So this is an example of the free market promoting the best brightest to their lofty perches. No wonder the golden parachute is a must have for any CEO. It seems ass-clown failure is a given for 99% of them.
A year back I needed a small, light computer that could be part of my carry on when I flew (no checked luggage) and my MacBook Pro didn't fit the bill.
The MacBook Air was just too expensive for me, so I checked reviews of netbooks. They were all underpowered, cramped keyboards, choked when running a few apps, etc.
Then I found reviews for the Acer Timeline 1810TZ (trips right off the tongue, doesn't it?). It's an ultraportable with 12 inch screen, full-size keyboard, dual core 1.3Gh, etc.
Now, it doesn't hold a candle to my MacBook Pro or the MacBook Air I've tried out in the Apple store. But for my travel needs it's "good enough," just as Windows 7 is "good enough." It always works, the OS never crashes, and I'm able to get my work done. The red one I have also looks kinda cute for a PC.
Now every other Acer I've ever seen looks like crap and is way under-specced, but I think they got it right with this one.
Whether they can compete in the tablet space against the iPad which is already aggressively priced is a whole other question.
A virus injects its genetic material into a host cell. And then lets the poor infected cell do its manufacturing. The cell does not realise it is just making copies of the alien virus. The virus gets its duplication done for free.
This is *exactly* what Microsoft and Android's business model is. They inject their Software DNA into a hardware manufacturer, and let them do the duplication for free. The manufacturers are stupid enough to think that they are making products, when what they are in fact doing is investing all their efforts in another companies business model.
In the case of Windows, the manufacturers PAY Microsoft for the priveledge to do this.
What happens next is tragic. These manufacturers churn out devices that are virtually indistinguishable. They are genuinely clones because they all share the same software DNA. The market is swamped with identical commodity products.
The only way to compete is to lower price. And margins are slashed.
When a virus infects a cell, it ends badly. Ultimately, the cell bursts when it overwhelmed by all the virus copies it makes. It explodes.
We are seeing the same thing happening in technology. Companies falling over themselves to make the most devices, while year on year their profit per device gets less and less. Until...
Google: Apple officially allowed us to make more money from their platform. How good they are!
Intel: Apple didn?t give us chance to make some money on TV market. Bad Apple! Good thing we have Google.
Acer: Year ago we were selling tons of cheap plastic abominations called netbooks. Now Apple came and spoiled all the fun. How nasty of them! Should find some knock-off tablet and make cheap plastic clones of it?
A virus injects its genetic material into a host cell. And then lets the poor infected cell do its manufacturing. The cell does not realise it is just making copies of the alien virus. The virus gets its duplication done for free.
This is *exactly* what Microsoft and Android's business model is. They inject their Software DNA into a hardware manufacturer, and let them do the duplication for free. The manufacturers are stupid enough to think that they are making products, when what they are in fact doing is investing all their efforts in another companies business model.
In the case of Windows, the manufacturers PAY Microsoft for the priveledge to do this.
What happens next is tragic. These manufacturers churn out devices that are virtually indistinguishable. They are genuinely clones because they all share the same software DNA. The market is swamped with identical commodity products.
The only way to compete is to lower price. And margins are slashed.
When a virus infects a cell, it ends badly. Ultimately, the cell bursts when it overwhelmed by all the virus copies it makes. It explodes.
We are seeing the same thing happening in technology. Companies falling over themselves to make the most devices, while year on year their profit per device gets less and less. Until...
"Open" makes sense for certain products (look at the awesome PHP, MySQL and Apache products), but not for others. In this cased, "closed" avoids crappy software and hundreds of branches. That's why Linux never will become an OS for the mass (even being great server OSes)
"Open" makes sense for certain products (look at the awesome PHP, MySQL and Apache products), but not for others. In this cased, "closed" avoids crappy software and hundreds of branches. That's why Linux never will become an OS for the mass (even being great server OSes)
Normal people couldn't care less about "open" or "closed". Only geeks who buy Acer products care about that. Real people just care about products that work.
get to work designing, developing something NEW & Exciting, that works, is fun to use, doesn't crash, is fun to use, makes you cool, looks great, is priced right for what you get, is fun to use and have, and you to can be an Apple.
I'm always pissed (if only for a short time), when the competition gets a jump on me, or gets to a big client before me, but instead of being pissed (for a long time), I jump ahead of them and try to land the next big fish.
If you are always riding some ones shirt tails, you will always be behind, and pissed off.
It's time for these folks, to start working on the next big thing (hey, think 5 or more years down the road, and come out with it next year).
Hey, if you can't beat 'em, then either join them or come out with accessories for all of their great products, it's a way to make a good living.
I love how everyone has latched onto this "open" policy and how they all think it represents their strategy. The only truly open strategy is where you build your own machine from scratch and install Linux on it.
As soon as you buy a machine with Windows on it, it's not open. As soon as you buy any branded hardware, it's not open because it will have some proprietary components inside that you have to replace from a limited source when it breaks.
This depends on what you mean by "from scratch". Nearly every part you buy, except maybe transistors and passives, and some small chips are going to have features that are proprietary. However, in the desktop realm, you can have open, where you plug in your choice OS with your choice power supply, case, your choice main board, add-in card, lots of interchangeable parts. You don't need to worry about replacing a Nat Semi chip when you just replace the board. The thing that vexed me when people say they "built" their own computer is that they didn't do much other than assemble a handful of prefabbed parts, it's like building your own trailer home, it's more like you installed it yourself, no soldering, hammering or nailing involved.
That said, most people don't do this. Some businesses do this, but what most really do is buy a truckload of computers, if a part happens to fail, the computer department can cannibalize a spare computer for that part, so open doesn't come into it.
My initial reaction is that you'd have to be insane to think that the iPad's market share will drop to 20-30 percent. What, exactly, does he think is going to supplant it?
Android Tablets.
WebOS Tablets.
Windows Tablets.
Symbian Tablets.
Nook.
Kindle.
New Stuff.
Apple will be lucky to get 20%. How's the phone percentage doing these days?
Acer is I believe a Tawainese company and is jealous of Apple's progress and better construction and concepts than Acer has. Their construction with their laptops is mediocre. Financially Apple puts them in the dust.
We are seeing the same thing happening in technology. Companies falling over themselves to make the most devices, while year on year their profit per device gets less and less. Until...
Tell you what. You found and build a multi-billion dollar international manufacturing firm like Dell or Acer, and then you'll be in a position to criticize their management.
Until then, you are as silly as those folks who tell Steve how to run his company.
Comments
The MacBook Air was just too expensive for me, so I checked reviews of netbooks. They were all underpowered, cramped keyboards, choked when running a few apps, etc.
Then I found reviews for the Acer Timeline 1810TZ (trips right off the tongue, doesn't it?). It's an ultraportable with 12 inch screen, full-size keyboard, dual core 1.3Gh, etc.
Now, it doesn't hold a candle to my MacBook Pro or the MacBook Air I've tried out in the Apple store. But for my travel needs it's "good enough," just as Windows 7 is "good enough." It always works, the OS never crashes, and I'm able to get my work done. The red one I have also looks kinda cute for a PC.
Now every other Acer I've ever seen looks like crap and is way under-specced, but I think they got it right with this one.
Whether they can compete in the tablet space against the iPad which is already aggressively priced is a whole other question.
A virus injects its genetic material into a host cell. And then lets the poor infected cell do its manufacturing. The cell does not realise it is just making copies of the alien virus. The virus gets its duplication done for free.
This is *exactly* what Microsoft and Android's business model is. They inject their Software DNA into a hardware manufacturer, and let them do the duplication for free. The manufacturers are stupid enough to think that they are making products, when what they are in fact doing is investing all their efforts in another companies business model.
In the case of Windows, the manufacturers PAY Microsoft for the priveledge to do this.
What happens next is tragic. These manufacturers churn out devices that are virtually indistinguishable. They are genuinely clones because they all share the same software DNA. The market is swamped with identical commodity products.
The only way to compete is to lower price. And margins are slashed.
When a virus infects a cell, it ends badly. Ultimately, the cell bursts when it overwhelmed by all the virus copies it makes. It explodes.
We are seeing the same thing happening in technology. Companies falling over themselves to make the most devices, while year on year their profit per device gets less and less. Until...
pop.
C.
Google: Apple officially allowed us to make more money from their platform. How good they are!
Intel: Apple didn?t give us chance to make some money on TV market. Bad Apple! Good thing we have Google.
Acer: Year ago we were selling tons of cheap plastic abominations called netbooks. Now Apple came and spoiled all the fun. How nasty of them! Should find some knock-off tablet and make cheap plastic clones of it?
Adobe: We still can milk Flash cash cow!
This is what they really are saying.
Best post of the week.
So lets think a moment about the virus thing....
A virus injects its genetic material into a host cell. And then lets the poor infected cell do its manufacturing. The cell does not realise it is just making copies of the alien virus. The virus gets its duplication done for free.
This is *exactly* what Microsoft and Android's business model is. They inject their Software DNA into a hardware manufacturer, and let them do the duplication for free. The manufacturers are stupid enough to think that they are making products, when what they are in fact doing is investing all their efforts in another companies business model.
In the case of Windows, the manufacturers PAY Microsoft for the priveledge to do this.
What happens next is tragic. These manufacturers churn out devices that are virtually indistinguishable. They are genuinely clones because they all share the same software DNA. The market is swamped with identical commodity products.
The only way to compete is to lower price. And margins are slashed.
When a virus infects a cell, it ends badly. Ultimately, the cell bursts when it overwhelmed by all the virus copies it makes. It explodes.
We are seeing the same thing happening in technology. Companies falling over themselves to make the most devices, while year on year their profit per device gets less and less. Until...
pop.
C.
Morons always believe that. They're always wrong.
Amen!
"Open" makes sense for certain products (look at the awesome PHP, MySQL and Apache products), but not for others. In this cased, "closed" avoids crappy software and hundreds of branches. That's why Linux never will become an OS for the mass (even being great server OSes)
Acer = Shitbox-maker. Naturally, Apple spoiled their fun with superior products.
Love it!
Amen!
"Open" makes sense for certain products (look at the awesome PHP, MySQL and Apache products), but not for others. In this cased, "closed" avoids crappy software and hundreds of branches. That's why Linux never will become an OS for the mass (even being great server OSes)
Don't you mean massii? or is it massi?
Normal people couldn't care less about "open" or "closed". Only geeks who buy Acer products care about that. Real people just care about products that work.
Cheers
I'm always pissed (if only for a short time), when the competition gets a jump on me, or gets to a big client before me, but instead of being pissed (for a long time), I jump ahead of them and try to land the next big fish.
If you are always riding some ones shirt tails, you will always be behind, and pissed off.
It's time for these folks, to start working on the next big thing (hey, think 5 or more years down the road, and come out with it next year).
Hey, if you can't beat 'em, then either join them or come out with accessories for all of their great products, it's a way to make a good living.
Skip
I love how everyone has latched onto this "open" policy and how they all think it represents their strategy. The only truly open strategy is where you build your own machine from scratch and install Linux on it.
As soon as you buy a machine with Windows on it, it's not open. As soon as you buy any branded hardware, it's not open because it will have some proprietary components inside that you have to replace from a limited source when it breaks.
This depends on what you mean by "from scratch". Nearly every part you buy, except maybe transistors and passives, and some small chips are going to have features that are proprietary. However, in the desktop realm, you can have open, where you plug in your choice OS with your choice power supply, case, your choice main board, add-in card, lots of interchangeable parts. You don't need to worry about replacing a Nat Semi chip when you just replace the board. The thing that vexed me when people say they "built" their own computer is that they didn't do much other than assemble a handful of prefabbed parts, it's like building your own trailer home, it's more like you installed it yourself, no soldering, hammering or nailing involved.
That said, most people don't do this. Some businesses do this, but what most really do is buy a truckload of computers, if a part happens to fail, the computer department can cannibalize a spare computer for that part, so open doesn't come into it.
My initial reaction is that you'd have to be insane to think that the iPad's market share will drop to 20-30 percent. What, exactly, does he think is going to supplant it?
Android Tablets.
WebOS Tablets.
Windows Tablets.
Symbian Tablets.
Nook.
Kindle.
New Stuff.
Apple will be lucky to get 20%. How's the phone percentage doing these days?
How about usability?
Yes, everyone wants that. And capability is a subset of usability. Apple seems to sacrifice capability for simplicity.
It matters not how simple it is if its capabilities are eliminated.
My Acer has a virus. A serious one too
Clean it out. Shouldn't take much more than 10 minutes.
Which crappy AV software do you use? You likely want to switch to something that works better.
And stop downloading crap from dodgy sources.
Most people never get a virus from year to year. It is a matter of common sense and hygiene.
The ultimate simplicity is to have complete access to your media from any of your devices]
That is one of my biggest reservations about iOS devices: They have lousy codec support and as a result, I have no access to my media from them.
This ruins any simplicity advantages.
If he was quoted accurately, the Acer guy deserves a comedy writing award.
Where in any market they've ever attempted to engage in has Apple garnered a majority market share?
I guess "the Acer guy" just doesn't have the insight you do. The readers here look forward to learning of these majority markets Apple dominates.
We are seeing the same thing happening in technology. Companies falling over themselves to make the most devices, while year on year their profit per device gets less and less. Until...
Tell you what. You found and build a multi-billion dollar international manufacturing firm like Dell or Acer, and then you'll be in a position to criticize their management.
Until then, you are as silly as those folks who tell Steve how to run his company.