What? No… it would be a VERY smart predatory business move (vis-a-vis Microsoft)…

It would be very smart despite the fact that it would be a complete reverse of their current strategy — which is responsible for their huge success, enviable stock performance and rising market share? There it is again: the sickly-sweet odor of “unemployed business major”.

…and the move to Intel lends support for the idea that they have that sort of strategy in mind.

Hmmm. Any other less suicidal theories you might consider? Such as, oh, I don’t know — maybe the PowerPC chips were becoming more and more sucky?

Sigh. That’s almost the oldest rumor on the books, and survives only in the minds of the ignorant and/or terminally dense.

What? No… it would be a VERY smart predatory business move (vis-a-vis Microsoft) and the move to Intel lends support for the idea that they have that sort of strategy in mind.

Anyway, you’ve become increasingly juvenile, and decreasingly substantive over the course of the thread, so I think we’ll leave it at that.

Is he kidding, or are both of these guys doing bad Christopher Walken inpersonations?

That was my first thought too.

And would it kill him to wear a freakin’ suit and tie? Looks like he just rolled out of bed.

That’s because nobody wants to. In fact, I see Apple moving away from that. I can envision a very near future where Apple releases a very cheap (if not free) version of their OS for installation on non-Apple hardware.

Can you see purple snorklewackers flying around the moon, too?

Sigh. That’s almost the oldest rumor on the books, and survives only in the minds of the ignorant and/or terminally dense. Apple’s entire strategy, as you admitted in your first sentence, is based on an integrated, controlled platform. One of the many reasons Windows sucks so hard for the average user is because MS’s “open” strategy forces them to support their software on a million flavors of hardware. Apple’s sales, market share & mcap are going up, up, up — only an absolute moron would abandon a winning strategy, and Jobs, I hope you would agree, is no moron.

Apple sells integrated hardware and software. They make the hardware, the OS, and best-of-breed apps. Nobody else does this. Yet.

That’s because nobody wants to. In fact, I see Apple moving away from that. I can envision a very near future where Apple releases a very cheap (if not free) version of their OS for installation on non-Apple hardware.

thegreatsatan on November 13, 2007 at 2:16 PM

Wow all that money and he can’t afford a decent haircut, or a shirt that doesn’t look like it came off the rack at Wal Mart.

I’m don’t see how that’s a problem. It’s all part of a carefully crafted image.

the phone software looks kool… looks like I have new features to be designing for on my website.

That’s not the point. Apple’s desktop is a branded version of Unix running on Intel hardware.

Another commenter who doesn’t let his complete ignorance impede his desire to opine.

Apple sells integrated hardware and software. They make the hardware, the OS, and best-of-breed apps. Nobody else does this. Yet.

They eventually adapted, but only after getting a $100M cash infusion from MS years ago.

Gawd. As long as we’re all talking about Google, how about actually using Google to confirm that load of BS? First, it was $150M, not $100M. Second, Apple had $1.2B in cash at the time. Third, Apple’s problems were huge at that point (1997) — $150M was a drop in the bucket. To turn Apple around (after being run into the ground by a series of clueless CEOs), Jobs almost literally flipped the company on its head. He could have and would have done the same thing without the paltry $150M investment.

CW says the investment was a combination of a gesture of confidence (to soothe nervous AAPL investors) and a preemptive strike on the DOJ monopoly investigation.

Which way are Microsoft’s numbers going?

Same way IBM’s are going. That’s not the point. Apple’s desktop is a branded version of Unix running on Intel hardware. They eventually adapted, but only after getting a $100M cash infusion from MS years ago.

iPods are well done, but it’s a different engineering world from cell phones, where Apply is a new-comer and 34 companies are adopting a uniform standard to compete against them.

Heh. Where have I heard that before? coughipodcough.

Within their markets, Apple has been out-innovating everyone else for years. There’s a reason for it.

This isn’t really a comparable situation to that of the iPod market. And I don’t think Apple has been “out-innovating” everybody for years… they have been out innovating Microsoft for years, but even they adopted FreeBSD as the backbone of their own operating system. And it would be hard to make the case that they have been “out-innovating” Google, specifically, as I’m unaware of any situations where they openly competed.

Even here they aren’t directly competing. People who go to Apple do so with the knowledge that they have very little flexibility and that there is almost no interoperability with the rest of the world… but, in exchange for those limitations, they get a very refined product. Android is shooting for openness, to empower the end-user. It is conceptually aimed at eliminating the you-get-what-we-give-you mentality in the mobile industry.

And re pedestrian’s comment, there is no indication that there are 30 companies that will make Android phones. There are 4 handset manufacturers that are involved in the consortium (HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung), and I’m not sure that we know that even they will all manufacture phones for it… I think–but am not sure–that HTC is the only one we know of for sure. Of course, it will probably be possible to put it on a number of phones after market.

As a result, MS crushed Apple…

Ancient history. Remind me: which way are Apple’s numbers going? Which way are Microsoft’s numbers going? Seen Apple’s mcap lately?

…and there wouldn’t still be an Apple except that MS needed to keep its competitor alive or else it would have become a regulated monopoly.

That’s good. I’ve got an equally good one about the Tooth Fairy.

This is a replay of that. There are 30 companies that will make Android phones, and Apple will not be able to out-innovate them all on the hardware side, plus the software side compete with Google and every big and little software company in the world.

Heh. Where have I heard that before? coughipodcough.

Within their markets, Apple has been out-innovating everyone else for years. There’s a reason for it.

BTW, poor Erin! I think she’s going to be unexpectedly popular over the next few hours.

Considering that “her” phone number is the information line for the 650 area code and her address is Google HQ, that really shouldn’t be a problem.

What’s that? You can’t write any cool apps for the iPhone? I’m sorry. I didn’t know.

That’s because it already has all the cool apps you’ll ever need. Apple Knows what you need, and if you think you need something else, you’re mistaken.

This is a replay of that. There are 30 companies that will make Android phones, and Apple will not be able to out-innovate them all on the hardware side, plus the software side compete with Google and every big and little software company in the world. Maybe one of them will keep Apple alive.

Is he kidding, or are both of these guys doing bad Christopher Walken inpersonations?

This could work out really well. I’m not an early adopter, so I’ll be sitting on the sidelines for some time to come.

MirCat on November 13, 2007 at 12:17 PM

And one of my co-workers has hacked his iPhone and is running Linux on it.

The only thing in it’s way are the regulatory agency’s.
The government is still using rotary phone standards.