Apple really missed the boat this time. I try to cut them slack with new stuff, but this one has me baffled.
$50 more for the next model up...colors that go with wash off tattoos and price drops right after a big Christmas season. Apple may not take all those returns, but many retailers will comply just to keep thier customers happy. This means next time Apple walks in the door and asks for floor space, they will be ignored.
Why does Apple insist on a adding so many models to a product line, time after time? Why can't they just keep a good thing going?
The new mini iPod won't find a market. Just watch.
pretty clear that we've pared most of the audio waveform down
It's not an idea of size. In this case, it's a matter of efficiency.
Sort of like a self-cleaning product. A self-cleaning oven doesn't cook faster, but it leaves you free for other things. A self-flushing toilet doesn't help you purge your bowels any faster, but it gets you back to the theater seat just a bit sooner. Self-cancelling turn signals. Wireless headphones that power down when no signal. Sunglasses that dim in bright light. Shoelaces that tie themselves.
All of these contribute to shorten the overall time spent doing something, yet they do it without doing anything faster and without reducing any specific content or time value.
An audio codec that provides look-ahead tone generation could make the output available sooner, thus decreasing total overhead in the process of fetching data off a platter and subsequently pumping it out of an earbud and onto your eardrum.
The actual sound file size may not be any smaller, but the total time-to-delivery would be shorter, taking the load off a non-buffered drive, and thereby reducing the need for additional components.
All it takes is a breakthrough in compression to mean you don't have to spend so much time and energy handling the read/decode/buffer/play routine.
Cut at least two of those dramactically and you've compensated for an otherwise/relatively slow drive.
Apple has been very busy with QuickTime, iTunes and AAC lately - note that current purchased music has a profile of 'Low Complexity'.
I betting they have an advanced codec that allows them to overcome traditional restrictions that may baffle others that have attempted and given up on the same combination of mechanicals and electronics.
...google leaves so much to be desired. Too many paid and crafted links...too many stealth redirects...too many commercial links forced ranked...no AI.
google reminds me of that old pizza commercial with the new employee 'big dummy'. When he finally gets something to do, he runs off exclaiming "I am HELPING!!!" - not
Microsoft didn't invest...they paid a settlement to avoid being found guilty over patent infringement. Which I don't need to point out is another predatory practice so many companies are fond of when they don't have any ideas of their own...same as Dell.
Small businesses in North America (those turning less than $25 million/yr), are the next wave of companies that will find a need for outsourcing. This includes everything from clerical/backoffice support to injection molded components and on.
Here's a business model for you...help these firms outsource to India/Asia while they can still get loans. Help them change and compete while the doors are still open. The big boys have already learned, and now is time for the small fish to move on in kind.
We're doing this now. Get in while the getting is good.
Read the 1964 act and debate the intent with the people that wrote it...
I doubt they see it as surperflously as you do.
No one here believes a simple public discussion can reflect one's in-depth attitudes...be a bit less cynical and a bit more open minded when adding your own, thanks.
Exactly right. You've simply highlighted my points that were left to the discerning reader to realize for themselves. We agree that politics and corruption are better labels...and why not, when something so dated seems to be happy on life-support, devoid of self esteem and redeeming market value.
Farming is touted as the last icon of the American bootstrap spirit, when it's been nothing but a classic postcard for decades. Note the original Food Stamp Program was enacted in 1964. That's forty years ago...forty years since it was created to shell game farming from oblivion.
American farmers are propped up, and everyone knows it, but as long as they pretend otherwise, they can continue to hold onto their land and their way of life. No one is fooled, and everyone is willing to let it slide, for now.
They began slowing this effort when they started the push for WTO status. These days they want to appear to be a nicer neighbor, by encouraging currency flow vs. buying it outright.
Not to say there aren't other actions, motives and events going on in the back room.
Factor in cultural attitudes, and the scenario becomes quite complex.
Electronics suppliers that I've bought from were quite upfront about a sliding scale for more units, lower price. If the bid says 1 widget at $10/ea, 100 widgets at $1/ea, no one expects to get one widget for $1.
- This is where Dell gets dirty. They break these types of agreements with impunity. 10 for $1 or 5 for $1.10 becomes 5 for $1 or we'll go to your competitor.
As I said, there's always that promise of the next contract being the big one...kind of like one more pull on the slot machine. The fear is that the payoff will come just as you let your competitor step in.
Then there is also the image thing. You can tout them as a client, pretending you're in control. The hope is your competition doesn't see you bleeding, and they give up the fight, thinking you've managed to beat the beast at their own game. It's a complex issue, and one that is only slightly better grasped by being consumed and worn down. Is it better to lose face by not engaging them in the first place, or do you worry about losing face by being beaten up down the road...?
There is no honor in sitting on the side lines. You got into this business to compete. But when Dell moves the ball after the whistle blows, you'll lose everytime.
Next time do what the diehard fs users do. Spend them at the PX, trade that food for cigarettes then trade those for booze and drink until you don't feel hungry:)
Under communism, maybe. Under socialism, sure. Under capitalism, it's better known as take from the poor and give to the rich. And taking/giving under those circumstances is defined as 'subsidy'.
Dell's model hasn't changed in that regard. You'd think they would, but they're a one-trick pony, refusing to follow a proven model. Their version of 'think different'.
Dell is moving into other areas, such as printers and MP3 players because they are killing off the last suppliers in their current core business. The predator is simply altering his diet, and moving into other feeding grounds.
Again, nature says fine, but you'd better grow gills, change your digestive system and learn how to camoflage under water if you want to eat free range turtle.
With no prey, the predator can no longer survive. Natural forces work to insure they either curb their hunger (and play fair as part of the chain), or be forced out of the game when the food supply dries up. At that point, cannabalizm sets in and evolution takes over.
At least 20 hours a month....more if I'm not employed. But then I have at least three computers running 24/7, and I happen to enjoy futzing with them. I mess with them even if nothing's wrong.
Slashdot Mirror
Seems the current state of the Great Wall shows that to be easier said than done.
I can't wait for digital fingerprinting to be a tourist attraction, listed in guide books and photographed by tourists.
And what fun all those newbies will have thinking they now own a 900MHz Cube :)
He can now be reached at his new villa...wish someone would interview him soon.
I was looking for a way to offload video rendering on my G4, and tried POOCH, but it wasn't immediately compatible with my Linux box so I moved on.
Am I the only one bothered by the GHz meter XGrid uses? Can't wait for the newbies that actually believe they have a 900MHz iMac and Cube combo :)
Anyone here seen POOCH? Been around for, what, the last year and offering the same thing? Now XGrid is big news?
Amen.
Apple really missed the boat this time. I try to cut them slack with new stuff, but this one has me baffled.
$50 more for the next model up...colors that go with wash off tattoos and price drops right after a big Christmas season. Apple may not take all those returns, but many retailers will comply just to keep thier customers happy. This means next time Apple walks in the door and asks for floor space, they will be ignored.
Why does Apple insist on a adding so many models to a product line, time after time? Why can't they just keep a good thing going?
The new mini iPod won't find a market. Just watch.
pretty clear that we've pared most of the audio waveform down
It's not an idea of size. In this case, it's a matter of efficiency.
Sort of like a self-cleaning product. A self-cleaning oven doesn't cook faster, but it leaves you free for other things. A self-flushing toilet doesn't help you purge your bowels any faster, but it gets you back to the theater seat just a bit sooner. Self-cancelling turn signals. Wireless headphones that power down when no signal. Sunglasses that dim in bright light. Shoelaces that tie themselves.
All of these contribute to shorten the overall time spent doing something, yet they do it without doing anything faster and without reducing any specific content or time value.
An audio codec that provides look-ahead tone generation could make the output available sooner, thus decreasing total overhead in the process of fetching data off a platter and subsequently pumping it out of an earbud and onto your eardrum.
The actual sound file size may not be any smaller, but the total time-to-delivery would be shorter, taking the load off a non-buffered drive, and thereby reducing the need for additional components.
"I am highly trained Russian Astronaut! This is a very sophisticated piece of scientific equipment. Don't touch nothing!"
DVD movies...
:)
Bringing the APEX style price of region free DVD players to region free DVD capable computers for the masses
That was then....this is now.
All it takes is a breakthrough in compression to mean you don't have to spend so much time and energy handling the read/decode/buffer/play routine.
Cut at least two of those dramactically and you've compensated for an otherwise/relatively slow drive.
Apple has been very busy with QuickTime, iTunes and AAC lately - note that current purchased music has a profile of 'Low Complexity'.
I betting they have an advanced codec that allows them to overcome traditional restrictions that may baffle others that have attempted and given up on the same combination of mechanicals and electronics.
:) funny...
...google leaves so much to be desired. Too many paid and crafted links...too many stealth redirects...too many commercial links forced ranked...no AI.
google reminds me of that old pizza commercial with the new employee 'big dummy'. When he finally gets something to do, he runs off exclaiming "I am HELPING!!!" - not
Just like when your Mom changes your bed sheets...
Dumb ass.
An unamed hi-tech company in Asia today announced a 1/4 newton inertial dampener device suitable for fighter plane use.
The specs list an ability to counteract up to 8 g's for a human body weighing up to 100 kilos.
The company has also recently been awarded contracts for their pilotless drone attack fighters. Film at eleven.
That is a myth.
Microsoft didn't invest...they paid a settlement to avoid being found guilty over patent infringement. Which I don't need to point out is another predatory practice so many companies are fond of when they don't have any ideas of their own...same as Dell.
Small businesses in North America (those turning less than $25 million/yr), are the next wave of companies that will find a need for outsourcing. This includes everything from clerical/backoffice support to injection molded components and on.
Here's a business model for you...help these firms outsource to India/Asia while they can still get loans. Help them change and compete while the doors are still open. The big boys have already learned, and now is time for the small fish to move on in kind.
We're doing this now. Get in while the getting is good.
Read the 1964 act and debate the intent with the people that wrote it...
I doubt they see it as surperflously as you do.
No one here believes a simple public discussion can reflect one's in-depth attitudes...be a bit less cynical and a bit more open minded when adding your own, thanks.
Exactly right. You've simply highlighted my points that were left to the discerning reader to realize for themselves. We agree that politics and corruption are better labels...and why not, when something so dated seems to be happy on life-support, devoid of self esteem and redeeming market value.
Farming is touted as the last icon of the American bootstrap spirit, when it's been nothing but a classic postcard for decades. Note the original Food Stamp Program was enacted in 1964. That's forty years ago...forty years since it was created to shell game farming from oblivion.
American farmers are propped up, and everyone knows it, but as long as they pretend otherwise, they can continue to hold onto their land and their way of life. No one is fooled, and everyone is willing to let it slide, for now.
They began slowing this effort when they started the push for WTO status. These days they want to appear to be a nicer neighbor, by encouraging currency flow vs. buying it outright.
Not to say there aren't other actions, motives and events going on in the back room.
Electronics suppliers that I've bought from were quite upfront about a sliding scale for more units, lower price. If the bid says 1 widget at $10/ea, 100 widgets at $1/ea, no one expects to get one widget for $1. - This is where Dell gets dirty. They break these types of agreements with impunity. 10 for $1 or 5 for $1.10 becomes 5 for $1 or we'll go to your competitor.
As I said, there's always that promise of the next contract being the big one...kind of like one more pull on the slot machine. The fear is that the payoff will come just as you let your competitor step in.
Then there is also the image thing. You can tout them as a client, pretending you're in control. The hope is your competition doesn't see you bleeding, and they give up the fight, thinking you've managed to beat the beast at their own game. It's a complex issue, and one that is only slightly better grasped by being consumed and worn down. Is it better to lose face by not engaging them in the first place, or do you worry about losing face by being beaten up down the road...?
There is no honor in sitting on the side lines. You got into this business to compete. But when Dell moves the ball after the whistle blows, you'll lose everytime.
Genius.
Next time do what the diehard fs users do. Spend them at the PX, trade that food for cigarettes then trade those for booze and drink until you don't feel hungry :)
Dell's model hasn't changed in that regard. You'd think they would, but they're a one-trick pony, refusing to follow a proven model. Their version of 'think different'.
Dell is moving into other areas, such as printers and MP3 players because they are killing off the last suppliers in their current core business. The predator is simply altering his diet, and moving into other feeding grounds.
Again, nature says fine, but you'd better grow gills, change your digestive system and learn how to camoflage under water if you want to eat free range turtle.
Law of the jungle at that point.
With no prey, the predator can no longer survive. Natural forces work to insure they either curb their hunger (and play fair as part of the chain), or be forced out of the game when the food supply dries up. At that point, cannabalizm sets in and evolution takes over.
Give it time.
At least 20 hours a month....more if I'm not employed. But then I have at least three computers running 24/7, and I happen to enjoy futzing with them. I mess with them even if nothing's wrong.