Steve Jobs in Opening Interview Session at D8 Conference

[Azathoth]

The problem with keep supporting these outdated and buggy technologies is that they continue to live and ruin the whole experience. Floppy Drives are a prime example. if iMacs didn't ditch them, they probably would have been a part of all desktops for some more years. Aren't the world a better place without them?

It's also easy for Apple to make those decisions - they care little about backwards compatibility (see PowerPC and Snow Leopard). The PC industry did not drop the floppy because Apple did, nor did they adopt Firewire en-masse, in fact Apple doesn't even know if they are adopting FW themselves.

Lots of people complained about a lack of optical drive on the MBA (compared to a similarly sized Thinkpad X301, which has a DVD), whereas I would be happy without a DVD drive on my MBP 15" - because I hardly use one. Still it's not a *bold move* that Apple didn't have a DVD drive on the MBA. They did the market research, found out that executives (target audience for that machine) didn't use optical media, didn't need more than a single USB port, nor any Firewire (but I though that was the innovative amazing Apple port?) and liked warm trousers from overheating systems...


Apple is in the unusual position where they make both the HW and software, therefore they can't be compared to Microsoft or HP/Dell, both of which need to supply to a far broader audience.

Think of all the custom company SW that was written in Windows XP over the years, by various companies' internal development teams - MS needs to support that - it's expected in the business community. Apple can just blow off its old customers, tell them that they need to "get with the future", and everyone praises SJ like the next messiah.

Windows (and MS) biggest problem has always been that it came from a CP/M background based on a pre-80386 architecture (non-flat memory model) and was never meant to be a networked operating system and. With each iteration of DOS and then Windows, it was necessary to keep a large compatibility overlap - due to customer demand. Making Windows "messy", well that and the millions of system configurations that are possible due to the open HW market.

Only when Apple "reinvented" itself, thanks to SJ, in the late 90s and made the bold moving of ditching everything before that and going with a UNIX base - a fundamentally network-ready operating system. Without the need for legacy support (nor the limitations of pre-32bit machines) it's much easier to "do it right".

I realise that this is rather O/T, but it's something that's been on my mind recently as I'm busy trying to work with (and within the limitations) a new OS X machine (after nearly two decades of Windows and Linux)

 

[Deelron]

If you want to see an interview, watch Frost's BBC interview of Nixon.

Of course if Jobs was treated that way in this situation he'd just walk out, he certainly wouldn't have been out the $600k + 20% of the profits from the interview that the disgraced Nixon received for cooperating.

Not saying it wasn't a good interview, but when the subject is receiving that kind of money there's a certain incentive to answering uncomfortable questions instead of just walking out.

 

[MikhailT]

It's also easy for Apple to make those decisions - they care little about backwards compatibility (see PowerPC and Snow Leopard). The PC industry did not drop the floppy because Apple did, nor did they adopt Firewire en-masse, in fact Apple doesn't even know if they are adopting FW themselves.

Lots of people complained about a lack of optical drive on the MBA (compared to a similarly sized Thinkpad X301, which has a DVD), whereas I would be happy without a DVD drive on my MBP 15" - because I hardly use one. Still it's not a *bold move* that Apple didn't have a DVD drive on the MBA. They did the market research, found out that executives (target audience for that machine) didn't use optical media, didn't need more than a single USB port, nor any Firewire (but I though that was the innovative amazing Apple port?) and liked warm trousers from overheating systems...


Apple is in the unusual position where they make both the HW and software, therefore they can't be compared to Microsoft or HP/Dell, both of which need to supply to a far broader audience.

Think of all the custom company SW that was written in Windows XP over the years, by various companies' internal development teams - MS needs to support that - it's expected in the business community. Apple can just blow off its old customers, tell them that they need to "get with the future", and everyone praises SJ like the next messiah.

Windows (and MS) biggest problem has always been that it came from a CP/M background based on a pre-80386 architecture (non-flat memory model) and was never meant to be a networked operating system and. With each iteration of DOS and then Windows, it was necessary to keep a large compatibility overlap - due to customer demand.

Only when Apple "reinvented" itself, thanks to SJ, in the late 90s and made the bold moving of ditching everything before that and going with a UNIX base - a fundamentally network-ready operating system. Without the need for legacy support (nor the limitations of pre-32bit machines) it's much easier to "do it right".

I realise that this is rather O/T, but it's something that's been on my mind recently as I'm busy trying to work with (and within the limitations) a new OS X machine (after nearly two decades of Windows and Linux)

Sooner or later, the backward compatibility will no longer matter for any major OS vendors.

Microsoft will pull off a revolutionary OS release with no backward compatibility sometime in the next decade, similar to Apple's OS 9 > OS X switch.

Why? One word, virtualization. The so called XP Mode in W7 is the future, Microsoft will be extending it further in the future to the point that their brand new OS will no longer have any code in it that's kept for backward compatibility purposes only.

This could be the most disruptive technological change ever for Microsoft, enough to really start hurting Apple as well as Google.

The question is, does Ballmer have enough balls to pull it off? What I have seen from him lately, no he doesn't appear to be.

 

[sined13]

It's not idiotic, he made a valid point. Any comparison is never going to be on an equal footing, that's the whole point of comparing them on the first place.

Wow! Ok.

Then according to your logic, the number of people who committed suicide in the US vs. those who committed suicide in my living room is a valid comparison right?

 

[sined13]

if you are referring to the difference in total figures - population of US vs number of workers at factory - i might see your point. however it seems you are not referring to this, rather to some mumbling about "specific groups". this makes no sense and has no reasoning.

Comparing suicide rates of the US vs Taiwan makes sense. Comparing suicide rates at Apple HQ vs. Foxconn makes sense. Comparing suicide rates between the US and Foxconn is not a proper comparison. Surely you can see that?

 

[Eric S.]

Only when Apple "reinvented" itself, thanks to SJ, in the late 90s and made the bold moving of ditching everything before that and going with a UNIX base - a fundamentally network-ready operating system. Without the need for legacy support (nor the limitations of pre-32bit machines) it's much easier to "do it right".

But they didn't ditch everything. Classic mode ran on PPC systems up through Tiger. People like me could still run 20-year old applications under the latest OS until Leopard.

Backward compatibility like that used to be an Apple hallmark, and was one factor that inspired considerable loyalty among Apple customers.

 

[wirelessmacuser]

Hardly a tough interview, with Walt Mossberg, a huge Apple fan, acting as the "interviewer". The whole video was a promotion piece for SJ to publicise his views.

Very well said! I could not agree more.

Then to add to the obvious Apple bias of "All Things Digital" the co-founder Kara Swisher, did a very blatantly obvious "Trash Google" commentary during her video entitled "Kara Visits Google's I/O Developers Conference".

Here it is on YouTube, click on this link:
http://video.allthingsd.com/

Now go to page two and click on:
"Kara Visits Google's I/O Developers Conference"

Notice how she mocks Google, even though her "husband" works there.

 

[green86]

So if you are so poor of a student why did you buy an overpriced computer?

Who said I was poor?

 

[green86]

Why not? It is exactly the same issue.

It is NOT the same issue, and anyone who thinks that is BLIND. USB had clear advantages over the other ports, and there were converters if you need to use legacy devices. Is there a flash converter? Of course not. Floppy drives were going the way of the DoDo, and no one was using them in widespread use in 1998.

Flash is all over the net, essential to the full net experience, and DOES NOT HAVE A FULL REPLACEMENT! The same issue? are you crazy?

 

[green86]

The problem with keep supporting these outdated and buggy technologies is that they continue to live and ruin the whole experience. Floppy Drives are a prime example. if iMacs didn't ditch them, they probably would have been a part of all desktops for some more years. Aren't the world a better place without them?

Uh you think Dell in 1998 said "Oh Apple doesn't use Floppies anymore, we better follow suit". Absolutely not. Apple had a lot less with the death of the floppy then people think. Flash cannot be compared with this. Its essential.

 

[Atkins]

Who said I was poor?

Well, you put 'student' and 'overpriced' in the same sentence, so maybe I got the wrong impression. My bad. So then what is so overpriced about your Mac and if it is why did you buy it?(honest curiosity)

It is NOT the same issue, and anyone who thinks that is BLIND.

Haha, way to put it.

USB had clear advantages over the other ports, and there were converters if you need to use legacy devices. Is there a flash converter? Of course not. Floppy drives were going the way of the DoDo, and no one was using them in widespread use in 1998.
Flash is all over the net, essential to the full net experience, and DOES NOT HAVE A FULL REPLACEMENT! The same issue? are you crazy?

I don't think I am crazy, but maybe I can't see it. Anyway. I can't disagree with what you are saying, but you are doing what every hater is doing - taking the comparison too far.
Jobs didn't say it is exactly the same issue. In fact, he made the comparison to show that Apple did already take drastic decision - so the comparison is just to show that there have been other drastic decisions. We are comparing only the aspect of "being drastic".
If I tell you "this car is as fast as this motorbike", do you take issue with those two being different kind of vehicles? We are comparing only the aspect of "speed".
PS. On an unrelated note: Flash is also going away, I hope you don't think the FlashVsHTML5 issue started suddenly with Apple. And if you don't count adds, Flash is hardly "all over the net".

 

[ikhtiarsobhan]

Bad analogy as in fact Apple offers choice there - it's called Boot Camp!!! So you see Apple can play nice at times and when it's financial interests are not imperiled (Flash cutting into App Store game sales etc)

You see, if you can have choice, Apple can have choice as well, right? It is Apple's discretion what they will support or not. You have the same choice.

Flash cutting into App Store game sales!!! You are trying to hold on straws before drowning. The iPhone Development Team (those who hacked and allowed unauthorized apps on iPhone) cause much more damage than Flash Games.

Please stop whining as you already made your mind to by some HP something. We don't your expert opinion on what is good for us.