Re: [NTLK] No iNewton announced today

Hello,

--- On Thu, 9/10/09, Dennis B. Swaney <romad@aol.com> wrote:

> M. Horvat wrote:

>> As others have pointed out, it might be because the
>> only people really wanting a tablet are those who are
>> different. The days when Apple made hardware for different
>> people are over; now they make hardware for teenage girls
>> with an IQ of 85. *prepares to get flamed by Mac users* Well
>> sorry, at least that's the situation at my location.
> >
>
> And Newton users AREN'T different? ;)

The catch is that the Newton, both hardware and software, is representative of the *old* Apple, (Apple Computer) not the current one (Apple Inc.).

I don't think Apple dropped the "Computer" from their name in 2007 on a whim. I believe they did it in a conscious effort to accurately reflect the fact that they are no longer a computer company, but a purveyor of consumer electronics. And companies that sell a range of consumer electronics (as Apple now does) have a different focus from companies that focus on computers only.

Whether or not that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on your individual perspective, I suppose. I'm just pointing out that there's a difference in what the Newton represents as opposed to an iPhone. That is, there are two different philosophies and two different corporate cultures reflected in them.

> Obviously, you've never used an iPhone, Apple TV, not to
> mention a Mac OS computer, either desktop (PowerMac, Mac Pro, iMac) or
> laptop (PowerBook, MacBook Pro)

I don't know how many people share this view, but I feel that the build quality of my Pismo is worlds apart from that of the MacBook. And by that I mean that my Pismo was quite clearly built by a computer company. From what I have seen of the MacBooks, they were built by a consumer electronics company. And the type and grade of the components used in them reflects this.

Granted, if the purchase of a MacBook is your first experience with an Apple product, you're probably very happy with it. But those of us whose experience with Apple goes back a while may find ourselves disappointed with their later offerings.

I'm not saying it's not possible to be a happy MacBook owner. Just that, at least from my own perpective, Apple seemed to work *much* harder to keep laptop users happy in the days when the Pismo was being offered as their state-of-the-art machine and Apple had the word "computer" as part of their name.

> If I'd known that, I could have let you try out my iPhone
> 3GS in Vancouver. :)

The iPhone does some amazing things, but like all current Apple products, it reflects the Apple Inc., not Apple Computer. That is, it's built by a company that sells consumer electronics. And for some of us, that's not an incentive to hand a company money, but quite the opposite.

It's hard to argue with Apple's success, (and they are unquestionably successful in terms of their balance sheet) but it should also be pointed out that Apple Inc. is trying to be many different things to many different groups of people. Which is perfectly fine if you're comfortable with a company that has such a broad focus, not so fine if you prefer a company that's known for selling high-end gear to high-thinking people.

And while Apple Inc. sells a lot of different products, and takes in money hand over fist, I'm not convinced that they fit the latter profile any longer. Again, there's no "right" or "wrong" here, it's all a matter of what qualities you hold to be desirable in a company and whether or not Apple happens to fit that profile for you.
 

Best,

James Fraser

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Received on Fri Sep 11 05:57:23 2009