i highly doubt that given that the majority of hardware development is fueled by Microsoft (gaming hardware, think Direct3D, which your beloved doesn't seem to support) which pushes cooling technology forward, which pushes case design forward
Right, which is why Microsoft was the first one to adopt USB, Firewire, make DVI (though in the form of an ADC adapter) standard on all machines, make wireless cards standard on laptops (back in 98 or 99 with the clamshell iBooks), kill off legacy interfaces and mediums (parallel and serial ports, floppies). Not to mention other little things, like machines that can instantly wake from sleep and get more than 2 hours of battery life (I'm back in 98 still, mind you). Who was the first company promoting the idea of home DVD creation, back in 2000 when PCs were still lucky to ship with a CD-RW? Who was shipping their machines with widescreen LCDs five years ago, back when you were upgrading from a 15" CRT?
Apple doesn't invent the latest and greatest technology, but they sure as hell as the first to use it when it becomes available. There's other examples, but we don't have 20 pages. You're right though, MS does fuel hardware sales; you need at least 3ghz+ to draw the latest security update pop-ups and wireless connection wizards (meanwhile OS X just joins a network for you, or present you with a nice pull-down menu), in a dazzling fade-in fashion. That was worth the upgrade alone, wasn't it?
Apple doesn't drive anything, Apple competes in mp3 player sales by making itself the "popular fad" for teenagers everywhere
Apple and Sony are perhaps the only two manufactures advocating the idea that a machine can perform well and look good at the same time; they pay intricate detail to design in ways no one else does, which is exemplified by things like the latchless MacBooks, magsafe adapters, backlit keyboards, and a slew of other small features -- which PC laptops will steal within a few months. I guess your memory is short as well, because the first 17" laptop was made by Apple.
So, in short, you're saying that Apple is the reason the computer industry doesn't suck, I'm saying that Apple makes a very very very very small mark,
No, I'm saying Apple is willing to take risks and bless its customers with the latest and greatest innovative ideas while your jaw still drops over the 10lbs Dell laptop for $499. That's your forte; stick with it.
Don't be fooled; I'm a Mac user for OS X -- the pretty products are just an added bonus. And yes, in my opinion OS X is the only OS out right now that doesn't suck in performing in a non-interferring manor and bringing new features to the table that I actually
care about.
then lets move to laptops, Apple currently makes one of the most overpriced laptops on the market, oh wow, it runs OS X, so amazing *yawn* while you can buy the same Core Duo laptop from Sony, Lenovo, HP, etc, for considerably less, have more customizable options (and ZOMG I know that having a silver or blue or green laptop is such crap compared to Apple's AMAZINGLY UNIQUE ability to make AN ALL WHITE computer)
So we've established A) either you hate OS X or have never used it -- thus OS X is not important enough to legitimize the purchase of a Mac and that B) Well thought out design means very little to you and you're happy with a large, clunky HP laptop. Also, feel free to price a machine comparative to Apple's current offerings -- not only in technical specifications, but in weight, battery life, features, and packed in software (iLife, to name one). I doubt you will find a large difference, and this has been proven so many times in the past.
you wanna argue style, lets talk style, Apple has zero customizability, yeah you can "hack your mac" oh wow, that's so amazing, it's the same case and the same layout but it got painted an ew color (AMAZING)
The only stock part in my PowerMac is the case and motherboard. Throughout the years I've upgraded the video card, added a DVD writer, added a TV card, upgraded the CPU, added SATA, and a number of other traditional upgrades. The machine was purchased in 2002 and thanks to its flexibility still performs comparable to some of the last PowerPC units Apple shipped (better in some cases).
My MacBook's hard drive can be very easily swapped by removing a couple screws (the 7200 RPM upgrade seems tempting) and I've already maxed it out at 2gb of RAM. I've taken apart my friend's Mini twice; you know the CPUs in those things are socketed right? The only non-upgrable part in that budget machine is the graphics chip.
i see your point, profit margins through screwing their customers, which might explain why they have so few customers in the first place
Yeah, I feel so screwed -- getting a kick-ass OS that never gives me any problems and cool hardware. The majority of the people shop at Wal-Mart and eat at McDonalds, I suppose that's the lifestyle I should be aiming for in your opinion right? Then I can kick back, watch meaningless sitcoms and FOX news while I scratch my balls and jack off to porn on my $399 Dell Inspirion.
Oh and in case you missed it,
Apple's Macintosh market share soars 16 percent.