^ There's a thread about how we should maybe highlight sarcasm in our posts. I suddenly see the need.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Microsoft Remains on Offensive with 'Apple Tax' Report and Latest Laptop Ad
- Thread starter Eidorian
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I like the fact that you have the guts to make fun of Windows, while your sig proudly proclaims the fact that you spent near $3,000 on a computer that wouldn't even be overall as powerful as something costing less than 1/3 of it.
And like I said before, what driver hunting? If you buy a prebuilt system, the manufacturer website will have it all. If you build it yourself, you go to the component manufacturer's site. If you buy a new piece of hardware, you run the CD, let Windows connect to the internet, or go to the manufacturer's website.
Funny how you Apple fanboys make so much nonsense about drivers when I have to download nearly a gig of drivers just to have my all-in-one unit work in OS X and NO drivers in Windows Vista.
Who wants a hardcore laptop for gaming anyways. If you want a gaming machine buy a xbox or ps3..
KillZone 2 looks better than anything on the Xbox 360. Many people mocked Sony, and rightly so, when the early E3 2005 footage of KillZone 2 was proven to be pre-rendered CGI video, despite them claiming it was in-game. Now, the final product is not like the E3 2005 video, but it's not as far off as the pre-release code of the game was. The biggest let-down on Xbox 360 for me was Halo 3 ... awful game with some of the "jaggiest" and roughest visuals seen in places.
It's taken it's time in getting there, and the PS3's architecture has rightly led to it being called the "Sega Saturn on this generation" due to it's difficulty to program for, but the Xbox 360 has peaked incredibly early.
And, for the record, the Xbox 360 was my favourite console on this generation and I found the PS3 to be nothing like what a "PlayStation" had come to represent.
However, KillZone 2 is a hugely impressive game, as is Metal Gear Solid 4 ... although MGS4's main issue is the amount of grays and browns used in it's palette.
I'm well aware of the other points you raised, and yes when running GTA5 Prologue at 1080p there was an abundance of tearing and even some interlacing issues, but as you pointed out neither console are capable of running full pelt true 1080p. However, I applaud Sony for releasing the system first and foremost with the specifications people wanted, ie: HDMI out the box.
Sony were foolish to release shots of what the rear of the PS3 would look like, especially when it came with only one HDMI port. As for back-compat, it means nothing to me ... I don't buy a new system to play old games when the chances are, especially with the PlayStation brand, I have the previous generation of hardware sitting here regardless. Microsoft's own back-compat is a joke in that a) it's emulation, not hardware (Sony's initial PS3 launch featured hardware emulation before it was altered to emulation also) and required regular updates to add new titles, b) the control over which titles ran on the 360 was utterly random and resulted in titles like Barbie's Horse Riding to be included in a firmware release list, and c) Microsoft have long since dropped back-compat support for the Xbox 360 and have not released an update for the firmware in months ... if not over a year.
If you look at the majority of Next Gen games, the amount of tearing in them is hellish and it's a topic often brought up on OXM forums which I used to use regularly.
Gears of War looked immense the first time you seen it, but Gears of War 2 only added to signify what little more the Xbox 360 could do to improve on Gears of War visually. Sure, the story mode was a little longer and some of the cut scenes were visually stunning from a directional point of view, but in the end it was nothing but Gears of War 1.5 ... and the awful online portion of the game murdered the excellent multiplayer of the first game and to this day there's STILL reports on Epic's forums of people glitching with the Shield/Shotgun combination or using Smoke Grenades to sneak through the Laser Gates.
The one point you made about loading times on PS3 is 100% correct and it was one of my biggest gripes with the PS3 overall, not to mention mandatory installs.
Like everything else, I don't defend one brand to the hilt. If you are immature enough, and let's face it that's exactly what it is, to defend a company who simply provide you with a box of plastic, metal, and wires then more fool you. You've proven, along with your loyalty to Windows, that you are a Microsoft fan (or fanboy?), and fair play to you.
I might return to gaming when they figure out how to bring something other than generic driving/shooting/RPG/adventure platformer/survival horror/FPS to the industry.
That is really cool
.....but back to the topic. I've used dos/windows machines since I was like 11, I'm now 36. A few years ago I started to be interested in osx. I was even one of those that said that Apple's were not "real" computers back then. As the years went on ,I got tired of windows, and linux took up to much of my time. I'm mostly interested in photography and programming. About a year ago, I started putting away a little cash here and there, knowing that eventually I would get a mac. I got my mac pro this past monday. The best $3200 dollars I have ever spent. Could I have gotten "a lot more" in a windows pc for that price? Depends what you consider more. Do I care? **** no! I love my computer....seriously, when I walk past I feel compelled to run my fingers over the handle on the case. This is by far the best computer I have ever owned. Osx is far superior to windows...but guess what, this is only my opinion.
People....why don't you get it? Computers are just tools. You buy the best tool you can afford, and that is that. Must this argument go on and on and on.....
One of the better reasons not to choose Windows. It's an OS that soils itself. You will end up installing sooner or later cos the thing gets slower. When I install Vista I'm already thinking of this. I think at this moment I don't even have the Vista drive connected in my pc...
I've had vista on my computer since it came out and it's just as fast as it was when I put it on. If you don't load garbage on you computer, If you know how to keep it clean, then there is no issue.
Paid journalists and bloggers are heads over Apple ware. Well integrated, with slick design and generally trouble free experience as most users are concerned. Also word of mouth contributes positively to image of Apple. If Apple sells something then it just works.
Tech press is heads over Linux and Open Source.
Well, M$ has to do something to remind people they still exist, not going anywhere (and as arrogant as ever).
...the Apple Tax vs the Microsoft Penalty!
One of the early comments in the Ina Fried article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10216096-56.html
puts this in the proper perspective...
...the Apple Tax vs the Microsoft Penalty!
One of the early comments in the Ina Fried article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10216096-56.html
puts this in the proper perspective...
...the Apple Tax vs the Microsoft Penalty!
Ask again in 1998. Oh wait... that's the past.
In all seriousness though, aside from the fact that all hacker conventions these days seem to kick off with hacking into a Mac in less than 30 seconds, this whole virus/trojan/malware/spyware thing isn't what it used to be. Back in 1998 when Microsoft had this absurdly naive idea to make the local computer an extension of "the internets", there was fame, glory and headlines in viruses, and the system would let you drive in through the front door with a tank and wreak havoc. With Vista and Windows 7, the front door is no larger than a mouse hole and the virus kids don't make headlines anymore so they have better things to do. It's still not 100% secure (no system is), but using AV software on a Vista machine managed by a person with basic computer skills is kind of like always sleeping with three condoms on in case a hooker would accidentally fall out of the sky and land on your crotch. Unless your computer activities involve something like the computing equivalent of daredevil experiments á la Jackass, I wouldn't worry about it.
The problem with R&d is that it is so hard to pin down.
The 'mac tax' from MBPs years ago is only just showing up on the shelves in the latest iphones etc.
Judging by the film about the unibody design - it is the same paradigm shift as cars made when they went from ladder chassis to monocoque construction.
The question is not "how much more can we spend on it", but 'how much does it need improving'
And I am glad to have paid the apple tax in 2007 so I can enjoy whatever 'tablet mac' is currently under wraps...
Investing for the future seems better than going for a cheaper product that isn't trying so hard to to evolve
I take it you haven't played KillZone 2? The amount of Playstation Vasoline on screen makes it next to impossible to focus on anything other than the small portion of in-focus clear screen. http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/053/928377_20090220_screen001.jpg look how blurry that is. The textures are all ridiculously low resolution and you really can't make out any real details. Again http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/032/928377_20090202_screen007.jpg look how blurry it is. Look at the character models. They look like something from an old PC game.
You're really going to try to tell me KillZone 2 looks better than this http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2008/307/938611_20081104_screen001.jpg when the polygon count and texture resolution of a single character are higher and more complex than the entire KillZone 2 screen?
Don't even get me started on how bad the fire looks in KillZone 2. Looks like something out of an N64 game.
The KillZone 2 E3 trailer looks a ton better than the final game. Higher polygon counts, higher resolution texture, fire that doesn't look quite as bad. And best of all, NO Playstation Vasoline!
Thats because Halo 3 was one of the FEW games on the Xbox360 to be rendered at 640p. Many titles on the PS3 are rendered at that res.
That argument always makes me laugh. I'm sorry, but the complexity of the Cell has nothing to do with the fact that the PS3 has a weaker GPU than the Xbox360. That's just a cold hard fact. If you look at the specs of the GPUs on either one, the Xbox360 is closer to the top of the line of the last generation of DirectX 9 cards along the lines of the ATI X1900 and GeForce 7900, while the PS3 is between the GeForce 7600 and 7800.
No amount of "learning the architecture" can make up for the fact that the PS3 just doesn't have the GPU horsepower to keep up with the Xbox360.
You're also forgetting the fact that the Cell is just a single core G5 running at 3.2GHz with a handful of 32-bit co-processors tacked on. Co-processors that would be fantastic for Photoshop but have proven to be terrible at things like AI, physics, and games where the dynamics change instantly, like GTA4. While the Xbox360 CPU is a triple core G5 running at 3.2GHz with co-processors as well. In fact, the CPU in the Xbox360 is capable of processing more threads at any given time than the entire Cell is
The funny thing about both KillZone 2 and MGS4 is that they were both hyped up to monumental proportions by the Sony fanboys. And both basically fell off the sales charts very shortly after release. It's funny how such impressive games fail to sell even modestly.
Yeah, HDMI is a nice feature.
The difference between the Xbox360 at launch and the PS3 at launch, however, is that Microsoft included all of the cables in the box (for the Premium model) you would need to connect it.
I'd personally rather have a system that is overall more powerful and has much better games and has component than a weaker system with worse games and an overly arrogant company backing it up.
Sorry, but the instant Sony made comments such as the ever classic "We want people to think 'I will work extra hours to be able to buy one" they lose me and millions of customers no matter what they do.
Well that may be true for you. But for me and most others, we like having ONE system connected. I have about 50 PS2 games. I'm not about to give those up. If I have to start over again on a new library, I might as well go where the good games are.
Oh, and the backwards compatibility issue is just another example of Sony not caring about the customer or even sticking to their own word.
Really? Microsoft's backwards compatibility is a joke? Because last I checked, the list over at xbox.com lists damn near every Xbox game as being compatible. And last I checked, the vast majority of PS3s on the market can't play any older games. Total backwards Xbox games compatible with current Xbox360: 478. Total PS2 games compatible with current PS3: 0.
And yet, both games still manage to look better than anything on the PS3
Oh and don't forget that Microsoft, Epic, and others have claimed that Gears of War 2s visual improvements are "only the beginning" of things to come.
But anyway, thats enough about consoles.
This thread is about how overpriced Macs are and how you have no choice. It's either the iWay or the highway.
in some cases this is very true though (at least on the windows side). Here at uni, even using a 70+mbps connection my friends pc takes an age to load websites as simple as MR
DDR2 again this is boring the only plus is the screen
the computers are the same price http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...52921665729701&categoryId=8198552921644564390 to come up with this I put in 4 GB Ram since it was DDR2
the computers are the same price http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...52921665729701&categoryId=8198552921644564390 to come up with this I put in 4 GB Ram since it was DDR2
Wow "mosx"-- you sure do spend a lot of time spamming this thread about the xbox 360-- maybe you should head over to xbox360rumors, or to one of Paul Thurott's many microsoft windows fanboy sites-- they seem more attuned to your touching Microsoft enthusiasm.
As far at the thread topic goes, this is the second MS commercial in a row when the "lucky winner" gets an incredibly thick and heavy 16" "laptop" that hardly meets the definition of the term. That thing is a "tabletop," just like the first actress "lucky winner" who got a 17"er with 30 minutes of battery life.
Finally, I hope that kid gets a set of good headphones so he won't have to listen to his mother's annoying voice.
As far at the thread topic goes, this is the second MS commercial in a row when the "lucky winner" gets an incredibly thick and heavy 16" "laptop" that hardly meets the definition of the term. That thing is a "tabletop," just like the first actress "lucky winner" who got a 17"er with 30 minutes of battery life.
Finally, I hope that kid gets a set of good headphones so he won't have to listen to his mother's annoying voice.
I find it hilarious when people say Apple users sit in Starbucks and show off ... by doing what, opening the lid to .... God forbid ... use their portable computer?
...speak for yourself buddy.. i usually stand up and start rubbing my MBP allover myself in front of everyone...
Actually I would buy a Sony Vaio as well...IF I wanted a PC. The rest of the world of PC lappys are just pure junk.
yeah sure, Alienware kicks ass my friend and Vaio is the Macbook of the PC world, really beautiful, but with lousy hardware. why are they charging such a price when there are computers with much better hardware and not so expensive. I know, design, functionality and windows sucks big time. But microsoft (and I hate to say it), has a bit of a point!
And...most of all, i don't know why so many people are getting mad at this commercials, Apple has done it for ages and no one seemed to care! And don't give the "ohh but microsoft is lying in their commercials" card, because the "Mac can run Windows now"... oh yeah it can, if you have pro, and even then can be a bit chunky. I don't remember the skinny guy in the adds saying that
Office 2007 uses new format everyone goes berserk and wants to sue them. iWork'09 uses new format and everyone agrees happily! iTunes is a terrible piece of junk and i still have to use to bundle with my shuffle. I want to use webclip in my widgets and I have to use Safari. If is the same thing as having to use Internet Explorer. But when it's Mac time, no one cares.
On the other hand... since I've been using mac, the only times my laptop has crashed has been with Office and Firefox, and none of the
apps has..true... but Microsoft is getting more and more competitive because the majority of the computer users don't use it intensively, ok the new generation knows what is good or not, but even them (and the rest of us) don't use their computers around the clock. I use mine...a Macbook, my desktop was a PC and I gave it away, and my laptop behaves like a charm. When I used my old PC it crashed a lot, but when I talked about it with friends that seldom used their computers they said it worked fine, then I found you guys and bought a mac. The point is, as long as the majority use their computers like an hour a day or so, they won't notice the crap. And since the majority of those computers ship with Windows, majority will use it. I thought that mac users didn't care about who used or not mac. You know what is good or not... who cares if microsoft makes those adds, kids and elderly ladies will continue using PC? let me laugh...Actually, the only way to get 1080p out of the 360 was with the VGA cable, which is not included and sets you back another $50. And it didn't include the optical cable for 5.1 surround.
And the HDMI included on the current 360 generations does NOT pass high-res audio (it's 1.2, not 1.3).
I think most have MISSED THE POINT!
These commercials are sooooo stupid! Think about it! Microsoft can't "one-up" Apple on the OS side... lets face it, their campaign on Mojave was a disaster. So what do they do? They start selling Vista based on price of hardware they don't even sell!
Say what you want... but at least on our overpriced Macs, I'm fairly confident my hardware is going to work for more than 2 years and I have the choice of running whatever OS I want. Besides that... it's pretty too! LOL!
These commercials are sooooo stupid! Think about it! Microsoft can't "one-up" Apple on the OS side... lets face it, their campaign on Mojave was a disaster. So what do they do? They start selling Vista based on price of hardware they don't even sell!
Say what you want... but at least on our overpriced Macs, I'm fairly confident my hardware is going to work for more than 2 years and I have the choice of running whatever OS I want. Besides that... it's pretty too! LOL!
I find it hilarious when people say Apple users sit in Starbucks and show off ... by doing what, opening the lid to .... God forbid ... use their portable computer?
I'm one of them. I can't fathom having such incredible free time that I am going to loiter around in a coffee shop and bring a laptop with me, instead of, oh, working, going to a library, or about 5,000 other things. Who are these people twittering about sipping a latte? To me a coffe shop is a stop on the way to doing something else, not a place to pitch tent and establish permanent residence. It's the same bums who think a book store is a public library who spend their entire weekends reading books for free at Borders or B&N and then leave without buying a thing. Or go home and buy it on amazon.
Truth = they're too cheap to pay for internet access in their tiny apartment they share with 3 other guys and need to get out of the house, and they don't have a car to actually go somewhere and do something. It sucks waiting for the bus. You all know it
in some cases this is very true though (at least on the windows side). Here at uni, even using a 70+mbps connection my friends pc takes an age to load websites as simple as MR
Few realise how much the browser makes a difference.
Safari leaps along when ie6 is stalling at work.
Gaming PC?!
I wanna see the kid pitch a fit when he finds out CoD 4 runs at 1/2 framerate because of the "killer" Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics card in it...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9156557&type=product&id=1218038552017
I wanna see the kid pitch a fit when he finds out CoD 4 runs at 1/2 framerate because of the "killer" Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics card in it...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9156557&type=product&id=1218038552017
looooooool nice point!
I'd love to imagine a mother going with a kid to Best Buy and saying "there you go little mikey, want that Macbook?" "nooooo...it's kinda small and what I really want is a brick, look at that HP...so thick, and it takes 10min to start up...great..no I can do my cool-aid!"
nothing...ignoring them is the best answer... Look, like apple has done before.... microsoft is basically making an add for apple... they are promoting their products and saying "ohh it's too small"
everyone will be at best buy "do you have that white laptop, the small one that appeared on microsoft add?"
eeheheheheheh
I didn't get all I paid for with my Mac. Apple advertised it as a super fast machine that would literally do everything I wanted it to. It said so on the MacBook product page for some time.
Funny thing is, it doesn't do everything I want it to. It can't play games in high definition, it can't play my blu-ray movies, it can't even do something as simple as connect to my HDTV and surround sound system with one cable. Yet my PC does all of those things.
Oh plus I'm on my THIRD MacBook now because of replacements thanks to Apple's poor build quality and even worse repair quality.
>>> Damn you bought the wrong thing then. Why buy a laptop which clearly does not have Blu-ray, has intergrated graphic card (mainstream laptops are not made for games anyway) and HDTV connections ?! when you wanted all the above ^^
I dont understand what people expect of some of the apple machines, they wont fly you to the moon either. All Iam saying that after student discount my younger brother bought the new macbook with Applecare for £660. Now I think thats not a bad deal.
It's funny you say that, when Apple has a little over 3% market share worldwide and Microsoft has nearly 90% worldwide
Yes and McDonald's is the world largest fast food resturant. That does not mean they can cook you Michelin star food
Yeah I'm going to spend $900 on a monitor that doesn't even have standard connections and then spend even MORE money on covers that have been known to destroy image quality.
When I could go buy a monitor that costs about 1/4 as much, has a proper aspect ratio, has a response time thats about 8x faster depending on the color transition, a contrast ratio thats out of this world in comparison.. yeah. Right.
True its not fair and I for one wanted choice but you still can go and get a £20 cover, not sure why they would destroy image quality. Also if you so concerned with monitor response time, contrast etc (most people do not really take these into account unless they are professionals who are editing images) why get a macbook
Sorry man, your list fails. Can't you even read what it says? "This is a list of games which have 1080p output (includes Native 1080p and Upscaled 1080p)" http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/counting-pixels-gta-iv-runs-at-630p/
If you do some googling on the subject, you'll find that GT5 actually runs at 1280x1080 and relies on the PS3/display to stretch the image. Nice job there Sony.
Heres a good thread http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=43330 to keep up on the whole subject. Its a little old but you get the idea.
Sorry to break it to you, but no PS3 game (or Xbox360) game runs at true 1920x1080. The only PS3 game with a 1080 vertical resolution is GT5, but if you read a lot, you'll find that it doesn't have a horizontal resolution of 1920.
Okay and I read it all but does it really change the way I play my PS3 on my tv. Will it stop me play RE5 or kicking ass on SFIV. No not really. Small minds mind small things
Because Japan equals worldwide sales, right? The Japanese market is one of the smallest gaming markets.
Japanese market is not the largest market but still does hold a significant place in the market share.
What?
Again, Microsoft has ADDED features to the Xbox360 as time has gone on. Since press debut and actual system launch, Sony has removed backwards compatibility doing a complete reversal on the topic, going from saying it was extremely important and mocking Microsoft's approach to saying nobody cared about it. On top of that they've removed card readers, SACD, dual HDMI, multiple ethernet jacks, etc. Need I go on?
Again Iam still using my PS3 and not really bothered about the missing features that you are listing which I did not even know some excited. Some people might be, but what are the chances that if that there was a popular game that they did not own a PS2 at the time and played it
Neither of which look as good as the best the Xbox360 has to offer.
My brother has an Xbox360, tell me the game that looks better cause I want to see it and play it.
Yeah because popping in the CD the device came with is so hard to do, right? Not to mention missing all the paperwork that comes with the device that tells you exactly what website to go to get the new drivers.
You know what the best part of all of this driver nonsense is? You Apple fanboys claim that Windows users have to hunt down drivers for each device. Which is complete FUD. Look at my ExpressCard TV tuner for instance. In Vista and Windows 7, the first time I connect it after a fresh install, Windows asks me if I would like to find the drivers since it has no built-in driver. I click yes. It connects to the internet automatically and automatically downloads and installs the proper driver for me. Even in Windows 7 x64.
LOL Apple fanboys. Let me tell you something. I like practical things, things that work, no time wasting crap
Not true. Downsampling from 1920x1080 to even 1280x800 on the MacBook display is ALWAYS better than upscaling from 720x480 to higher resolutions. ALWAYS better.
OK
Have you felt the bottom or top of these machines? They're soft and they dent extremely easily. I feel I have to baby my MacBook when I take it off the desk. The HP? It's built like a tank.
And probably the size of one
It's funny you say a "testament" to Apple's build quality, when my plastic HP has outlived 2 plastic MacBooks.
I really still do not understand why you bought a Apple computer if you think they so bad. Like all machines some break down. My friend macbook broke down, he called the apple store, booked a slot with the genius bar, they took it, repaired it, called him after a week or so and he was happy
Blu-ray blows away DVD on my 15.4" HP display, my 13.3" MacBook display (in Windows), my 24" external display, and my "small" 37" LCD HDTV.
I use my PS3 to watch BR with SS and thats good enough for me. Why would I watch it on a 15 inch screen and not a 46 inch
Why should I buy an external card reader when built-in card readers are standard fare on PCs?
Again why did you get a Mac
Oh and Microsoft copying OS X? Please. Microsoft had pre-emptive multi-tasking support more than half a decade before Mac OS did.
The question is what did they do with it? Apple is not ahead all the time but when they do something they do it well like all their OSs and the iPhone (dont know what happened with Mobileme
Nah, from power button press to IP address obtained in Vista takes about 10 seconds longer than my MacBook, which is good to go in about 40 seconds or so.
Which HP are we talking about with the same price range
And both my HP screen and desktop display are at full brightness in less than a minute.
And neither are as washed out as my MacBook's LED display
Washed out! I cant comment on the screen from regualr usage but from the times I have seen my bro use it, looks gorgeous (my mbp screen is better though)
First Apple has to write full bitstream decoding support into OS X. That would be FULL hardware video acceleration. Not just partial hardware support like they offer for H.264 and MPEG-2. FULL bitstream decoding, where the GPU does ALL of the work, like in Windows. Otherwise those nice fast $2,799 MacBook Pros with their 2.66GHz Core 2 Duos will be choking playing blu-ray video.
And don't try to say "my 17" MacBook Pro plays 1080p trailers just fine!" Yeah those have about 1/10th the video bitrate of blu-ray.
I am more than confident that the new machines will be able to play BR. All the decoding nonsense, come on that is such a bad argument. Headlines Apple computers will not have BR cause they cant write the code
Before you proclaim the wonders of MagSafe you might want to talk to the thousands of reviewers at apple.com who have had problems with MagSafe cords fraying and becoming a fire hazard. MagSafe is the only power connector currently in use that requires support documents to tell people how to properly disconnect it and not cause a fire hazard by weakened and frayed cords: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1453 http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1630
I'll take my traditional plug, thank you. I'll just have some common sense and actually keep the cord out of the way and NOT place it in a situation where it can be tripped over. What a concept huh?
Magsafe rocks. Why would it cause problems
That kind of happens when you don't venture off the Apple related sites. HP and others have been offering backlit keyboards as options for awhile now. Thing is, people don't want them.
I dont use mine alot but still comes in handy from time to time
Apple rock on baby Rock on
It is exactly like that, and you know which company did it? French automaker Citroën. In 1934, they introduced the Traction Avant, a car that not only had a unibody frame but also front wheel drive. This bold move also inadvertently led Citroën to invent the crash test, since many people were worried that a car without a ladder chassis would simply fall apart as you drive. So Citroën drove several Traction Avants off a cliff to demonstrate that they not only held together quite well but were in fact more resilient than non-monocoque cars.
Citroën continued this "think different" tradition throughout most of the 20th century (the hydraulic "magic carpet" suspension perhaps being their most well-known invention), and there are many parallels to Apple. Such as the fact that many of their innovative designs had never undergone real world tests (simply because no other manufacturer had tried before, and Citroën's inhouse 'hardware beta testing' would not suffice) so they often broke down. That's akin to Apple making laptops out of Titanium only to discover that the hinges became notorious for cracking and snapping off, or the overheating problems on the MBA. Another parallel would be that they had a fan following, the "Citroenistes", fiercely brand loyal customers who would refuse to drive anything else.
In the end, Citroën survived by starting to make "normal" cars that weren't jam packed with quirky innovations. That way they were able to get their manufacturing costs (and thus, their prices) down to a competitive level. So far, Apple has been successful where Citroën failed but I wouldn't expect it to last forever. Apple used to have a substantial edge in design; back when PCs were beige and plain while Macs were colorful and curvy, back when all PCs were black but Macs were white... but when I first saw the new silver/black MacBooks I thought hmmm... unibody is nice and all, but haven't I seen this many times before? As more and more PC manufacturers wake up and discover the importance of slick hardware design, the only difference will be OSX and while this is a sales point to some it won't be nearly enough to justify the Apple tax...