... Competition is definitely good, but the lack of it doesn't seem to halt Apple from further innovation.
No, it doesn't - thanks to the premium margins Apple continues to impose in pricing.
...The only way you could have a feasible market here is if one day Apple licensed OS X, which is something highly unlikely to happen anytime soon, if at all.
Years ago, it didn't work, apparently - but things were slightly different then, weren't they? Is it safe to say: Apple computers weren't a viable player in the personal computing genre back then? Maybe ... however today, it seems to me Apple has a very mature, robust operating system that can arguably hold its own in just about any "crappy hardware" environment with which it ends up being paired.
...Can you imagine how much market share windows might loose to OS X if Dell were legally allowed to offer OS X as a factory install on their Net books, laptops, and desktops?
Significant. However, that business model would be akin to building an ivory tower in a trailer park.
(Not that I wouldn't mind an Aluminum Unibody Dell Mini 10V ... )
Unfortunately that's what some people what Apple to turn into, a bargain brand.
Some. Others would like to see the margin come down a bit and offer more customizable hardware options for purchase in a price range somewhere between iPhone and MacBook and iMac to Mac Pro.
...As much as the computing world likes to claim those of us who own Apple products are snobs with too much money and too little sense and that Apple plays on our inflated views of self-importance to fleece us for hundreds and even thousands of dollars, the fact is that Apple products, services and technologies provide us with something of sufficient extra value to justify the extra price...
I don't think all folks who buy Apple products are snobs. However, there are many (quite a lot, actually) in the Mac community whose inflated views of self transcend anything Apple could do at a retail store.
Is it any wonder how galvanized these folks become when their special link to Apple exclusivity diminishes?
You've hit the nail right on the head with the bold above. It's why I'm saving for my next Mac computer - instead of the relatively cheaper PC with comparable specs.
...I get the feeling that many of Apple's defenders are on the other side when the RIAA tries to pull stuff like this. After all, you don't own the music on a CD that you buy, just a "license to listen", so they should be able to prohibit ripping to iPods or selling used CDs, right?
This is an interesting premise. Reminds me of "Do as I say ... not as I do ..." from my youth.
...it's not even worth discussing, obviously beyond a reasonable doubt Dell is not going to involve itself in something like this.
They'd be foolish to ... but I sure would like to have seen this entire matter
resolve in court. Still, I'm glad there are some hardware synergies between Apple and other PC manufacturers like DELL today. It allows the hackintosh community to test the unchartered waters and possibilities should Apple (and its apologists) ever change their minds about license exclusivity and EULA doctrine.
...As they say in Sales and Marketing: Perception is reality. If consumers feel that Apple is premium quality, great. But wouldn't you think that if it's premium quality they would have better marketshare...
This is probably the one paradox that confuses most people. However, I'm certain Uncle Steve has carefully, but simply calculated that the opportunity cost to
increase market share is too great of a risk for the company's bottom line. It's far more profitable to the shareholders and company not to license OS X to others and keep those margins high and fanboys arrogant.
As for Psystar's demise, I give the post of the evening to Veri:
... Losing because you are weak rather than because your case is weak is what happens in a society of men, not a society of laws.
Brilliant.
