Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dr Millmoss 
Sure Microsoft is persistent, but then so is a zombie. Microsoft isn't quite a zombie company, but the point is, persistence and actual life are not necessarily the same thing. News alert: Apple has been steadily gaining market share on Windows over the last several years, so indeed they did take advantage of Microsoft's stumbles, more than anyone had seriously predicted they could. They even made fun of Microsoft's Vista troubles in their ads, for one thing. How could they have done better? By alienating everyone who they might get as future customers, perhaps? Further, the numbers suggest that they are continuing to gain market share against Windows, with or without Win7. The game is only just afoot, hardly over.
Recently Apple's marketshare has begun to slip/
http://www.neowin.net/news/market-sh...ome-up-ie-down
I think they could have done more during the Vista time frame by updating a little more frequently for example. I thought the switch to Intel would end the drought for more current hardware. Even now look how outdated many Mac models are in terms of CPU's and especially GPU's. They could also be a little more price competitive. I mean $799 for a 2.53 Ghz Mac Mini when you can buy a Core i7 PC for about the same price. Go back to $499 for the entry level Mini like it used to be. I am not talking about radical price cuts, but Apple could certainly reduce the prices on many models and still make a killing. They seem more interested in profit margins than expanding the user base. That has always been the case, so no big surprise there.
IF they don't want to reduce prices, at least give us more current hardware. When you buy a $5,900 Mac Pro you should be able to get something faster than an ATI 4870 which was just a mid range card when it was new, now it is a dinosaur. Apple really needs to do a better job working with Nvidia and ATI to offer their top of the line cards sooner. The 4850 in the iMac is also a joke. Apple leaves many models stagnant for far too long. I would like to see more frequent minor updates to address these shortcomings. At least bump up the ram, or HD size or God forbid faster CPU's for example when a product is getting long in the tooth.
I also think it is high time to end their ad campaign with that smug actor representing Apple. The PC guy (John Hodgman?) comes across as far more likable, at least to me. It served it's purpose for a while, but I think it is time for a brand new campaign. I think the iPhone/iPod commercials are far more effective than the Mac commercials for example.
I also think that Snow Leopard over all is pretty underwhelming. Yes, I appreciate all the under the hood fixes and advancements, but it seems like they could have thrown in a few more goodies to the GUI as well. The fact that they are selling it at only $29 proves that even Apple thinks this was a pretty minor update. I hope 10.7 really gives us a major overhaul. OS X itself is beginning to look a little dated in many respects and has not really changed a lot since 10.4.