Media Loves Apple and Its Army of Fans 356
cgriffin21 writes "Apple is getting more media attention right now than any other technology company, including Google. Microsoft, meanwhile, is languishing in the shadows like Cinderella on the night of the ball. That's the upshot of a study released Monday (PDF) by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, which found that Apple was the focus of 15.1 percent of media coverage between June 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Google received 11.4 percent of media coverage during the period, while Microsoft garnered just 3 percent."
MS is hurting (Score:5, Interesting)
Apple was the focus of 15.1 percent of media coverage [...] Google received 11.4 percent of media coverage during the period, while Microsoft garnered just 3 percent.
That 3 percent Microsoft garners is reports of bug fixes and failed projects. Look at recent Microsoft tags on
Microsoft To Release Emergency Fix For ASP.NET Bug
Microsoft Migrating Live Spaces Users To WordPress
Microsoft Says IE9 Beta Demand Overwhelming (Nice but it's free)
Researchers Demo ASP.NET Crypto Attack
etc. etc.
Re:MS is hurting (Score:5, Insightful)
In my view, Apple is the only company focusing on the user experience (and the only company focusing on the user) as opposed to feature lists products that will be close to become unusable. As a result, they release more expensive products, sell more of those than the competition, and then get a bigger revenue. This revenue is invested in R&D. In Apple's terminology, R&D means exploring existing technologies and finding how they can be integrated into end user products.
The users we speak of here are not slashdot readers, they are the general public.
As a result of all that, they get good press. And it seems well deserved.
This is my view on Apple, so you may express your view but you may not say I'm wrong because I don't claim to express a fact.
Re: (Score:2)
MS has been blinded by their "Windows Everywhere" mantra over the years. They're a rudderless ship.
Re:MS is hurting (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, where would they be?
Re:MS is hurting (Score:5, Interesting)
MSFT would be even more irrelevant than they are already becoming if it weren't for vendor lock-in.
Seriously, where would they be?
In late 90s and early 2000s I managed a university's student computer labs. These weren't some podunk labs with 2 or 3 machines but entire buildings sometimes with 100-200 Windowsmachines and another 30% of them were Macintosh machines. (There were a few linux labs and when I left, we had 2 linux machines per lab)
If you knew the troubles we had getting the students to even use the Macs just for checking email, it could be a lesson in salesmanship. As it was, even when the windows machines were at 100% usage, you would see a long line stretching PAST the Macs while people waited for the windows machines. Hell, I'd see people more likely to use the Linux machines than Macs.
Microsoft may abuse its position through vendor lockin, but to get TO that position it was doing something right. Even now... last night my wife finally convinced me to install Microsoft Office because the slide software for OpenOffice was causing her so many issues.
It's easy to blame Microsoft's dominance on lockin and unfair practices, but that alone isn't why they are the top dog.
Re:MS is hurting (Score:4, Insightful)
First, I'm not an Apple Fanboi.
But Microsoft's illegal practices and the evolution of the market is what allowed them to achieve lock-in. Architecturally, their oil-well-in-the-basement Windows core OS was defective by design, a problem that was partially fixed by demoting user from root in XP SP2. The software QA at Microsoft was abysmal.
And Apple isn't any saint. Their pseudo-open source way of looking at the software world benefits users through a thoroughly controled "experience". Apple's done much QA to ensure comparatively high reliability and application interactivity consistency. But Apple eschews "corporate" or large enterprise infrastructure. They want the user to control the influence and experience. Their resources for large organizations is horrific on a good day. It's all about the end-user.
Does Apple have similar controlling policies? Hell yes. They're secretive and instill paranoia in their employees. Yet their activities so far have skirted most legal skirmishes for anti-trust and anti-competitive behavior. Still you can't use MacOS legally on other hardware, you risk lots by jailbreaking their devices, and they still are completely clueless about the insanity of binding their products to vendors whose performance is abysmal (AT&T as an example).
Microsoft may be the top dog in terms of deployed OSes, but Apple's market cap now exceeds theirs. It's not a very good pool of vendors to pick from. As open source quality matures, Apple and Microsoft will have to change the ways that they do business. Apple's stock price, like Microsoft's, is their holy grail. Remember that it's supported only so far as they continue to satisfy the demands of the buying public. We vote with money.
Re:MS is hurting (Score:4, Insightful)
Pro tip: Don't use compatibility with a proprietary format as your argument against lock-in as being a factor.
Pro tip: Don't blame compatibility for open software's piss poor track record in usability from a Human Factors standpoint. Especially when I didn't explicitly mention compatibility.
Pro example 2: GIMP. Another bit of software that has LONG been hobbled by poor design from a HMI perspective.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's easy (that's why I haven't tried to help), but don't fall into the trap of blaming someone else (Microsoft) for putting out a product that is easier to use and then act surprised when people prefer Microsoft's product.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
That wasn't because of vendor lockin. That was because no sites worked in any other browser except IE on a Windows computer.
I think you just nicely described the phenomena of vendor lock in by saying it wasn't vendor lock in. Ironic.
And yes, I remember the web "back then". I've been surfing the web with some variant of MacOS since 1989, and the claims of incompatibility are grossly overstated. If it weren't for the web and it's open standards, there'd BE no MacOS, as it only survived the dark years because of the healthy online support community. Can't buy Office for Mac at your local Best Buy? Go online. Can't find a retaile
Re:MS is hurting (Score:5, Insightful)
> In my view, Apple is the only company focusing on the user experience
> (and the only company focusing on the user) as opposed to feature lists
> products that will be close to become unusable.
Yes. Because no one ever uses "features".
The notion that Apple "focuses on the user experience" quickly seems absurd
as soon as you try to do anything that Apple didn't account for or is actually
trying to prevent.
"plays my movies"
"reads my files"
"installs some random app"
"reads some website"
If another device gains traction, it will be due to the fact that it is good
at doing the things that Apple refuses to do. Being able to ignore Steve's
vision is a great feature for a lot of people.
Apple may have cared for the end user once but now they've jumped the shark.
Re:MS is hurting (Score:4, Informative)
There's a reason why I'm closely watching the development of upcoming Win7 powered tablets while the iPad leaves me cold. It's the tyrannical grip Steve has on his hardware and the software that runs on it (or rather, keeping specific types of software from running on it).
Re:MS is hurting (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe because parent is trolling. I have a MacBook Pro that just works.
And many millions more people have Windows (or Linux) laptops that "just work".
Re:MS is hurting (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:MS is hurting (Score:4, Insightful)
>>>try to do anything that Apple didn't account for
You've been modded troll, but you make a good point (IMHO). I still haven't found a player for my Mac (or Linux laptop) that can run songs/movies at double speed without making everyone sound like chipmunks. Also Mac doesn't have any Bittorrent clients approved by Ipodnova/videoseed, so I can't download their wares to my Mac.
Meanwhile on my Windows IBM PC clone, it's as simple as installing "2xAV". It plays double speed and everyone has a normal tone of voice. And it runs the approved client Utorrent. Apple probably never anticipated people wanting to alter the speed of playback, while maintaining normal voice tone, and so it never got developed as part of their tools.
Aside:
Interestingly, Sony anticipated it. Fast playback (1.4x) is included with my DVD player.
Re:MS is hurting (Score:5, Insightful)
No, what the parent is saying is that the user experience is good as long as you conform to Apple's definition of user behavior. It's not even about including every feature ever, since Apple is notorious for omitting even the most rudimentary industry standard features.
Take copy/paste. Apple allegedly omitted it because for some reason with all their resources they couldn't figure out a way to implement it. I own an iPad, and the implementation they came up with isn't anything special, to be sure. Try selecting a line of text near the top of the screen; the magnifying glass goes over the edge and you can't see what you're doing.
Another example is transferring files from the iPad. This goes beyond the Apple sanctioned usage of the iPad, so they make it really difficult, and it turns out the easiest way to share files is to e-mail them (a function which must be implemented on a per app basis, as the mail application does not allow attachments).
What about downloading a PDF from safari to read in iBooks? You can't do it from safari, you actually have to download it to a computer and transfer it via iTunes (the worst option, as you need the cable due to lack of wireless sync); through e-mail it to yourself (dropbox is a good option too); or download an app like goodreader, copy the link from safari into goodreader, download the PDF, then export it to iBooks. What a great user experience!
Oh, and the calendar app is a dream to use. It can't actually schedule events that repeat on odd schedules, like every Monday and Wednesday. Apple has sanctioned that your events can repeat weekly, biweekly, monthly, bimonthly, or yearly. To solve this I have to create a google calendar, manage my events there, then subscribe to it in the calendar app.
Or what about this slashdot post? typing <p> takes 8 keyboard strokes on the iPad. </p> takes 11.
But yeah I agree, iPad and other Apple products are great if you stay within its narrow Apple sanctioned usage.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Take copy/paste. Apple allegedly omitted it because for some reason with all their resources they couldn't figure out a way to implement it. I own an iPad, and the implementation they came up with isn't anything special, to be sure. Try selecting a line of text near the top of the screen; the magnifying glass goes over the edge and you can't see what you're doing.
It's so easy to implement that the first version of Windows Phone 7 also ships without copy&paste. Apple was inventing a new kind of touch device here, using fingers and gestures instead of stylus and menu's, building the API from scratch. You should be glad they took the time to take it step by step instead of half-assing it. Incremental improvement.
And yes there are plenty of problems with ALL of Apple's products but that's beside the point, no product is perfect. The point is they're better than ever
Re:MS is hurting (Score:5, Informative)
On a normal keyboard shift , is more like one keystroke, in my opinion.
I mean, I understand that most people won't type something like this, but it's just an example of how the iPad is great to use as long as you use it as Apple prescribes. This example obviously applies to a small subset but the calendar example I gave applies to virtually every student, who has a class on MWF or TR. Apple didn't approve their schedules, so they have to do things the long way.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
You don't know about tap-and-slide for shifting? That gets it down to four moves. On a regular physical keyboard it's five moves because the delimiters are symbols accessed by the shift key, which must also be pressed.
Still, the larger point is valid: the standard keyboard is lousy for HTML. (Why this is proof of some evil twisted conspiracy aimed to neuter you and fill Apple's coffers with fanboi cash has I guess been left as an exercise for the reader.) If you can suggest a better arrangement it can b
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Many people actually like the walled garden.
That still doesn't make AOL a good product.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The adage is that 80% of users use just 20% of an application's features. The point many people miss is that it's not the same 20% for every person. For example in excel, I use the statistical functions, while another person may only be concerned about the financial functions. So if you're concerned about the happiness of 80% of your users, and you only implement the intersection of features they use, 80% of your users will be unhappy, as each one will request a different feature you have chosen not to impl
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
On Linux...
> Plays my music ... after I figure out how to download and install, configure DeCSS and fiddle with things for 2 hours
Plays music out of the box.
Also plays movies out of the box.
It does both of these MUCH MUCH better than MacOS does.
I'm still trying to figure out how to get Quicktime to play mpegps files.
The whole "paying to decode MPEG2" in Quicktime thing also seems rather absurd si
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
"Experience" == being the current fashion, making products with a brand that makes you feel better about yourself. If you can't describe what distinguishes it, the distinction just isn't there. You're like a Pepsi loyalist who can't pick it out from the other brand in a blind test.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
When "experience" is touted again and again, as the sole selling point, with nothing quantifiable whatsoever to back it up (or when the little there is, is evidently bullshit), as is the case with Apple, then I take "experience" to be marketing.
Also, Apple worshipers tend to disregard everything that sucks when it comes to Apple: iTunes. Finder. The BSD subsystem. Support for non-sanctioned hardware. The fact that their computers are obsolete much faster than any competing platform (OS9 --> OS X PPC --
Re:This is *interesting* ??? (Score:4, Insightful)
iTunes isn't fast at all, and it's about as efficient as the United Nations. We're talking about a ~100MB music player app here. It consumes vast amounts of RAM and disk space, has extremely poor support for formats not officially sanctioned by Apple, and for music players not produced by Apple. For its extreme bloat, it's not very feature rich. Oh, and you have to use it if you want to use Apple's latest gizmos. There's a lot of hatred of iTunes out there, jfgi. I thought it was a Windows only thing, but many Mac users seem to agree. Another thing is that iTunes dominates the Mac platform to such a degree that no one has developed a decent mp3 player for it.
Finder: Just not as good as most of the others. Windows Explorer, Dolphin, Konqueror, possibly even Nautilus. How about doing even the simplest things [lifehacker.com]? Slow, sometimes unresponsive w/spinning beach ball.
The BSD subsystem is just poorly done. There's a reason why many of its userspace utilities are replicated by package collections like Fink: the ones in OS X suck. Is python still compiled without readline support?
Hardware support: Yes, let's stick to buying overpriced crap from Apple only. Like any other cult, Apples don't get to hang with the cool guys.
Obsolescence: Now try running this years software on a five years old Mac. It's obsolete.
I'm a hater, yes, but I hate fanboys, not Apple's products. Many of their products are fine (the laptops especially; I've owned one), I just happen to be fed up with the frauds who advertise them at any opportunity. There are tons of those here on Slashdot, often hovering at +5, insightful just for saying they love Apple products. I'm fed up not with their products, but with how they're supposedly "revolutionary" while doing absolutely nothing new, and few things better.
re: market share, we were talking about Apple's supposedly extreme popularity here, which is effectively debunked by their market share. Their profits are entirely irrelevant. You should ask: who cares about their profits? Their stockholders, and the stockholders only, should be the answer. Customers taking joy from the fact that a big corporation makes a profit on them is absurd, yet you see this all the time ... but only with Apple's customers. Why? Because they're fans, rooting for one corporation as if it were a hockey team. But it's a giant tech corporation, and being a supporter of one of them is simply delusional behaviour.
re: massively overpriced tech stock: the stock market is rarely right when everyone has jumped the same bandwagon.
If by Languishing they mean Hiding (Score:2)
That would make sense. If Microsoft were put into the spot light, people would start taking shots before they would start celebrating.
It will pass (Score:2)
Give it one or 2 years and something new will come along to replace it. Remember myspace (lol) or RIM (lol)? The only thing that surprises me about Apple is how they found millions of people willing to throw money away at frivilous toys in this "tough" economy.
Re: (Score:2)
How has Apple got anything to do with Myspace? And RIM's products have always been shit. The difference with Apple here is that their products have relatively intuitive interfaces and are therefore easy for people to pick up. I wouldn't buy an iPhone or an iPad, but I am happy that iOS inspired stuff like Android, so that I finally have a smartphone that has a decent UI.
Re:It will pass (Score:4, Interesting)
We need Apple around to steal good ideas from. However, it would be a disaster if they were the predominant force in the industry.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, they already are in certain markets, ie MP3 players and tablets. I don't think it's a problem if they're popular, but it would of course be a problem if they had a monopoly.
I already gave in to buying an iPod because it's the only device that works nicely with my car stereo. USB drives work too but it takes ages to read the filing system every time you switch the car on. On the upside, I now can use the wide array of toys designed to dock with iPods.. but I wish they could just use standard USB connec
Re: (Score:2)
The iPhone came out in 2007, actual Android phones in 2008. Before the iPhone there were no smartphones available with interfaces that were actually nice to use. Are you trying to say that Android interface wasn't inspired by the iPhone interface at all? If not then Apple completely ripped off Android's UI. It's one or the other, but Apple had a product out a year earlier and methinks they were once again the ones leading the way.
They were certainly the ones that pioneered capacitive touchscreens on phones,
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Except that MySpace was founded in 2003, wasn't really popular until 2005, by comparison, apple's laptops, and iPods have been starting their current popular trend since way back in 2001. My space faded from it's "success" (read, it was bigish in america and never managed anything in europe at all) in two years, while apple is getting ever more popular.
The reason? Apple's products are actually good ;)
Re: (Score:2)
... millions of people willing to throw money away at frivilous toys in this "tough" economy.
A bit of research on The Great Depression will invariably turn up some related neat little facts as well - one of them being that movies (back then a similar luxury) were amazingly popular during a time when folks could barely keep food on the table.
Escapism from shit times isn't exactly a new phenomenon, you know.
lolwut? (Score:3)
Microsoft, meanwhile, is languishing in the shadows like Cinderella on the night of the ball.
Is this trying to imply that they're going to arrive later as the belle of the ball? Pfft.
As for the main point - anyone who follows tech news at all would have noticed that Apple is getting the most press. I fail to see how this meta-news is news.
Cinderella (Score:2)
languishing in the shadows like Cinderella on the night of the ball
So right now Microsoft is getting decked out in cool clothes from its fairy godmother, and about to make a stunning entrance that turns everybody's head?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
So right now Microsoft is getting decked out in cool clothes from its fairy godmother, and about to make a stunning entrance that turns everybody's head?
... Inside a carriage made of a fruit with attached mice?
It's a PROPHECY!
The Windows powered IDesktop is coming!
REPENT!
The apple backlash is going to be amazing one day (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
When all of these "fashionable" people turn against apple
Wow, cool, I've never, in my life, been called "fashionable" before... pragmatic, sure. Focused on actually Getting Things Done, as opposed to fiddling around with inferior solutions, yes. Matured past the need to paint entire groups of people with the same brush in order to make myself feel superior, yes.
But never fashionable.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Apple doesn't do anything for less money.
Whether or not it "does the job" is another matter. More than likely, it only "does the job" because the requirements of the job have been restricted to the point where success is a lot less meaningful.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
And how many people buy the boxed version of Microsoft Windows, as opposed to just getting it with a computer? That's the point; how much does a computer with Windows cost compared to a computer with Mac OS?
Re: (Score:2)
You have to be deep, deep, deep into the Apple Kool-Aid to seriously compare Office to iWork. Its grape-tastic deliciousness is spilling from your mouth and running down your chin.
iWork is to Office as my $30 Walkman is to a 64 GB iPod Touch. Yeah, one's cheaper. There's a reason for that.
And hell, I love my $30 Walkman for what it is -- it does the job I bought it for perfectly, but let's not pretend it's something it's not.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
That has a 2.4ghz Core Duo, 2GB DDR, 13.3" LED, and a 250GB Hard Drive.
A quick check of Dell reveals the Inspiron 14 for just $725.
That has a 2.5ghz Core Duo (better), 2GB DDR, 14" OLED (better), and a 320GB Hard Drive (better).
Both come with an OS..
Now, you can take your $275 in savings for the better gear, add $25 and also buy a Inspiron Mini 10 for $300 (that ALSO comes with an OS)
Face the facts, fanboy. Macs are way overpriced.
It's about the market's they serve (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
I guess you never heard of Windows Vista, XP or 7. 90 odd percent of computers run it.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Netbooks came out with Linux initially, consumer demand basically pushed a lot of them to run Windows.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
When was the last time masses of the general public got excited about a Microsoft product?
*Cough, Xbox, cough* But I dunno, I've seen Ivy-League-educated, advanced-degree-bearing, Mac-using scientists get pretty worked up if they don't have access to the Office suite. I think Microsoft products (especially Office) are probably looked upon by the general public in the same way as a dishwasher. They're convenient, ubiquitous, people use them all the time, and the only time anyone really notices them is when they're not present.
Re: (Score:2)
Time for the cluebat again (Score:4, Informative)
Apple produces plenty of free upgrades. There's one waiting to install on my machine right now. It contains a new web browser, a new iTunes, and updates for my Logic Pro and Aperture software. That's the Apple equivalent of a service pack.
All you're doing is getting confused by the different naming schemes between Apple and Microsoft. Apple releases 10.X, there will generally be a lot of new features, capabilities, etc. And they'll charge you for them. Microsoft, on the other hand, releases something with a new name, and they'll charge you for that. And it will have new features, capabilities. Apple releases 10.X.X, there will generally be bugfixes, driver support, etc. And its free. Microsoft, on the other hand, releases something called a service pack, and it'll be free. And it will generally provide bugfixes, driver support, etc.
Both companies follow very similar paths. The differences that have your panties in a bunch are simply semantics.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure, but nobody actually gives a crap about what version of Windows they're running in the real world. Witness the media coverage: nominal interest in the fact that there's a new version of Windows, and the only other coverage is how they've managed to screw it up. It's like the space program, nobody bothers writing about it unless something goes wrong. By contrast, Apple and Google's activities are an active source of curiosity for the average newspaper-scanning city-dweller.
Re: (Score:2)
Of course they do, there was a load of negative coverage over Vista, and everyone knew they didn't want it. Then when 7 came out people started moving to it and bitching it wasn't XP.
The point is, all their successes have not been in the enterprise space in the last 10 years. XP sold in droves and EVERYONE wanted it compared to ME. Vista not so much, 7 perked up demand again.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, that's kind of Microsoft's problem. Windows is the Helvetica of the OS world. To most lay people it's just "the computer" or "the windows." It has basically zero brand recognition, in spite of these ridiculous ads I keep seeing on TV about ordinary people "inventing" Windows features.
Apple has spent decades cultivating public perception of its products in terms of its difference from Microsoft, the consumer default. When Jobs came back in 1997 they put that strategy into overdrive, and it has really p
Re:It's about the market's they serve (Score:5, Insightful)
I just want some of Apple's innovations without the drawbacks. That's not hypocritical, and certainly doesn't merit a three paragraph rant about "haters".
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I just want some of Apple's innovations without the drawbacks.
Yeah, you just admitted Apple innovates. That immediately disqualifies you as an Apple hater. You then followed it up with a reasonable, coherent statement. That disqualifies you from Slashdot.
Ha ha ha ha!! (Score:2)
Slashdotters, true to stereotype, don't understand anything
Slashdotters are basically wedded to the fantasy that they are living inside a dystopian cyberpunk novel
Slashdotters that are blind, self-defeating enthusiasts
Says the guy who reads and posts on slashdot.
Thank you for the belly laugh. I needed one.
Mac OS, which has superior social benefits
Dude, you are obviously a bigtime fanboy, and very ignorant of the benefits of diverse array other systems available.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Android is not an iPhone alternative; it simply doesn't offer the same benefits. No, no, no it doesn't. The social benefits (the app store and its cleanliness) are not equivalent; not even close.
An alternative has to match everything? Sure, Android is not perfect, but offers a lot of alternatives in hardware choice. Want a hardware keyboard for your phone? Nope, the iPhone does not do the job. Shitty AT&T coverage coverage near your home or office? iPhone does not do the job for you.
While I agree that there are irrational haters, there are legitimate reasons to not like Apple too. The reasons being barely any choice in hardware, and the total locking down of the software ecosystem and treating
Meanwhile, in reality land... (Score:5, Insightful)
Meanwhile, in Reality Land... Microsoft continues to hold a dominate position in a mature market, targeting business customers Apple doesn't seem to care about. They have a market cap over $211bn and have started paying out dividends. They're in IBM territory now, but the media loves underdogs and sexy startups, and one thing Microsoft has never been is sexy, even when they were a startup. However, I don't really think they care. Not that I really have terribly much use for any of their products, and my personal situation is in no way tied to their fortunes. But to say that only getting 3% of the media coverage is going to hurt them is just kind of stupid. Its almost like Boeing running commercials -- anyone in a position to be purchasing ANYTHING from Boeing isn't going to make that decision off of a 30-second ad. For some companies, media interest is irrelevant, because they're entrenched in their market.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
My inside source tells me they have a marketing budget of $1 Billion. I had to capitalize and spell that out, writing $1B doesn't seem to do it justice.
It's better to spell it out, otherwise some people may think it was $1 Bullion.
Re: (Score:2)
The comparison isn't really about Apple vs. Microsoft - as you point out that was decided years ago - but rather the other findings. Mainstream media coverage of technology is 1.6% of the total - miniscule, yet ahead of religion or immigration. There's twice as much coverage about how tech is changing our lives than about corporate folk. Twitter coverage is very different from the mainstream. These are useful metrics that tell us something about who we are and how we get our news.
Re: (Score:2)
Microsoft's market cap is quite impressive, but still simply doesn't do them justice.
When you look at the important stats- their net income, then they're still pulling in around 3 times the amount of post-outgoings cash as Google and Oracle, and about twice as much as HP, and around 2.5 times as much as Apple. Their equity and assets trump pretty much all the other players as well. In comparison with Dell- a truly dying tech company, they've got a staggering 12 times the profit Dell has nowadays.
As you say
Re: (Score:2)
Meh. You're right adn you're wrong. Microsoft certainly isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and they do in fact dominate the business market in PCs and (to a slightly lesser extent) servers. This isn't in doubt. On the other hand they're showing themselves increasingly unable to adapt to changing market conditions. They were famously late on the web (and had to bludgeon Netscape to death to win), their attempts to me-too their way into search, social media, cloud computing, game systems, etc have met wi
Re: (Score:2)
(and had to bludgeon Netscape to death to win),
Hey, let's not be revisionist about the history of Netscape. At best, that was an assisted suicide.
Having to support the many differently-broken versions of latter-day Netscape is why web developers of 10 years ago will be having 'Nam-like violent PTSD flashbacks someday. Charlie in the trees has nothing on that action.
Re: (Score:2)
Meanwhile, in Reality Land... Microsoft continues to hold a dominate position in a mature market, targeting business customers Apple doesn't seem to care about. They have a market cap over $211bn and have started paying out dividends.
Apple market cap today: 260B
Microsoft market cap today: 212B
Re: (Score:2)
The have a market cap over $211bn and have started paying out dividends. They're in IBM territory now, but the media loves underdogs and sexy startups
You do realise Apple's the second biggest company in the world with a market cap of $263.2bn (figure subject to change with the winds of time)... Welcome to reality land Apple is bigger than Microsoft.
Well duh (Score:2)
While the two feed off one another (is the iPhone popular because it is "great" or is it popular because we keep saying it is popular), if something people liked more came along it would certainly get more attention.
Re: (Score:2)
Android sells more than the iPhone, so which is more popular?
Apple plays the press, they do it well. That's about it really.
Bringing Socrates into this.. (Score:5, Informative)
Journalists are people.
=>
Journalists can be fanbois.
Do the innovation - get the attention. (Score:2, Insightful)
Since the return of Jobs to Apple, they have defined the mass-market consumer computing industry. The iMac redefined how computers can look, introducing the concept of high-design into a buyers decision. The iPod and iTunes defined an easy, safe, legal means for carrying your music around and purchasing it online. The iPod Touch pushed into territory previously occupied by PDAs and showed how applications and music players could co-exist in the same device. The iPhone took the Touch a step further and i
Re: (Score:2)
> Everyone else has been just trying to keep up. It has actually been ...yes. You can only move data through one poorly crafted overloaded proprietary application.
> an incredible accomplishment by Jobs. Say what you will about the
> man or his methods, but he has completely and authoritatively defined
> the interaction of humans and their computing devices during his lifetime.
That's a definition that we could all do without.
Herd mentality (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Nota Bene - Journos have had the luxury of Lexis-Nexis [lexisnexis.com] long, long before Google ever existed. :)
More Bias Please (Score:5, Informative)
sigh... I know it's a pipe dream, but I really do enjoy story submissions that just cover the details and let me make up my own mind on how I view the information...
Re: (Score:2)
Read the actual report instead of the "News, Analysis, and Perspective" from CRN: http://www.journalism.org/analysis_report/when_technology_makes_headlines [journalism.org]
Really let's look at other industries. (Score:3, Insightful)
Let's go right to cars.
I bet if you couldn't up all the coverage about cars you will find that Porsche, Ferrari, and Bugatti get a lot more press than they should based on market share.
That is because people are interested in them more than Chevy's and Kia's.
If you look at models you will see that that there is a lot more coverage of the Mustang than the Focus even though the Focus probably out sells the Mustang 10 to 1.
When you look at computers it is also much the same. You just don't see a lot of coverage on low end Dells and HPs.
It is all interest driven. A lot of it is also we are interested in what we don't have.
I really don't need to read about Windows XP or Windows 7 much. I use them everyday.
I do like reading about Supercomputers, BSD, and VMS because I don't have them to play with.
So no Apple does interesting stuff and do not produce commodity PCs. Apple is more in the BMW range than say Ferrari or Bugatti IMHO but Microsoft is Kia or maybe Honda.
BTW being Kia or Honda isn't a bad thing. It just isn't all that sexy and interesting.
Re: (Score:2)
I wish I had mod points to mod you up..
But yes. MS is not doing sexy stuff. They're also not being brave or showing vision (which may be more serious in the long run).
Even when Apple is being super conservative they still manage to dress it up as being revolutionary. I mean, I use Apple products (you might even call me a fanboi) but seeing the gall of El Jobso in his keynotes when he shows stuff that is very, very and thoroughly just an incremental upgrade (or even just a fix for something that was broken)
Re: (Score:2)
I do not think that is even fair to say about Microsoft.
The IE 9 looks pretty interesting. Everyone is jumping on the HW acceleration for browsers now.
Zune Pass is also interesting. If Microsoft had created an app store and SDK for the ZuneHD I would have gotten one.
The 360 is very popular and had NetFliz streaming for a while now.
Microsoft does do some cools stuff. The problem is that they are now acting like a drunk elephant.
Apple in some ways I find to be sad. I so wanted an Apple II back when I got my C
This includes ALL coverage, good and bad (Score:3, Insightful)
That means all the negative Apple articles and Apple bashing will be counted in as well. No wonder Apple got the highest number in the media coverage count, I am pretty sure there are very few companies that are so emotionally charged either way right now, so those articles tend to draw huge reactions either way
Also, the media selected for this survey is a bit odd. Of the 52 news outlets, 12 are websites, six are television channels, but a whopping 10 radio stations? That seems like the wrong ratio to me.
Cindarelly, Cindarelly, Night and Day... (Score:2)
Microsoft, meanwhile, is languishing in the shadows like Cinderella on the night of the ball.
Now, is this *really* the best analogy to use? I mean, I understand what the poster was going for, but, in the end, Cindarella goes to the ball, dances with the prince, and, ultimately, ends up "happily ever after" while her two wicked stepsisters (presumably Apple and Google) are forever tormented by her success.
I mean, I'm all about analogies to make concepts easier to understand, but, I think this one is a bit of a fail.
Re: (Score:2)
I think the analogy was meant like "hey look there's this other company that makes billions of dollars in revenue and profit, makes similar products that isn't getting any attention. It's only a matter of time before they strike it big again.".
I agree with you that the wording is a little too out there, maybe "lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike" would be more appropriate.
Re: (Score:2)
Here's the thing about analogies - they are very good at taking a complex issue and making it understandable at a very surface level to an uninformed person. They are also very good at taking an issue and skewing it so that one side looks better than the other. If someone uses an analogy to describe something simple, they either think you are a drooling idiot or they are trying actually trying to influence you towards one side.
In order to understand recursion.... (Score:5, Insightful)
And we see another example of this phenomenon, as news outlets rush to report how news outlets cover Apple.
it's like M$ circa 1995 (Score:3, Interesting)
i remember when Windows 95 was released and the geeks not only lined up to buy it but they spent hundreds of $$$ buying RAM, hard drives and other upgrades to run it. This is back in the days when $150 per MEGABYTE of RAM was a killer deal. MS freed geeks from the tyranny of overpriced IBM and Sun hardware. in a few years Windows became boring and something you have to buy.
same thing with Apple. in a few years smartphones and maybe tablets will become something everyone buys like a computer or blu ray player and someone else will have the spotlight
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
> in a few years smartphones and maybe tablets will
> become something everyone buys like a computer
> or blu ray player and someone else will have the spotlight
iMac -> iBook -> PowerBook G4 -> iPod -> more iMacs ->more iPods -> iPhone -> iPad
My bet is that the next company to have the spotlight will be... Apple.
Media Loves MS (Score:2)
Sleeping Beauty (Score:2)
Shouldn't Microsoft be compared to Sleeping Beauty instead? After all, it seems to have affected by an Apple.
Snow White (Score:3, Informative)
Recent Events (Score:3, Interesting)
Because on a lot of places there would be dozens of articles on that very issue - which would significantly push up the percentage.
Save for Windows 7, the latest Xbox, and the Kinekt - nothing much has really happened from Microsofts end - and Apple I expect should be able to match those articles with various product revisions of their own.
As for Google - they tend to be on the forefront a lot in general - search update here, mail changes there, new service here - and so on, not to mention its somewhat different compared to physical product businesses as well.
Easy answer...wait and one up (Score:2, Insightful)
It is safer to play the "wait and one up" game but the publicity goes to the innovator.
Right now the innovation and engineering is coming out of Cupertino so they garner all of the attention. Everyone else, in the table/mobile market, is playing wait and see whats good and copy/one up.
Microsoft != Cinderella (Score:3, Funny)
Microsoft, meanwhile, is languishing in the shadows like Cinderella on the night of the ball.
Are you kidding me? Microsoft is like a wicked stepsister!
Re: (Score:2)
As seen in a printed newspaper:
"Study finds printed newspapers are huge paper wasters!"
Re:Ctrl+F Aggregation (Score:4, Funny)
This is my new internet filter. Load news / aggregation site , press "Ctrl+F" in chrome, type "apple" and count. If count > 10 on a single page, I never go there again.
Not the greatest fan of orchards or cider, I gather.
Uh that's what media is supposed to do (Score:3, Insightful)
People love apple and it's fabuously high quality ineffebly well designed products. Media's write stories about things people are interested in or find fascinating.
The weird thing here is that somehow people think this works in reverse. That the media is supposed to somehow find something people dont' care about and make it fascinating. E.g. Linux. SOny walkmans, corvettes, and basketball got media attention because people got excited about them about them and not the reverse.
Re: (Score:2)
People love apple and it's fabuously high quality ineffebly well designed products.
What are you, new here? Haven't you heard? People love Apple because they're "fashionable". And they're, like, brainwashed fanbois, who are mindlessly drawn to the Apple store thanks to Steve Jobs' mind control techniques.
Well-designed products... honestly, what are you, some kind of "consumer choice", "people pick what they want", "the best product wins" capitalist pig or something?
Err... no, capitalism is good, that can'
Re: (Score:2)
Now I'm confused. Confused and hungry.
Go eat some bacon [bacolicio.us] and calm down.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Wrong. There's a tiny minority of loudmouths who like Apple. Even the huge success of the iPhone -- the only phone in the world, according to the media -- only has something like 10% market share.
Also, their supposedly ineffably well designed laptops have a worse malfunction rate than Asus, Toshiba and Sony, despite Apple only catering to the midrange and high end. So: no better than others, which means you're fraudulently advertising their quality. Yes, your comment is an advertisement.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
People love apple and it's fabuously high quality ineffebly well designed products.
Having owned a few of their products I would hesitate to call them high quality, especially in the reliability department. The iPod Classic has been trouble free but both the original iPhone and the 3gs gave me quite a few issues, as a matter of fact the original is still sitting in a desk drawer, only useful as a paperweight now.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
As opposed to buying other consumer electronics "made in sweatshops by people paid so little they choose to commit suicide so their family can get the little bit of death benefit cash." That company makes most of the mobile devices on the market, not just the iPhone. Not that I'm defending the situation, but acting like Apple has some kind of monopoly on Chinese sweat shop labor is disingenuous at best. The reality is that the western world wants cheap products and right now countries like China and Ind