Apple is a dominant player in the mobile OS and device market. There are many metrics by which to define "dominant", and Apple and their products excel at most of them. The only one where they are reasonably behind Android on is total unit market share, and even on that, their weakest metric, Apple is the #2 player, and a major one at that.
To say the OS isn't popular is to hide your head in the sand while shouting "total unit market share is the only thing that matters" over and over.
Google has a lead in that metric, and they deserve both that and all the spoils that come with it. But let's not be silly fanboys about it, shall we?
iOS users will complain if you leave your ported android app looking like an android app.
And if a port in that direction were to ever happen, I'm sure you'd be correct. Hell, even *Android* users complain when an Android app looks like an Android app!
Yes, all the best software incurs no support costs. They just spring forth bug-free and support all the various and sundry configurations from the minds of the gods...
Of course, I'm coming up with a blank trying to name any, there are just so many to choose from! Perhaps you could help me out here and cite a few to help jog my memory. I'll be waiting right here in the line for unicorns and fairy dust.
What "money"? Android is notoriously difficult to monetize for app developers, and that's not likely to change terribly quickly. Google has virtually zero incentive to do what is needed here. They make their money from search, and search only needs market share, not apps.
Apple has the whole app thing locked up, so instead of going head-to-head where they are weakest, they focus on their strengths, which is variety and price. The primary thing that matters to Google is users, and they are getting them well enough on phones. Google's app offerings and developer support will assuredly improve over time, but it will not catch up to Apple any time soon.
And until that gap is bridged, the money left on the table of the Play Store will be dwarfed by that on the App Store. And in the long run, both MS and BlackBerry have the right things in place to leapfrog Google, in spite of starting so far behind. They just need a "hook" of some sort to gain users. MS's hook is Windows 8, and that's off to a crap start, but may still be successful by the massive inertia of Windows and PC bundling. BlackBerry knows the corporate world and can definitely make a comeback.
But for Google to do what's needed, they'll need to do something that they haven't shown they are able to do, and that is put a proper first class effort into something that doesn't improve ad revenue.
Glad to see you haven't lost your touch, teppie. Making up absurd scenarios to somehow justify your hatred of Apple must be tiring.
I can pretty much guarantee you that 99%+ of people who buy iPads have no need of Xcode. And for those that do, a large portion have a Mac (though that's neither here nor there).
And those people, the small percentage of users who are also devs that write software, they probably don't mind paying for their toys. And if they do, for whatever reason, they damned sure won't be opting for an ultrabook (the topic at hand), and may have to settle for just some Celeron powered Acer laptop and a Nexus 7. There's nothing wrong with that, options for everyone.
Why you consistently seem to think Apple (or any other brand) products has to appeal to everyone or they appeal to no one is beyond me. Why can't you ever seem to grasp that not everyone is like you (in fact, most people aren't like you, but I digress), and they (i.e., most people) like things you don't? And that there's nothing wrong with them liking something you don't, just as there's nothing wrong with you disliking what they like.
The only thing wrong is you thinking there's something wrong with that.
Yet still will outsell the Surface Pro. Why do you think that is? Because people are stupid? No, the standard arrogant nerd response on Slashdot is wrong. It's because those things that you think are important are not important to the overwhelming majority of people. That "pathetic CPU, GPU, RAM" on an iPad enables people to do most anything they want to do, while at the same time enabling 10+ hour battery life! That thing you are listing as a negative is no such thing.
And the software library? What applications are missing on the iPad? Now, take that very short list, and tell me how relevant that list is to the masses?
Or put differently, even with more powerful processors, more RAM, and more software, people *still* don't want a Surface. That alone should clue you in to the fact that those things aren't an important differentiator.
iOS devices connect to cameras and printers. Mass storage devices are the only category which is notably lacking on iOS (and even then there are options). But with 128GB of internal storage, mass storage isn't going to be an issue for many people.
5) I've yet to hear sneering from an Ultrabook owner directed at someone who doesn't have one
Apparently you missed all the posts of people putting down the iPad compared to the Ultrabook. You know, like the one you just wrote...
The thing you don't understand is that nobody gives a shit about any of your points, with the exception of peripherals. And of all the things you can say about iOS devices, lack of peripherals is not one of them.
And those people that do care? They can buy something other than an iPad. Why does it have to be "I hate Apple and iPads, therefore everyone else must also, and for the same obscure reasons!".
Buying/using Apple products has become a religion for a specific group of technological mental midgets
The mental midget religion of choice these days appears to be hating Apple.
For everyone else, those you hold with such disdain, are happily buying Apple products which suit their needs better than anything else. So, really, who's the "retard" here? The people merrily going about their day, using technology to its fullest to better their lives, or the little troll who stands off to the side and calls them names for doing so?
Whether they like it or not, geeks have at least some influence in the purchase decisions of mundanes.
With an attitude like that, I imagine the influence to be mostly negative.
Apple just finished selling more iPhones and more iPads than they have ever done. I doubt your assessment of the impact of your influence is in line with reality. Just think about it for a second, a non-techie asks you why you don't have an iPad, and you reply, "because I can't SSH and run Apache, etc." (of course, you can SSH, but nevermind your ignorance as that's a side-issue). Do you think they are going to think, "huh, I so totally wanted to run postgres and python on my iPhone, but now I see how stupid I was!"
You should take your own advice. Just because *you* can't be productive with an iPad doesn't mean other people can't. The same arrogant tone of your post could be equally applied against *you* by someone who can't edit a film or simulate a universe with your "silly little toy".
Do you think everyone... wait, that's not worded right. Do you think hardly *anyone* needs "nginx, php, ruby, java, sqlite, mysql, some IDEs and all the unix toolkit" on their computers? It's absolutely impossible that that even hits 10%. Absolutely.
So yeah, you over-inflate your self-importance, and really should get some perspective and get over yourself.
Slashdot has many posts, all about technology, science, and things that interest nerds in general.
One of those things that are indisputably technology-related, and of nerd interest is Apple, including iPads, including iPads getting 128GB of storage. No matter how you look at it, this is news, and it's *good* news.
Ok, so you don't like Apple, or iPads, or more storage, or something. Good for you! But to mischaracterize Slashdot as an Apple fanboy blog (holy shit have you got that 180 off!), or to piss and moan over a positive story about Apple is absurd. Why the hate? Why not just go, "not of interest to me, but a good story for those for whom it is of interest". What harm does it do you?
All tech is fun, even tech you don't have or don't want. I'm not terribly excited about Windows 8, but it doesn't bother me or harm me when someone else enjoys a Windows 8 tablet. It's great for them that they have something fun and interesting to them. Getting upset over someone liking something I don't like only makes me worse, and annoys the poor sods who have to listen to me whine.
What exactly was bad (or at least worse then 7) about Vista? I used it for years without any problems. It was fast, it was stable, it was compatible, so what precisely did you find wrong with it?
It was none of those things, and that's precisely what I found wrong with it. 7 is smoother, more compatible, less crash prone. A stark contrast by all means.
I think they go hand in hand. >90% of the people who hate Apple are being idiots in that particular matter.
You hate and loathe them for many reasons. I bet if you outlined them, you'd look at least a bit like an idiot. Let me guess, walled-garden, lawsuits, and, um... non-removable batteries? For sure, you've every right to not like those things and avoid them, but *hatred*? And calling people "fanbois" (with the extra-gay i variation, how dreadfully clever you are!) for liking Apple products, and steering people away from something they might prefer just because *you* don't prefer it? How odd! You are like the very "fanbois" you so valiantly think to rail against!
I personally don't care what products other people choose, other than that they at least choose products which they like and suit their preferences. Why should I steer you to or from something just because it might be *my* preference? What matter is that to someone else? By your logic, do you think I should try to convince you to buy iPhones and MacBooks? Wouldn't that be a bit arrogant and presumptuous on my part?
So why would it be any different with you? You appear to be a thoughtful and logical person. Don't you see something's amiss here?
Did they fire the company when they caught them with only 6 child laborers? THAT would have been doing something non-evil.
In other words, whatever they do, you just define "evil" as that. Got it.
They're not looking harder for illegal labor practices now because it is the right thing to do, they're doing it to cover their own asses because other people caught them using contractors who break every rule imaginable.
Blah, blah. They are go far above and beyond what anyone else does to try to do the right thing, but to you it's them breaking "every rule imaginable" (really? I can imagine quite a number of rules they aren't breaking. Perhaps your imagination only works in one direction?).
And dislike for Apple predates Slashdot for a lot of us. Chronically malfunctioning Apple II floppy drives were enough to turn me against his highness Jobs back in the 80's.
By "a lot of us", you mean "almost none of us". Of course that's neither here nor there. The fact remains there are plenty of you that hate Apple and don't really care much about the facts when they get in the way of that hatred. It's quite sad, really. Apple's just a company. Better than most, but not perfect either.
The odd thing is you are confusing opinion with evil. They do things you probably don't prefer, but others do. Stylistically and practically. But instead of just realizing, "hey, I don't like X" (walled gardens, slimmer products, non-removable batteries, whatever it is you dislike), you think, "oh, they are evil!"
Then, when they do something good, like this, you need to find a way to twist it into something bad. It's truly laughable. Your example for why you *HATE* Apple? Because a floppy drive failed on you? My god man, you are truly odd.
99% of Windows 7 is Windows Vista. People just like to disassociate 7 from Vista because they don't want to admit that Vista was a pretty good operating system.
And 99% of Human DNA is Chimpanzee DNA...
Vista absolutely was (and still is) a horrible OS. That 1% (I'm sure it's much more) difference between it and 7 makes for a huge difference. It set the groundwork for 7, and that's pretty much the best thing one can say about it.
Hooray, instead of working they now can live on the street and starve to death.
Gotta love Slashdot. Its hatred is for Apple runs so deep, there are many here who would rather children be forced into labor than admit that Apple does something non-evil, or even (dare one say it!) something *good*.
Applications is to Programs what Notebook is to Laptop.
There's no distinction between the two, but I hear people confused by them all the time. Any distinction is imagined, and generally retro-actively applied in an attempt to rationalize a difference.
The truth is that the two terms separately evolved. They have different pedigrees, but there's nothing about either that indicates one refers to one type of thing only, and that the other refers to this other type of thing only.
What you've done is listed the pedigree by which *your* usage of the term "apps" evolved. That's nice and all, but it doesn't determine how the word can be applied, no more than the type of chairs you sat in growing up limits what you can call a chair.
Slashdot Mirror
Apple is a dominant player in the mobile OS and device market. There are many metrics by which to define "dominant", and Apple and their products excel at most of them. The only one where they are reasonably behind Android on is total unit market share, and even on that, their weakest metric, Apple is the #2 player, and a major one at that.
To say the OS isn't popular is to hide your head in the sand while shouting "total unit market share is the only thing that matters" over and over.
Google has a lead in that metric, and they deserve both that and all the spoils that come with it. But let's not be silly fanboys about it, shall we?
iOS users will complain if you leave your ported android app looking like an android app.
And if a port in that direction were to ever happen, I'm sure you'd be correct. Hell, even *Android* users complain when an Android app looks like an Android app!
Yes, all the best software incurs no support costs. They just spring forth bug-free and support all the various and sundry configurations from the minds of the gods...
Of course, I'm coming up with a blank trying to name any, there are just so many to choose from! Perhaps you could help me out here and cite a few to help jog my memory. I'll be waiting right here in the line for unicorns and fairy dust.
What "money"? Android is notoriously difficult to monetize for app developers, and that's not likely to change terribly quickly. Google has virtually zero incentive to do what is needed here. They make their money from search, and search only needs market share, not apps.
Apple has the whole app thing locked up, so instead of going head-to-head where they are weakest, they focus on their strengths, which is variety and price. The primary thing that matters to Google is users, and they are getting them well enough on phones. Google's app offerings and developer support will assuredly improve over time, but it will not catch up to Apple any time soon.
And until that gap is bridged, the money left on the table of the Play Store will be dwarfed by that on the App Store. And in the long run, both MS and BlackBerry have the right things in place to leapfrog Google, in spite of starting so far behind. They just need a "hook" of some sort to gain users. MS's hook is Windows 8, and that's off to a crap start, but may still be successful by the massive inertia of Windows and PC bundling. BlackBerry knows the corporate world and can definitely make a comeback.
But for Google to do what's needed, they'll need to do something that they haven't shown they are able to do, and that is put a proper first class effort into something that doesn't improve ad revenue.
You mean lens flare? That affects every camera lens ever?
Glad to see you haven't lost your touch, teppie. Making up absurd scenarios to somehow justify your hatred of Apple must be tiring.
I can pretty much guarantee you that 99%+ of people who buy iPads have no need of Xcode. And for those that do, a large portion have a Mac (though that's neither here nor there).
And those people, the small percentage of users who are also devs that write software, they probably don't mind paying for their toys. And if they do, for whatever reason, they damned sure won't be opting for an ultrabook (the topic at hand), and may have to settle for just some Celeron powered Acer laptop and a Nexus 7. There's nothing wrong with that, options for everyone.
Why you consistently seem to think Apple (or any other brand) products has to appeal to everyone or they appeal to no one is beyond me. Why can't you ever seem to grasp that not everyone is like you (in fact, most people aren't like you, but I digress), and they (i.e., most people) like things you don't? And that there's nothing wrong with them liking something you don't, just as there's nothing wrong with you disliking what they like.
The only thing wrong is you thinking there's something wrong with that.
No, your tablet has expandable storage. The amount built in is static. And the amount you can expand to is not unlimited.
All computer storage is memory. Did you mean RAM by any chance?
Oh, wow, there are only 800,000 iOS apps? You sure showed him!
Seriously, how am I supposed to get anything done with only 800,000 apps? /s
Yet still will outsell the Surface Pro. Why do you think that is? Because people are stupid? No, the standard arrogant nerd response on Slashdot is wrong. It's because those things that you think are important are not important to the overwhelming majority of people. That "pathetic CPU, GPU, RAM" on an iPad enables people to do most anything they want to do, while at the same time enabling 10+ hour battery life! That thing you are listing as a negative is no such thing.
And the software library? What applications are missing on the iPad? Now, take that very short list, and tell me how relevant that list is to the masses?
Or put differently, even with more powerful processors, more RAM, and more software, people *still* don't want a Surface. That alone should clue you in to the fact that those things aren't an important differentiator.
iOS devices connect to cameras and printers. Mass storage devices are the only category which is notably lacking on iOS (and even then there are options). But with 128GB of internal storage, mass storage isn't going to be an issue for many people.
5) I've yet to hear sneering from an Ultrabook owner directed at someone who doesn't have one
Apparently you missed all the posts of people putting down the iPad compared to the Ultrabook. You know, like the one you just wrote...
The thing you don't understand is that nobody gives a shit about any of your points, with the exception of peripherals. And of all the things you can say about iOS devices, lack of peripherals is not one of them.
And those people that do care? They can buy something other than an iPad. Why does it have to be "I hate Apple and iPads, therefore everyone else must also, and for the same obscure reasons!".
Buying/using Apple products has become a religion for a specific group of technological mental midgets
The mental midget religion of choice these days appears to be hating Apple.
For everyone else, those you hold with such disdain, are happily buying Apple products which suit their needs better than anything else. So, really, who's the "retard" here? The people merrily going about their day, using technology to its fullest to better their lives, or the little troll who stands off to the side and calls them names for doing so?
The tablet is for a completely different target audience than an ultrabook
The amazing part is that an ultrabook in most cases costs less than the iPad.
Um... Ultrabooks tend to cost most $1,000, and even at best hit around $700 on sale for the lowest-end models. The iPad starts at $329.
The only thing "amazing" here is your nonsense.
Whether they like it or not, geeks have at least some influence in the purchase decisions of mundanes.
With an attitude like that, I imagine the influence to be mostly negative.
Apple just finished selling more iPhones and more iPads than they have ever done. I doubt your assessment of the impact of your influence is in line with reality. Just think about it for a second, a non-techie asks you why you don't have an iPad, and you reply, "because I can't SSH and run Apache, etc." (of course, you can SSH, but nevermind your ignorance as that's a side-issue). Do you think they are going to think, "huh, I so totally wanted to run postgres and python on my iPhone, but now I see how stupid I was!"
Really?
So get over yourself.
You should take your own advice. Just because *you* can't be productive with an iPad doesn't mean other people can't. The same arrogant tone of your post could be equally applied against *you* by someone who can't edit a film or simulate a universe with your "silly little toy".
Do you think everyone... wait, that's not worded right. Do you think hardly *anyone* needs "nginx, php, ruby, java, sqlite, mysql, some IDEs and all the unix toolkit" on their computers? It's absolutely impossible that that even hits 10%. Absolutely.
So yeah, you over-inflate your self-importance, and really should get some perspective and get over yourself.
Slashdot has many posts, all about technology, science, and things that interest nerds in general.
One of those things that are indisputably technology-related, and of nerd interest is Apple, including iPads, including iPads getting 128GB of storage. No matter how you look at it, this is news, and it's *good* news.
Ok, so you don't like Apple, or iPads, or more storage, or something. Good for you! But to mischaracterize Slashdot as an Apple fanboy blog (holy shit have you got that 180 off!), or to piss and moan over a positive story about Apple is absurd. Why the hate? Why not just go, "not of interest to me, but a good story for those for whom it is of interest". What harm does it do you?
All tech is fun, even tech you don't have or don't want. I'm not terribly excited about Windows 8, but it doesn't bother me or harm me when someone else enjoys a Windows 8 tablet. It's great for them that they have something fun and interesting to them. Getting upset over someone liking something I don't like only makes me worse, and annoys the poor sods who have to listen to me whine.
What exactly was bad (or at least worse then 7) about Vista? I used it for years without any problems. It was fast, it was stable, it was compatible, so what precisely did you find wrong with it?
It was none of those things, and that's precisely what I found wrong with it. 7 is smoother, more compatible, less crash prone. A stark contrast by all means.
Think you're confusing hatred with idiocy.
I think they go hand in hand. >90% of the people who hate Apple are being idiots in that particular matter.
You hate and loathe them for many reasons. I bet if you outlined them, you'd look at least a bit like an idiot. Let me guess, walled-garden, lawsuits, and, um... non-removable batteries? For sure, you've every right to not like those things and avoid them, but *hatred*? And calling people "fanbois" (with the extra-gay i variation, how dreadfully clever you are!) for liking Apple products, and steering people away from something they might prefer just because *you* don't prefer it? How odd! You are like the very "fanbois" you so valiantly think to rail against!
I personally don't care what products other people choose, other than that they at least choose products which they like and suit their preferences. Why should I steer you to or from something just because it might be *my* preference? What matter is that to someone else? By your logic, do you think I should try to convince you to buy iPhones and MacBooks? Wouldn't that be a bit arrogant and presumptuous on my part?
So why would it be any different with you? You appear to be a thoughtful and logical person. Don't you see something's amiss here?
Did they fire the company when they caught them with only 6 child laborers? THAT would have been doing something non-evil.
In other words, whatever they do, you just define "evil" as that. Got it.
They're not looking harder for illegal labor practices now because it is the right thing to do, they're doing it to cover their own asses because other people caught them using contractors who break every rule imaginable.
Blah, blah. They are go far above and beyond what anyone else does to try to do the right thing, but to you it's them breaking "every rule imaginable" (really? I can imagine quite a number of rules they aren't breaking. Perhaps your imagination only works in one direction?).
And dislike for Apple predates Slashdot for a lot of us. Chronically malfunctioning Apple II floppy drives were enough to turn me against his highness Jobs back in the 80's.
By "a lot of us", you mean "almost none of us". Of course that's neither here nor there. The fact remains there are plenty of you that hate Apple and don't really care much about the facts when they get in the way of that hatred. It's quite sad, really. Apple's just a company. Better than most, but not perfect either.
The odd thing is you are confusing opinion with evil. They do things you probably don't prefer, but others do. Stylistically and practically. But instead of just realizing, "hey, I don't like X" (walled gardens, slimmer products, non-removable batteries, whatever it is you dislike), you think, "oh, they are evil!"
Then, when they do something good, like this, you need to find a way to twist it into something bad. It's truly laughable. Your example for why you *HATE* Apple? Because a floppy drive failed on you? My god man, you are truly odd.
99% of Windows 7 is Windows Vista. People just like to disassociate 7 from Vista because they don't want to admit that Vista was a pretty good operating system.
And 99% of Human DNA is Chimpanzee DNA...
Vista absolutely was (and still is) a horrible OS. That 1% (I'm sure it's much more) difference between it and 7 makes for a huge difference. It set the groundwork for 7, and that's pretty much the best thing one can say about it.
How exactly is that supposed to be the case when it's Apple themselves that found the violations?
Hooray, instead of working they now can live on the street and starve to death.
Gotta love Slashdot. Its hatred is for Apple runs so deep, there are many here who would rather children be forced into labor than admit that Apple does something non-evil, or even (dare one say it!) something *good*.
Motorola sued Microsoft, because of Apple?
You're a strange person.
Applications is to Programs what Notebook is to Laptop.
There's no distinction between the two, but I hear people confused by them all the time. Any distinction is imagined, and generally retro-actively applied in an attempt to rationalize a difference.
The truth is that the two terms separately evolved. They have different pedigrees, but there's nothing about either that indicates one refers to one type of thing only, and that the other refers to this other type of thing only.
What you've done is listed the pedigree by which *your* usage of the term "apps" evolved. That's nice and all, but it doesn't determine how the word can be applied, no more than the type of chairs you sat in growing up limits what you can call a chair.