the once fledgling company rises from the ashes. The iPod once again made Apple a household name.
One has to take notice that this isn’t the Apple of old anymore. Just as the rainbow colored stripes are off, so too are the gloves. Apple is back and in grander style. Case in point: the word “computer” was dropped from the company name early this year, setting in stone a revelation that has come to fruition over time. Apple is no longer just a computer company. The Mac is no longer the only horse in the stable. Dare I say, the Mac isn’t the primary darling of the company anymore.
Is Apple poised for domination of the consumer electronic landscape? Will they become the next Sony? The stars, the atmosphere, as well as the climbing stock price seem to indicate it’s already starting to happen. With Apple TV and iPhone, Apple is further spreading its wings in the ever-changing, ever-growing market of consumer electronics. What does this mean for the future of the Mac? Will the Mac finally see a second chance in becoming the dominant platform? Market share is rising, slowly but surely. Microsoft is in shaky shape management-wise. Is one dynasty ending while another one rises in its place?
So many questions, so much time. We’ll see the answers play out before our eyes over time. One thing’s for sure: the times...they are a changin’. It’s clear that the Apple of 2007 isn’t the Apple of 1997. Thoughts, questions, flames? Drop me a line at
Until next time...keep it real, keep it Mac!
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Yawn.
Yeah really. We know this stuff already, and we’re all psyched. I’m glad you’re excited though.
Apple definitely has a chance to grab the golden ring.
Would it be possible to go three hours without some article about how Apple is poised to take over the world?
I think Apple is poised to continue as it has, slowly but surely. Either that or fall flat on its face.
Now the computer line is the same as everybody else offers (check a Dell XPS laptop against the Mac Book Pro… only the case and OS differ), it doesn’t feel so special. Watching Apple keep step with other Intel based computers just isn’t exciting.
Every now and then I wonder if splashing on my first Mac, the Quad G5, was the right idea or not. Maybe I should have waited for the Intels. Then I see how much more the top end Mac Pro costs than I paid for my Mac (about a grand), and realise I can do my testing on a PC costing less than 800 quid and I know I did the right thing. Don’t even get me started on the Mighty Mouse (replaced with an MS mouse), or the new keyboard (ugh).
Here’s the problem: in the UK we have no iPhone to get excited about. No TV shows or movies on iTunes to make an Apple TV worthwhile. All we have is the computers, and they’re just not exciting any more.
Get back to decent, individual computers, Apple!
Would it be possible to go four comments without a certain person complaining that an article describing Apple’s current period of growth is sycophantic?
This article is not “about how Apple is poised to take over the world”. I mean, it’s not really about anything very much, but the point is THEY’RE IN YOUR HEAD, MAAAN! THEY’RE NOT REAL! GET COUNSELLING!
Get back to decent, individual computers, Apple!
You may have lost your sense of childlike wonder, but you seem to confuse that with the objective quality of the actual computers apple currently ships, which are doubtless the best we’ve ever seen. The build quality and value of the current MBPs puts all past apple laptops to shame, as they rightly should.
That Apple now produces computers with explicitly comparable performance to everyone else IS A GOOD THING. It only means that people of the inclination are no longer able to delude themselves that their PowerPC X is inherently, magically superior to their friends’ Intel Ys.
see how much more the top end Mac Pro costs than I paid for my Mac (about a grand)
I apologise in advance, but that is the most ludicrously invalid comparison. What was your Mac? I assume it was a powermac. Presumably it was a quad core G5 or some such. Have you considered how much more you now get for your money with the top end mac compared with when you bought yours? A comparably powerful machine to yours would now cost far less than you paid for it, and largely in line with market prices for something that can be directly compared and therefore whose competitiveness can be rationally assessed. That you apparently seek to sustain some sort of nostalgic dream for the often misleading PowerPC years is frankly silly.
In other news, the cretaceous period has ended. Who new?
This article is not “about how Apple is poised to take over the world”.
I repost this clip from the article for the benefit of the sycophant too blinded by kool-aid to be able to read:
Is Apple poised for domination of the consumer electronic landscape? Will they become the next Sony? The stars, the atmosphere, as well as the climbing stock price seem to indicate it’s already starting to happen. With Apple TV and iPhone, Apple is further spreading its wings in the ever-changing, ever-growing market of consumer electronics. What does this mean for the future of the Mac? Will the Mac finally see a second chance in becoming the dominant platform? Market share is rising, slowly but surely. Microsoft is in shaky shape management-wise. Is one dynasty ending while another one rises in its place?
It’s still not about how apple is poised to take over the world. It asks the question so that we may intelligently discuss it.
So far we have only foamed at the mouth over the very suggestion.
Ay, we are so mature.
Interesting.
Apple has indeed done great things.
Sony made some big mistakes - the biggest IMO being trying to be both a music/movie production company, and a consumer electronics company.
Sony avoided MP3 players, and earlier than that they could have sold their MiniDisc as a 140MB floppy disc which also allowed copies of CDs - instead, Sony did it’s best to keep MiniDisc isolated.
Lets hope Apple continues to grow and stays focused!
Get real kid!
MS is the real thang!
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
Benji gets my personal award of excellence for “sycophantic”.
And oh, Greg, I think there was MD-Data or some such product, Sony just refused to develop it in some half-decent way, or sell it for a half-decent price, or both. When MD finally reached halfway usable capacities with Hi-MD, Apple support was still unheard of. Sony pretty much deserved what they got.
Hi Bad Beaver,
Yes Sony was digging their own grave - that was my point.
I am quite willing to concede that Sony didn’t lose it’s way just because they were deliberately trying to design music systems which didn’t let people copy their music… I’m sure that was only one part. There was much more in play