… According to Microsoft developer-blogger Raymond Chen, the company’s usability research crew discovered that the three most-played computer games (solitaire or something else, Microsoft or otherwise, preloaded or user-installed) are, in order … Spider Solitaire, Klondike Solitaire, and FreeCell.
Solitaire-y Confinement
Why we can’t stop playing a computerized card game.
Those come preinstalled on every Windows PC.
Snooty Apple only comes with Chess.
Right after I posted on Apple’s increased market share in personal computers being attributed to their retail stores, I had to use one.
My MacBook Pro suddenly developed a problem with the DVD drive. Running across the street in Houston to the Galleria Mall, I got immediate attention. Actually, I got an appointment to see a “genius” next morning at 8:20AM.
He took my laptop, promising to replace the drive same day. On warranty, no cost to me. Now that’s service.
On the other hand, I left the store with a new LaCie 160 GB Rugged Hard Drive.
Dedicated to hauling around my many hours of gymnastics video, this lightweight portable hard drive was NOT on warranty. It cost me $150.
Sure Apple owners are far happier with their computers and service than any other manufacturer.
But they only have … like 3% of market share. Right?
That was once true. But look what’s happened in the first quarter of 2008. During an American recession economic slowdown.
Apple’s market share in what NPD calls the “premium” category, or laptop and desktop PCs selling for $1,000 or more, is nothing short of phenomenal: 66 percent. That’s right, two-thirds.
… the retail stores make a huge difference. “Apple has got better distribution than it’s had in the last 15 years,” Stephen explained. “They’re in the right spot right now. There’s the iPod advantage. But the big thing is the stores.”
Apple’s retail stores aren’t just places to buy Mac products. They’re part of a larger end-to-end value chain—and with it the promise of a certain kind of experience. …
How high can Apple go, do you think, from 14%?
Is 25% market share possible?
They would need a cheapo competitor more compelling than the Mac Mini.
Most people do not backup their computers. It’s just too much hassle.
One of the best thing about the Apple 10.5 operating system is built-in backup solution called Time Machine. It’s the most elegant solution yet.
Rubbing it in. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
You must buy a back-up drive. I got a Hitachi-branded external, portable 160Gb USB model for about $100. Any external drive will do.
Everything is automated. Back-ups are incremental, so long as the drive is plugged in. It could not be simpler.
The only glitch I can report has to do with the USB ports on the MacBook Pro. My Hitachi only works in one of the USB ports, not the other. Turns out not all USB ports are created equal. If you have any trouble with a USB peripheral in future, try a different port.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
For even better in-the-background wireless backup, you buy an Apple hard drive called Tiime Capsule. ($300-$500)
Because honestly, what other company in the world makes videos as cheesy and awful and outdated as this?
Microsoft Vista operating system has been a PR disaster. (I used it the other day and found it quite good. Not Apple good, but good. And pretty.)
What can MS do to turn the tide of public opinion? Go viral with a bad Bruce Springstein clone music video. It’s so bad, I kind of like it.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Many Apple-laptop-carrying tech pundits believe MS is in longterm decline. A purchase of Yahoo would have slowed the inevitable, but deplete the war chest.
What if the MicroHoo experiment does not work?
Apple® today announced that new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios are available for purchase on the iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com) on the same day as their DVD release. New releases and catalog titles will be available from 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios. Movies purchased from iTunes can be viewed on an iPod® with video, iPhone™, Mac® or PC or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV®, with new releases priced at $14.99 and most catalog titles at $9.99.
Next time I won’t have to wait !!
Blogging is ALL about ranting and raving. Taking an extreme or contrary point of view. Still … all those unique voices tend to march in lock step on certain topics.
Bloggers HATE:
Patents, Patent trolls, and the Patent office
Vista
ValleyWag
The MPAA and the RIAA
Comcast
Cellular carriers
Mainstream media
Guy Kawasaki
CNET
Bloggers LOVE:
Apple
Linux
TechCrunch
Engadget
Firefox
After reading The 10 things you may complain about (and five you may not) by the astute Rafe Needleman, I felt a bit sheepish.
original – flickr – Lordcolus
Tech pundits are suspicious. But cautiously optimistic that MS is finally opening up.
Microsoft Sings a New Tune—Wants to Play Nice With Open-Source – TechCrunch
Big Evil Wants to Play Nice Now? – Linux Journal
Groklaw is cynical.
=====
What are they talking about? Microsoft evil?
Case in point: Samba, open source software critical to networking computers.
Google donated $20,000 (some change they found on the dryer) to the unpaid volunteers developing Samba.
“This is fantastic news for the Samba project” said team member Andrew Tridgell, “and will allow us to provide more support for developers who could not otherwise afford the travel expenses to attend conferences. Contributions like these make a huge difference!”.
news.samba.org
Google Pledges Annual Donation to Samba
Andrew Tridgell is an Australian genius, beloved by the open source community. He is one of those who advocates all critical networking software be open source because you cannot trust commercial software made by the likes of Microsoft.
Needless to say, Microsoft did everything they could (without admitting it) to “screw with Samba” in the development of their operating system “Vista”.
It’s the same thing Microsoft has done forever with Apple. They spend millions trying to make their proprietary software work, but imperfectly, with anything non-Microsoft. Most of the time they end up shooting themselves in the foot in the process.
I see Microsoft as a rotting empire. Like the former Soviety Union. The current Chinese dictatorship.
MS must fall as must China. Profitable now, or not.
==== UPDATE. Perhaps the evil empire can learn:
More good press for MS: “IE 8 will support web standards by default. (That sighing sound you hear is the relief of web designers all over the world.) …”
You probably think the Pod in iPod is a silly name. Less silly than I thought, though.
Just learned it stands for Portable on Demand.
Makes sense.
If you are thinking about trying one of the movie download services (as I am), first read this review by David Pogue of the NY Times:
In fact, though, the Internet movie download era is more distant than pundits think, for four colossal reasons …
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Movie Downloading
Pogue projects that Apple will be the first to deliver a good user experience. But that the day is not here yet.
Rick McCharles 