Synthesis : Scott Becker

We have completed the switch

So a little over a year ago, I said “I currently run Windows XP. Next year, I plan to buy a Mac laptop when the Intel versions come out, and our server setups will all be *nix based. By the time Vista rolls around, I plan to be completely devoid of Microsoft products.”

Well, it’s been a year. I bought a Macbook Pro about six months ago and today Steve bought his own, which makes all two of us here at Electro Mac users. Our servers run on Linux. I still have one Windows desktop machine which will probably stick around so we can interface with the rest of the Windows world when needed.

Now if I can just get my own cinema display. (damn you Steve!)

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Hasta la…. vista?!

Veerle has a funny post about how there’s going to be not one, but SEVEN versions of Window’s Vista, from “Starter” edition to “Ultimate” edition, and everything in between. And I don’t think this list even touches on the server versions.

To see a complete rundown, check out Paul Thurrott’s WinInfo site.

Here’s the part I thought was the most hilarious:

Windows Vista Starter Edition: Aimed at beginner computer users in emerging markets who can only afford a low cost PC. … Starter Edition will allow only three applications (and/or three windows) to run simultaneously, will provide Internet connectivity but not incoming network communications, and will not provide for logon passwords or Fast User Switching (FUS). Windows Vista Starter Edition is analogous to XP Starter Edition. This version will only be sold in emerging markets.”

Bwaahahaha! And they expect people to actually pay for this? When you can get a free copy of Linux that runs as many programs as the computer is capable of? That runs Firefox, Thunderbird, OpenOffice, etc, without paying a dime?

As far as Apple’s user versions go, OSX has one. It also has one server version.
“Am I glad the folks at Cupertino aren’t smoking the same joints as Microsoft does,” Veerle said. Indeed, somebody must have laced their joints with crack.

I currently run Windows XP. Next year, I plan to buy a Mac laptop when the Intel versions come out, and our server setups will all be *nix based. By the time Vista rolls around, I plan to be completely devoid of Microsoft products.

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The MP3 phone wars

Apple won the MP3 stand-alone player war. It’s over. Done. Good luck Sony, but I think you’re just wasting your time.

The next battle is the MP3 phone. It’s just getting started, and obviously, Apple’s first foray into the market, the Motorola ROKR (it just sounds silly), looks to be a dud. It’s bulky. It’s got no class. It’s $250 and it can only play 100 DRM-managed songs.

The problem is, Apple doesn’t want to cannibalize their own product lines by introducing a super cool iPhone that people would rather purchase than an iPod. Especially after all the R&D they just poured into the Nano.

And that is their weakness. The only way Apple could get knocked off their high horse at this point would be for someone to introduce a high-capacity, sleek yet simply designed MP3 phone that looks as good or better than an iPod, and managed to do both things well, not mediocre.

I’d rather the have something that is the BEST at one thing, than a half-baked all-in-one solution.

I’ve got a phone with a camera in it, and guess what? Right, the camera sucks. Oh yeah, the phone sucks too. (Hey, it was free. With that 2 year contract extension. We all make mistakes.) And who makes that phone? Sony. Hahaha.

Apple’s advantage is that they’ve developed such a huge reputation for perfection. If they do introduce an iPhone, as some think they will, even a year from now, it will become the hottest, most desired phone on the market.

Imagine it, you’re in the market for a new phone. You can get a Nokia, a Sony, a Motorola, or any other phone with 50 twiddly buttons, half-baked user interfaces, slow-to-respond software with lots of unnecessary clicks, and much much more. Or, you can get an Apple iPhone. It’s as minimal as possible. Its only got the absolute necessary functionality, but it performs those functions perfectly. It’s probably got a scroll wheel which will let you perform most functions without ever using the keypad. You can get it in the timeless colors of either white, titanium silver, or black. Sure, it costs a bit. A Lexus costs more than a Ford. But you’re going to want it. And so will everyone else.

It’s a simple formula really. I wonder why no one else “gets it”?

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