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A Look Back at Apple's 2003

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the year-end-traditions dept.

Samvit writes "The end of the year is upon us, so it's naturally time for those retrospectives to start coming in. Ars Technica has a fantastic look back at Apple in 2003. 2003 was one of the biggest years for Apple, arguably the biggest in a very long time. Still, Ars is typically fair, so the author lays down not only the good in 2003, but also the bad and the ugly. There's a bit of prognostication going on too--a little something for everyone."

4 of 404 comments (clear)

  1. Applause by blackmonday · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Apple has not been completely succesful this year, but who can deny that it is the most ambitious computer maker? Apple constantly pushes the envelope forward with newer features (FW 800, bluetooth, 17 inch laptop), and the rest of the pack try to clone their offerings in a Windows world. When's the last time Apple had to copy a Dell or Gateway design to stay current?

    I actually think next year will be even more interesting, as Apple pursues their music / video strategy. There's rumors of a Pro Tools killer on the way. Go Apple!

  2. I recall.. by Guano_Jim · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My head of IT stating that "Apple will be out of business by Christmas."

    That was in 1997.

    As long as Apple keeps innovating and forcing everyone else to play catch-up, they'll stay in business for many Christmases to come.

    One thing Apple has done well is pushing UNIX to the next-level down user, people that might not ordinarily touch the command line.

    Since I started working with OSX, I've gotten much more used to dropping into the Terminal to do stuff. It started with ls -aR and now I'm grepping ifconfig to determine my MAC address. It's fun.

    Thank you, Apple, for bringing out the inner Unix sysadmin in me. Now all I have to do is grow my hair long again.

    --
    3D Printing Tips and Tricks at Zheng3.com
  3. Re:Right Track by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I have to admit, as a former apple hater, I spent an hour with a friend who has a new G5 and iPod. The G5 is slick, fast, has an OS I felt at home with in minutes, and just looks stunning. Price be damned, I'm buying one.

    I also criticized the iPod many times, for its battery life, my distrust of HD based players, and preferance for an iRiver over the iPod, based on cost alone. This one seduced me even quicker than the G5. Hunting through a music library that wasn't even my own was... wow!. I don't know if I can say the build quality is any higher than anything else out there, I didn't spend that much time around it, but if it was revealed that an iPod owner pays a pittance for hardware and hundreds of dollars for a wonderful interface, I would believe it.

    And I'd find it worth it. I've already ordered mine.

  4. Re:Right Track by qw(name) · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Money's money and if I don't have it then I don't get it. :-)

    But seriously, if the price were much lower then I probably would splurge for one.

    At a Perl conference last year, I'd say the vast majority of laptops were Macs running OS X. That is saying a lot!