"That means even if Microsoft does manage to stumble upon a
successful Surface launch, it will face intense competition from the
same commodity producers that Apple supposedly faces, but in Microsoft's
case, its competition will be able to run all the same software, making
it much harder for Surface to stand out from commodity PC tablets than
it has been for iPads."
IMO, Surface Pro has easily standout over other similar products, and
that may even include the iPad Pro.
Does the term "ripoff" applies to Apple devices, like the iPod, iPhone,
Apple Watch, Apple Music, iCloud and iPad / iPad Pro since there were similar
devices before Apple offerings?
I'm always entertained by persons as yourself citing Apple "ripoffs" as the reason for their success, when the truth is that Apple actually cares enough to design, engineer, and manufacture many of the acknowledged class leading products that its competitors, including MS, have yet to figure out even after almost a decade and a half of Apple setting the bar for that same long list of product categories.
Nilay Patel of The Verge, who at the end of 2015 announced that "The Apple Watch offers little more than notifications and fitness tracking, and there are other devices that do a much better (and much more discreet) job of fitness tracking."
Incidentally, Patel makes sure to censor anyone who posts this image in The Verge's comments section. If you don't like people reminding you of stupid things you've said on the internet, perhaps you should stop saying stupid things on the internet.
I believe his position at the Verge has changed to Chief Idiot.
Interesting that the Surface Pro 4 has a better keyboard than that Macbook. Does that, in your opinion, makes it an inferior notebook?
Not from my experience.
The Surface Pro is a nice unit don't get me wrong but it is neither a MacBook killer nor an iPad killer. It's just a nice laptop. It does however SUCK as a tablet. It is such a bulky tedious lug of a unit that anyone calling it a good tablet is completely devoid of any knowledge of what makes a good tablet.
Microsoft has done nothing with Windows 10 to make the Surface any different to its 15 years or so of laptops shoved into tablet form factors approach.
While the SP4 is not a Macbook or iPad killer, it still does things better than the two devices you mention. For example, compare the Macbook to the Surface Pro and the SP4 has a better display and keyboard, better performance from the i5 and i7 processors, far more applications and run touch optimized apps. And compared to the iPad Pro, again, better display, better performance from the i5 and i7 processors, capable of multiples profiles, mouse support, which is more ergonomic when it's being used with the keyboard, has expansion ports and better multitasking. Not to bad considering "MS has done nothing different in 15 years".
Microsoft just doesn't understand mobile as can be seen from its 20 or so years with WinCE/Windows Phone. It is however getting better with Windows Phone 8 but it is still nowhere close to matching iOS.
MS has failed with their mobile phones, but Windows 10 in tablets and desktop is getting better quickly. Even Apple is copying some of it's elements, for example, side by side applications (which BTW, Windows 10 still has a better implementation). And they did a great job with MS Office Mobile, and Intune / System Center as a MDM solution. So looks like they know mobile, and sometimes execute better than Apple.
Daniel Eran Dilger verbose posts supported by numerous charts give Apple investors exactly what they want to hear - that Apple is doing fantastic job and the bright future is ahead. Keep listening to this old DED tune, while AAPL stock melts down. And it will keep melting down because Apple products start to suck. One fundamental problem with Apple that Cook failed to fix and DED failed to address is Apple's perennially weak cloud. Without a strong cloud, iPhone becomes more a jewelry item than a useful device (I know, the comparison is extreme, iPhone is still a good phone but I want to drive the point). DED barely mentions cloud in his post saying it "need to be fixed or improved." Right.... Eddy Cue can fix the cloud, and you know what else... pigs can fly. One question every Apple investor should ask is this. Are Apple products as useful and as easy to use relative to their competition as they used to be? If not, then they do not justify the premium price Apple demands for them; Apple's popularity will go down and so will its stock.
Maybe iCloud don't work for you, but I'm a long time Apple used, and to me it works fine, I'm very happy with it, and had make me extend my user satisfaction of Apple products, handoff works fantastic, and all my important stuff is in iCloud and It syncs fast and perfectly. I know all the fame Dropbox have, but to me proved useless, something that didn't happen with iCloud.
About AAPL stock, it can on can't melt whatever and for the time people want, but you can deny what you see, and that's what Wall Street is doing, but the real deal is that Apple is the most profitable company ever, and its not based on commodities booming as in oil companies had been. So they have pricing power. And based in its last 10-K and the guidance of the first quarter it will be this year again. So, go on, keep on dreaming of Apple going down the cliff and forget a stock that in the worst case scenario can give its shareholders 30$ per share cash, and still have enough money to outperform the rest of the tech industry.
I didn't think I had to spell it out but it appears that some folks here narrowly think "cloud" means just iCloud. Cloud means all the services, speed, computational power and AI (AI here means Artificial Intelligence and not Apple Insider) that you get from the cloud. "Cloud" can't be created overnight because it requires vast investment in hardware and proprietary software, all fine-tuned and continually updated to keep the edge. Currently, only two companies have a really strong cloud: Google and Amazon (even Dropbox rents Amazon cloud). Partly because of this advantage but also for other reasons not discussed here, I predict that Alphabet and Amazon will surpass Apple in market valuation.
Amazingly, in his two-part exceedingly long piece DED barely mentions the fundamental problem Apple has with the cloud. It can't be easily fixed and Apple appears to be lacking the right people to fix it. Cook had plenty of time to address the problem but failed spectacularly.
Does that means that Apple don't understand notebooks and desktops, since Windows has far more applications?
You made this claim based on the comment prior that mentioned most apps running for Windows 10 tablets including the Surface Pro aren't Metro apps and yet you've missed the point.
No, I don't missed to point. I just gave an example on how that "logic" applies to Apple and OS X.
Metro apps are needed to make tablets viable because they are easier to use in the way that a tablet requires. Shoving a desktop app onto finger users is a punishment worse than death.
I agree with you. That's the reason the Surface Pro supports pointing devices, as a mouse. So you don't have to punish using your finger with desktop applications.
There is a reason why Apple has NOT done this with OS X and it's because it's a pain in the jacksy to operate a desktop app with your finger. Windows Phone 8+ works pretty damn well because ALL the apps are designed to work this one way. The Surface isn't designed this way and it just fails to be a usable device outside a mouse and keyboard which automatically means it's a product that shouldn't exist because it has no fit. It does too much not well.
Again, with the Surface Pro you can run desktop applications with the keyboard trackpad or mouse. No need to use your hands for desktop applications. Do you want to use touch applications, like Netflix or MS Office Mobile? It's ready for them too. IMO, that's the beauty of the SP4.
Apple understands notebooks and tablets because they have designed successful interactions and made them specific to the platform. Microsoft is just rehashing old ideas. Didn't Einstein write something about the epitome of stupid is doing the same thing expecting different results?
So what Apple does? Release the iPad Pro with an option keyboard to be used in a way SJ called "ergonomically terrible" since you have navigate the UI in a vertical screen. All of this even though the did "tons of user testing on this, and it turns out it doesn't work. Touch surfaces don't want to be vertical." Did Apple expect a different result just because it is an iPad Pro? Looks MS was the smart one, and added support for input devices so the SP4 can be used in an ergonomic way while using the keyboard. Apple? Einstein may answer that for you.
I'm always entertained by persons as yourself citing Apple "ripoffs" as the reason for their success, when the truth is that Apple actually cares enough to design, engineer, and manufacture many of the acknowledged class leading products that its competitors, including MS, have yet to figure out even after almost a decade and a half of Apple setting the bar for that same long list of product categories.
I just pointed out that the meaning of "ripoff" in the article regarding the Surface Pro may apply to Apple devices.
Currently, only two companies have a really strong cloud: Google and Amazon (even Dropbox rents Amazon cloud). Partly because of this advantage but also for other reasons not discussed here, I predict that Alphabet and Amazon will surpass Apple in market valuation.
I may add that MS has a strong cloud presence with Azure. And agree with you with Amazon, what they are doing is amazing in the cloud market.
The Surface Pro is a nice unit don't get me wrong but it is neither a MacBook killer nor an iPad killer. It's just a nice laptop. It does however SUCK as a tablet. It is such a bulky tedious lug of a unit that anyone calling it a good tablet is completely devoid of any knowledge of what makes a good tablet.
Microsoft has done nothing with Windows 10 to make the Surface any different to its 15 years or so of laptops shoved into tablet form factors approach.
While the SP4 is not a Macbook or iPad killer, it still does things better than the two devices you mention. For example, compare the Macbook to the Surface Pro and the SP4 has a better display and keyboard, better performance from the i5 and i7 processors, far more applications and run touch optimized apps. And compared to the iPad Pro, again, better display, better performance from the i5 and i7 processors, capable of multiples profiles, mouse support, which is more ergonomic when it's being used with the keyboard, has expansion ports and better multitasking. Not to bad considering "MS has done nothing different in 15 years".
MS has failed with their mobile phones, but Windows 10 in tablets and desktop is getting better quickly. Even Apple is copying some of it's elements, for example, side by side applications (which BTW, Windows 10 still has a better implementation). And they did a great job with MS Office Mobile, and Intune / System Center as a MDM solution. So looks like they know mobile, and sometimes execute better than Apple.
AppleInsider,
Bring back the damn block list so I don't have read this shit all day.
Daniel Eran Dilger verbose posts supported by numerous charts give Apple investors exactly what they want to hear - that Apple is doing fantastic job and the bright future is ahead. Keep listening to this old DED tune, while AAPL stock melts down. And it will keep melting down because Apple products start to suck. One fundamental problem with Apple that Cook failed to fix and DED failed to address is Apple's perennially weak cloud. Without a strong cloud, iPhone becomes more a jewelry item than a useful device (I know, the comparison is extreme, iPhone is still a good phone but I want to drive the point). DED barely mentions cloud in his post saying it "need to be fixed or improved." Right.... Eddy Cue can fix the cloud, and you know what else... pigs can fly. One question every Apple investor should ask is this. Are Apple products as useful and as easy to use relative to their competition as they used to be? If not, then they do not justify the premium price Apple demands for them; Apple's popularity will go down and so will its stock.
Maybe iCloud don't work for you, but I'm a long time Apple used, and to me it works fine, I'm very happy with it, and had make me extend my user satisfaction of Apple products, handoff works fantastic, and all my important stuff is in iCloud and It syncs fast and perfectly. I know all the fame Dropbox have, but to me proved useless, something that didn't happen with iCloud.
About AAPL stock, it can on can't melt whatever and for the time people want, but you can deny what you see, and that's what Wall Street is doing, but the real deal is that Apple is the most profitable company ever, and its not based on commodities booming as in oil companies had been. So they have pricing power. And based in its last 10-K and the guidance of the first quarter it will be this year again. So, go on, keep on dreaming of Apple going down the cliff and forget a stock that in the worst case scenario can give its shareholders 30$ per share cash, and still have enough money to outperform the rest of the tech industry.
I didn't think I had to spell it out but it appears that some folks here narrowly think "cloud" means just iCloud. Cloud means all the services, speed, computational power and AI (AI here means Artificial Intelligence and not Apple Insider) that you get from the cloud. "Cloud" can't be created overnight because it requires vast investment in hardware and proprietary software, all fine-tuned and continually updated to keep the edge. Currently, only two companies have a really strong cloud: Google and Amazon (even Dropbox rents Amazon cloud). Partly because of this advantage but also for other reasons not discussed here, I predict that Alphabet and Amazon will surpass Apple in market valuation.
Amazingly, in his two-part exceedingly long piece DED barely mentions the fundamental problem Apple has with the cloud. It can't be easily fixed and Apple appears to be lacking the right people to fix it. Cook had plenty of time to address the problem but failed spectacularly.
You still haven't explained what Apple needs to be doing in cloud. My interpretation of what you've stated this far is that you believe Apple should be offering general cloud services not related to specific functionality of its products. Maybe even sell cloud hosting services, also AWS? Maybe that's just not a business Apple has any interest in. It's amazing how individuals can make statements about what a huge and sophisticated company should or shouldn't do, never imagining that said company has a huge staff of computer scientists and business development personnel thinking about these issues and coming to different conclusions. Do you really think nobody at Apple has considered all aspects of cloud? They might actually know what they're doing.
Surface Pro is basically just a laptop with inferior keyboard/trackpad.
The keyboard and trackpad on the Surface Pro 3's keyboard cover wasn't very good, but the updated one on the Surface Pro 4 is as good, if not better, than a number of laptops (I'm looking at you 2015 Macbook).
While the SP4 is not a Macbook or iPad killer, it still does things better than the two devices you mention. For example, compare the Macbook to the Surface Pro and the SP4 has a better display and keyboard, better performance from the i5 and i7 processors, far more applications and run touch optimized apps. And compared to the iPad Pro, again, better display, better performance from the i5 and i7 processors, capable of multiples profiles, mouse support, which is more ergonomic when it's being used with the keyboard, has expansion ports and better multitasking. Not to bad considering "MS has done nothing different in 15 years".
MS has failed with their mobile phones, but Windows 10 in tablets and desktop is getting better quickly. Even Apple is copying some of it's elements, for example, side by side applications (which BTW, Windows 10 still has a better implementation). And they did a great job with MS Office Mobile, and Intune / System Center as a MDM solution. So looks like they know mobile, and sometimes execute better than Apple.
AppleInsider,
Bring back the damn block list so I don't have read this shit all day.
it's there already, though you have to go in the person's profile to do it. Click on the name, on the right you should have ignore as an option.
Maybe iCloud don't work for you, but I'm a long time Apple used, and to me it works fine, I'm very happy with it, and had make me extend my user satisfaction of Apple products, handoff works fantastic, and all my important stuff is in iCloud and It syncs fast and perfectly. I know all the fame Dropbox have, but to me proved useless, something that didn't happen with iCloud.
About AAPL stock, it can on can't melt whatever and for the time people want, but you can deny what you see, and that's what Wall Street is doing, but the real deal is that Apple is the most profitable company ever, and its not based on commodities booming as in oil companies had been. So they have pricing power. And based in its last 10-K and the guidance of the first quarter it will be this year again. So, go on, keep on dreaming of Apple going down the cliff and forget a stock that in the worst case scenario can give its shareholders 30$ per share cash, and still have enough money to outperform the rest of the tech industry.
I didn't think I had to spell it out but it appears that some folks here narrowly think "cloud" means just iCloud. Cloud means all the services, speed, computational power and AI (AI here means Artificial Intelligence and not Apple Insider) that you get from the cloud. "Cloud" can't be created overnight because it requires vast investment in hardware and proprietary software, all fine-tuned and continually updated to keep the edge. Currently, only two companies have a really strong cloud: Google and Amazon (even Dropbox rents Amazon cloud). Partly because of this advantage but also for other reasons not discussed here, I predict that Alphabet and Amazon will surpass Apple in market valuation.
Amazingly, in his two-part exceedingly long piece DED barely mentions the fundamental problem Apple has with the cloud. It can't be easily fixed and Apple appears to be lacking the right people to fix it. Cook had plenty of time to address the problem but failed spectacularly.
Apple will never cloud services to third parties but uses a lot of it for its own internal use.
Cloud margins are heading downhill fast, there will be money to be made, but mostly commodity except in a few very niche area. So, Amazon will be again caught in low margin hell, hey, it won't affect it's stock price....
Apple has obviously something coming up in the medical area, with Jobs statements before he passed away,statements by others at Apple, and many linked efforts in the last few years; that would be an area where cloud services could become very lucrative.
Cloud in general is just some idiotic buzz word most times Having servers is worth nothing if you don't have a money making applications linked to it. The value is not in reselling cloud, but in creating value added services integrated to the rest of the ecosystem. Everything that's added to the ecosystem adds value to it.
WSJ running a story about Apple News rocky start. Just another example IMO of a less than stellar service coming out of Eddy Cue's shop and where Apple isn't doing a good job of explaining why it exists. I know what Apple News does but why did Apple feel they needed to create it? I must admit with Twitter, Facebook and plain old Safari I rarely use the News app. And I hate when someone shares an article the url redirects you to the app. What if I just want to read the story in the app I'm aready in? I just get this feeling News is going to turn out like newsstand and something Apple neglects once it's moved on to the next thing
I didn't think I had to spell it out but it appears that some folks here narrowly think "cloud" means just iCloud. Cloud means all the services, speed, computational power and AI (AI here means Artificial Intelligence and not Apple Insider) that you get from the cloud. "Cloud" can't be created overnight because it requires vast investment in hardware and proprietary software, all fine-tuned and continually updated to keep the edge. Currently, only two companies have a really strong cloud: Google and Amazon (even Dropbox rents Amazon cloud). Partly because of this advantage but also for other reasons not discussed here, I predict that Alphabet and Amazon will surpass Apple in market valuation.
Amazingly, in his two-part exceedingly long piece DED barely mentions the fundamental problem Apple has with the cloud. It can't be easily fixed and Apple appears to be lacking the right people to fix it. Cook had plenty of time to address the problem but failed spectacularly.
You still haven't explained what Apple needs to be doing in cloud.
I mentioned it in one of my other posts. The reason why Apple needs a strong cloud because the usefulness of a consumer device now depends more and more on the cloud. Without a strong cloud, iPhone can't really be as useful, as enticing, and as cool as it used to be. Samsung relies on Google's mighty cloud (Ok Google, anyone) and Dropbox relies on Amazon cloud. Apple can't or won't rely on competitors clouds, and its own cloud is slow, unreliable and underpowered. Cook does not appear to understand the depth of the problem. He lets Sir Ive to perfect curvatures of Apple Watch while the Apple train is heading toward derailment.
And as Apple stock continues to tank, DED would keep coming up with more pervert and self-calming statistics like the one he used to show that Apple Watch by revenue beats Fitbit. Common, DED... Fitbit's market valuation is over 100 times less than Apple's. What else do you expect when comparing the giant to an ant?
Hey man, it's been over for a while now. You need to just relax and get into a DIFFERENT REALITY, and understand, it's like when Willy Wonka told Charlie "You Lose!" watch this clip trust me, Apple is Willy Wonka, and the competitors are Charlie, seriously, Windows, Microsoft, Google, Samsung, etc. I don't know any other way to tell people how ridiculously over this crap is, and one other note it's actually good that journalist, say Apple is hurting if you know what I mean. Laters...
What about the forlorn Mac line, particularly the Pro hardware with its bafflingly slow refresh cycles, or eg. OS X having been declared the OS with the most vulnerabilities by VentureBeat? It makes me sad to see Apple haphazardly focusing on milking their dominant mobile and fledgling wearable presence with limited side vision to their desktop/notebook line. It castrates the growth path for their professional users.
The irony of the gloomy Apple predictions is that it probably works in Apple's favour making them seem more exclusive than they really are. But in the end the truth will out, and in Apple's case their superior operating system and attention to detail on their hardware and software makes it's own momentum.
Comments
MS has failed with their mobile phones, but Windows 10 in tablets and desktop is getting better quickly. Even Apple is copying some of it's elements, for example, side by side applications (which BTW, Windows 10 still has a better implementation). And they did a great job with MS Office Mobile, and Intune / System Center as a MDM solution. So looks like they know mobile, and sometimes execute better than Apple.
Currently, only two companies have a really strong cloud: Google and Amazon (even Dropbox rents Amazon cloud). Partly because of this advantage but also for other reasons not discussed here, I predict that Alphabet and Amazon will surpass Apple in market valuation.
Amazingly, in his two-part exceedingly long piece DED barely mentions the fundamental problem Apple has with the cloud. It can't be easily fixed and Apple appears to be lacking the right people to fix it. Cook had plenty of time to address the problem but failed spectacularly.
No, I don't missed to point. I just gave an example on how that "logic" applies to Apple and OS X.
I agree with you. That's the reason the Surface Pro supports pointing devices, as a mouse. So you don't have to punish using your finger with desktop applications.
Again, with the Surface Pro you can run desktop applications with the keyboard trackpad or mouse. No need to use your hands for desktop applications. Do you want to use touch applications, like Netflix or MS Office Mobile? It's ready for them too. IMO, that's the beauty of the SP4.
Let's analyse what Apple did with the iPad Pro. In a keynote, Steve Jobs mentioned that touchscreen notebooks are "ergonomically terrible.
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-touch-screen-mac-2010-10
So what Apple does? Release the iPad Pro with an option keyboard to be used in a way SJ called "ergonomically terrible" since you have navigate the UI in a vertical screen. All of this even though the did "tons of user testing on this, and it turns out it doesn't work. Touch surfaces don't want to be vertical." Did Apple expect a different result just because it is an iPad Pro? Looks MS was the smart one, and added support for input devices so the SP4 can be used in an ergonomic way while using the keyboard. Apple? Einstein may answer that for you.
AppleInsider,
Bring back the damn block list so I don't have read this shit all day.
Cloud margins are heading downhill fast, there will be money to be made, but mostly commodity except in a few very niche area.
So, Amazon will be again caught in low margin hell, hey, it won't affect it's stock price....
Apple has obviously something coming up in the medical area, with Jobs statements before he passed away,statements by others at Apple, and many linked efforts in the last few years; that would be an area where cloud services could become very lucrative.
Cloud in general is just some idiotic buzz word most times
Having servers is worth nothing if you don't have a money making applications linked to it.
The value is not in reselling cloud, but in creating value added services integrated to the rest of the ecosystem.
Everything that's added to the ecosystem adds value to it.
And as Apple stock continues to tank, DED would keep coming up with more pervert and self-calming statistics like the one he used to show that Apple Watch by revenue beats Fitbit. Common, DED... Fitbit's market valuation is over 100 times less than Apple's. What else do you expect when comparing the giant to an ant?
Found it. Is that new, because I did look awhile back and didn't see it anywhere obvious.