Less than six years ago Apple Computers was pretty much a non-factor in the computer world except for a hand full of graphics design users and a few old school Mac freaks. Then in October of 2001 Apple released the iPod, which was not the first digital music player, but by far the best on the market and started the climb back to the top. When the iPod was released it was an overnight hit because the thing that made it really stand out from the rest was the software on the device and on the computer that made managing and playing music a simple process. iTunes, which is Apples music managing software and online store continued to grow and really g0t the buying of music online to where it is today.
But the iPod was just Apples first big come-back item, the next thing we saw was the move from PowerPC Chips to Intel Processors which sparked a lot of debate as to why Apple would abandon the same chip they had used for years to go with Intel, but for PowerPC chips to gain anymore speed IBM would have to finance a major redesign and obviously they were not willing to do it, so the only logical choice was to move to Intel. The move to Intel really hasn’t done that much for speed but it guarantees the future of Apple Computers and the ability to develop things like Boot Camp. Boot Camp is a program that allows you to install and run Windows XP or Vista on its own partition on a Mac eliminating the need for emulation software which is great if that’s all you have but still not perfect.
I would have probably never bought a Mac if not for Boot Camp because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get used to OS X so I figured worst-case scenario I would just install XP and have a good story to tell about how I bought a Mac just to use Windows on it. Through all of this Apple continued to update new and improved iPods every so often cementing their 85% market share and managed to sell 3 billion songs through iTunes.
Anyway the next move we saw from Apple was to drop the word Computer from their name and just be Apple Inc. which did seem kind of odd considering they are in fact a computer / software company, but then the big announcement came that Apple would redefine cell phones just as they had done with the iPod by releasing the iPhone. I don’t think I have ever seen more hype about a personal tech item like the iPhone but it is after all a widescreen iPod, cell phone, and internet device all in one. The initial sales show that the iPhone will probably have success similar to the iPod and continue to get better and better with time.
Over the last few years digital media streamers have been attempted by a few companies with little success, but the Apple TV while not perfect does make the process of setting up and sharing media from the pc to the television very easy even for novice users.
The last thing we will talk about today is the upgrades to the iMac. The iMac is Apples all in one desktop computer that has everything built in for very little desktop clutter and massive power for any computer task. This week the new iMac was released with upgrades to the Processor, Video Cards, and the Hard Drive, but the most impressive thing about these new computers is the redesign which will be all aluminum cases with glossy screens and they will be even thinner that the previous all white plastic models. With the new products and upgrades to older products it’s no surprise Apple’s turning record profits and sales of their computers have grown three times faster than the rest of the Pc market.
Before I stop rambling about how much I love Apple products lets recap some things in the last twelve months that have helped Apple Inc. get to this point.
A) Boot Camp
B) Macbook and Macbook Pro
C) Intel Processors
D) Apple TV
E) iPhone
Just a few months ago Dell announced it would ship computers with Linux as it’s operating system, now Lenovo the third largest personal computer manufacturer will follow suit and also ship pc’s with Linux factory installed. Linux has always been very strong on the server side of software but it lacks desktop users due to the fact that it has not always been easy to use or have good hardware support. With improvements to the GUI interface Linux it is becoming more user friendly for people to transition over from windows interface. Right now may be the time for Linux to make a big push into the desktop market seeing as Vista is having several different issues, but it will be a tough fight convincing users to try something different. Below is a list of advantages and disadvantages of Linux.
Microsoft has announced two new deals that will certainly help the growth of their Ad campaigns. The First one is a deal they have cut with Electronic Arts (one of the largest game producers) to provide in-game advertising. So far the five games they have announced to have ads in are: Madden NFL 08, NASCAR 08, NHL 08, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 and Skate. Although 35 other game publishers already use Microsoft’s Massive Inc. for in-game ads this should really be a huge boost for Microsoft considering how popular EA games are. The second Deal that has been cut involves the popular site Digg.com. Microsoft will be providing Digg with Contextual and display advertising for at least three years according to sources. Many Digg users are complaining, stating this may mean the end of content about Linux or apple while other users see this as a chance for Digg to possibly expand it’s services with this new source of revenue. Google and Yahoo are still way ahead in online advertising revenue, but with deals like this being cut Microsoft could become a serious player in this booming market really quickly.
Although Facebook has been gaining quite of bit of steam lately in the social networking arena, another company is now claiming they stole the idea from them. The owners of Connect-U has claimed that Mark Zuckerber(Facebook Founder) was supposed to write some code for Connect-U but instead opened up Facebook a few months later. Facebook has now grown to about 31 million users and continuing to grow daily. The founders of Connect-U have filed a suit and want a judge to shutdown Facebook and turn it over to them. If Facebook did indeed steal the idea from Connect-U I really don’t think any judge will grant them what they are asking, plus Facebook contends that there is no proof of any of this.
With Vista only six months old and riddled with problems it is hard to belive that Microsoft has already began to work on their next OS release codename Windows 7 or Vienna. Although Vista took six years to develop Microsoft is claiming that this new operating system will be ready to launch in 2010, which is possible but I can’t imagine it becoming a reality when their current OS is having nothing but problems. Most of the information you will find on the internet will be rumors and speculation but here are some of the features Microsoft have realease about “Vienna”. It will be easier to use, more secure, better connected and will have a lower cost. Isn’t this the same promises that were made about Vista? While Microsoft has the ability to release some great software, somehow they have lost site of the consumers who buy this “Great” software and who are tired of spending money on hardware and software that just doesn’t work. I think they should put aside this idea of a new OS until they can at least make Vista useable, for now though I am just gonna sit back and wait for Apple to release OS X Leopard, because I am pretty sure it will actually be ready for release.