innate's Profile

  • Apr 24, 2006
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Latest comments made by: innate

  • After his bout with cancer, I’m sure Steve Jobs is well aware of the succession issues and has a protégé ready. I hope that person, whoever it may be, will become more prominent soon, so that there’s an heir apparent at Apple. For Microsoft, it’s clear what would happen if Bill Gates were hit by a delivery truck: Ballmer would continue running the company.
  • Agree with Beeblebrox. That's why I got my Mom a Mac: I was tired of fixing her Windows PC. Since she got the Mac the tech support questions are much easier and more related to the work she is doing ("How do I insert a picture into Word", instead of "why does Outlook Express keep crashing when I check my mail").
    innate had this to say on Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 12
    Setting Up Your Parents On A Mac
  • If you think Intel was Apple's beeyotch, look at how Microsoft was presented. Jobs avoided even saying the word "Microsoft," their name was in small print at the bottom of the giganto-screen, and of course, Roz Ho didn't help matters with her nervous mannered speech.
    innate had this to say on Jan 14, 2006 Posts: 12
    Apple in charge?
  • Dpes Dell manufacture computers? I was under the impression that they outsource it to Asia, just like Apple and most of their competitors.
    innate had this to say on Jan 05, 2006 Posts: 12
    Dell Macs
  • I agree with you, kefka, that Cocoa and OS X are highly productive. Unfortunately that is just one piece in a large puzzle. When I said ease-of-adoption, I was using business-speak. It’s easy for *management* to adopt. So, you want to use Cocoa in your corporate programming job. First step, buy a Mac. Just call your company’s hardware vendor. Whoops, Dell doesn’t sell Macs. So you have to get your company to approve a purchase from Apple, even though Apple doesn’t offer features stability. “Features stability” is business-speak meaning the vendor guarantees they will sell you a particular product model for a set period of years. Purchasing departments need this, but Apple does not do it, which is one reason corporations don’t buy from them. So you manage to get a Mac. Now you write some kickass Cocoa apps. Next step, deploy your Cocoa apps. Oops, all 15,000 employees currently have Windows PCs that don’t run OS X software. Etc., etc., etc. By contrast, there is a massive supply chain supporting both Windows and Java development in the corporate environment. If Apple was interested in the corporate desktop they would need to start developing their supply chain. Of course they need to make it easier for big companies to buy Macs (features stability, etc.). They also need higher-profile certification programs so you can hire a Mac flunkie from your temp agency, just like you can hire a Windows or Java-certified flunkie. They also need more tool vendors -- all the oddball 3rd-party tools that .NET developers use. And something like .MSI or WebStart for distributing changes. And the ability to buy hardware from more than one vendor. (Even if your company doesn’t buy Windows PCs from more than one vendor, they can put price pressure on the vendor because they COULD switch.) And they need a whole ecosystem of middlemen, a.k.a. resellers, who make commissions by telling lazy managers what to buy. It is much easier for small and medium-sized businesses to switch to Apple, where they aren’t tied to this huge beaureaucratic structure that I’ve described. But even those businesses benefit from, e.g., having a ready supply of cheap Windows or Java programmers, whereas it’s relatively harder to find a Cocoa programmer at your local temp agency.
    innate had this to say on Jan 03, 2006 Posts: 12
    Microsoft to fall over in 2006? pfft!
  • I agree with JD. For corporate development, nothing beats the ease-of-adoption of Microsoft's products, even if they are crap. Everything from sales organizations to cheesy 3rd-party add-ins to temp hiring agencies, is optimized around the Microsoft product. And lets not forget the popular alternative to Microsoft in the corporate world. No, it's not Apple, it's Java. It may be laughable compared to Cocoa, but a better product will not win this game.
    innate had this to say on Jan 02, 2006 Posts: 12
    Microsoft to fall over in 2006? pfft!
  • Quicken absolutely sucks, but there is no serious alternative. Cashbox and the like are good for *very basic* checkbook balancing, but can't compare when it comes to the advanced stuff like loan amortization, portfolio tracking, and on-line payments. MS Money (Windows only) is very nice. It’s better than Quicken for Windows or Mac. If I still had a Windows PC that’s what I would use.
    innate had this to say on Nov 18, 2005 Posts: 12
    The Applications You Really Need
  • It’s so bad it’s good? Only they went too far and it’s actually bad!
    innate had this to say on Sep 23, 2005 Posts: 12
    Dell's Ditty: Sheer Marketing Genuis!
  • The way you use Windows is not similar to the way you use a Mac! To use your own example, about manipulating files and folders, a Windows user is discouraged from doing this. Try to open your hard disk and you'll receive a message saying something like "These files are hidden for your protection and should not be modified." The Windows user is at least one level farther away from actually controlling the computer.
    innate had this to say on Aug 29, 2005 Posts: 12
    We All Use Xeroxes
  • The device would offer several advantages over a plain laptop or a PDA. The charger/base station connects to your home entertainment system. It would act as a streaming receiver (if Apple can overcome WiFi's slowness) or else you would place your video iPod into the base station when you wanted to watch a movie. You could of course take it with you to watch movies on the train but few people would do that. A laptop alone could run the iTunes Movie Store but won't have the same level of home entertainment integration. It may be disappointing to you, Chris, because although it would support notebook-replacement features, it would really be targeted at a much larger market: DVD player replacement. Just like the iPod replaces your CD player. Plus, HBO and Blockbuster don't sell porn on demand. Oops, did I say that out loud?
    innate had this to say on Aug 25, 2005 Posts: 12
    Can Apple save the Tablet?
  • Apple could have released a tablet a long time ago but they are waiting for something. I think that something is an iTunes deal with movie studios. It goes well beyond portable video, competing with TiVo, movies on demand, Blockbuster and Netflix. You could buy or rent a movie from the comfort of your living room and stream it to your home entertainment center. There is definitely a market for that. And of course you could still do tablet stuff like taking notes and browsing the web. It's just that the iTunes Movie Store is the feature which will differentiate it from all the Windows tablet failures.
    innate had this to say on Aug 25, 2005 Posts: 12
    Can Apple save the Tablet?
  • All this talk about filling forms and handwriting recognition is nice, but the killer app is staring us in the face. Apple would market a tablet as the newest member of the iPod family. The app is the iTunes Movie Store.
    innate had this to say on Aug 24, 2005 Posts: 12
    Can Apple save the Tablet?