This is the area that Apple is getting spanked in. I'm working with a guy right now who loves what he sees on the Mac, is tired of endless PC problems, viruses, breakdowns, and driver issues. He loves the iLife suit of apps. Is excited about the Mac's ease of use. But. He will probably buy that cheapo Compaq bundle at Wal*Mart. Why? It costs $498 and an eMac is $799. For this type of buyer, it's all about price.
Low end PC users are very forgiving of Wintel nightmares when it comes to price. He can pay off the Compaq quicker, it will come with WinXP which "will clear up most of the bugs [he's] running into" (his quote - not mine), and he doesn't have to relearn how to use his computer. The fact that I could argue he's wrong on all points except one is the crux of the matter. It IS cheaper.
I don't know the details of comparison between the two models you referred to above, but for me, you can't put a price on ease of use. I owned PCs from 1994-2000. Then, after reinstalling Win98 for the eigth time that year to clear up a corrupted registry, I bought a Grape iMac DV. It was a night and day experience. That's not to say OS9 didn't have it's issues, but I never had to reinstall the OS just to get a performance increase. Everything worked. I just plugged it in. Any expansions I needed I plugged into my USB ports. I purchased new versions of my favorite web and graphics software (Another aspect that daunts switchers, except that many of the PC users I know don't actually buy their software. They get it for free with the PC or Kazaa - like the guy above). I ran Virtual PC for any stragglers that I couldn't find on the Mac, and I never looked back. I use my computer. I don't worry about viruses. I don't waste hours trouble shooting my iMac. Unlike my experience on a PC.
Apple needs to have a low priced iMac. Period. And the lowend line is due for a refresh, that's true. But the question is, can Apple provide the same quality at a $500 price? Would they? Shouldn't they? I believe they should. They are losing the lowend war. The warehouse store or Wal*Mart mentality doesn't care about class, style, elegance, etc. They care about good enough for a great price. But then, Apple has never targeted Macs at these consumers so they might not see this as a loss...
Coincidentally, I was talking with Griffin today about this very product. Seems that marketing jumped the gun when they announced a December release. They are now talking April release for this useful product, though the tech wouldn't nail down a day for me. According to him, he'd like products to be announced "Available: When it's done!" LOL
Interesting to note that the hold up is the software. He says that they've been using units to listen to radio for some time, but that the software to record isn't available yet.
And in case you were wondering, there is a jack for an external antenna, something I was concerned about because my studio is in the basement and gets lousy reception...
From an update attached at the bottom of the linked article (you DO read the articles, don't you?):
PalmSource Cheif Competitve Officer, Michael Mace, has issued a statement direcct from PalmSource regarding the issue in the article comments, "PalmSource is fortunate to have a great Palm OS developer community who provide solutions for Macintosh compatibility today. Palm OS provides an open and flexible architecture and allows its licensees to decide whether to ship a Mac compatibility solution with their Palm Powered device. (One such solution is provided by Mark/Space.) We are continuing our efforts with Apple to provide compatibility between Palm OS and Macintosh."
This last statement is the most promising. Assuming it isn't empty spin, further support for Palm devices via iSync seems probable (provided the HotSync manager issue is addressed). I can't imagine Apple will let a core part of their iSync hub disappear. But we have only the above to speculate about. Perhaps Apple will make some sort of announcement. Once again, speculation.
Still, I feel Palm's decision is a foolish one. I am a Mac user mostly, and when I hear somebody isn't going to support my platform of choice I get angry - feel betrayed - dread the smug comments from my Windoze using associates.. All in all, I am left uninclined to further support that company. For instance, my Clie 710C is getting long in the tooth. I've been eyeing Tungsten PDA's for a few months and was initially excited about the Cobalt announcement. A part of me wants to look elsewhere now just to spite them. Maybe an iSync compatible cellphone might be my next purchase?
But since I do own a Clie, and already own Missing Sync, I have already gotten used to zero Mac support from the parent company. I trust Mark/Space to fix this problem for future versions of the Palm OS. But other people won't feel the same way. Mac zealots especially. Is it good business to anger even a small percent of your customer base? Shouldn't the "working with Apple" comment have come along with the bad news? Seriously stupid business move, IMO.
That's not exactly correct. I downloaded a Kylie Minogue tune (yes, I know vapid but beautiful Kylie Minogue;) and discovered it was corrupt. I contacted iTMS customer support and they reflagged the song for me to download. No more corrupted file.
I found them very helpful and reasonable to deal with.
However, if Apple folds, my.m4p tunes will still play. I hadn't heard that Napster's.wma files worked that way (although Microsoft's proposed music service will)...
It was "tub girl" for me... Haven't trusted a hyperlink in the comments section since.
My eyes still need scrubbing after all this time. I'm afraid my mind is scarred irreparably.
Exactly, right from the first landing there's been controversy. That's why it's surprising that NASA hasn't mounted a camera just for civilian shots on these probes. You'd think that after 20 odd years they'd be tired of all the hatemail from tinfoil hat wearing paranoids.;)
I wonder why people feel the need for Mars' sky to be blue. It's not Earth. I'd be disappointed if it wasn't another color. It's all that blasted SF I've read. Binary stars with multiple moons hanging in purple shimmering skies... or were those just the comic books I got those ideas from? Dang! They really DID rot my mind! LOL
...doesn't NASA throw the public a bone? This color correction controversy pops up everytime a probe successfully lands on Mars and sends pictures back. One would think that they would have a standard RGB style camera for publicity shots. Chances are they can only afford to put on cameras practical for the mission, but I still believe a better solution could be provided. It probably just wasn't important to them...;) Perhaps next time a camera could be included that features lens that provide scentific data and that can double as a publicist for NASA - spitting out RGB standard images that require no color correction.
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Low end PC users are very forgiving of Wintel nightmares when it comes to price. He can pay off the Compaq quicker, it will come with WinXP which "will clear up most of the bugs [he's] running into" (his quote - not mine), and he doesn't have to relearn how to use his computer. The fact that I could argue he's wrong on all points except one is the crux of the matter. It IS cheaper.
I don't know the details of comparison between the two models you referred to above, but for me, you can't put a price on ease of use. I owned PCs from 1994-2000. Then, after reinstalling Win98 for the eigth time that year to clear up a corrupted registry, I bought a Grape iMac DV. It was a night and day experience. That's not to say OS9 didn't have it's issues, but I never had to reinstall the OS just to get a performance increase. Everything worked. I just plugged it in. Any expansions I needed I plugged into my USB ports. I purchased new versions of my favorite web and graphics software (Another aspect that daunts switchers, except that many of the PC users I know don't actually buy their software. They get it for free with the PC or Kazaa - like the guy above). I ran Virtual PC for any stragglers that I couldn't find on the Mac, and I never looked back. I use my computer. I don't worry about viruses. I don't waste hours trouble shooting my iMac. Unlike my experience on a PC.
Apple needs to have a low priced iMac. Period. And the lowend line is due for a refresh, that's true. But the question is, can Apple provide the same quality at a $500 price? Would they? Shouldn't they? I believe they should. They are losing the lowend war. The warehouse store or Wal*Mart mentality doesn't care about class, style, elegance, etc. They care about good enough for a great price. But then, Apple has never targeted Macs at these consumers so they might not see this as a loss...
Interesting to note that the hold up is the software. He says that they've been using units to listen to radio for some time, but that the software to record isn't available yet.
And in case you were wondering, there is a jack for an external antenna, something I was concerned about because my studio is in the basement and gets lousy reception...
PalmSource Cheif Competitve Officer, Michael Mace, has issued a statement direcct from PalmSource regarding the issue in the article comments, "PalmSource is fortunate to have a great Palm OS developer community who provide solutions for Macintosh compatibility today. Palm OS provides an open and flexible architecture and allows its licensees to decide whether to ship a Mac compatibility solution with their Palm Powered device. (One such solution is provided by Mark/Space.) We are continuing our efforts with Apple to provide compatibility between Palm OS and Macintosh."
This last statement is the most promising. Assuming it isn't empty spin, further support for Palm devices via iSync seems probable (provided the HotSync manager issue is addressed). I can't imagine Apple will let a core part of their iSync hub disappear. But we have only the above to speculate about. Perhaps Apple will make some sort of announcement. Once again, speculation.
Still, I feel Palm's decision is a foolish one. I am a Mac user mostly, and when I hear somebody isn't going to support my platform of choice I get angry - feel betrayed - dread the smug comments from my Windoze using associates.. All in all, I am left uninclined to further support that company. For instance, my Clie 710C is getting long in the tooth. I've been eyeing Tungsten PDA's for a few months and was initially excited about the Cobalt announcement. A part of me wants to look elsewhere now just to spite them. Maybe an iSync compatible cellphone might be my next purchase?
But since I do own a Clie, and already own Missing Sync, I have already gotten used to zero Mac support from the parent company. I trust Mark/Space to fix this problem for future versions of the Palm OS. But other people won't feel the same way. Mac zealots especially. Is it good business to anger even a small percent of your customer base? Shouldn't the "working with Apple" comment have come along with the bad news? Seriously stupid business move, IMO.
~Doug!as
That's not exactly correct. I downloaded a Kylie Minogue tune (yes, I know vapid but beautiful Kylie Minogue ;) and discovered it was corrupt. I contacted iTMS customer support and they reflagged the song for me to download. No more corrupted file.
I found them very helpful and reasonable to deal with.
However, if Apple folds, my .m4p tunes will still play. I hadn't heard that Napster's .wma files worked that way (although Microsoft's proposed music service will)...
It was "tub girl" for me... Haven't trusted a hyperlink in the comments section since. My eyes still need scrubbing after all this time. I'm afraid my mind is scarred irreparably.
Exactly, right from the first landing there's been controversy. That's why it's surprising that NASA hasn't mounted a camera just for civilian shots on these probes. You'd think that after 20 odd years they'd be tired of all the hatemail from tinfoil hat wearing paranoids. ;)
I wonder why people feel the need for Mars' sky to be blue. It's not Earth. I'd be disappointed if it wasn't another color. It's all that blasted SF I've read. Binary stars with multiple moons hanging in purple shimmering skies... or were those just the comic books I got those ideas from? Dang! They really DID rot my mind! LOL
...doesn't NASA throw the public a bone? This color correction controversy pops up everytime a probe successfully lands on Mars and sends pictures back. One would think that they would have a standard RGB style camera for publicity shots. Chances are they can only afford to put on cameras practical for the mission, but I still believe a better solution could be provided. It probably just wasn't important to them... ;) Perhaps next time a camera could be included that features lens that provide scentific data and that can double as a publicist for NASA - spitting out RGB standard images that require no color correction.