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1.  

   oddly, I agree

   

   u2604ab, Jan 11th, 2002 @ 3:09pm

   
   

   I've surely bashed you in the past for being anti-mac; Nonetheless, I agree: Apple went overboard on the hype, and while cheap-imitations of the form-factor will surely trickle down to the windoze masses, for Apple to really break out, they've got to stop produce stuff that doesn't revolve around their OS.
   
   

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2.  

   I disagree

   

   Lee, Jan 11th, 2002 @ 3:16pm

   
   

   It is a no brainer that Windows is a crappy, virus ridden, kludge.Eventually even the most clueless Windows user will get tired of wrestling with their operating system and other software. Apple may have only 5 percent of the market, but it is the top 5 percent.
   
   Business Week? Yeah, they are a good source of advice. We are in an economic depression, PC makers for most are in trouble, but Apple made money this year.

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3.  

   Re: I disagree

   

   Ed, Jan 11th, 2002 @ 4:02pm

   
   

   Apple reported a net loss for FY 2001, which ended on 29-Sep-2001 -- that's the most recent data I can find, and while I'm not saying that PC makers are in any better shape, the numbers don't paint a rosy picture for Apple: revenues are down significantly from the previous year.

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4.  

   I disagree too...

   

   mhh5, Jan 11th, 2002 @ 4:25pm

   
   

   What else does apple have other than their OS? Of course they have to make Mac-only hardware. The only non-Mac strategy that I think is reasonable is for Apple to develop software for PC hardware. But if they want to sell hardware, they should stick to hardware that supports their software. Otherwise, Apple is just Dell or IBM. Apple's bread and butter is their software, and they have to support it with hardware. And since no one else makes Apple-compatible hardware, it would be foolish for them to dilute their own marketshare.

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5.  

   Re: I disagree too...

   

   sb, Jan 11th, 2002 @ 6:45pm

   
   

   apple, dont go away mad, just go away
   why exactly was gates forced to invest in this 1980's lefover? go away. no one needs a mac. only people who need to find a niche. same people who watch rocky horror

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6.  

   Re: I disagree too...

   

   gogo, Jan 11th, 2002 @ 7:35pm

   
   

   My friend, you are sorely mistaken. Apple's 5% of the market is the top 5%...without Apple technology, Music, Movies and all other forms of media would be different if they even existed at all. Mac's may not be for everyone, but they are the machine of choice for the digital artist because, frankly, there is no other choice...Windows just dosen't cut it.

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7.  

   Oh Please!

   

   Mayor Quimby, Jan 11th, 2002 @ 10:16pm

   
   

   Did Business Week dredge up an OLD story, this kind of stuff has been said about Apple for years.
   
   If Apple went to the Windows OS they could not afford to innovate. They would have to produce the cheapest hardware to compete with the other cheap hardware makers.
   
   Windows would not evolve much past its current point, there wouldn't be much reason.
   
   

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8.  

   Apple makes Macintoshes

   

   TommyBoy, Jan 12th, 2002 @ 3:59am

   
   

   BusinessWeek does seem to resent that Apple won't follow its sage advice, the same tired refrain over and over. Of course ALL pc makers should just make Windoze machines. That's the biggest market. What first year MBA student would tell you NOT to differentiate, if the market was actually users of PCs, not just users of Windoze PCs?
   
   Mac-only is the way of Apple, and, correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't S.J. built the company, grown it, revived it, made it a staple of pop culture, over the last 20 years?

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9.  

   Re: Apple makes Macintoshes

   

   alternatives(), Jan 12th, 2002 @ 11:20am

   
   

   >Mac only is the way of apple< br>
   Obviously you are but a babe. Because Apple BUILT the firm on Apple ][+'s.
   
   And you are deluded if you think JOBS 'built' the firm. Without Woz, there would be no Apple.
   
   When Jobs 'built' hardware it was a failure. Apple ///. Lisa. NeXT. Only when he took OVER someone elses's work has Jobs had success. Pixar, Apple ][, and Jeff Raskin's Mac.
   
   

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10.  

    Duh!

    

    Anonymous Coward, Jan 14th, 2002 @ 9:22am

    
    

    Windows/Intel machines are a commodity product. The margins are so thin that Dell makes about a nickle per machine sold. Apple would fail dismally because they don't know how to produce in an industry that requires every thousandth of a cent to be shaved from production and sales costs. Apple can only survive by preserving its niche product, and it can only do that by depending on its OS.

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11.  

    Re: Duh!

    

    Mike (profile), Jan 14th, 2002 @ 9:30am

    
    

    The point of all this wasn't that they should be making Windows machines... but that they shouldn't limit themselves to only focusing on the iMac. The suggestion was making devices like the iPod that weren't designed just to work with the iMac - and instead turn Apple into more of a consumer electronics company, rather than just a niche computer player.
    
    And, actually, I believe Dell's margins are a bit better than you described. While other companies are struggling, Dell actually has done a good job keeping their costs well below others, so they can retain larger margins than other PC manufacturers.

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12.  

    Re: Duh!

    

    mhh5, Jan 14th, 2002 @ 11:41am

    
    

    While I'm all in favor of turning Apple into a Sony, I don't think it will happen until their OS gains more ground. And it won't gain ground unless they make popular products that only work with their OS. I'm sure some analogies with Sony's MiniDisk format are somewhat appropriate here....
    
    

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