Sunday, March 13, 2005
OPINION :: Why Apple Will Own The Industry Soon
So for years, the PC world has been dominated by a corporate giant that is well-known, even to folks who aren't all that comfortable with PCs. Microsoft. Let's face it, Windows is, hands-down, THE most-used home computer operating system software on the planet. Servers are a different story, but then they usually follow trends a few years behind, due to operational costs incurred during the upgrade process.
So anyhow, you have Windows, which has been simply ruling the market thanks in no small part to the efforts of one Bill Gates. Now, this dude was MS' marketing ace, and his tactics made sure that Windows was installed on as many computers as possible, or at the very least, that people were aware of its existence. Well, he did his job so well, that he has somehow become this sort of icon of Microsoft. Sure, he started the business, but when someone has a bug up their butt about Windows, they blame Bill. He's no longer due his scapegoat status, but this article isn't a history lesson about the world's richest nerd. It's about his company's downfall.
You see, just a couple of months ago, another competing giant did something that was unprecedented and earthshaking. What they did will give Microsoft serious reason to pause and start planning for a long cold business winter ahead. Apple released the Mac Mini.
"Whoa," you're saying, "big frigging deal. Just another tiny computer."
Well, you're right on one count, it IS a teeny tiny wee bitty little thing, but that should in no way allow you the freedom to cajole it so. It's powerful. I went to the local Apple Store and played around with the cheapest model. This thing could edit movies, for Pete's sake! Still not impressed? What if I told you it was doing it with a chip that was physically far slower than most of today's Windows machines, ran about half the memory, which itself is a third of today's memory speeds, and using a graphics card that would be useful for little more than getting your email on a PC?
Windows has made the PC so popular that people have become complacent about needing to buy expensive hardware, simply because the OS developers don't care about your hardware price woes half as much as they do their financial partners, the hardware manufacturers. Don't believe me? Try running a little tool called TweakNT on an installation of Windows 2003 Server. What you will see will astound you. I know it did me.
Basically, TweakNT exposes the other kernels that are all still embedded in 2003. That means I can turn this 2003 machine into an XP Home, XP Pro, Enterprise Webserver etc. ANYTHING that uses the NT core is included in the installation. The reason for that is that Microsoft goes through coders so fast, and they are so stuck on security, that they will have many separate teams of people working on a single product, with little or no communication between the departments! So here's what ends up happening:
TOM : Ok, we're done with our part of Longhorn.
MICROSOFT : Thanks. Now get out. We don't allow our employees to use iPods at their desks.
TOM : Jerks
MICROSOFT : Here's the next portion of the code Dick.
DICK : Wait, what's this part doing here? This shouldn't be doing this! Where's Tom?
MICROSOFT : He's gone now. Make it work.
DICK : Okay, I'll just write around the bug and it's done.
MICROSOFT : Thanks. Now get out. We don't like our employees spreading our developer serials around the web.
DICK : Jerks
MICROSOFT : W00t! The new Windows is done! Wait. What's this part that is using part of the old code from the old Windows? Oh well, if we leave the code for the old stuff in the new version, it should still work.
BILL GATES : Yeah, and if people start getting uppity about the size of the installation, we can just tell them that people's hard drives are getting bigger and faster anyway, so what does it matter?
MICROSOFT : Yeah, people will totally not even notice. They're stupid.
BILL GATES : Yep. They sure are. Now would you like some more caviar and wine?
So as you can see from this officially completely made-up transcript, the old stuff was left in the new versions so that there would be fewer problems. Windows has become such a kludge (look it up) that not even Microsoft knows what everything in there does, and there's still a lot of code in there that uses files that were only present in older WIndows versions.
"But wait," you argue, "wouldn't it be better for them to leave in the old stuff so my old programs will work under the new Windows versions?"
Well, no. When you use that Compatibility Mode in Windows XP, that has nothing to do with the old code. It simply tricks a program into thinking it's running on an older version so it will install properly. There is no old code involved with that, it's a completely different chunk of code, which uses an odd portion of old stuff here and there, but none of the old versions are actually used (even though they are installed anyway) if that makes any sense.
The gist of this whole rant thus far is that Windows is bloated and full of security loopholes that are getting exploited to no end. The end result is a whole lot of unhappy customers. The number of pissed off peeps only goes up when MS starts denying people the use of a copy that they purchased legitimately, but subsequently won't activate because some smart kid ran a key generator for his bootleg disc, and just happened to activate the legit number before they did. Oops.
Well, when Apple release their Mac Mini, with a price of a few hundred bucks (not including monitor or peripherals), and worked faster than any PC, with comparatively underpowered hardware, they set the stage for a massive firestorm.
Suddenly, Johnny Know-Nothing can buy a cheap computer that is well-suited for his college dorm or office cubical, can use it to do just about any common computer task today, and do so faster and without the constant nagging worry of virus infections and security loopholes in the operating system.
Not only that, but any Apple customer can buy a machine that they KNOW will work with their software, because Apple controls the hardware, AND the OS. There is no "Certified Driver" program for Apple such as there is with MS, because Apple controls all of it firmly, guaranteeing stability and reliability.
Until recently, that kind of value was expensive, and required you to consider seriously before buying one. But now, the Mini makes reliability and usability more accessible to the masses.
Microsoft made that happen already, sure, but their heads have gotten big over all this fame and fortune, and they've begun taking the little guys for granted. They've bred a generation of users who will put up with constant crashes, insanely huge online-only security patches, and then patches for those patches when they break things, and then yet another spate of security flaw releases. Compound all of this with MS' refusal to let the customer have a choice in the multimedia and web software to install on their machine, and their consistent denial of any knowledge of accepted web standards, AND the fact that each new version of Windows requires faster and more expensive hardware with each release, and even a brain-dead mutant would be left wondering why in the hell MS is still in business at all.
It's because they are done with us, folks. They made their buck (and their business) off sales of their Operating System initially, then started aiming at big businesses as they grew. Now, most of their cash flow comes from projects other than the home-use operating systems. They couldn't care less whether or not we're unhappy about their product, because, in essence, they have us by the balls. Unless, that is, we decide to take matters into our own hands, take a little initiative, and take a credit card up to the Apple Store for a new Mac Mini. Sure, the OS is a little different to use, but you had to learn Windows at one point too, right? The difference this time is that by the time you're comfy with the OS, you can rest assured that they aren't going to start screwing around with the way it looks (too drastically at least) or make the system "NEW AND IMPROVED" to the point where it scares you to try to work with it.
Not only that, but you won't be constantly asked to download "security updates" to correct the kludges that the OS authors left in the code. MacOS is clean and stable, and it performs solidly!
With these factors firmly in mind, it should be easy to see why MS is going to have to start considering other options when it comes to making money, because their software division is going to be hurting heavily very soon. Suddenly I can spend $400 and feel like I actually got something of value for my buck! Still think you can get the same kind of value in a PC? Well consider this:
The computer retail store I work for offers a computer (with all peripherals except monitor) for $299.99. Nice price, until you look under the hood. The specs SEEM adequate to run Windows XP, but just barely. Everything's integrated, everything's just this side of scrap in order to save costs. What that means for the customer is that if all they are ever going to do is check their email, then this machine is perfect. Add a little more load to your daily activities (who doesn't play Yahoo Pool now and then?) and things get hairy. Suddenly you're considering an upgrade on a machine you JUST BOUGHT.
Or hey, there's always the Mac Mini, which can freaking edit video, for Deuce's sake!
Deadweasel is not a paid spokesman for Apple, but wishes he was
So anyhow, you have Windows, which has been simply ruling the market thanks in no small part to the efforts of one Bill Gates. Now, this dude was MS' marketing ace, and his tactics made sure that Windows was installed on as many computers as possible, or at the very least, that people were aware of its existence. Well, he did his job so well, that he has somehow become this sort of icon of Microsoft. Sure, he started the business, but when someone has a bug up their butt about Windows, they blame Bill. He's no longer due his scapegoat status, but this article isn't a history lesson about the world's richest nerd. It's about his company's downfall.
You see, just a couple of months ago, another competing giant did something that was unprecedented and earthshaking. What they did will give Microsoft serious reason to pause and start planning for a long cold business winter ahead. Apple released the Mac Mini.
"Whoa," you're saying, "big frigging deal. Just another tiny computer."
Well, you're right on one count, it IS a teeny tiny wee bitty little thing, but that should in no way allow you the freedom to cajole it so. It's powerful. I went to the local Apple Store and played around with the cheapest model. This thing could edit movies, for Pete's sake! Still not impressed? What if I told you it was doing it with a chip that was physically far slower than most of today's Windows machines, ran about half the memory, which itself is a third of today's memory speeds, and using a graphics card that would be useful for little more than getting your email on a PC?
Windows has made the PC so popular that people have become complacent about needing to buy expensive hardware, simply because the OS developers don't care about your hardware price woes half as much as they do their financial partners, the hardware manufacturers. Don't believe me? Try running a little tool called TweakNT on an installation of Windows 2003 Server. What you will see will astound you. I know it did me.
Basically, TweakNT exposes the other kernels that are all still embedded in 2003. That means I can turn this 2003 machine into an XP Home, XP Pro, Enterprise Webserver etc. ANYTHING that uses the NT core is included in the installation. The reason for that is that Microsoft goes through coders so fast, and they are so stuck on security, that they will have many separate teams of people working on a single product, with little or no communication between the departments! So here's what ends up happening:
TOM : Ok, we're done with our part of Longhorn.
MICROSOFT : Thanks. Now get out. We don't allow our employees to use iPods at their desks.
TOM : Jerks
MICROSOFT : Here's the next portion of the code Dick.
DICK : Wait, what's this part doing here? This shouldn't be doing this! Where's Tom?
MICROSOFT : He's gone now. Make it work.
DICK : Okay, I'll just write around the bug and it's done.
MICROSOFT : Thanks. Now get out. We don't like our employees spreading our developer serials around the web.
DICK : Jerks
MICROSOFT : W00t! The new Windows is done! Wait. What's this part that is using part of the old code from the old Windows? Oh well, if we leave the code for the old stuff in the new version, it should still work.
BILL GATES : Yeah, and if people start getting uppity about the size of the installation, we can just tell them that people's hard drives are getting bigger and faster anyway, so what does it matter?
MICROSOFT : Yeah, people will totally not even notice. They're stupid.
BILL GATES : Yep. They sure are. Now would you like some more caviar and wine?
So as you can see from this officially completely made-up transcript, the old stuff was left in the new versions so that there would be fewer problems. Windows has become such a kludge (look it up) that not even Microsoft knows what everything in there does, and there's still a lot of code in there that uses files that were only present in older WIndows versions.
"But wait," you argue, "wouldn't it be better for them to leave in the old stuff so my old programs will work under the new Windows versions?"
Well, no. When you use that Compatibility Mode in Windows XP, that has nothing to do with the old code. It simply tricks a program into thinking it's running on an older version so it will install properly. There is no old code involved with that, it's a completely different chunk of code, which uses an odd portion of old stuff here and there, but none of the old versions are actually used (even though they are installed anyway) if that makes any sense.
The gist of this whole rant thus far is that Windows is bloated and full of security loopholes that are getting exploited to no end. The end result is a whole lot of unhappy customers. The number of pissed off peeps only goes up when MS starts denying people the use of a copy that they purchased legitimately, but subsequently won't activate because some smart kid ran a key generator for his bootleg disc, and just happened to activate the legit number before they did. Oops.
Well, when Apple release their Mac Mini, with a price of a few hundred bucks (not including monitor or peripherals), and worked faster than any PC, with comparatively underpowered hardware, they set the stage for a massive firestorm.
Suddenly, Johnny Know-Nothing can buy a cheap computer that is well-suited for his college dorm or office cubical, can use it to do just about any common computer task today, and do so faster and without the constant nagging worry of virus infections and security loopholes in the operating system.
Not only that, but any Apple customer can buy a machine that they KNOW will work with their software, because Apple controls the hardware, AND the OS. There is no "Certified Driver" program for Apple such as there is with MS, because Apple controls all of it firmly, guaranteeing stability and reliability.
Until recently, that kind of value was expensive, and required you to consider seriously before buying one. But now, the Mini makes reliability and usability more accessible to the masses.
Microsoft made that happen already, sure, but their heads have gotten big over all this fame and fortune, and they've begun taking the little guys for granted. They've bred a generation of users who will put up with constant crashes, insanely huge online-only security patches, and then patches for those patches when they break things, and then yet another spate of security flaw releases. Compound all of this with MS' refusal to let the customer have a choice in the multimedia and web software to install on their machine, and their consistent denial of any knowledge of accepted web standards, AND the fact that each new version of Windows requires faster and more expensive hardware with each release, and even a brain-dead mutant would be left wondering why in the hell MS is still in business at all.
It's because they are done with us, folks. They made their buck (and their business) off sales of their Operating System initially, then started aiming at big businesses as they grew. Now, most of their cash flow comes from projects other than the home-use operating systems. They couldn't care less whether or not we're unhappy about their product, because, in essence, they have us by the balls. Unless, that is, we decide to take matters into our own hands, take a little initiative, and take a credit card up to the Apple Store for a new Mac Mini. Sure, the OS is a little different to use, but you had to learn Windows at one point too, right? The difference this time is that by the time you're comfy with the OS, you can rest assured that they aren't going to start screwing around with the way it looks (too drastically at least) or make the system "NEW AND IMPROVED" to the point where it scares you to try to work with it.
Not only that, but you won't be constantly asked to download "security updates" to correct the kludges that the OS authors left in the code. MacOS is clean and stable, and it performs solidly!
With these factors firmly in mind, it should be easy to see why MS is going to have to start considering other options when it comes to making money, because their software division is going to be hurting heavily very soon. Suddenly I can spend $400 and feel like I actually got something of value for my buck! Still think you can get the same kind of value in a PC? Well consider this:
The computer retail store I work for offers a computer (with all peripherals except monitor) for $299.99. Nice price, until you look under the hood. The specs SEEM adequate to run Windows XP, but just barely. Everything's integrated, everything's just this side of scrap in order to save costs. What that means for the customer is that if all they are ever going to do is check their email, then this machine is perfect. Add a little more load to your daily activities (who doesn't play Yahoo Pool now and then?) and things get hairy. Suddenly you're considering an upgrade on a machine you JUST BOUGHT.
Or hey, there's always the Mac Mini, which can freaking edit video, for Deuce's sake!
Deadweasel is not a paid spokesman for Apple, but wishes he was
Comments:
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without any bench test results or real product specs and/or technical references... all your work is nothing more than speculation.
If youre going to talk trash about someone else's product being complete shit, then back it up. Apple hasn't.
If youre going to talk trash about someone else's product being complete shit, then back it up. Apple hasn't.
# posted by 
: 3:21 PM
: 3:21 PM
But you see, that's why the whole damned thing is under the OPINION :: heading. It's my OPINION. I don't have to prove a damned thing. It's my opinion, based on my experience with Windows, and what I have seen from playing around with the Mac Mini firsthand. That little bugger would absolutely SUCK as a PC. It's too underpowered by comparison. BUT, under MacOS, it can do so much more than a similarly-priced PC. That was my point, and I don't need specs to back it up. WindowsXP comes with Movie Maker, but the OS needs at least a 1.5ghz processor and 256mb of memory to run right and needs a better video card than you can ever get onboard if you expect to do any basic editing. Plus, Movie Maker is a novice's toy. MacOSX on the other hand, runs on similar hardware (in terms of speed and capacity), and it's iMovie application does MUCH more than Movie Maker while running on an integrated ATI card that is STILL below the specs of most onboard PC video chips today. When I can get that much more bang for my buck, why in the hell would I ever swear undying loyalty to a company that's been using me for nothing more than a fucking guinea pig so they can better develop their server software? Face it, WindowsXP is a great tool, BUT it completely sucks in terms of security, out of the box, and doesn't come with any tools of any real use. We've done this comparison game between OSes before, but with the
advent of the Mini, it suddenly becomes much easier (and cheaper) to get a hold of some good-performing hardware/software.
So there.
advent of the Mini, it suddenly becomes much easier (and cheaper) to get a hold of some good-performing hardware/software.
So there.
yeah you cant get but 1/4 of the software for that mac that you can for a pc....
but man does that think LOOK cool!
but man does that think LOOK cool!
# posted by : 10:30 PM
: 10:30 PM
True, the software base isn't all collosal like the PC empire, BUT...
The thing is, I can email, browse the web, edit freaking movies, play most major formats of music, all without weird DRM crap (thanks but no thanks Windows Media Player).
Yes, you will still need to get other programs to do more intensive things, but the word processor that comes with MacOSX has its own dictionary and grammar checker, ridding the casual letter-writer of the burden of having to buy Office, and let's face it: at this price level, you aren't looking for hardcore computer nutz or developers. You're looking for the grandma who got burned by a virus or some other Windows issue, and wants to get something different with better out-of-the-box capabilities.
...and it looks cool too.
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The thing is, I can email, browse the web, edit freaking movies, play most major formats of music, all without weird DRM crap (thanks but no thanks Windows Media Player).
Yes, you will still need to get other programs to do more intensive things, but the word processor that comes with MacOSX has its own dictionary and grammar checker, ridding the casual letter-writer of the burden of having to buy Office, and let's face it: at this price level, you aren't looking for hardcore computer nutz or developers. You're looking for the grandma who got burned by a virus or some other Windows issue, and wants to get something different with better out-of-the-box capabilities.
...and it looks cool too.
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