211–220 of 321 posts
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I think you mean 12-core. Who's selling 16-core CPUs? Also worth pointing out that the Mac Pro is one such system as you just described.
AMD makes 16 core Opterons (codename Interlagos), however they're slower than the latest 8 core Xeons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opteron#Models
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Apple is what it is because they tightly control the end-to-end user experience, from the hardware to the software. You can't maintain that and open up the hardware ecosystem; it's an either/or choice. So far, their choice has worked out really, really well for them, so why should they mess with that? I'm sure you're aware of Apple's fairly disastrous entry into the world of Mac clones back in the day. What you're ar…
What you're arguing now is essentially the same theory back then: clones would benefit them by increasing the marketshare for their OS. That's not what OP is saying: If the Apple hardware ecosystem were open like that of Windows you'd have major companies all over the world evolving the platform in wonderful ways. Performance would go up and prices would come down. This isn't "moar market share," it's "the end user w…
All this Adam Smith idealism is great until we look at the real world, where the barriers to entry, integration costs, barriers to accurate consumer knowledge and platform compatibility hurdles are too high for competition to actually produce ideal outcomes.
If people wanted a competitive platform with a propitiatory OS they'd all be developing on Windows. There is no reason for Apple to try to compete in the same space, especially not when they are winning everywhere that matters for consumer electronics.
A souped-up iMac and some sort of thunderbolt 'bay' for expansion cards would serve the pro market, one would think. A large-scale touch display would be on the wish-list as well. That's my complete guess as to where they might be headed. I can't really imagine that Apple is unaware of how important the pro market is to their image, if not the bottom line. Consider the strong ties with Pixar – they must get constant…
A touch screen display? Are you proposing everyone get gorilla arm ( http://catb.org/jargon/html/G/gorilla-arm.html )? There's nothing wrong with the Mac Pro but the whiny ones who can't afford it or prefer to scoff at the price rather than recognize the value. Yes, we all want a smaller "Pro" system you can upgrade, but there's no market for it. The sad truth is Apple sells only "thousands" of Mac Pro systems compar…
As far as Apple licensing OS X, that seems highly unlikely given how things went during the 1990s with Apple clones.
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There's profit and there's profit . The margins are there but the units sold are not.
Exactly. Apple may be figuring that if they could divert the resources currently devoted to the Mac Pro line to other products, they would be making a greater return. Or perhaps they have something in the pipe but not ready yet. They've never been a company to tip their hand early.
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/11/an-explanation-of-...
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I just built a fairly powerful desktop hackintosh and I'm running OSX 10.7.3. The little bit of research that went into ensuring all the parts were compatible was well worth the cash savings.
Just to make a slight change: "I just build a fairly powerful desktop hackintosh and I'm running OSX 10.7.3 illegally" Now you might not care about the licensing restrictions on Mac operating systems (I don't) but saying "Oh you can just do this" when it is technically* breaking the law is not an alternative for many people. * Rather up in the air at the moment to be sure, but err on the side of caution
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Perhaps you should actually bet with OP then!
Haha. We need a Hacker News version of intrade: prediction markets for the speculative hacker.
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A wire is a commitment, an adapter is a training wheel. The intent is for you to grow out of needing it. Apple's guesses about what you'll eventually stop needing have been pretty good so far (e.g. ditching floppy drives, going to USB-primary early).
Those were really early decisions. What about Mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt? I still rather had DVI on my Mac Mini. What about Ethernet? Anyone who needs it in a wired company is likely stuck with it. And one more ugly piece of plastic that many people ruin their Macs with - USB 3G sticks, because no Mac series can hold a SIM card, even though Apple has successfully pushed for a more compact standard.
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Just to make a slight change: "I just build a fairly powerful desktop hackintosh and I'm running OSX 10.7.3 illegally" Now you might not care about the licensing restrictions on Mac operating systems (I don't) but saying "Oh you can just do this" when it is technically* breaking the law is not an alternative for many people. * Rather up in the air at the moment to be sure, but err on the side of caution
You are correct and that is unfortunate. For what it's worth, I purchased a copy of Lion.
This isn't surprising. Look at the product wikis and see the comparison of all the hardware. From the mac pro all the way down to the phone. They have been selling overpriced hardware for a very long time. To be fair.. before the intel switch the hardware was theirs. Now, after the intel switch they're still selling over priced hardware except now it's cheaper for them because they're not using powerpc's anymore, and…
Not overpriced. Nobody could come close to the price of the Macbook Air with fully equivalent hardware, for example, and today's MBP release is the same. When competitors try to meet the specs across the board, without any major compromises, they cost 20% more. The overpriced thing is a decade old, and used to be justified as a brand positioning (pay more for quality build). Now, Apple's supply chain lets them offer…
But to claim that Apple is competitive on price is just absurd. They're very competitive on hardware/software integration, on usability, an aesthetics, on stability. But not on price.