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Dvorak: Discontinue the Mac
paradesign writes "In an 'E-Mac, i-Mac, No Mac', John C. Dvorak makes the claim that the Macintosh should be discontinued. He adds, 'I'm not writing this column as a Mac basher to get attention, although plenty of people will accuse me of doing that.' Worth a read, but keep in mind where its published." I am not posting this as a Dvorak basher to make people realize he is clueless, although plenty of people will accuse me of that.
John C. Dvorak has been saying this for like 15 years. He's a DOS fanatic through and through. I guess getting attention was just a side effect, anyway. Haha.
So if he ran Apple, he would do what? Concentrate on selling on OS that ran on discontinued computers? I guess he hasn't been watching Apple's annual reports lately.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
There's an easy answer to the question, "Why not come out with a new computer?" This applies to anybody else in the industry as well as Apple.
Software is why most people buy and use computers - not many outside the geek community are interested in playing with a machine with no applications.
It's the software, stupid. A new system that was substantially different from the old ones (in a way that Dvorak, who pooh-poohs the substantial 680x0 -> PPC and Mac OS -> NeXT/Mac OS X transitions - the most radical transformations you can get while maintaining compatability, means) would not be able to seamlessly run old software.
BeOS was the last platform that looked like a major contender, and it didn't get anywhere. Why? As well as having no name recognition, there simply wasn't the body of applications for it.
"It is our blasphemy which has made us great, and will sustain us, and which the gods secretly admire in us." - Zelazny
For people who read the article, they'll notice that what I quoted is the intro paragraph. That's all I had to read to realize that the author is full of it. Macs aren't ready to die. On the contrary, they are blooming. Macs are one of the few computer brands that are actually profitable right now. Look at the computers that are being sold. Most people buying systems want to spend $800 or less. People will then go ahead and drop $1500 on a Mac system. Why is this? Because a Mac is a niche market system. There is special hardware and software that people are paying for. It's never going to explode onto the desktop (again) and take over the Windows community, even though the Mac zealots would really like it to.
The Mac exists for a small group of people, and also in my opinion as a testing ground for new technology. Would your PC have a USB port on it right now if it wern't put onto a Mac first for B. Gates to notice and snap up? How bout IEEE 1394? In a year or two you'll have a DVD burner on your system (many people already do). What systems did they originate on? The Mac.
Apple never moves forward? Riiiiight. On the contrary... Apple moves EVERYONE ELSE forward. Linux/Unix/BSD can't move the market. On the X86 systems there is not enough pull from those communities to get hardware like USB or IEEE put in as standard, so the job falls to the Mac systems to get the attention of the rest of the world when newer technology comes out.
I'm not a Mac person. I have many P3 and P4 systems in my house and like it that way. I'm also one of the few
"Well kids, you tried your best, and you failed. The lesson is, never try." -Homer Simpson
As near as I can tell, he's saying that Apple is the only innovator in the entire computer industry, and that computers are only worth using if they from how they work currently. He's using your basic Shock Jock technique of yellow journalism to generate controversy (Oooh, I'll pick on Apple and people will yap for days about this one!). And, look, it's worked. I've subbed some words in the article to try to put things in perspective:
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Isn't it about time the Personal Computer was simply discontinued--put down like an old dog? Why, exactly, does everyone maintain this type of machine instead of starting fresh or at least introducing something new with fresh legs. The computer has become the horse of electronics, except for the fact that it's prettier. Of course, if nobody ever moves forward, what happens to the television?
I'm not writing this column as a computer basher to get attention, although plenty of people will accuse me of doing that. I recently noticed a lull in the computer buzz, however, and I'm now beginning to see the personal computer as an old hound that can't hunt.
Let's look at the recent computer offerings. The industry made the PC available to the public after initially saying nobody would ever buy it. The PC is the desktop version of the mainframe, and similar to the original mini-computer, built with a display in a small package. The company also rolled out some beefy computers for tech-heads who like running massive Web sites with PC technology. The obvious next iteration of the computer will be the current l33t-looking PC with a bigger screen and probably new colors. After that, what is the industry going to do?
Remember that in 80's the PC arrived amidst a flurry of experimental activity, much of which was triggered by the Commodore Pet. IBM PC-Jr was designed with ideas lifted from the Eniac. The PC-AT was an improvement, but apparently there hasn't been a new idea since.
[...] [Getting lazy]
Having said that, why can't the industry take its genius to the next level and bring out a completely new machine that is not a Personal Computer? The answer is obvious if we look at recent history and compare it to the era when the PC was invented. Here's the problem. This supposedly creative business of high technology has invented nothing that compares with the IBM PC-AT in over 20 years. All the R&D money has been diverted, mismanaged, killed by zealous bean counters, or simply wasted. Most of the big R&D labs have been closed or cut back. All the R&D seems to be in semiconductor technologies, which is because that particular business is more of a psychopathic rat-race than anything else and you get eaten by the rats if you miss a step.
So perhaps I have answered my own question regarding putting down the old dog called PC. The industry has nothing it could possibly replace it with. There is no new idea out there short of a talking computer. And the technology for the talking computer is decades away.
In fact, the old dog will not be shot, but up with hormones, and patched with reconstructive surgery, instead. The PC will go in the only direction possible: big design. The next era will be like the car business in the 1950's. Lots of chrome, big fins, and a new model every year. Form over substance.
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=Brian
There is nothing so good that someone, somewhere, will not hate it.
OS X, with its underlying Unix kernel, an update.
That is an understatement.
The new kernel was necessary to better manage today's networked multimedia.
More like to handle crashing apps without taking out the whole system.
Apparently Apple has done the impossible [in creating a user friendly unix].
Well, at least he gives Apple some credit.
Having said that, why can't Apple take its genius to the next level and bring out a completely new machine that is not a Macintosh?
They have, it is just under the same name.
There is no new idea out there short of a talking computer.
Well, Apple has the idea of a digital hub, and they are implementing it quite well.
Apple has done many new thing with their computers; it just happens to retain the name "Macintosh." They now have the option of dual processor (OS 9 just couldn't do it well), better perefereal connections, different processor than they had a decade ago, rack mounting, and many others.
The professional has gained a lot from these advances. Could you imagine editing a movie on your computer a decade ago. What about a hollywood level movie (Anyone else see the thanks to Final Cut Pro at the end of SW ep2?).
But, what about the consumer:
They can create their own movies quite easily with iMovie and the Firewire connection (another Apple invention).
There are also Digital Cameras, MP3 players, and a whole list of others that I am forgetting right now..
Just about the only thing that is the same about the Mac is that it is still a computer. The OS has changed, and so has a lot of the hardware. The Mac has more life left in it that Dvorak would like to admit. Part of it will change; that is inevitable, but it will likely be a Macintosh as long as Apple is in business.
You see? It's like I've always said. You can get more with a kind word and a 2x4 than you can with just a kind word.
Isn't it about time the John Dvorak was simply discontinued--put down like an old dog? Why, exactly, does John Dvorak keep putting out his aged crap instead of starting fresh or at least introducing something new with fresh legs. Dvorak has become the Ann Landers of journalism world, except for the fact that she's prettier.
I'm not writing this post as an ageist to get attention, although plenty of people will accuse me of doing that. I've noticed a complete lack of intellectual content of this column for ages, and I'm now beginning to see John C. Dvorak as an old hound that can't hunt.
Some one give this man a shotgun. Or help him contact Jack Kevorkian.
I was wondering if I should send my advertisement to them in a format that is no longer going to be around. It seem like I would have to pay extra to send a Windows native file.
This is in their media kit
Ziff Davis Media publications are produced in a 100% digital pre-press, computer-to-plate environment. We therefore require digital materials for advertisements running in our publications.
Preferred digital file formats for advertisements are:
TIFF/IT P1, Scitex CT/LW, & QuarkXPress 4.04 Mac Native files, collected for output, including all fonts & graphics. Please contact Production Department before sending any digital files besides these Preferred Mac application files (additional charges may apply).
1) Releasing the eMac after original not: they did it becuase they're pushing the envelope so much by having their entire line use LCDs that they've hit up against the bleeding-edge problem of LCD supplies and prices not meeting expectations. I think flexability and admitting you didn't make a good decision is a good thing. In any case, it seems like he should at least wait for the sales figures before he calls it a bad decision.
2) The OS isn't moving forward: Need I comment? Well, I will because it's just too stupid to pass up. Apple's moving to a more UNIX-centric OS. So is Sun (embracing Linux, they already had Solaris), IBM (embracing Linux over AS400/AIX/etc.) and the rest of the market (see growth of Linux). I just saw an article in Network World (I think) that projected 12 million Linux installations by 2006. Clue: if you think everyone but you is crazy, you may have it backwards.
3) Why can't Apple bring about an entirely new machine: well, I think other people have made good points about the digital hub. It strikes me that he wants something here but doesn't know what. Yes, I'd like the computer from Star Trek too, but we can't have it yet.
4) There's a post (supposedly from him) pointing to an article on The Register that implies that Apple's given up on advertising to anyone but "Dummies and Losers". Quite the oposite: I've seen Apple in more technical places lately than I ever have. I'm a Java programmer, so I'll talk from that angle. They were HUGE at JavaOne. They've a two-page spread in almost every Java developer magazine talking about the virtues of Mac OS X. It's just not true! Just like Dell's got the "Dell Dude" and yet hits the server market pretty hard, Apple has a two-sided strategy.
Well, I've ranted long enough, but hopefully you got the point that I think this guy is full of crap.
"Let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average." - A. W. Tozer
Here's my favorite quote: "There is no new idea out there short of a talking computer. And the technology for the talking computer is decades away."
:-)
I selected the above, right-clicked on it, and chose "speech/start speaking" from the context menu. I got quite a laugh out of hearing my computer talking about how a talking computer is decades away.
Lost: Sig, white with black letters. No collar. Reward if found!
i agree, he should be replaced with a new model, John Qwerty, maybe ;)