3. Apple should not change its entire business strategy because of a temporary economic change. By that logic, Apple should change to Dell's model for a year, then change back when the economy is better. This makes no long-term sense. It would be like Rolex deciding to make $99 watches for a year because of the economy.
Heh. Methinks I've lived in the Twin Cities too long as what you've said certainly resonates with me.
You know, I really, really do not like myself when I am overtly rude to a total stranger, but I find myself unable to avoid being overtly rude to you, because there is simply no way that any person who has any insight at all into the differences in cost of different manufacturing processes could believe what you represent yourself as believing. You have absolutely know idea what you are talking about. The part that is the end result of the machining of that billet of aluminum is the equivalent of a part that could otherwise be stamped out on a different sort of machine at a rate of about one per second. The cost of such a machine is probably less than one-tenth the cost of a CNC machine, and the production rate is probably at least ten times greater than the production rate that they are going to get with this process. It is quite simply ludicrous.
You say you do not like to make yourself overtly rude to complete strangers, but anybody who disagrees with your opinion is immediately blasted with insults to their intelligence, and there are numerous instances that I can quote if you would like. Your opinion is exactly that: your opinion. We do not have to agree with you, and we do not have to take your blatant attacks simply because we don't agree. Take your anger elsewhere, because people on these forums prefer to have rational debates and not have to defend themselves against somebody who obviously cannot take any criticism. Just a suggestion.
Apple is doing right, what Starbucks did wrong - and so I'll explain:
Starbuck (I'm from Seattle :-) introduced us to coffee that was a little more complex than the regular "cup o' Joe" and we all bought into it. What Starbucks has missed is that their drinks have never been all that great. They are not boutique coffees in the sense of "fine made" or "well crafted." Now most people know what a great latte tastes like because of all the boutique coffee shops that opened up in our neighborhoods. The beans are roasted locally. The machine is calibrated daily by a barista who loves the espresso and thinks of it as a fine art.
Now Starbucks is confused about why we're going to the boutique shop and enjoying our double short latte - they introduced us to the wonderful world of great coffees, but kept the quality bar low.
Through the lower end MacBooks - the world has been introduced to a truly great computer. It's a computer that has a complete environment and experience.
And now Apple has done exactly the right thing. They have the "teaser" laptop to get people in the door. They can have a great and full Apple computer experience with the $999 MacBook. Then - when they're satisfied and in need of a new computer, they will do one of two things: buy another entry model $999 MacBook (which is now 2 or 3 years old), or buy the nicer, newer one. They are happy that their notebook lasted them 3 or more years with little to no trouble and are willing to shell out $1300 for a newer one.
Simple
My G3 iBook lasted 7 years with little to no trouble. My iMac G4 Flatpanel is over 5 years old and still going strong.
I'll NEVER go back to a pc. I'll happily pay more for a good computer.
I really dont understand the big advantages to this new manufacturing process other than being from a solid piece of aluminum. If my kitchen table was carved out of a solid piece of wood, I dont think that it really would be that much better, but it would have required a lot more effort to make.
I kind of concerned about the extra energy that making these new cases from a solid piece of aluminum will require rather than from a stamped piece of aluminum.
I really dont understand the big advantages to this new manufacturing process other than being from a solid piece of aluminum. If my kitchen table was carved out of a solid piece of wood, I dont think that it really would be that much better, but it would have required a lot more effort to make.
I kind of concerned about the extra energy that making these new cases from a solid piece of aluminum will require rather than from a stamped piece of aluminum.
What am I missing?
over time and volume, the cost will go down while quality increases. Now it costs more because they had to "create" the system.
With this update, in my eyes, it has been very different. Virtually everyone is pissed off. For one reason or another, wether its the supposed cost of the casing, no blu-ray, firewire gone from macbook, virtually no price breaks, glossy screens, Steve pretty much closing the door on any type of tablet for atleast the next few years, loss of overall ports, etc, etc........
It seems Apple really missed the mark here.
If you really step back and think about why it is that Apple has been so successful the last 5-7 or so years, it is the fact that Apple customers have been EXTREMELY happy with Apple, they like the innovation, they actually like and believe in the company. I feel this has changed over the last year, there has been a shift, and I think it is going to hurt Apple in the near future. I think Apple has lost sight of what made them that company that everyone has loved and looked up to.
Thats just my humble opinion.
A lot of this is months of inflated expectation fueled by unsubstantiated rumor. Unless Apple released a notebook with a long list of new features that cost $1000 their is no way they could have lived up to the hype.
I think Apple is consistently doing the same as its always done.
Somethings just weren't going to happen. Such as Blu-ray and price cuts.
Apple has continually consolidated the design of its products. That's no surprise.
FireWire is a surprise. But its still consistent with Apple. People raised the same ire when they stopped using floppy disks and P2 ports.
I'm not casting judgment one way or they other. We will have to see how it all works out.
I really dont understand the big advantages to this new manufacturing process other than being from a solid piece of aluminum. If my kitchen table was carved out of a solid piece of wood, I dont think that it really would be that much better, but it would have required a lot more effort to make.
I kind of concerned about the extra energy that making these new cases from a solid piece of aluminum will require rather than from a stamped piece of aluminum.
What am I missing?
I'm no expert. All I know I read on the Internet - and from the presentation. But here's what I think Apple is saying:
1. The old process involved far more parts. That means more things to keep track of. More stuff to buy from suppliers. More things that can be defective. More bits that need to be handled delicately when performing repairs. In short, more complexity.
2. The new process provides greater strength for less weight.
3. It's cool and cutting edge- or at least Apple is selling it as such. As has been pointed out in this thread, other industries have been using this process for a long time. Apple is just the first to make laptop frames with it.
4. It's better environmentally. Apple really pushed how green these new machines are. Someone smarter than me will have to do the energy cost calculations, but I'll take (with a grain of salt) Apple's word that in the balance this process is "greener" than the previous one.
5. If you watch the video of the manufacturing process, it looks they are carving far more detailed features in the case than can be done with stamping - I'm guessing.
6. As someone else pointed out, the toughness of these new frames may reduce failures in the field - cracks, dents, etc. and thus lower return rates enough to make up for some added up front expense.
Personally, I think the new machines look great. I have the aluminum keyboard and love it - I bought two, one for home and one for work - and I write code for a living = lots of typing. I have a glossy screened MacBook and have never been particularly bothered by the glare/reflections. I think the dual GPUs is a great idea to extend battery life - an area where Apple kicks butt - and sets the stage for some spiffy things in 10.6. I am disappointed by the loss of Firewire on the MacBook, though. I'm glad to see they FINALLY made the hard drive easy to replace.
Are there things that could be better? Sure. They could shoot rainbows and come with a puppy, but I think they are decent machines and will sell well to those looking for a sturdy machine.
I really dont understand the big advantages to this new manufacturing process other than being from a solid piece of aluminum. If my kitchen table was carved out of a solid piece of wood, I dont think that it really would be that much better, but it would have required a lot more effort to make.
I kind of concerned about the extra energy that making these new cases from a solid piece of aluminum will require rather than from a stamped piece of aluminum.
What am I missing?
The new process has a couple of advantages over stamping. First, stamping forms the desired shape by stressing and deforming the metal. The corners are especially stressed, and to compensate you need to use a slightly thicker sheet of metal to compensate. To further strengthen the piece and protect from unwanted flexing and warping, you may need to add an internal frame to support the skin.
Look under your kitchen table at how the legs are attached to the table. There are probably extra angled pieces helping to attach the legs to the table top and keep them aligned properly. Even with this extra reinforcement, this joint is probably the first part to loosen and possibly fail as the table gets older. If you carved your table out of a single piece of wood, you wouldn't need those extra pieces and you'd have a stronger table because you've eliminated a joint which is a natural weak spot.
That said, I didn't realize this was such a huge concern for laptops. I guess I take better care of my equipment than most people. The lighter weight is a plus, and maybe the new glass trackpad button need a stiffer frame to prevent cracking. Remember, they switched the original iPod nano back to the iPod mini form factor in part as a response to the weak case of the original nano design which lead to screen cracking.
Sure, you can make notebook computers this way, and sure, people are going to like it.
But what Apple needed to do, above all else, was lower the production cost of their computers, especially their notebook computers, to make them more competitive with other notebook computers that run Microsoft's OS.
Instead, THEY DID EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF THE ONE THING THAT ABOVE ALL ELSE, THEY NEEDED TO DO!!!!!!!!!
THIS DOES NOT MAKE A WHIT OF SENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT IS A FIASCO OF INESTIMABLE MAGNITUDE!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT IN HEAVEN'S NAME WERE THEY THINKING?????????????
IT IS JOBS MENTAL HEALTH, NOT HIS PHYSICAL HEALTH, THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE QUESTIONING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS SHOULD BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!
Yes, there are some apparent flaws. But do you want to bet the farm that these things WON'T sell? I wouldn't bet that if I were you.
Damnit to hell, this method for mass production of notebook computers is utter insanity!!
It is one of the most absolutely ludicrous things that i've ever heard of!
If it weren't true, and someone told me that apple was going to try to remain competive in the notebook computer market by milling the cases out of billet aluminum, i would assume that it was a joke, because that is how utterly preposterous this is.
If his goal was to run the company completely into the ground, this is exactly the sort of thing that would promote that goal!
But if the goal is to compete in the notebook computer market and continue to take market share from wintel while not lowering margins, this is the worst imaginable thing that they could possibly have come up with!! It's absolutely insane!
There are no words to adequately convey just how utterly asinine this truely is. These people have completely lost their minds, and they should be removed from their positions and replaced by people who have a modicum of sense before they completely run Apple into the ground. I don't care how long Jobs has been running this company or how many smart decisions he has made. This insanity has got to be brought to an end.
umm.........you mean the same insanity that brought Apple from the brink of destruction to now the top of the industry?
Lets wait and see how this plays out then we will access everyone's sanity......including perhaps your own.
First people go on and on about Apple's quality control going down, and them making products that have too many parts that fail, and are hard to service, especially for the premium you pay. The failure rate on Apple notebooks have been quite high in the past. Now Apple addresses this, makes all of their new notebooks with a sturdy outer frame made in utmost precision manufacturing, which will cause less wear, and fewer parts to break, will have better and easier servicing, and quite possibly have less servicing overall because of a lower failure rate, and people are bitching that Apple doesn't use a cheaper cost-cutting manufacturing process. I think that people need to straighten their heads. When other companies are afraid and are reducing their development, Apple is investing. This is a good sign. In this economy, Apple can only survive by raising the quality of their products in order to differentiate themselves.
P.S. I still don't like that Apple has removed FireWire, though. I have a very nice HDV camera. I need a new notebook, and the MacBook Pro is just too pricey for me. I don't like the white MacBook because it now has yesteryear's specs, and maybe still some palmrest cracking problems. Still, it may be my only choice. Damn you Apple!
kaiser_soze: Yes we get the point, stop posting the same rant over and over.
Gawd. I'm reading through this thread. Kaiser doesn't act this way through the entire thread does he?
Kaiser, were you called in by Steve Jobs and given a hard copy report and briefed on the costs for the new manufacturing procedure and how it factors into company profits?
If not, then please wait to see how this plays out. Remember, Apple did warn us some time ago about a product transition that will lower margins. This is it.
You know, I really, really do not like myself when I am overtly rude to a total stranger, but I find myself unable to avoid being overtly rude to you, because there is simply no way that any person who has any insight at all into the differences in cost of different manufacturing processes could believe what you represent yourself as believing. You have absolutely know idea what you are talking about. The part that is the end result of the machining of that billet of aluminum is the equivalent of a part that could otherwise be stamped out on a different sort of machine at a rate of about one per second. The cost of such a machine is probably less than one-tenth the cost of a CNC machine, and the production rate is probably at least ten times greater than the production rate that they are going to get with this process. It is quite simply ludicrous.
Oppenheimer WARNED you about something that would lower margins weeks ago (or is it months). Why are you ranting about it now on D-Day? You should have sold stock weeks ago. If I were you I would hold on to any Apple stock that you might have....if you are an investor I mean.
I plan to buy a MacBook Pro with the 15" screen. I like the machined aluminum case idea. I think the Kaiser character isn't aware of what modern machining processes can do these days. Machining aluminum parts like the lap top case with a combination of ultra high speed spindles and laser cutting and perforating is amazingly fast and economical in mass production. The benefits of a one piece case and the much stiffer material combined with the quality feel and durability are the selling points that made the iPod such a hit and the quality of the iPod got a lot of cheap PC users to look at what a quality product Apple builds. I work in high speed manufacturing of metal. The statements about "stamping" and injection molding being vastly cheaper are wrong. "Stamping" is not a complete solution and is beside the point and not relevant. I think Apple has a brilliant solution by taking advantage of the latest technology in machining and machine tools which are blindingly fast these days and extremely flexible by the way as only a CNC program is changed and not hugely expensive injection molding mold systems. First time poster who likes Mac's but usually does not like groups of goo goo head Mac users.
So where is this Apple's facility at? The rumor was that Apple had it's own plant. Is this true?
I would assume in China, but who knows. There's probably 30 shops within 15 miles of my house that could do this, but I am sure China is most likely the cheapest option.
I'll take my dollars and my anger anywhere I please, thank you very much. What Jobs might have done right and wrong in the past is irrelevant. The facts are this. Notebook computers have fallen in price dramatically over the past several years, and Apple notebooks have not fallen in line. No one with half a brain could deny that this is a problem for Apple's long-term prospects. Yet, instead of finding ways to lower the production cost, they adopted a production method that substantially increased their production costs.
How is the race to the bottom of the pile working out for the market valuations of Dell and HP? How about their profits?
Are you confusing technical expertise with punditry? Are profitable car makers all racing to compete in the low profit, high volume market? How successful has that been?
Apple is pulling in nearly 20% of the retail market and crabbing almost a third of the dollars in the retail laptop market. Do you think it would be wise to throw that success away (profits and leadership in growth among PCs and laptops) in order to flood the market with the $600 laptops that are killing Dell?
I could understand your position better if you were complaining from the perspective of a cheapskate consumer who expected a $700 Mac laptop, but as a SHAREHOLDER, your shoe banging is astounding.
Comments
3. Apple should not change its entire business strategy because of a temporary economic change. By that logic, Apple should change to Dell's model for a year, then change back when the economy is better. This makes no long-term sense. It would be like Rolex deciding to make $99 watches for a year because of the economy.
Heh. Methinks I've lived in the Twin Cities too long as what you've said certainly resonates with me.
You don't work Piper Jaffrey, do you?
-YipYipYipee
Last edited by kaiser_soze; Today at 04:40 PM. Reason: grammer
Grammar.
...
Sorry I don't and anyone should not even read or consider posts by anyone with less than 30 posts or who has been a member less than 60 days.
...
Never mind.
You know, I really, really do not like myself when I am overtly rude to a total stranger, but I find myself unable to avoid being overtly rude to you, because there is simply no way that any person who has any insight at all into the differences in cost of different manufacturing processes could believe what you represent yourself as believing. You have absolutely know idea what you are talking about. The part that is the end result of the machining of that billet of aluminum is the equivalent of a part that could otherwise be stamped out on a different sort of machine at a rate of about one per second. The cost of such a machine is probably less than one-tenth the cost of a CNC machine, and the production rate is probably at least ten times greater than the production rate that they are going to get with this process. It is quite simply ludicrous.
You say you do not like to make yourself overtly rude to complete strangers, but anybody who disagrees with your opinion is immediately blasted with insults to their intelligence, and there are numerous instances that I can quote if you would like. Your opinion is exactly that: your opinion. We do not have to agree with you, and we do not have to take your blatant attacks simply because we don't agree. Take your anger elsewhere, because people on these forums prefer to have rational debates and not have to defend themselves against somebody who obviously cannot take any criticism. Just a suggestion.
Starbuck (I'm from Seattle :-) introduced us to coffee that was a little more complex than the regular "cup o' Joe" and we all bought into it. What Starbucks has missed is that their drinks have never been all that great. They are not boutique coffees in the sense of "fine made" or "well crafted." Now most people know what a great latte tastes like because of all the boutique coffee shops that opened up in our neighborhoods. The beans are roasted locally. The machine is calibrated daily by a barista who loves the espresso and thinks of it as a fine art.
Now Starbucks is confused about why we're going to the boutique shop and enjoying our double short latte - they introduced us to the wonderful world of great coffees, but kept the quality bar low.
Through the lower end MacBooks - the world has been introduced to a truly great computer. It's a computer that has a complete environment and experience.
And now Apple has done exactly the right thing. They have the "teaser" laptop to get people in the door. They can have a great and full Apple computer experience with the $999 MacBook. Then - when they're satisfied and in need of a new computer, they will do one of two things: buy another entry model $999 MacBook (which is now 2 or 3 years old), or buy the nicer, newer one. They are happy that their notebook lasted them 3 or more years with little to no trouble and are willing to shell out $1300 for a newer one.
Simple
My G3 iBook lasted 7 years with little to no trouble. My iMac G4 Flatpanel is over 5 years old and still going strong.
I'll NEVER go back to a pc. I'll happily pay more for a good computer.
Good riddance.
I kind of concerned about the extra energy that making these new cases from a solid piece of aluminum will require rather than from a stamped piece of aluminum.
What am I missing?
I really dont understand the big advantages to this new manufacturing process other than being from a solid piece of aluminum. If my kitchen table was carved out of a solid piece of wood, I dont think that it really would be that much better, but it would have required a lot more effort to make.
I kind of concerned about the extra energy that making these new cases from a solid piece of aluminum will require rather than from a stamped piece of aluminum.
What am I missing?
over time and volume, the cost will go down while quality increases. Now it costs more because they had to "create" the system.
With this update, in my eyes, it has been very different. Virtually everyone is pissed off. For one reason or another, wether its the supposed cost of the casing, no blu-ray, firewire gone from macbook, virtually no price breaks, glossy screens, Steve pretty much closing the door on any type of tablet for atleast the next few years, loss of overall ports, etc, etc........
It seems Apple really missed the mark here.
If you really step back and think about why it is that Apple has been so successful the last 5-7 or so years, it is the fact that Apple customers have been EXTREMELY happy with Apple, they like the innovation, they actually like and believe in the company. I feel this has changed over the last year, there has been a shift, and I think it is going to hurt Apple in the near future. I think Apple has lost sight of what made them that company that everyone has loved and looked up to.
Thats just my humble opinion.
A lot of this is months of inflated expectation fueled by unsubstantiated rumor. Unless Apple released a notebook with a long list of new features that cost $1000 their is no way they could have lived up to the hype.
I think Apple is consistently doing the same as its always done.
Somethings just weren't going to happen. Such as Blu-ray and price cuts.
Apple has continually consolidated the design of its products. That's no surprise.
FireWire is a surprise. But its still consistent with Apple. People raised the same ire when they stopped using floppy disks and P2 ports.
I'm not casting judgment one way or they other. We will have to see how it all works out.
I really dont understand the big advantages to this new manufacturing process other than being from a solid piece of aluminum. If my kitchen table was carved out of a solid piece of wood, I dont think that it really would be that much better, but it would have required a lot more effort to make.
I kind of concerned about the extra energy that making these new cases from a solid piece of aluminum will require rather than from a stamped piece of aluminum.
What am I missing?
I'm no expert. All I know I read on the Internet - and from the presentation. But here's what I think Apple is saying:
1. The old process involved far more parts. That means more things to keep track of. More stuff to buy from suppliers. More things that can be defective. More bits that need to be handled delicately when performing repairs. In short, more complexity.
2. The new process provides greater strength for less weight.
3. It's cool and cutting edge- or at least Apple is selling it as such. As has been pointed out in this thread, other industries have been using this process for a long time. Apple is just the first to make laptop frames with it.
4. It's better environmentally. Apple really pushed how green these new machines are. Someone smarter than me will have to do the energy cost calculations, but I'll take (with a grain of salt) Apple's word that in the balance this process is "greener" than the previous one.
5. If you watch the video of the manufacturing process, it looks they are carving far more detailed features in the case than can be done with stamping - I'm guessing.
6. As someone else pointed out, the toughness of these new frames may reduce failures in the field - cracks, dents, etc. and thus lower return rates enough to make up for some added up front expense.
Personally, I think the new machines look great. I have the aluminum keyboard and love it - I bought two, one for home and one for work - and I write code for a living = lots of typing. I have a glossy screened MacBook and have never been particularly bothered by the glare/reflections. I think the dual GPUs is a great idea to extend battery life - an area where Apple kicks butt - and sets the stage for some spiffy things in 10.6. I am disappointed by the loss of Firewire on the MacBook, though. I'm glad to see they FINALLY made the hard drive easy to replace.
Are there things that could be better? Sure. They could shoot rainbows and come with a puppy, but I think they are decent machines and will sell well to those looking for a sturdy machine.
- Jasen.
I really dont understand the big advantages to this new manufacturing process other than being from a solid piece of aluminum. If my kitchen table was carved out of a solid piece of wood, I dont think that it really would be that much better, but it would have required a lot more effort to make.
I kind of concerned about the extra energy that making these new cases from a solid piece of aluminum will require rather than from a stamped piece of aluminum.
What am I missing?
The new process has a couple of advantages over stamping. First, stamping forms the desired shape by stressing and deforming the metal. The corners are especially stressed, and to compensate you need to use a slightly thicker sheet of metal to compensate. To further strengthen the piece and protect from unwanted flexing and warping, you may need to add an internal frame to support the skin.
Look under your kitchen table at how the legs are attached to the table. There are probably extra angled pieces helping to attach the legs to the table top and keep them aligned properly. Even with this extra reinforcement, this joint is probably the first part to loosen and possibly fail as the table gets older. If you carved your table out of a single piece of wood, you wouldn't need those extra pieces and you'd have a stronger table because you've eliminated a joint which is a natural weak spot.
That said, I didn't realize this was such a huge concern for laptops. I guess I take better care of my equipment than most people. The lighter weight is a plus, and maybe the new glass trackpad button need a stiffer frame to prevent cracking. Remember, they switched the original iPod nano back to the iPod mini form factor in part as a response to the weak case of the original nano design which lead to screen cracking.
Sure, you can make notebook computers this way, and sure, people are going to like it.
But what Apple needed to do, above all else, was lower the production cost of their computers, especially their notebook computers, to make them more competitive with other notebook computers that run Microsoft's OS.
Instead, THEY DID EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF THE ONE THING THAT ABOVE ALL ELSE, THEY NEEDED TO DO!!!!!!!!!
THIS DOES NOT MAKE A WHIT OF SENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT IS A FIASCO OF INESTIMABLE MAGNITUDE!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT IN HEAVEN'S NAME WERE THEY THINKING?????????????
IT IS JOBS MENTAL HEALTH, NOT HIS PHYSICAL HEALTH, THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE QUESTIONING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS SHOULD BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!
Yes, there are some apparent flaws. But do you want to bet the farm that these things WON'T sell? I wouldn't bet that if I were you.
Damnit to hell, this method for mass production of notebook computers is utter insanity!!
It is one of the most absolutely ludicrous things that i've ever heard of!
If it weren't true, and someone told me that apple was going to try to remain competive in the notebook computer market by milling the cases out of billet aluminum, i would assume that it was a joke, because that is how utterly preposterous this is.
If his goal was to run the company completely into the ground, this is exactly the sort of thing that would promote that goal!
But if the goal is to compete in the notebook computer market and continue to take market share from wintel while not lowering margins, this is the worst imaginable thing that they could possibly have come up with!! It's absolutely insane!
There are no words to adequately convey just how utterly asinine this truely is. These people have completely lost their minds, and they should be removed from their positions and replaced by people who have a modicum of sense before they completely run Apple into the ground. I don't care how long Jobs has been running this company or how many smart decisions he has made. This insanity has got to be brought to an end.
umm.........you mean the same insanity that brought Apple from the brink of destruction to now the top of the industry?
Lets wait and see how this plays out then we will access everyone's sanity......including perhaps your own.
P.S. I still don't like that Apple has removed FireWire, though. I have a very nice HDV camera. I need a new notebook, and the MacBook Pro is just too pricey for me. I don't like the white MacBook because it now has yesteryear's specs, and maybe still some palmrest cracking problems. Still, it may be my only choice. Damn you Apple!
kaiser_soze: Yes we get the point, stop posting the same rant over and over.
Gawd. I'm reading through this thread. Kaiser doesn't act this way through the entire thread does he?
Kaiser, were you called in by Steve Jobs and given a hard copy report and briefed on the costs for the new manufacturing procedure and how it factors into company profits?
If not, then please wait to see how this plays out. Remember, Apple did warn us some time ago about a product transition that will lower margins. This is it.
You know, I really, really do not like myself when I am overtly rude to a total stranger, but I find myself unable to avoid being overtly rude to you, because there is simply no way that any person who has any insight at all into the differences in cost of different manufacturing processes could believe what you represent yourself as believing. You have absolutely know idea what you are talking about. The part that is the end result of the machining of that billet of aluminum is the equivalent of a part that could otherwise be stamped out on a different sort of machine at a rate of about one per second. The cost of such a machine is probably less than one-tenth the cost of a CNC machine, and the production rate is probably at least ten times greater than the production rate that they are going to get with this process. It is quite simply ludicrous.
Oppenheimer WARNED you about something that would lower margins weeks ago (or is it months). Why are you ranting about it now on D-Day? You should have sold stock weeks ago. If I were you I would hold on to any Apple stock that you might have....if you are an investor I mean.
Can we get back to the discussion and ignore the fool?
So where is this Apple's facility at? The rumor was that Apple had it's own plant. Is this true?
Welcome aboard.
So where is this Apple's facility at? The rumor was that Apple had it's own plant. Is this true?
I would assume in China, but who knows. There's probably 30 shops within 15 miles of my house that could do this, but I am sure China is most likely the cheapest option.
I'll take my dollars and my anger anywhere I please, thank you very much. What Jobs might have done right and wrong in the past is irrelevant. The facts are this. Notebook computers have fallen in price dramatically over the past several years, and Apple notebooks have not fallen in line. No one with half a brain could deny that this is a problem for Apple's long-term prospects. Yet, instead of finding ways to lower the production cost, they adopted a production method that substantially increased their production costs.
How is the race to the bottom of the pile working out for the market valuations of Dell and HP? How about their profits?
Are you confusing technical expertise with punditry? Are profitable car makers all racing to compete in the low profit, high volume market? How successful has that been?
Apple is pulling in nearly 20% of the retail market and crabbing almost a third of the dollars in the retail laptop market. Do you think it would be wise to throw that success away (profits and leadership in growth among PCs and laptops) in order to flood the market with the $600 laptops that are killing Dell?
I could understand your position better if you were complaining from the perspective of a cheapskate consumer who expected a $700 Mac laptop, but as a SHAREHOLDER, your shoe banging is astounding.