Hywel's Profile

  • Aug 26, 2009
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Latest comments made by: Hywel

  • A BMW is mass produced just like practically every other car. They're not hand made. No unicorn tears are shed during their manufacture. An analogy has nothing to do with exaggeration, either. A good analogy would involve no exaggeration whatsoever. They're meant to add clarity, something that the computers <-> cars analogies never really do.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Apr 16, 2009 Posts: 51
    Microsoft is Right About the Cost of Macs
  • It could be argued that most BMW owners, far from being discriminating, are indeed elitist and moronic (this is my impression of them), and many penny pinching buyers (like me) are far from ignorant (or actually they know that it's quite hard to buy a truly bad car these days, and performance and handling means squat in traffic or at legal speeds.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Apr 16, 2009 Posts: 51
    Microsoft is Right About the Cost of Macs
  • I didn't start with the car analogy. Buying cheap isn't buying wise, but then neither is buying expensive. I've bought expensive things and found it was a waste of money. That the cheaper option was just as good or better. Personally I much prefer OS-X. I much prefer Mac laptops if only for their superb multi-touch trackpads (though it's more than that). Getting hung up on specs can be silly. For example, a 1.3MP webcam isn't any more use than a 0.3MP iSight. 0.3MP is typically the same res as a lot of those digital photo frames that people seem happy with. It's pretty much SD resolution that people are largely happy with, and streaming higher res (duplex) over a typical connection just wouldn't work anyway.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Apr 16, 2009 Posts: 51
    Microsoft is Right About the Cost of Macs
  • The biggest problem with the car analogy is that the cost of a car is an order (or two) of magnitude greater than the cost of a computer. And people spend more time in front of a computer than they do driving their cars. I have an expensive computer (MBP 17") and a cheap French car (A cheap car that suits my needs better than anything BMW makes at any price, BTW).
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Apr 16, 2009 Posts: 51
    Microsoft is Right About the Cost of Macs
  • Well you can compare those cars. You can look at the buy-in cost, you can look at the TCO, you can look at the performance an you can look at your budget, your annual mileage and, crucially, the performance that you need. And for a lot of people. Probably most people, the Hyundai makes more sense. Telling people to get BMWs because they're better cars is nonsense. A Hyundai can do pretty much everything a BMW can do in the hands of an ordinary driver. As annual mileage increases and the TCOs converge, the BMW can start to make more sense. The additional cost may be worth it in terms of a nicer cabin and a less fatiguing drive.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Apr 16, 2009 Posts: 51
    Microsoft is Right About the Cost of Macs
  • WTF is a 4-Cell Battery ? What does that mean ? Why is it in the list above ? I don't think the comparison is broken. It's worth comparing using examples like the one above. It's all very well getting bogged down in detail, but almost all laptops sold today will satisfy a lot of users. People who do a bit of surfing, a bit of email and write the occasional letter. The limited range of Apple products is a strength and a weakness. It means the product range is clear and easy to understand. It's not possible to get a 15" or 17" screen model with an integrated graphics card, for example, but plenty of people would want that. Apple differentiates price on form factor, but PC makers do not (13" PC laptops cost more than 15" PC laptops). The Air costs significantly more than the unibody MacBook, but is unlikely to cost any more to manufacture.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Apr 16, 2009 Posts: 51
    Microsoft is Right About the Cost of Macs
  • I'm not disputing the price differential, BTW, just saying that just because Apple could, doesn't mean that they should.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Apr 16, 2009 Posts: 51
    Microsoft is Right About the Cost of Macs
  • "If all these different companies are able to make a laptop that sells for $500 then Apple should". Depends what you mean by "should". If you mean that it's technically possible, then it very probably is. If you mean that because it's technically possible, Apple should do it, then you're barking mad. That's the business model that puts so many PC makers out of business. What I think they should be doing is matching specs. So RAM and hard drive should always match or lead the competition, so that at least there's never a question of getting less computer for more bucks.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Apr 16, 2009 Posts: 51
    Microsoft is Right About the Cost of Macs
  • iPhone DS ! It could make a nice eBook reader too :)
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Apr 15, 2009 Posts: 51
    iPhone: It's not the Keyboard, It's the Screen Size
  • During a brief flirtation with blogging last year, I pretty much described the same thing… http://fakebob.blogspot.com/2007/08/yeah-yeah-yeah-but-wheres-mouse.html. I still want one for my Mac Mini media. A mouse is rubbish on the couch.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Jul 02, 2008 Posts: 51
    Behold, the Revolutionary Apple Wireless Touchboard Concept
  • "Delve" means to search inside something. I think you mean "Diverge". The OS may be evolutionary, but the applications is will spawn will be revolutionary. There may be no compulsion to switch right now, but there will be.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Nov 02, 2007 Posts: 51
    Mac OS X Leopard: Just a Pretty Vista Knockoff
  • I think they need to tackle more fundamental things than just the look of the interface. My experience is that OS-X is less stable under Tiger, and has some annoyances. Interface/Finder inconsistencies have been covered enough by Ars Technica. A small example of the kind of thing that annoys me is that if the spotlight field is active, the dock becomes inactive (remains hidden). So I'm all for a new improved look as long as usability is improved and inconsistencies addressed.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Dec 13, 2006 Posts: 51
    Illuminous: Does OS X Need a New Aqua?
  • People who buy music from the zune store are stupid. People who buy for themselves with iTMS gift cards are stupid. People who are buying gift cards as gifts, well, it's kind of nicer and more thoughtful than cash, but cash would make more sense as the recipient could buy DRM-free music instead. There's nothing wrong with companies taking your money before they give something in return. It's a smart, if cynical, business practice. It would be wrong, I think, not to point out that consumers who fall for it are being stupid though. I try to avoid it as much as possible. I do have money on a mobile phone, and on an oyster (London public transport) card. They're pretty much unavoidable though.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Nov 15, 2006 Posts: 51
    Zune Marketplace's Absurd Pricing Scheme
  • PETER Yeah. I, I, I...Listen, that virus you're always talking about. The one that, that could rip off the company for a bunch of money... MICHAEL Yeah? What about it? PETER Well, how does it work? MICHAEL It's pretty brilliant. What it does is where there's a bank transaction, and the interests are computed in the thousands a day in fractions of a cent, which it usually rounds off. What this does is it takes those remainders and puts it into your account. PETER This sounds familiar. MICHAEL Yeah. They did this in Superman III.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Nov 14, 2006 Posts: 51
    Zune Marketplace's Absurd Pricing Scheme
  • Doesn't affect me in the UK, but it seems insane to me that consumers should have to keep a track of every purchase like this. It would make much more sense to put the burden on the retailer. we're talking about online purcahses, so it can be easily be automated. I think if someone wanted to play safe with iTMS, then buy gift vouchers. Surely they'd be subject to a local tax at the point of sale, and not be subject to further taxation ? I don't however see any logic in the not paying tax on online sales because at least it's better than not stealing. The record companies need to protect their income, and so does government. If they tax CD sales but not iTMS sales, then it's hardly fair to the record stores - and the tax will still have to be collected from somewhere.
    EuropeHywel had this to say on Apr 18, 2006 Posts: 51
    iTunes Tax