Maybe you don't do what they do?
I've had SMB problems as well under Leopard. Safari 4.02 at least doesn't just disappear anymore and at least throws the crash reporter up now.
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Microsoft Alters "Laptop Hunters" Ads in Wake of Apple Price Cuts
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I've had SMB problems as well under Leopard. Safari 4.02 at least doesn't just disappear anymore and at least throws the crash reporter up now.
I use SMB every single day, and transfer a minimum of 130GB of data using SMB every day at work. I guess I am just lucky with SMB and Safari.
Apple has now added the 13" to the "Pro" line, and made the "Pro" line for consumers as well. How about you go on a quest to remove the large pole from your ass. Have a nice day!
Sounds to me like "Pro" users just want a unique system to make them feel special. Who cares if the word Pro is on it or not? Buy a system for the specs, not 3 letters on the screen bezel.
I don't care if my computer is a "Pro." I had a white MacBook before upgrading to the 15," based on performance and screen size, not because of the three letters on the bezel. The Pro is a great computer though, for consumers or professionals. I'm not really sure what this guy is trying to argue, but just because "Lauren" isn't a professional, doesn't mean she can't buy a MBP.
About the "Pro" thing...
"Pro", "Professional", "Superlative", "Enthusiast" are more often than not subjective marketing phrases that have little bearing on more than the price tag. "Prosumer" is definitely the worst of these lol
...
Still, the ads have changed to better reflect current pricing and so forth (though it did come as a feature reduction, but never mind), which is good and proper.
As long as there is a machine that matches what I require at a reasonable price when I upgrade my MacBook to a so-called "Pro", there are no problems
"Pro", "Professional", "Superlative", "Enthusiast" are more often than not subjective marketing phrases that have little bearing on more than the price tag. "Prosumer" is definitely the worst of these lol
...Still, the ads have changed to better reflect current pricing and so forth (though it did come as a feature reduction, but never mind
), which is good and proper.As long as there is a machine that matches what I require at a reasonable price when I upgrade my MacBook to a so-called "Pro", there are no problems
Ya know, apple brought up a good point recently
Apple mentioning that they represent 90% of the computer sales in the computers $1,000+. That's crazy cool..
I'm not sure if the vendors realize what is going on with the dilution and mindset of the consumers of these vendor's products who participate in this microsoft advertising campaign.
I'm SURE these vendors would prefer to sell their more powerful machines, but microsoft is trying to explain how these sub par laptops are the answers to all their problems and that they don't need a more powerful machine.
Go for it, let these people fight over the cheapest laptops. In the end, it's a loosing battle.
Apple mentioning that they represent 90% of the computer sales in the computers $1,000+. That's crazy cool..
I'm not sure if the vendors realize what is going on with the dilution and mindset of the consumers of these vendor's products who participate in this microsoft advertising campaign.
I'm SURE these vendors would prefer to sell their more powerful machines, but microsoft is trying to explain how these sub par laptops are the answers to all their problems and that they don't need a more powerful machine.
Go for it, let these people fight over the cheapest laptops. In the end, it's a loosing battle.
Unfortunately, the "average" consumer has probably been through a laptop or two by this point, and they've come to expect that the standard screen size is 15.4", all for anywhere from $450-$750 average price.
I know, I've been trying to convince a friend of mine to switch because I think it will be better for her (her HP POS has had nothing but trouble and it's only a little over a year old.) Her first comment, even when I told her that I could get her a small discount, was:
"What?? Are you insane?? $1127 for a 13.3" screen??? My HP cost over $900 and it has a 15" screen!"
At which point I had to tell her about the higher resolution on the MBP, the aluminum case, and even had to convince her that the 160 gig drive and 2 gig RAM weren't completely unreasonable.
The point is, long-time PC users have come to expect a certain price per feature set. Laptops are really booming right now, but the ironic thing is that a LOT of consumers aren't buying it strictly for portability - they'll put it on a desk and leave it there, just like a desktop. Only when they HAVE to move it (like evacuating for a hurricane, in our local area) will they ever use it for its "portable" feature.
Personally I associate "pro" with 1) highly configurable hardware that can be tweaked to serve the user's specific needs, and 2) pro-grade components (e.g. screens with 100% Adobe color gamut). I don't really see that in Apple's portable lineup because the build-to-order options are fewer than on your average $400 netbook, and judging by the widespread complaints over the glossy screens I don't think they're doing all that well in the pro-grade component department either. A few years ago, PowerBooks/MacBook Pros were definitely "pro", but these new ones seem to be designed for the Paris Hilton demographic rather than creative professionals. The 17" model is still somewhat deserving of the "pro" badge though... it's still got the ExpressCard slot, one more USB port and a matte screen option.
Yeah, NAS drives seem to be an area that Apple doesn't like much. Maybe they associate it with storage of massive amounts of pirated media that competes with the iTunes Store stuff, I dunno. But there are tons of issues with it in Leopard... it was better in Tiger, actually. Heck, NAS shares don't even show up on the Finder pane unless you disable the firewall.
I got to help my wife's friend (single mom, 2 kids) choose a laptop for her because she's going back to college. She couldn't spend more than $500, so Apple was out (couldn't even find a refurb for that price that I'd want to give her).
So here I am doing the laptop hunter thing:
----
- Geez, that screen is nearly illegible (gets out old-guy glasses).
- That trackpad is terrible. It doesn't register "scroll on the right" at all.
- This one has keys so close together, I can't reliably press only one key at a time.
- This one has keys in all kinds of strange locations - it'd drive me nuts to type on this thing.
- This one weighs too much and has strange plastic flangy things all over it; which BTW: Who puts "plasticy port covers" on their laptops still? Do they ever not break off within a week?
- This one has battery life under 2 hours.
- This one takes 20 seconds to start word. What the deal with that?
- Here's one where the hinge is so bad that the display won't stay in place. Man, I hope that's only because the floor model was dropped or something.
-----
OK - so I won't find a $500 laptop that doesn't fundamentally s*ck in one way or another. I revert to "looking for the least suboptimal" mode...
She ended up with a low-end Sony VAIO (the model doesn't even appear on Sony's site any more, so it must be a last-year model). It's not fast, but fast enough for her. It isn't light but has a 6 cell 4 hour battery. It can run Vista, and they'll upgrade it to Window 7 for her. It looks OK (has strange alligator like skin, but she likes it). The keyboard is layed out abominably and has only so-so feel, but it does have 4 USB ports, a FW port and an SD card slot. This display is only marginal at best, but it is good enough to read. I think she's more or less happy with it. I wouldn't want it, but from what I've seen there aren't too many $500 laptops I would want.
We get it back to my house, and I spend 3 hours removing dork-ware, installing virus protection, Skype, iTunes, and Picasa, and getting enough Windows Updates applied to her Vista so she won't be pwned when she gets the system home.
That's the story of the a true laptop hunter. I almost gave her the other $500 and got her into a mac - probably I'll end up regretting not doing that.
So here I am doing the laptop hunter thing:
----
- Geez, that screen is nearly illegible (gets out old-guy glasses).
- That trackpad is terrible. It doesn't register "scroll on the right" at all.
- This one has keys so close together, I can't reliably press only one key at a time.
- This one has keys in all kinds of strange locations - it'd drive me nuts to type on this thing.
- This one weighs too much and has strange plastic flangy things all over it; which BTW: Who puts "plasticy port covers" on their laptops still? Do they ever not break off within a week?
- This one has battery life under 2 hours.
- This one takes 20 seconds to start word. What the deal with that?
- Here's one where the hinge is so bad that the display won't stay in place. Man, I hope that's only because the floor model was dropped or something.
-----
OK - so I won't find a $500 laptop that doesn't fundamentally s*ck in one way or another. I revert to "looking for the least suboptimal" mode...
She ended up with a low-end Sony VAIO (the model doesn't even appear on Sony's site any more, so it must be a last-year model). It's not fast, but fast enough for her. It isn't light but has a 6 cell 4 hour battery. It can run Vista, and they'll upgrade it to Window 7 for her. It looks OK (has strange alligator like skin, but she likes it). The keyboard is layed out abominably and has only so-so feel, but it does have 4 USB ports, a FW port and an SD card slot. This display is only marginal at best, but it is good enough to read. I think she's more or less happy with it. I wouldn't want it, but from what I've seen there aren't too many $500 laptops I would want.
We get it back to my house, and I spend 3 hours removing dork-ware, installing virus protection, Skype, iTunes, and Picasa, and getting enough Windows Updates applied to her Vista so she won't be pwned when she gets the system home.
That's the story of the a true laptop hunter. I almost gave her the other $500 and got her into a mac - probably I'll end up regretting not doing that.
Yeah thanks for pointing out that Microsoft has 91% of the market...Good point
How much do you think your favorite restaurant make per year? What about the best gourmet restaurant?
Mcdonalds has revenue of over $20 billion per year.
That MUST mean McDonalds has the superior products.
I'd like to think that a good deal of computer users tend to be smarter about their purchases. This is not in reference to the first time buyers. This is in reference to the buyers who have used a PC/windows system for years. I'm excluding the minority of users who are solely concerned about cost or building their own PC.
I think most people want a computer that's easy to use. Would they like a lower price? Of course. However, at some point, these users realize the time drain price that PCs carry.
When I used a Windows machine, it required me to maintain it on a regular basis. I had to make sure the firewall and anti-virus were up to date. Also, I found that a yearly reformat of the hard drive helped get the computer back up to speed. Of course, that reformat robbed me of hours of time I could've used for other things.
I've been using my Mac for over a year. Of course, it's required some minor tweaks, but no OS is perfect. However, I haven't entertained the notion of doing a time consuming reformat of the hard drive. Why? Because my mac is still running like it should. Perhaps the mac requires a reformat every two years. However, even if that were the case, using a mac is less of a headache than using a Windows machine ever was.
At some point, I reached the nadir of windows use. I got sick and tired of dealing with it. When it came time to buy a new computer, Vista was the pre-installed option. So, I decided that I was going to try something different. Maybe the experiment would fail or maybe it would succeed.
As a mac user, I'm happy with my choice. Granted, the experience is different for everyone. However, I think the switchers were at the same point I was. Whether it works for them is dependent on the individual.
My $0.02.
I think most people want a computer that's easy to use. Would they like a lower price? Of course. However, at some point, these users realize the time drain price that PCs carry.
When I used a Windows machine, it required me to maintain it on a regular basis. I had to make sure the firewall and anti-virus were up to date. Also, I found that a yearly reformat of the hard drive helped get the computer back up to speed. Of course, that reformat robbed me of hours of time I could've used for other things.
I've been using my Mac for over a year. Of course, it's required some minor tweaks, but no OS is perfect. However, I haven't entertained the notion of doing a time consuming reformat of the hard drive. Why? Because my mac is still running like it should. Perhaps the mac requires a reformat every two years. However, even if that were the case, using a mac is less of a headache than using a Windows machine ever was.
At some point, I reached the nadir of windows use. I got sick and tired of dealing with it. When it came time to buy a new computer, Vista was the pre-installed option. So, I decided that I was going to try something different. Maybe the experiment would fail or maybe it would succeed.
As a mac user, I'm happy with my choice. Granted, the experience is different for everyone. However, I think the switchers were at the same point I was. Whether it works for them is dependent on the individual.
My $0.02.
Pardon me. What lies? You mean lies like the four commentaries I linked earlier on in this thread that said a brand-new unpatched Windows PC could expect an average of 4 minutes on the internet before becoming compromised? One commenter even stated that he got hit before he could download the patches, which can only be received through the internet.
And what part of 'consumer' are you, average, or highly-skilled?
Isn't that what advertising is all about? The interesting thing is, those so-called 'lies' you mentioned first obviously can NOT be lies, or Microsoft would have complained to Apple and hit them with 'false advertising' charges. Since Microsoft didn't call them on their commercials, logically they cannot be lies, can they?
Read the articles, they took a version of XP pre SP2 and connected it directly to the internet. What exactly did they expect? If you cared to read the articles you posted you would understand just what little value they had. As this blog post lays bare: http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2071 (by the way this blog post was linked to from one of the articles you didn't bother to read fully). The most recent article you linked to was from October 2008 and if you follow back the information trail, it ends up at this Times article. I have quoted the important part:
There you go chaps, if you connect a pre SP2 copy of XP DIRECTLY to the internets you are in trouble.
As to your second point, you erroneously claimed Microsoft made a loss, when they actually made a $3Bn+ quarterly profit?
So what happens if you connect a retail OS X 10.4 or 10.5 directly to the internet? Or right, nothing bad
One's a parody, absurd by design. The other is basically a reality tv ad, attempting to avoid absurd by design yet failing.
You people crack me up.
Apple has made commercials with bold face lies about how "PC's don't work" and are 'Full of viruses" for years and no one called them out for it. Every PC I've owned has 'worked' just fine just as my Macs have worked but BOTH platforms have had serious issues from time to time. (Windows registry corruption and OSX 10-10.3, 10.5 initial release..)
You're all upset because Microsoft is playing Apple at their own game of manipulation, omission and truth-stretching. Are the Laptop Hunter ads great works of tv magic? No I hate them. I also hated the I'm a Mac ads after about the 2nd because once past the cuteness of it you realize how non-specific the claims about PC's faults are. They are in line with Budweiser's "Real Drinkability and 100% REAL lime flavor." Sounds good but doesn't mean anything.
Yeah bold face lies. Is that why that PC viruses cause 9 billion in damages, yeah bold face lie. Is that why PC companies have the lowest satisfaction ratings, is that why Windows is rated lower by consumers and reviewers? All bold face lies.
Why haven't Microsoft's lawyers requested that Apple amend their ads citing Apple ads as being factually incorrect? Maybe because they're not?
Phones work both ways. Apple's number is easy to find, yet no call.
The stupid thing about these ads is , if some one says
" if you find a laptop under $1700 or what ever number it is"
I sure would spend the full 1699.99 and not $1000 on a laptop.
I wouldnt walk out with a sub $1000.00 POS
They should do the next one, find a laptop under $3000 and it's yours
and they walk out with a $300 netbook but that would be funny though
" if you find a laptop under $1700 or what ever number it is"
I sure would spend the full 1699.99 and not $1000 on a laptop.
I wouldnt walk out with a sub $1000.00 POS
They should do the next one, find a laptop under $3000 and it's yours
and they walk out with a $300 netbook
but that would be funny though Ya know, apple brought up a good point recently
Apple mentioning that they represent 90% of the computer sales in the computers $1,000+. That's crazy cool..
I'm not sure if the vendors realize what is going on with the dilution and mindset of the consumers of these vendor's products who participate in this microsoft advertising campaign.
I'm SURE these vendors would prefer to sell their more powerful machines, but microsoft is trying to explain how these sub par laptops are the answers to all their problems and that they don't need a more powerful machine.
Go for it, let these people fight over the cheapest laptops. In the end, it's a loosing battle.
Apple mentioning that they represent 90% of the computer sales in the computers $1,000+. That's crazy cool..
I'm not sure if the vendors realize what is going on with the dilution and mindset of the consumers of these vendor's products who participate in this microsoft advertising campaign.
I'm SURE these vendors would prefer to sell their more powerful machines, but microsoft is trying to explain how these sub par laptops are the answers to all their problems and that they don't need a more powerful machine.
Go for it, let these people fight over the cheapest laptops. In the end, it's a loosing battle.