I just don't see how Apple is having millions of downloads and sales every month from software that isn't on _that_ many computers.
Just maybe there are a larger percentage of Macs in use (than Wintels) as personal computers than the surveys suggest. I've always wondered how often they count the Dells at the DMV and the point-of-sales systems at the grocery store as "personal computers."
I'd bet that almost half of the so-called 'personal computers' they count in those surveys aren't personal at all, but rather machines in uses that don't/can't allow personal use.
Then they closed everything up and tried to go proprietary. Apple to me was always the underdog but their openness really gave them a chance to make it. But as soon as they achieved a substantive degree of success, the company got greedy and tried to monopolize the market. IBM stole their thunder by copying their open architecture design and having more resources. Apple got too greedy, too early and it cost them.
There is only one way to convince them change their business model so that it supports us and not just their stockholders, and thats to nearly drive them into the ground and let smaller indie companies back in the fray.
So, you declare yourself to be lord over media product, and if some company gets too big by your estimation, then you'll release a free copy of their product to the masses "just to show them who's boss"???
Why should their business model "support us"? Businesses exist to make money, most of which they give to their employees, who then spend the money with other businesses. Studios aren't there to "support us". Without the money loaned to the company by stockholders, the company (and therefore the product) don't exist at all.
Why they would say "yeah, we'll give support to this child in new york, or this parent in washington state, but forget those floridian college students"?
You can thank Florida for that. Their regulations on extended warrantees are so ridiculous that most companies won't even bother to do extended warrantee business in the state.
Re:Another recent review
on
Neuros Review
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· Score: 1
I meant in the sense that is has USB 2, and upcoming ogg support. iTunes doesn't officially support ogg, and no current macs ship with USB2.
The new iPods include USB2. We're talking about iPods, right?
The ipod is aimed at mac users, while this guy would be more aimed at linux and windows users.
The iPod is aimed at Mac and Windows users. That's one of the reasons why it's been so successful.
Re:Another recent review
on
Neuros Review
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· Score: 1
Does it really need to match up to the iPod? Isn't this guy aimed at a different crowd?
I'm an iTunes user, and I say its music sharing is crippled. I don't care what apple's intentions are, if I can no longer use a tool for the purpose I keep it around for, then it's crippled, at least from a semantic standpoint.
Why do you feel the need to carry 100 half-days worth of music?
Because another "Type-R" with a bigger wing might pull up next to him in the 'hood, and he'll need to be able to play just the right smack-down tune for the situation.
This Apple thing is a great concept, lets charge people a buck a song and then restrict how they use it. This should make them loads of cash since they have a lock on the market
Oh, I feel so restricted.
Why, I can only:
Burn as many CDs as I could ever want.
Put the music on as many iPods as I could ever afford.
Stream mp3s to any/all Macs on my LAN.
Stream iTMS-bought ACCs to up to 3 other Macs on my LAN
Register and unregister Macs as I see fit.
Backup purchased ACCs to DVD or anywhere else, as I see fit.
Even though Microsoft is often seen as the Great Satan here on slashdot, they are one of the most giving charitable organizations in the world.
I decided to give 0.001% of my net worth to charity once, but they didn't accept pennies.
It literally isn't costing Bill anything to buy your admiration here. So he goes out back and shovels a load of thousand dollar bills into a wheelbarrow and gives them to charity in a box with his return address on it. Call me when he gives until it at least itches, ok.
Has covered buttons so that I don't accidentally dial when I sit down.
Has decent battery life.
What I don't need/want:
Games. I've got a pack of cards that works without batteries.
A camera. I've got a camera with a real lens.
A PDA. Once again, more wasted battery power.
I just want a friggin' phone that works.
Re:Wrong solution to the wrong problem
on
Open Source Music
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· Score: 2, Insightful
You seem to have forgotten live performances.
No, I haven't. I'm in the concert production business. I know where the money goes, and how much. The vast majority of musical artists, in their zeal to 'put on the show of a lifetime', spend nearly all that they bring in at the gate on the production aspects (lighting, sound, video, pyro, labor, transportation) of the show. (Yes, I know the money winds it's way through promoters, agents, etc, but in short that's what happens.)
If they are very lucky, enough tickets will sell to cover expenses. Many times it doesn't happen.
Re:Wrong solution to the wrong problem
on
Open Source Music
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· Score: 5, Insightful
The problem with Napster is that some musicians want to be rich. They want the big break. They want to be famous. So they sell their soul to the "Big Labels." The Devil is the Devil.
The problem with Napster is that some musicians want to eat. They want to pay bills. They want to stop flipping burgers. So they sell their soul for a loan against future earnings to the "Big Labels." The Devil is the Devil, but the musicians are just trying to get by.
Payment for their songs is the only way they have to pay off those loans.
I've never really needed the original source for the music I reproduce, as I can play quite well by ear. I can reverse-engineer pretty much anything I hear on the radio or elsewhere.
Aside from that, there is more than enough open-source music available for everyone's use, for free: Circle of fifths, A-minor scale, 1-4-5 blues chord progressions, things like that.
(I'll admit that some of Frank Zappa's stuff is pretty heavily encrypted, but his family's been nice about not waving the DMCA at us.)
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I'd bet that almost half of the so-called 'personal computers' they count in those surveys aren't personal at all, but rather machines in uses that don't/can't allow personal use.
Why should their business model "support us"? Businesses exist to make money, most of which they give to their employees, who then spend the money with other businesses. Studios aren't there to "support us". Without the money loaned to the company by stockholders, the company (and therefore the product) don't exist at all.
So, how are you helping again?
Look for the 'Universal Access' module in the Preferences.
Maybe I could have done a better job of making my point.
How does anyone of the caliber required for MIT even get this far without having done this before?
(It's a joke. Laugh.)
Oh. Wait...
Why, I can only:
- Burn as many CDs as I could ever want.
- Put the music on as many iPods as I could ever afford.
- Stream mp3s to any/all Macs on my LAN.
- Stream iTMS-bought ACCs to up to 3 other Macs on my LAN
- Register and unregister Macs as I see fit.
- Backup purchased ACCs to DVD or anywhere else, as I see fit.
Help. Help. I'm being oppressed.It literally isn't costing Bill anything to buy your admiration here. So he goes out back and shovels a load of thousand dollar bills into a wheelbarrow and gives them to charity in a box with his return address on it. Call me when he gives until it at least itches, ok.
I'm still waiting for a phone that:
- Uses a properly designed antenna.
- Still works after it's dropped.
- Has covered buttons so that I don't accidentally dial when I sit down.
- Has decent battery life.
What I don't need/want:- Games. I've got a pack of cards that works without batteries.
- A camera. I've got a camera with a real lens.
- A PDA. Once again, more wasted battery power.
I just want a friggin' phone that works.If they are very lucky, enough tickets will sell to cover expenses. Many times it doesn't happen.
Payment for their songs is the only way they have to pay off those loans.
Aside from that, there is more than enough open-source music available for everyone's use, for free: Circle of fifths, A-minor scale, 1-4-5 blues chord progressions, things like that.
(I'll admit that some of Frank Zappa's stuff is pretty heavily encrypted, but his family's been nice about not waving the DMCA at us.)
There are an infinite number of things we could have done. Why live in hindsight now?
Links to the Developers, Developers, Developers Steve Ballmer dance video.
Accountants!
Accountants!