Because the majority of cell phone users in USA are on contracts.
This is technically true, but prepay is making a run in the US. The math has shifted, and it now saves money to buy prepaid. My wife has an old feature phone, so needs very little data. She pays $30/month for 1800 minutes. I have a smartphone, and I get 5GB of data and 100 minutes of talk for $30/month. Yes, I go over on minutes - typically by $10-15 - but it still saves me roughly $40/month compared to what we paid before. We can buy my wife a brand new feature phone every month for that, or a new Android every 4-5 months for me.
Isn't 2%, 22%, and 5% something like 10% overall - the exact amount depending on how you are doing the math? The point is that the Mac decline is not exactly surprising or alarming considering the whole market for PCs is tanking. At some point the declines will level off. Part of the problem is that, excepting games and certain high-performance applications, you can use a very old PC to get your work done. But one day, my 9-year-old desktop and 4-year-old laptop will actually expire and I will probably always keep at least one computer around.
When the iPad is selling *Less* that it did a year ago
Well, the retina model had just come out then - repeating 17 million in a quarter was going to be difficult.
Android is dominating on the tablet
Dominating the LOW end, just as they do with phones. Apple is a non-starter in the low end market.
Chrome is growing in the laptop? market
I'd be surprised if there was any profit in a Chromebook - but it has to be better than trying to make a profit on a cheap x86 laptop. I expect Chromebooks to edge out some Windows sales, but I'd be shocked to see them hurt Macbook sales anytime soon.
Why bring the contract into it? It's a $450 phone! Not all of us piss away money on contracts. It might be different if I were running a business from my cell phone and needed Verizon's coverage - but fortunately that's not the case.
Well, the 5s isn't any worse than the 5. And their platform is still pretty nice, even if they don't blow us away every single year. They are too rich for my blood, but there doesn't seem to be a high-performance Android with that form factor. I'm stuck with a cheap Android just to keep the screen size down (and my bank balance up).
It's still $549. That's not exactly cheap, and isn't really any different price-wise than when they simply offered the older model. Not seeing the point.
The other thing I forgot to mention is senior citizens... I know my grandfather is not very mobile anymore. I mean, he does pretty well for 89, but he's not good for more than 9 holes of golf:)
He likes cruises. He can alternately nap and eat at sea instead of at home. He gets to meet people who don't live in his little senior living development. He gets to see things like calving glaciers and cities that he has no other realistic means to see. He and my grandmother liked to dress up every night for dinner, just like the old days. One was a smaller ship that would pop up the East Coast. That was fun because we could go meet him for the day when he stopped near us. He doesn't really do them anymore, but for a few years there he was really into them.
Indeed some of the fatalities were people trying to help others to safely evacuate. Francis Servel died after giving his life vest to his wife, who could not swim. Russel Terence Rebello was a Filipino waiter who stayed onboard to help with the evacuation, but then fell to his death when the list became too severe. Many died inside the ship because they followed the crews' orders to cross the ship as it was capsizing.
What I don't get about this is what's so horribly wrong with a captain abandoning the ship?
He's supposed to be the one organizing the evacuation efforts. He's the one people are reporting the condition of the ship to. He's in charge of the stupid ship. If he leaves, you have a major organizational change on the ship at the worst possible time. He should not go down with the ship, but he should be one of the last ones off.
Most of them seemed to be very young 20-somethings having a bit of life adventure, but they definitely are not paid very well. If you think their pay sucks, you should see the pay of workers at the factory where they made the parts for the computer you are writing on.
It would be smarter in every way to just pick one nice place to have your vacation, and have it there.
Me? Sure. Like I said, I agree. But I know people who have done both and prefer cruises. Some of these people definitely do not match the waste-of-life stereotype that you paint.
You really should open your mind. Cruises aren't for me in general, and for most of the reasons you describe. I get bored and I'm not the type to enjoy a tour bus when you could instead be more hands on. That said, people entertain themselves in different ways.
I know one guy who is very hard working, well educated, and owns his own construction business. He is definitely "contributing something of import" to society. But for reasons that escape me, he loves cruises. He loves the 10 days of doing nothing, not worrying about bids or schedules, turning his brain off with alcohol and too much food, and floating in a pool. He loves the stupid air-conditioned bus rides through places he's never been and would otherwise never go. He loves complaining about the service and the price of booze and the rigged casinos. He goes on these stupid things over and over again.
Even I've had fun on one. We had something of a family reunion on one, and it was a blast. But in all fairness, it was my cousins that made it a blast, and we probably would have had fun in Gitmo. And my dad bought us a cruise for our honeymoon, and it was fun too - but mostly because it wasn't really a standard cruise... the boat simply sailed overnight to Bermuda and then stayed docked for 4 days. It was more of a floating hotel - we hardly were on the boat except to sleep.
I'm not a radiation-phobe. I was just pointing out that there could be something besides mouth bacteria at play. I didn't see dental x-rays accounted for in the study and that seemed like an obvious one.
They didn't intend to, and failing to control doesn't mean the correlation isn't valid.
I don't take issue with the study authors so much, but with the write up linked in the summary. The study is titled: "Dental Caries and Head and Neck Cancers". The conclusion? "There is an inverse association between HNSCC and dental caries. This study provides insights for future studies to assess potential beneficial effects of lactic acid bacteria and the associated immune response on HNSCC."
That's fine. But then the writeup is titled: "Dental Caries May Protect Against Cancer". Um, what???
IINAD, but I seem to recall a study showing the tradeoff between people with acidic mouths and people with more basic mouths. The acidic mouths are more amenable to tooth decay, but less susceptible to tartar buildup and gum disease. The basic mouths tend to get fewer cavities, but they get more tartar and are more likely to see gum disease. Gum disease is inflammation, and inflammation gets tied to cancer.
On the other hand, they controlled for very little in this study, it would seem. Fluoride, x-rays, frequency of dental visits, etc.
Yes, they would need to account for extra dental care. It's also possible that people with fewer cavities see the dentist MORE often - that is, they take care of their teeth. This would make them more likely to floss, get regular cleanings, have tartar removed, get exposure to fluoride and toothpaste, and have regular x-rays. I'd bet this is an older population getting the cancers, so really we might be controlling for things they were exposed to years ago.
I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake. But I... I do deny them my essence.
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Because the majority of cell phone users in USA are on contracts.
This is technically true, but prepay is making a run in the US. The math has shifted, and it now saves money to buy prepaid. My wife has an old feature phone, so needs very little data. She pays $30/month for 1800 minutes. I have a smartphone, and I get 5GB of data and 100 minutes of talk for $30/month. Yes, I go over on minutes - typically by $10-15 - but it still saves me roughly $40/month compared to what we paid before. We can buy my wife a brand new feature phone every month for that, or a new Android every 4-5 months for me.
Isn't 2%, 22%, and 5% something like 10% overall - the exact amount depending on how you are doing the math? The point is that the Mac decline is not exactly surprising or alarming considering the whole market for PCs is tanking. At some point the declines will level off. Part of the problem is that, excepting games and certain high-performance applications, you can use a very old PC to get your work done. But one day, my 9-year-old desktop and 4-year-old laptop will actually expire and I will probably always keep at least one computer around.
Apples floundering Mac sales
Have you seen the PC market?
When the iPad is selling *Less* that it did a year ago
Well, the retina model had just come out then - repeating 17 million in a quarter was going to be difficult.
Android is dominating on the tablet
Dominating the LOW end, just as they do with phones. Apple is a non-starter in the low end market.
Chrome is growing in the laptop? market
I'd be surprised if there was any profit in a Chromebook - but it has to be better than trying to make a profit on a cheap x86 laptop. I expect Chromebooks to edge out some Windows sales, but I'd be shocked to see them hurt Macbook sales anytime soon.
The kids already can recognize the newest, fanciest one from half a block's distance. This changes nothing.
Why bring the contract into it? It's a $450 phone! Not all of us piss away money on contracts. It might be different if I were running a business from my cell phone and needed Verizon's coverage - but fortunately that's not the case.
Well, the 5s isn't any worse than the 5. And their platform is still pretty nice, even if they don't blow us away every single year. They are too rich for my blood, but there doesn't seem to be a high-performance Android with that form factor. I'm stuck with a cheap Android just to keep the screen size down (and my bank balance up).
It's still $549. That's not exactly cheap, and isn't really any different price-wise than when they simply offered the older model. Not seeing the point.
You haven't heard Siri until you've heard her in 64-bit through your Grados!
The other thing I forgot to mention is senior citizens... I know my grandfather is not very mobile anymore. I mean, he does pretty well for 89, but he's not good for more than 9 holes of golf :)
He likes cruises. He can alternately nap and eat at sea instead of at home. He gets to meet people who don't live in his little senior living development. He gets to see things like calving glaciers and cities that he has no other realistic means to see. He and my grandmother liked to dress up every night for dinner, just like the old days. One was a smaller ship that would pop up the East Coast. That was fun because we could go meet him for the day when he stopped near us. He doesn't really do them anymore, but for a few years there he was really into them.
Fresh Direct? It's NY-Centered, but they do other states now.
You are right. We need someone to put together a list of sites that they can and cannot go to. I suggest putting the Taliban in charge of that.
Both the BBC and NPR have had recent scandals. Someone needs to watch the watchers.
Indeed some of the fatalities were people trying to help others to safely evacuate. Francis Servel died after giving his life vest to his wife, who could not swim. Russel Terence Rebello was a Filipino waiter who stayed onboard to help with the evacuation, but then fell to his death when the list became too severe. Many died inside the ship because they followed the crews' orders to cross the ship as it was capsizing.
What I don't get about this is what's so horribly wrong with a captain abandoning the ship?
He's supposed to be the one organizing the evacuation efforts. He's the one people are reporting the condition of the ship to. He's in charge of the stupid ship. If he leaves, you have a major organizational change on the ship at the worst possible time. He should not go down with the ship, but he should be one of the last ones off.
just one step up from galley slaves.
Most of them seemed to be very young 20-somethings having a bit of life adventure, but they definitely are not paid very well. If you think their pay sucks, you should see the pay of workers at the factory where they made the parts for the computer you are writing on.
It would be smarter in every way to just pick one nice place to have your vacation, and have it there.
Me? Sure. Like I said, I agree. But I know people who have done both and prefer cruises. Some of these people definitely do not match the waste-of-life stereotype that you paint.
In fairness, he did say "easier and safer", not "cheaper".
You really should open your mind. Cruises aren't for me in general, and for most of the reasons you describe. I get bored and I'm not the type to enjoy a tour bus when you could instead be more hands on. That said, people entertain themselves in different ways.
I know one guy who is very hard working, well educated, and owns his own construction business. He is definitely "contributing something of import" to society. But for reasons that escape me, he loves cruises. He loves the 10 days of doing nothing, not worrying about bids or schedules, turning his brain off with alcohol and too much food, and floating in a pool. He loves the stupid air-conditioned bus rides through places he's never been and would otherwise never go. He loves complaining about the service and the price of booze and the rigged casinos. He goes on these stupid things over and over again.
Even I've had fun on one. We had something of a family reunion on one, and it was a blast. But in all fairness, it was my cousins that made it a blast, and we probably would have had fun in Gitmo. And my dad bought us a cruise for our honeymoon, and it was fun too - but mostly because it wasn't really a standard cruise... the boat simply sailed overnight to Bermuda and then stayed docked for 4 days. It was more of a floating hotel - we hardly were on the boat except to sleep.
I'm not a radiation-phobe. I was just pointing out that there could be something besides mouth bacteria at play. I didn't see dental x-rays accounted for in the study and that seemed like an obvious one.
An adult with no dental problems is supposed to get x-rays every 2-3 years.
They didn't intend to, and failing to control doesn't mean the correlation isn't valid.
I don't take issue with the study authors so much, but with the write up linked in the summary. The study is titled: "Dental Caries and Head and Neck Cancers". The conclusion? "There is an inverse association between HNSCC and dental caries. This study provides insights for future studies to assess potential beneficial effects of lactic acid bacteria and the associated immune response on HNSCC."
That's fine. But then the writeup is titled: "Dental Caries May Protect Against Cancer". Um, what???
If I can't read TFA, do you think I can watch an hour-and-a-half video???
LOL, thanks for the link. It will make a nice podcast :)
IINAD, but I seem to recall a study showing the tradeoff between people with acidic mouths and people with more basic mouths. The acidic mouths are more amenable to tooth decay, but less susceptible to tartar buildup and gum disease. The basic mouths tend to get fewer cavities, but they get more tartar and are more likely to see gum disease. Gum disease is inflammation, and inflammation gets tied to cancer.
On the other hand, they controlled for very little in this study, it would seem. Fluoride, x-rays, frequency of dental visits, etc.
Yes, they would need to account for extra dental care. It's also possible that people with fewer cavities see the dentist MORE often - that is, they take care of their teeth. This would make them more likely to floss, get regular cleanings, have tartar removed, get exposure to fluoride and toothpaste, and have regular x-rays. I'd bet this is an older population getting the cancers, so really we might be controlling for things they were exposed to years ago.
I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake. But I... I do deny them my essence.
X-Rays??? LOL. Seriously, people who go to the dentist more often get more of 'em.