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Quality, but that quality has become more affordable. Apple did lower notebook prices and I think that helped.

You can get the 15" sans dedicated graphics for $1699. Not good for gamers, but for most users the 9400M is fine. The higher end model dropped by $200.

As for performance, you can get cheaper machines with better specs, but they'll be larger, thicker and heavier and won't be made from the same quality of materials. They won't be as green either. And they won't have OS X. The point being that most of the laptops chosen in the MS ads are pieces of smurf.

So many "sky is falling" scenarios keep on falling through.....lol....

Apple was supposed to be doomed because they are too expensive, and then because they don't license OS X, and then because they don't have a mid-range tower, and then because of Psystar, and then because of the recession.  When will people learn that Apple will not be toppled so easily.

robco wrote:

Their Achilles Heel remains Steve Jobs. They have to prove they can last without his leadership.

They only have to prove that when he is gone. They can't prove it before then. And I like to think positively so I hope he'll be around for a good long while. My world is more fun when I get to use the products he pushes others to perfect.

Everyone's sales dropped. In case you hadn't heard, the economy is in the smurf. As for the sub-$1K market, I wonder how many of those sales were netbooks, something Apple doesn't offer.

Bat wrote:

This has been in the news for days. I was waiting to see how soon, and which of, the Dynamic Duo would post first, and how loudly crow. Took you two long enough.

Apple's also been noted as having about 90% of the very expensive market segment. Makes sense for sales to rebound at the recovery's beginning, with e.g. banks planning bigger pay packages now than even a year ago.

You guys sure got quiet when sales did drop, earlier in the year.

Are you serious??? You can't be serious can you? Maybe you've just been living in a cave.

CUPERTINO, California—April 22, 2009—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 second quarter ended March 28, 2009. The Company posted revenue of $8.16 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.21 billion, or $1.33 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $7.51 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.4 percent, up from 32.9 percent in the year-ago quarter.

CUPERTINO, California—January 21, 2009—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 first quarter ended December 27, 2008. The Company posted record revenue of $10.17 billion and record net quarterly profit of $1.61 billion, or $1.78 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $9.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.58 billion, or $1.76 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 34.7 percent, equal to the year-ago quarter.

CUPERTINO, California—October 21, 2008—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2008 fourth quarter ended September 27, 2008. The Company posted revenue of $7.9 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.14 billion, or $1.26 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $6.22 billion and net quarterly profit of $904 million, or $1.01 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 34.7 percent, up from 33.6 percent in the year-ago quarter.

CUPERTINO, California—July 21, 2008—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2008 third quarter ended June 28, 2008. The Company posted revenue of $7.46 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.07 billion, or $1.19 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $5.41 billion and net quarterly profit of $818 million, or $.92 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 34.8 percent, down from 36.9 percent in the year-ago quarter.

CUPERTINO, California—April 23, 2008—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2008 second quarter ended March 29, 2008. The Company posted revenue of $7.51 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $5.26 billion and net quarterly profit of $770 million, or $.87 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 32.9 percent, down from 35.1 percent in the year-ago quarter.

How far do you want me to go back? I've heard of being in denial but this is getting ridiculous. Did you just make it up in your head that Apple was doing bad at some point in the past year?

Your post is exactly the reason why me and the other half of my dynamic duo don't come around here very much any longer. Even in the face of incontrovertible evidence you act like we're the kooky ones. Man this is old.

Frank

NightCougar_37 wrote:

Ya know I could do this all night but frankly this is enough. All your getting with Macs is OSX, better battery, sometimes better CPUs, and Applecare. Fact is...you can go out and get a better geared PC for less if your willing to compromise on a few areas.

Oh, is that all you get on the Mac? Even if that were all it would be worth a lot to me, obviously since I've been using a Mac for over 20 years. However, you were forgetting:

Aluminum case carved out of a single block of aluminum, creating the most stable case in any laptop I've seen
Ultra-quiet (back to the case again, since it can be used as a heat sink the fans don't run as often or as fast)
Multi-touch trackpad
7300mAh battery vs. 4000mAh for the only PC that listed it. Exactly what good are all of those power hungry components if you have to stay plugged in to use them for longer than 30 minutes? Not to mention the fact that the Mac's battery can cycle 1000 times.
Backlit keyboard
Dual-link DVI (What is the max external resolution those can push)?
Dual video card
The best display you'll see on a laptop
Much much better for the environment
Up to 4.2 pound lighter. Did you seriously put a 9.7 pound computer in the mix? Can that even be considered portable? Even better, it is "Starting at 9.7 lbs." LMFAO
Slot loading drive. Oh wait, the 10 pound behemoth has a slot loading drive. Those PCs look like they were designed by committee, in the 90s! One of them is approaching 2 inches thick!

Sorry I wasn't as specific at first but seriously, I wouldn't want to use one of those PCs if you bought it for me.

I don't think anyone predicted Apple's demise, Rob. The thread, tho, denies the recession has even hurt Apple.

Me, I don't advocate, proselytize, evangelize. To me this is tech, not religion. No one else's done as much thread starting and reporting for a coon's age. I don't cheerlead, but I do make folks aware. I think it's been useful.

frankly wrote:

Bat wrote:

This has been in the news for days. I was waiting to see how soon, and which of, the Dynamic Duo would post first, and how loudly crow. Took you two long enough.

Apple's also been noted as having about 90% of the very expensive market segment. Makes sense for sales to rebound at the recovery's beginning, with e.g. banks planning bigger pay packages now than even a year ago.

You guys sure got quiet when sales did drop, earlier in the year.

Are you serious??? You can't be serious can you? Maybe you've just been living in a cave.
...

How far do you want me to go back? I've heard of being in denial but this is getting ridiculous. Did you just make it up in your head that Apple was doing bad at some point in the past year?

Your post is exactly the reason why me and the other half of my dynamic duo don't come around here very much any longer. Even in the face of incontrovertible evidence you act like we're the kooky ones. Man this is old.

Frank

DBAJ, Frank. Lighten up. A sense of humor shouldn't be that hard, nor should going easy on the insults and sarcasm.

How far back? I'd suggest here for starters ("What recession?")... Post 1, Jan 21:

decker wrote:

AAPL posts record revenues and record profits!

I know I bought a MacBook in Q4 (as a gift) and helped contribute to those numbers.  -It's nice to see that so many people are appreciating Apple's design work as much as we do. 

...thru this one near the end, 1/29, from MacNN:

Bat wrote:

Right-o... What recession? How about this one?

Recession hitting Apple retail stores hard    Wednesday, January 28th

The global recession is having a serious impact on Apple's retail performance, says Needham & Co.'s Charlie Wolf. The researcher claims that while Apple Stores have for years done better than most retail chains, visitors per store fell 1.8 percent year-over-year in December, while same-store revenues dropped 17.4 percent. Mac shipments are said to have slid an average of 17.5 percent, while combined non-Mac revenues fell 10 percent.

Sales are unlikely to resume normal levels, says Wolf, until the worst of the recession is over. Apple Stores are believed to be instrumental in luring Windows users to the Mac however, due to a combination of free after-sales services and paid teaching sessions; Wolf observes that nearly half of the 515,000 Macs sold in stores during the December quarter were bought by people from a Windows background, in turning representing nearly 25 percent of all converts from Windows during the period.

The decline of same-store figures is also believed to be affected as much by Apple's rapid expansion during 2008, which lessened the average take for each location.

Thread terminates 2 days later.

I doubt anyone wants a rehash, especially with things starting to lighten, and I for one won't waste time squabbling. Things have been quiet and newsy in In Tech News. Light, not heat. I think that's best.

avkills wrote:

NightCougar_37 wrote:

frankly wrote:

3) I'd love to know where this better geared PC with MBP level performance is for less than a MB. People kill me with that crap. A PC with those specs does not exist. The fact is that the lower priced PC laptops use lesser components. CPU with less cache, hard drive with less cache and slower RPMs, displays with less resolution and poor color quality and backlighting, etc.

Frank

Well I don't consider the lower end pros to be worth the $$$ compared to the high end mid. The story on that M$ bit that Apple did I found through a reputable pro Apple site today...if its false, then someone gets sued. I don't really care but it does make sense cause face it, consumers are stupid.

So anyways, onto better geared laptops for less...I guess these don't exist then :

1. Quad Core with Radeon 4650 1GB for $1399 not powerful enough for you? Heck, bigger screen, more RAM...what do you get with Apple? Prolly better battery life and better support
2. Heres another, now with nVidia graphics for less than a MBP. Better resolution/etc
3. Ooo now whats this...something in the regular MB price range? zomg 18in screen with 4650 GPU!! And what does MB have, SHARED FREAKEN VRAM!!

Ya know I could do this all night but frankly this is enough. All your getting with Macs is OSX, better battery, sometimes better CPUs, and Applecare. Fact is...you can go out and get a better geared PC for less if your willing to compromise on a few areas. If you want to toss in..."what about AV software/etc"

lmao...I haven't used AV software in years. If you really need it then all I can say is...get off the porn sites.

Now, if you still disagree then why don't you go and get a list of better equipped PCs and prove why that little MB is superior on specs

None of those computers you listed have better resolution than the MacBook Pro (the 17 is 1920x1200 and the screen kicks ass, I have one for work - just got it.)  Those PCs you listed with those big screens and at the native resolutions the pixels are going to look like lego blocks on the screen.

How exactly do you relate "AV" software in the viewing of porn exactly?  I may be mistaken, but I am not sure that is why we have licenses of FCS and Adobe Production Suites?

Apple isn't perfect by any far stretch; but you really have to admit that OS X blows any version of Windows away.  Not to mention nearly all competing laptop manufacturers pretty much use modified tubber-ware containers as laptop cases.

-mark

To be fair Dell 17" laptops can be found at that resolution but not yet with the better looking and more energy efficient LED backlit displays. Those are still limited to 1440x900.

Bat wrote:

I don't think anyone predicted Apple's demise, Rob. The thread, tho, denies the recession has even hurt Apple.

Me, I don't advocate, proselytize, evangelize. To me this is tech, not religion. No one else's done as much thread starting and reporting for a coon's age. I don't cheerlead, but I do make folks aware. I think it's been useful.


DBAJ, Frank. Lighten up. A sense of humor shouldn't be that hard, nor should going easy on the insults and sarcasm.

How far back? I'd suggest here for starters ("What recession?")... Post 1, Jan 21:

decker wrote:

AAPL posts record revenues and record profits!

I know I bought a MacBook in Q4 (as a gift) and helped contribute to those numbers.  -It's nice to see that so many people are appreciating Apple's design work as much as we do. 

...thru this one near the end, 1/29, from MacNN:

Bat wrote:

Right-o... What recession? How about this one?

Recession hitting Apple retail stores hard    Wednesday, January 28th

The global recession is having a serious impact on Apple's retail performance, says Needham & Co.'s Charlie Wolf. The researcher claims that while Apple Stores have for years done better than most retail chains, visitors per store fell 1.8 percent year-over-year in December, while same-store revenues dropped 17.4 percent. Mac shipments are said to have slid an average of 17.5 percent, while combined non-Mac revenues fell 10 percent.

Sales are unlikely to resume normal levels, says Wolf, until the worst of the recession is over. Apple Stores are believed to be instrumental in luring Windows users to the Mac however, due to a combination of free after-sales services and paid teaching sessions; Wolf observes that nearly half of the 515,000 Macs sold in stores during the December quarter were bought by people from a Windows background, in turning representing nearly 25 percent of all converts from Windows during the period.

The decline of same-store figures is also believed to be affected as much by Apple's rapid expansion during 2008, which lessened the average take for each location.

Thread terminates 2 days later.

I doubt anyone wants a rehash, especially with things starting to lighten, and I for one won't waste time squabbling. Things have been quiet and newsy in In Tech News. Light, not heat. I think that's best.

I love how I'm being a jerk when I'm replying to a post by you that is taunting and inaccurate.

Bat wrote:

You guys sure got quiet when sales did drop, earlier in the year.

Maybe I just needed to add like you and you wouldn't consider me a jerk

I'm simply trying to bring you back into the realm of reality. Apple's sales never dropped. They've had better year over year figures, even setting records in some quarters, this entire time. The post that you linked to talks about the recession affecting Apple and links to an article as proof of this. The fact that you missed the massive disconnect that this article has from reality shows your inherent bias on this subject. The article claiming that Apple was being affected by the recession was written one week after Apple posted the highest revenue and profits EVER in company history. How is that even possible if you're being hurt by the recession as you claim?

My nearest Apple Inquisitor is now at the Rideau Shopping Mall, having opened its doors just last week. Incidentally, this is the first Apple Store in the city.

Last edited by SomeOneOrOther (2009-07-25 8:19 pm)

HP's flash in a pan response to Apple's "Buy a MacBook, get an iPod" back to school drive?

Larger hard drive, larger screen, more RAM, 256meg video, though weaker processor...I have to wonder if this is a loss leader that HP's throwing at Apple to disrupt some of their MacBook sales.

...I mean, $300? Come on, they're not making a profit.

Clearly this is targeted at high school kids, and not college students, or is it?

July 24th, 2009

Walmart to sell $298 Compaq laptop in time for back-to-school 'while supplies last'

The annual back-to-school shopping trip is just around the corner. Load the family in the mini-van, drive over to your local Walmart, and watch as your shopping cart fills with new clothes, shoes, pencils, notebooks, protractors, calculators, and a million other things. The yearly resupply is never cheap, so how can you afford to buy your little Einstein something on the more expensive side, like a laptop? Starting at 8 a.m. on July 26, Walmart will sell a Compaq Presario laptop for an unforeseen price.

“For the first time, a 3GB memory laptop from a well-known brand has ventured below $300,” Walmart said in a statement on Thursday.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=6181