That is a good point. I forgot about Apple struggling with that issue. Apple, however, could have went another route, but was probably smart not to do so. Namely, PA Semi's initial claim to fame was designing fast RISC (Power PC is a brand name for the same architecture) that used low power. Very similar to what Apple using former PA Semi employees is doing with an ARM design now. Apple could have used PA Semi's chips and stayed on the same architecture. Apple probably didn't want to wait that long and saw that the real value in a Mac is the hardware design and OS.
I almost agree going to Intel was the best thing Apple did. I think Apple buying Next along with Jobs coming back was the best thing Apple did. The Next OS ran on a variety of architectures including Intel and Power PC. Apple was smart to secretly keep developing the OS for both. That made it easier for it to jump ship in what seemed a flawless fashion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmmx
Another really big problem was that IBM could not come up with a G5 model that would keep down the power-consumption/heat for the laptops. To my mind, that was the PPC killer.
In the end, it was one of the best things Apple ever did, since it gave them easy co-habitation with Windows (boot-camp, virtualization) for the skeptical switchers.
BTW - there is one thing that Apple never gets credit for. They have pulled off something that is unparalleled in computer history. They have totally reinvented their OS not once - but three times - and in each case virtually without a hitch. To whit:
1- Moto 68xxx -> PPC
2- Mac OS -> OSX
3- PPC -> Intel
Because they all went off virtually flawlessly, no one gives them credit for what is an absolutely extraordinary task. In fact, this is one of the reasons for their success - their willingness and ability to reinvent if the situation calls for it.
I thought I was very clever and ordered a quad core 1080p Dell studio 15 last year - only after I started using it did I realize that the darn thing runs so hot it should not be classified as a laptop and the battery lasts maybe 1 hour. I think I am done with the HPs and dells and will stick to Apple for now as they seem to make good tradeoffs for the customer.
This is why everybody's legal department wants us to stop using the word "laptop". Too many people were actually using them on their laps and burning permanent marks into their thighs. We're supposed to call them "notebooks" now?and if we use them in our laps it's our lookout!
I forgot about how IBM was struggling to bring home the power consumption bacon at the time. Good point.
I agree that on the PC front Mhz was everything, but Apple then as today, didn't want it to be that way. Mhz didn't fairly reflect the performance of the Power PC chips in comparison to Pentium chips. Apple, as the underdog, didn't have a choice to try and compete with its competitors advertising over all specifications. Going to Intel solved that problem and as you point brought cost down.
The difference today is Apple is in the drivers seat. The competition will want to play the old game of Mhz because it can beat Apple on numbers, but not necessarily on performance. By not publishing specs, Apple is trying to prevent the competitors from getting the upper hand where if given their way they'd advertise they have more powerful tablets based on specs alone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
That is all true, but there were other factors, as well:
- Energy consumption. IBM never released a G5 chip that could reasonably be used in a portable. That time frame was when portables were getting to be powerful enough that many people used them as their primary computer, so this failure was important. . . . .
Note that I"m disagreeing with your last paragraph. While I agree with you that on CONSUMER devices (like xBox, Wii, iPad, etc), specs aren't that important and consumers care most about the results, we're talking about computers when discussing Apple's PPC-Intel transition. At the time (and to a lesser degree, even today), MHz was everything - and it was one of the main selling features for computers. . . .
- Chipsets. Apple had to design its own chipsets whereas they can now use standard chipsets. Not only does that save money, but it allows them to incorporate new features more easily.
Very important point. There's a tendency to assume "young people" are tech gurus (a flattering characterization they're happy to accept), but my experience is that they can learn how to use the tech that interests them very rapidly but have little curiosity to explore the surrounding systems.
So, yeah, no trouble Skyping or texting or mastering Facebook or tweeting or adopting whatever location aware app is making the rounds, in record time. But older people seem to confuse setting up a profile with "programming" and go from there to imagining that these phone happy children are capable of hacking into the Pentagon or field stripping their hardware, if so moved. They can certainly learn arcane strings of commands to get what they want, if necessary, but what they want is to do the handful of things that their social circumstance deems necessary.
I'm glad you mentioned the social aspect. I completely agree and had initially typed something similar down. However, it didn't make the final post as I wasn't prepared to justify a blanket generalization... no matter how obvious it should be to anyone who interacts with youth.
I also find your take on the misconceptions of setting up a profile as being equivalent to programming very insightful.
Have you even taken a look at the tech specs of the Playbook? They obviously exceed the iPad 2.
Speaking for myself, no, I haven't taken a look at the tech spex of the {insert favorite non-iPad tablet here} as they really don't mean a thing. I want something that's responsive, sharp, works, has a decent battery life, and has a place where I can browse apps for my device. Apple's iPad (1 and 2) fills that bill quite nicely. Trying to decypher the "spex" of all the tablet brands simply isn't worth it as these "spex" don't tell the whole story.
Have you been in the market for a refrigerator and looked at spex? How many ice cubes it makes in an hour? How many eggs will fit in the egg rack? How many watt-hours does it use? How fast is the condenser? How big is the water filter? Does a GE have spex that obviously exceed those of an LG? Go on, answer that.
Shit, why should you have to move your eyes down to your device (or worse, get your device out and hold it where you can see it) to know what the temperature is? I demand the weather updates be beamed into my fucking head! Now! NOW!
[Humor on]
Okay, use your head: First, stick your head out the window and take a look around. Is it sunny, cloudy, raining? Second, wet your finger and stick it in the air to see where the wind is coming from. Next, find your arthritic grandfather and ask him whether he's got any joint pain (from air pressure changes).
Are people still calling up asking where the "ennie" key is?
Want to kid around with someone? Pick a number at random out of the phone book, call it, and when they answer, tell them you're with the phone company. You're doing so delicate work on the wires down the street and they should not answer their phone for the next five minutes. Not under any circumstances should they answer their phone, even with an answering machine. Tell them if they answer you might get electrocuted.
Hang up, then immediately call them back. Let the phone ring and ring and ring. They'll finally be unable to listen to their phone ringing. They'll answer it. The second you hear them them pick up the receiver, scream as loud as you can and hang up in mid-scream.
I am very happy with Apple. I either buy or don't buy their products based on what they are designed to do, not on what I wish they would do. If you need a computer (laptop, desktop or whatever) buy a computer. Don't expect any mobile OS device (iPad, Xoom etc.) to have the memory or capability to do the tasks, jobs to fully replace your computer.
Dare I say it: That's being realistic about the whole process of evaluating your tools based on your needs. I personally don't see where I'll be opening huge PDF files on my iPad.
Comments
I almost agree going to Intel was the best thing Apple did. I think Apple buying Next along with Jobs coming back was the best thing Apple did. The Next OS ran on a variety of architectures including Intel and Power PC. Apple was smart to secretly keep developing the OS for both. That made it easier for it to jump ship in what seemed a flawless fashion.
Another really big problem was that IBM could not come up with a G5 model that would keep down the power-consumption/heat for the laptops. To my mind, that was the PPC killer.
In the end, it was one of the best things Apple ever did, since it gave them easy co-habitation with Windows (boot-camp, virtualization) for the skeptical switchers.
BTW - there is one thing that Apple never gets credit for. They have pulled off something that is unparalleled in computer history. They have totally reinvented their OS not once - but three times - and in each case virtually without a hitch. To whit:
1- Moto 68xxx -> PPC
2- Mac OS -> OSX
3- PPC -> Intel
Because they all went off virtually flawlessly, no one gives them credit for what is an absolutely extraordinary task. In fact, this is one of the reasons for their success - their willingness and ability to reinvent if the situation calls for it.
(imho)
You can put a highly specd suspension in a car and make it top-heavy and it's handling will be poor despite the suspension.
Likewise a tablet with just individual parts thrown in together will not outperform one that is put together well.
The ad is brilliant as it emphasizes that it's not about the technology, but what you can do with it without having to think about it
I thought I was very clever and ordered a quad core 1080p Dell studio 15 last year - only after I started using it did I realize that the darn thing runs so hot it should not be classified as a laptop and the battery lasts maybe 1 hour. I think I am done with the HPs and dells and will stick to Apple for now as they seem to make good tradeoffs for the customer.
This is why everybody's legal department wants us to stop using the word "laptop". Too many people were actually using them on their laps and burning permanent marks into their thighs. We're supposed to call them "notebooks" now?and if we use them in our laps it's our lookout!
I agree that on the PC front Mhz was everything, but Apple then as today, didn't want it to be that way. Mhz didn't fairly reflect the performance of the Power PC chips in comparison to Pentium chips. Apple, as the underdog, didn't have a choice to try and compete with its competitors advertising over all specifications. Going to Intel solved that problem and as you point brought cost down.
The difference today is Apple is in the drivers seat. The competition will want to play the old game of Mhz because it can beat Apple on numbers, but not necessarily on performance. By not publishing specs, Apple is trying to prevent the competitors from getting the upper hand where if given their way they'd advertise they have more powerful tablets based on specs alone.
That is all true, but there were other factors, as well:
- Energy consumption. IBM never released a G5 chip that could reasonably be used in a portable. That time frame was when portables were getting to be powerful enough that many people used them as their primary computer, so this failure was important. . . . .
Note that I"m disagreeing with your last paragraph. While I agree with you that on CONSUMER devices (like xBox, Wii, iPad, etc), specs aren't that important and consumers care most about the results, we're talking about computers when discussing Apple's PPC-Intel transition. At the time (and to a lesser degree, even today), MHz was everything - and it was one of the main selling features for computers. . . .
- Chipsets. Apple had to design its own chipsets whereas they can now use standard chipsets. Not only does that save money, but it allows them to incorporate new features more easily.
Very important point. There's a tendency to assume "young people" are tech gurus (a flattering characterization they're happy to accept), but my experience is that they can learn how to use the tech that interests them very rapidly but have little curiosity to explore the surrounding systems.
So, yeah, no trouble Skyping or texting or mastering Facebook or tweeting or adopting whatever location aware app is making the rounds, in record time. But older people seem to confuse setting up a profile with "programming" and go from there to imagining that these phone happy children are capable of hacking into the Pentagon or field stripping their hardware, if so moved. They can certainly learn arcane strings of commands to get what they want, if necessary, but what they want is to do the handful of things that their social circumstance deems necessary.
I'm glad you mentioned the social aspect. I completely agree and had initially typed something similar down. However, it didn't make the final post as I wasn't prepared to justify a blanket generalization... no matter how obvious it should be to anyone who interacts with youth.
I also find your take on the misconceptions of setting up a profile as being equivalent to programming very insightful.
Have you even taken a look at the tech specs of the Playbook? They obviously exceed the iPad 2.
Speaking for myself, no, I haven't taken a look at the tech spex of the {insert favorite non-iPad tablet here} as they really don't mean a thing. I want something that's responsive, sharp, works, has a decent battery life, and has a place where I can browse apps for my device. Apple's iPad (1 and 2) fills that bill quite nicely. Trying to decypher the "spex" of all the tablet brands simply isn't worth it as these "spex" don't tell the whole story.
Have you been in the market for a refrigerator and looked at spex? How many ice cubes it makes in an hour? How many eggs will fit in the egg rack? How many watt-hours does it use? How fast is the condenser? How big is the water filter? Does a GE have spex that obviously exceed those of an LG? Go on, answer that.
I'm still waiting...
Spex are for fools that
To be blunt, customizability and specs are the guilty pleasures of the tech lowbrows.
Like "imoan" and "shavex?" Except they may be unibrows.
We should set up a blog just for our support horror stories. It would be hilarious.
Yeah, I'm a Apple engineer, and some of the stuff we get through is just epic!
Shit, why should you have to move your eyes down to your device (or worse, get your device out and hold it where you can see it) to know what the temperature is? I demand the weather updates be beamed into my fucking head! Now! NOW!
[Humor on]
Okay, use your head: First, stick your head out the window and take a look around. Is it sunny, cloudy, raining? Second, wet your finger and stick it in the air to see where the wind is coming from. Next, find your arthritic grandfather and ask him whether he's got any joint pain (from air pressure changes).
There, you have it!
[/humor]
Mmmm... Do you have Prince Albert in the can?
No. I gave him away to Larry Byrum ages ago. I kept the can.
fail to finish sentences?
Nope. Fail to think of something suitable and not too offensive.
Nope. Fail to think of something suitable and not too offensive.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Engineering also is how well the parts are integrated and appropriate for each situation.
You can put a highly specd suspension in a car and make it top-heavy and it's handling will be poor despite the suspension.
Likewise a tablet with just individual parts thrown in together will not outperform one that is put together well.
The ad is brilliant as it emphasizes that it's not about the technology, but what you can do with it without having to think about it
... Like the problem posed to the mathematician and the engineer:
Scenario: You are in an empty room with your back against 1 wall and a beautiful naked model backed against the opposite wall 30 feet away.
Question: You can halve the distance between you with each leap -- how many leaps will it take?
Answer mathematician: You can never get there - it will take an infinite number of leaps!
Answer engineer: I can get close enough!
Are people still calling up asking where the "ennie" key is?
Want to kid around with someone? Pick a number at random out of the phone book, call it, and when they answer, tell them you're with the phone company. You're doing so delicate work on the wires down the street and they should not answer their phone for the next five minutes. Not under any circumstances should they answer their phone, even with an answering machine. Tell them if they answer you might get electrocuted.
Hang up, then immediately call them back. Let the phone ring and ring and ring. They'll finally be unable to listen to their phone ringing. They'll answer it. The second you hear them them pick up the receiver, scream as loud as you can and hang up in mid-scream.
dude
that is a very old stupid joke 13 yr olds play
......
ipad2 is magical
I am very happy with Apple. I either buy or don't buy their products based on what they are designed to do, not on what I wish they would do. If you need a computer (laptop, desktop or whatever) buy a computer. Don't expect any mobile OS device (iPad, Xoom etc.) to have the memory or capability to do the tasks, jobs to fully replace your computer.
Dare I say it: That's being realistic about the whole process of evaluating your tools based on your needs. I personally don't see where I'll be opening huge PDF files on my iPad.
Whatever happened to the iPad 3 rumor for Fall of 2011?
I think you answered your own question by correctly identifying it as a rumor.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
I like you too!
No. I gave him away to Larry Byrum ages ago. I kept the can.
Tod... ya' gotta' be desperate (or is that disparate) to play the Larry Byrum card.