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And the market for Chromebooks is so huge...

It seems to be getting pretty big in the education sector. I could see consumers getting lured by the Chromebook pricing as we'll. Do I want one? Absolutely not! But I do a lot more on my MacBook Pro than a student or an average consumer. I think this is one area that Apple and others had better watch.
 
It seems to be getting pretty big in the education sector. I could see consumers getting lured by the Chromebook pricing as we'll. Do I want one? Absolutely not! But I do a lot more on my MacBook Pro than a student or an average consumer. I think this is one area that Apple and others had better watch.

Yes, the sector that's poor goes for the cheap computers.
 
Don't see any reason for Apple to give Intel more control than they already have. Apple's current setup seems to be working well for them.

Intel is a whole generation ahead of everybody else when it comes to manufacturing chips. They could instantly make the A7 even more powerful, efficient and cheaper by shrinking it. So there's your reason.

Apple's current setup works well because their ARM competition doesn't have access to Intel's tech, either. Anybody working with Intel will have a huge advantage. Apple would be foolish not to work with them.

In fact, they should probably try and throw a few billions at them to try and secure some kind of exclusivity.
 
Intel is a whole generation ahead of everybody else when it comes to manufacturing chips. They could instantly make the A7 even more powerful, efficient and cheaper by shrinking it. So there's your reason.

Apple's current setup works well because their ARM competition doesn't have access to Intel's tech, either. Anybody working with Intel will have a huge advantage. Apple would be foolish not to work with them.

In fact, they should probably try and throw a few billions at them to try and secure some kind of exclusivity.

If they're making 14nm chips soon, does that mean they could make 14nm ARM chips if they were designed? I don't know a lot about the fab process.
 
These appear to be ARMs inside Altera's next-gen FPGAs, only. I believe Intel is already fabbing the current-gen of these devices for Altera, which would mean they are already fabbing ARM and have been for some time.
 
Yes, the sector that's poor goes for the cheap computers.

Ya know, I bought my first computer in 1978. Went through the TRS-80's, Timex Sinclairs, Commordores, etc... Hit about all of them. Switched to PC's in 1985 and met a lot of nice people...

Since I switched to Macs in 2005, I also met lots nice people. I've also met some of the most Elitist jerks that God put on the face of the Earth. The Mac "Fanatics'" computers are all "BMW's" and everyone else's computer is "crappy, junky, clunky" that they buy because they are "poor" and "can't afford a Mac".....

No, Chromebooks are not "cheap computers" for the "poor" - But a statement like that could only be made by an Elitist Jerk who thinks that he's so much better than everyone else. I'm glad no one in my life acts like you and thinks he's on a higher economic and social level just because he uses an iPad...

Trust me kid, you aren't better than anyone and are, for the most part, a sad, pathetic sub-human being.
 
Yes, the sector that's poor goes for the cheap computers.

Education is not necessarily a "poor" sector. Our school district annually spends about $300K on new technology, and we are a small district. It is not hard to imagine that a school administrator might look at the value of a $250 Chromebook vs. a Windows or Mac laptop. With more and more schools going to 1:1 devices, the Chromebook seems like a good option. Personally, I am not sold on Chromebooks, especially the cheap ones... but I don't want to get into an argument with all the Google supporters... but schools are definitely interested in them.

Also, consumers aren't a "poor" sector, so I am not sure how your comment addresses consumers who are interested in Chromebooks. Maybe you were just trying to be funny? :rolleyes:
 
Ya know, I bought my first computer in 1978. Went through the TRS-80's, Timex Sinclairs, Commordores, etc... Hit about all of them. Switched to PC's in 1985 and met a lot of nice people...

Since I switched to Macs in 2005, I also met lots nice people. I've also met some of the most Elitist jerks that God put on the face of the Earth. The Mac "Fanatics'" computers are all "BMW's" and everyone else's computer is "crappy, junky, clunky" that they buy because they are "poor" and "can't afford a Mac".....

No, Chromebooks are not "cheap computers" for the "poor" - But a statement like that could only be made by an Elitist Jerk who thinks that he's so much better than everyone else. I'm glad no one in my life acts like you and thinks he's on a higher economic and social level just because he uses an iPad...

Trust me kid, you aren't better than anyone and are, for the most part, a sad, pathetic sub-human being.

They're buying the 250$ Samsung Chromebook, not the Pixel. They're going for the Chromebook, the education sector, because they have a limited amount of money. Seriously. Stop trying to paint me as some sort of elitist because of the fact that people buy a 250$ computer mainly because it's 250$.

:|

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Education is not necessarily a "poor" sector. Our school district annually spends about $300K on new technology, and we are a small district. It is not hard to imagine that a school administrator might look at the value of a $250 Chromebook vs. a Windows or Mac laptop. With more and more schools going to 1:1 devices, the Chromebook seems like a good option. Personally, I am not sold on Chromebooks, especially the cheap ones... but I don't want to get into an argument with all the Google supporters... but schools are definitely interested in them.

Also, consumers aren't a "poor" sector, so I am not sure how your comment addresses consumers who are interested in Chromebooks. Maybe you were just trying to be funny? :rolleyes:

I wasn't talking about consumers, but the education sector. By and large, schools go for what is the cheapest that does the job they need. :|

Edit: As well they should. Schools should focus on getting the thing that does what they need to for the least amount of money. More money should be spent on making sure that people have what they need in terms of the laptops, maybe hiring more or better teachers, and so forth.
 
I wasn't talking about consumers, but the education sector. By and large, schools go for what is the cheapest that does the job they need. :|

That's certainly not true in my state. Around 80% to 90% of the 1:1 schools in our state are based on MacBooks, MBAs, or MBPs. And if you look at all the schools in the state (not just the 1:1 schools), the majority are using Apple devices.
 
I wouldn't call Chromebooks cheap computers for people so poor their idea of fine dining is eating straight out of a can of Chef Boyardee that was cooked over a hotplate, but they are disposable computers.

That's their shtick. They're not meant to be slick, top of the line PCs. They're what you get if you just want something cheap to work with. They're no frills, no spills, no emotional attachment machines. If you accidentally drop one down the stairs and shatter it into a million pieces...oh well. Just buy another.
 
That's certainly not true in my state. Around 80% to 90% of the 1:1 schools in our state are based on MacBooks, MBAs, or MBPs. And if you look at all the schools in the state (not just the 1:1 schools), the majority are using Apple devices.

And that is a giant waste.

No, really, it's a giant waste for 80-90% of computers to be Macs. They may very be worth the cost, but that is irrelevant. There are probably so many better things that the money could be going toward. Most schools do not need Macs.

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I wouldn't call Chromebooks cheap computers for people so poor their idea of fine dining is eating straight out of a can of Chef Boyardee that was cooked over a hotplate, but they are disposable computers.

That's their shtick. They're not meant to be slick, top of the line PCs. They're what you get if you just want something cheap to work with. They're no frills, no spills, no emotional attachment machines. If you accidentally drop one down the stairs and shatter it into a million pieces...oh well. Just buy another.

I wasn't even saying that. -_-

I swear, the #1 thing for people at MacRumors to do is to take a line and warp it so far out of context that it doesn't resemble the original line.
 
CISC to RISC!

Am I the only one who wonders about Intel's expertise in RISC cpu's - regarding performance? Itaniums didn't do so well for too long, plus this is odd that Intel would be paying HUGE royalties to Arm Holdings.

MAN I wish I could invest in Arm Holdings today!
(BTW, their stock jumped almost 14% from initial sales of IP5S/C results)
 
It seems to be getting pretty big in the education sector. I could see consumers getting lured by the Chromebook pricing as we'll. Do I want one? Absolutely not! But I do a lot more on my MacBook Pro than a student or an average consumer. I think this is one area that Apple and others had better watch.

I don't think the market is ripe for Apple to enter the 'Chromebook' competition. I think it needs to be more proven.

Apple should focus their efforts on just improving the MacBook Air as it is now (highly due for a retina quality screen).
 
And that is a giant waste.

No, really, it's a giant waste for 80-90% of computers to be Macs. They may very be worth the cost, but that is irrelevant. There are probably so many better things that the money could be going toward. Most schools do not need Macs.

We don't find Macs to be a giant waste at all. Do you know what it costs schools to support Windows PCs in terms of staffing and deployment/maintenance tools? Do you know what software students are using on a daily basis? I do, because I have supported both Windows and Macs, and I have worked with staff and students in developing curriculum and lessons. We have found Macs to be very cost effective in terms of longevity and functionality, and they do exactly what we want them to do. We also have found some specific deployments for Chromebooks that seem to make sense, but the don't fill the need in every possible deployment. Of course, every school district is different, and our needs and decisions aren't right for everyone. Isn't it great there are so many options?
 
We don't find Macs to be a giant waste at all. Do you know what it costs schools to support Windows PCs in terms of staffing and deployment/maintenance tools? Do you know what software students are using on a daily basis? I do, because I have supported both Windows and Macs, and I have worked with staff and students in developing curriculum and lessons. We have found Macs to be very cost effective in terms of longevity and functionality, and they do exactly what we want them to do. We also have found some specific deployments for Chromebooks that seem to make sense, but the don't fill the need in every possible deployment. Of course, every school district is different, and our needs and decisions aren't right for everyone. Isn't it great there are so many options?

Yes, it is great.

Now, let me point out where what you said and what I said don't disagree with each other. Most schools don't need Macs. There we go. Your school is awesome and needs Macs as a way of saving money over the course of the lifespan of the computer.
 
Yes, it is great.

Now, let me point out where what you said and what I said don't disagree with each other. Most schools don't need Macs. There we go. Your school is awesome and needs Macs as a way of saving money over the course of the lifespan of the computer.

I am sure we agree on a lot of things... lol. But we don't buy Macs just to save money! We also use certain software offerings only available on the Mac. With OS X, iLife, and iWork now being free, things just got a little bit more compelling.
 
I am sure we agree on a lot of things... lol. But we don't buy Macs just to save money! We also use certain software offerings only available on the Mac. With OS X, iLife, and iWork now being free, things just got a little bit more compelling.

Schools are using the new iWork, or plan to in the near future? :eek:
 
Schools are using the new iWork, or plan to in the near future? :eek:

We haven't deployed the new iWork in our school district, but many of our students use the old version of Keynote for digital storytelling, portfolios, and, of course, presentations. I guess you are making a statement about how bad the new iWork is? It is too bad many features have been removed. Hopefully, Apple will add them back. I am guessing they had to remove features to give the user nearly the same experience on the OS X, iOS, and cloud versions. Luckily, the old apps are still very functional. We will likely continue to deploy them until we are satisfied that the new version of iWork (or individual apps) meet our needs.
 
........ There is a new concept out there that Americans and especially gamers don't get. And that is the concept of just good enough. Apple gets that with its continued sale of the ipad 2. I can tell you, that for a billion adults on this planet, an iPhone 4S is more smartphone than they will need for the next 5 years. Sure apple does cutting edge products, but the market that remains to be exploited wants something they can afford, and it's not an $800 phone. It might just be a $600 ubuntu phone or the equivalent.

I used to agree with this sentiment until Blackberry died a couple of months ago. BB apparently are #1 in Indonesia, Middle East and growing like crazy in Africa - but all those billions of people spending micro pennies each on the platform; couldn't save BB. What mattered most was where the big bucks are - the US, Europe and maybe advanced Asia. BB lost marketshare in the advanced economies and it is game over. The rest of the world is still not there yet in relevance to be able to support multi billion dollar research, manufacturing and app ecosystem for a leadership position in the market.
 
We haven't deployed the new iWork in our school district, but many of our students use the old version of Keynote for digital storytelling, portfolios, and, of course, presentations. I guess you are making a statement about how bad the new iWork is? It is too bad many features have been removed. Hopefully, Apple will add them back. I am guessing they had to remove features to give the user nearly the same experience on the OS X, iOS, and cloud versions. Luckily, the old apps are still very functional. We will likely continue to deploy them until we are satisfied that the new version of iWork (or individual apps) meet our needs.

Yep, was making a reference to the quality of the new iWork applications. Well, really, they basically rewrote large portions of the app (apparently). I'm told it's 64-bit now and wasn't before. If they did a large amount of rewrite, a little loss is expected.
 
I think a lot people are getting the story wrong.

Intel is just acting as a foundry in this case to use their extra capacity.

They're not moving to ARM.

In fact they're making [competitive] x86 chips for mobile, so there is no reason to move to ARM.
 
Within 5 years, they're going to make a way to make USB thinner? Or are we going to lose more and more ports to the religion of 'thin devices are better'?

No, we're going to lose more and more ports to the reality that they will become obsolete, replaced with wireless options, cloud services or simply shrunken versions of their former selves.

The concept of the MacBook Air is that there is a market full of people that want as thin and light a notebook as possible. Those people don't give a damn about ports. They want as much of a standalone device as possible.
 
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