Apple ended 8/10/11 as the most valuable public company in the world.

• Jawbreaker

  dlazz;858754 wrote:Yahoo was the must-have tech company in the late 90's early 2000's, now it is Apple.
  
  So tell me, how is it any different? What services/products each offers is completely irrelevant.

  
  They might of been the must-have tech company but they really screwed up. They let Google have the lead in the ad space and never could regain. Apple took the lead in the smart phone market (mfg not overall OS lead) as well as music and app distribution and has yet to trip up even with their closed off system. They left companies like Microsoft, Palm and RIM in the dust. To be honest, they have basically killed RIM and Plam with a little help from Google and Android.
• Jawbreaker

  Automatik;858766 wrote:Love or hate, you can't deny that Apple has their **** on lock. The best their competitors can do is copy.

  
  They all copy off each other and then sue. That has been going on since the early MS vs Apple days.
• dlazz

  The problem with Apple is that they're going to shoot themselves in the foot. They've developed everything to be TOO restrictive in what you can and can't do with your stuff.
  
  Google and Android have easily caught up with iOS and Apple had few-year headstart.
  
  Apple might be king now, but I'd be impressed if they were in five or ten years.
• Automatik

  

  dlazz;858783 wrote:The problem with Apple is that they're going to shoot themselves in the foot. They've developed everything to be TOO restrictive in what you can and can't do with your stuff.
  

  
  What do you mean by this? Restrictions in customizing the iPhone?
• justincredible

  

  queencitybuckeye;858770 wrote:He's close friends with Larry Ellison, so not so much.

  
  Heh.
  
  I meant within Apple, though. He'll handpick his successor.
• justincredible

  

  dlazz;858783 wrote:The problem with Apple is that they're going to shoot themselves in the foot. They've developed everything to be TOO restrictive in what you can and can't do with your stuff.

  
  Not their computers.
• Jawbreaker

  dlazz;858783 wrote:The problem with Apple is that they're going to shoot themselves in the foot. They've developed everything to be TOO restrictive in what you can and can't do with your stuff.
  
  Google and Android have easily caught up with iOS and Apple had few-year headstart.
  
  Apple might be king now, but I'd be impressed if they were in five or ten years.

  I am an android fan but the restrictions in the Apple app store/phone/tablet makes it easier to provide a great product experience. A very small population likes to root/jailbreak their phones as well as side load apps unapproved apps.
• dlazz

  Automatik;858784 wrote:What do you mean by this? Restrictions in customizing the iPhone?

  
  iPhone, iPod, their computers, everything.
  
  It might work for some people, but for others it's just annoying.
  
  And I will never understand why people by Mac computers. They are NOT cost efficient in the least bit.
• dlazz

  Jawbreaker;858790 wrote:I am an android fan but the restrictions in the Apple app store/phone/tablet makes it easier to provide a great product experience.

  
  I will not disagree with that.
• hoops23

  

  dlazz;858783 wrote:The problem with Apple is that they're going to shoot themselves in the foot. They've developed everything to be TOO restrictive in what you can and can't do with your stuff.
  
  Google and Android have easily caught up with iOS and Apple had few-year headstart.
  
  Apple might be king now, but I'd be impressed if they were in five or ten years.

  
  The iPhone is by far the best selling smartphone.. Android OS caught up with iOS, but don't be fooled. Android OS has over 100 different devices and is on just about every carrier (including prepaid services) so of course those numbers are going to be skewed...
  
  But the fact remains, not 1 Android phone is close to the iPhone in terms of sale #'s.
• justincredible

  

  And as far as the restrictions go on the iphone and ipad, the vast majority of the users don't give two shits about that. And the power users that do can jailbreak if they so desire.
  
  Having used iOS in the past and running android currently, I learn more towards iOS being the better platform. Way too many bugs with android.
• Automatik

  

  dlazz;858791 wrote:iPhone, iPod, their computers, everything.
  
  It might work for some people, but for others it's just annoying.
  
  And I will never understand why people by Mac computers. They are NOT cost efficient in the least bit.

  I still don't understand what you mean...especially with their computers. Please elaborate.
  
  As for the cost efficiency of their computers. I'll gladly drop a few hundred on something that I've know will do exactly what I want it to do without issue. I hear these type of comments constantly....mostly from brokeasses.
  
  I paid $1099 for my Macbook....5 years ago. It still runs like a beast. I've had zero issues. Before that I dropped 2k on a Dell. Yes I'm aware that costs of come down since then but regarding the Dell, It was the definition of a POS. I've said it before, I'm not anti PC or pro Apple.....I can use either with ease. I just call it like I see it.
• Jawbreaker

  justincredible;858797 wrote:And as far as the restrictions go on the iphone and ipad, the vast majority of the users don't give two ****s about that. And the power users that do can jailbreak if they so desire.

  +1
  
  I also think same can be said for a majority of the users of any smart phone platform.
• hoops23

  

  dlazz;858791 wrote:iPhone, iPod, their computers, everything.
  
  It might work for some people, but for others it's just annoying.
  
  And I will never understand why people by Mac computers. They are NOT cost efficient in the least bit.

  
  Sure they are. I'm still using my 2006 MacBook like the day I first got it. No slowdown, no performance issues, nothing.. PC LapTops usually begin to crap out after a 2 year window. They get slower, new software upgrades bog them down and they can't keep up.
  
  Not so with Macs. Got my MacBook for $800 (student discount) and also received a free iPod Touch at the time.
  
  After switching to Mac and enjoying the performance, I'll never go back to PC. Simple as that. I used PC's for years and never had a machine works as flawlessly as this MacBook. Only upgrades I've done are HDD and RAM, but I don't need to do anything else.
  
  To each their own though, I don't care if people buy PC or Mac, but I know what my opinion on both are.
• Jawbreaker

  hoops23;858804 wrote:PC LapTops usually begin to crap out after a 2 year window. They get slower, new software upgrades bog them down and they can't keep up.

  
  That really isn't true. It depends on the end user.
• Automatik

  

  Jawbreaker;858810 wrote:That really isn't true. It depends on the end user.

  
  And the brand. To their defense, PC notebook manufacturers have stepped their game up in recent years.
• justincredible

  

  Jawbreaker;858810 wrote:That really isn't true. It depends on the end user.

  
  Meh, to an extent. I never got a virus or any crap like that with any past PC laptops, but they just started to fall apart. The trackpad would quit working, the speakers would quite working, flimsy pieces of plastic on the case would snap, shit like that. That really has nothing to do with the end user, it's just bad craftsmanship.
  
  I built myself a machine towards the end of last year and I've had no problems with it. I'll never buy a PC laptop or desktop, but I'll continue to build my own and run windows on them. But as long as Apple continues to make laptops I will continue to buy them unless they do something drastic to them.
• hoops23

  

  Jawbreaker;858810 wrote:That really isn't true. It depends on the end user.

  
  Most of the time, yes.. However, I know what I'm doing and I've had a Toshiba and a Dell both crap out on me.
  
  I'm sure a MacBook has hit the dust on people as well, but I'd be willing to bet the failure % on Macs are pretty low.
• dlazz

  hoops23;858830 wrote:I'd be willing to bet the failure % on Macs are pretty low.

  
  Working in tech support, we see about 50% of each.
  
  And since this thread is now over-run with Mac fanboys, I'll quietly bow-out.
• Automatik

  

  dlazz;858832 wrote:Working in tech support, we see about 50% of each.
  
  And since this thread is now over-run with Mac fanboys, I'll quietly bow-out.

  
  Tech support for who?
  
  I see nothing wrong with this debate/discussion. I'm still interested to hear more on the "restrictions" of Apple computers.
• Jawbreaker

  Automatik;858903 wrote:Tech support for who?
  
  I see nothing wrong with this debate/discussion. I'm still interested to hear more on the "restrictions" of Apple computers.

  
  Running the OS in virtual environments? Only running the OS on Apple hardware? Although I don't see this as a downfall for the average user.
• Automatik

  

  Jawbreaker;858947 wrote:Running the OS in virtual environments? Only running the OS on Apple hardware? Although I don't see this as a downfall for the average user.

  
  Exactly. Also, Hackintosh is an option if you want OSX on a non-Mac. I'm just trying to find out what restrictions, specifically with their computers, that are causing them to "shoot themselves in the foot."
• justincredible

  

  I can run Windows and OSX at the same time on my MBP. Magic.
• justincredible

  

  I can run Windows and OSX at the same time on my MBP. Magic.
• I Wear Pants

  Most valuable only in some regards.
  
  I mean, yes they are printing money right now but it's not like they're the most profitable company out there. Microsoft still makes more profit each quarter than they do as do many others. People pretending that they have "this shit on lock" for years to come are mistaken. They could easily be in bad shape just as quickly as they got themselves into good shape. And Steve Jobs is indispensible to the company and I'd be surprised if there wasn't a sharp downturn in the company after he leaves/dies (in both stock value as well as their vision and innovation going forward).