On 10/10/2011 2:40 AM, Alan Baker wrote:
In ,
John wrote:

On 10/10/2011 12:05 AM, Alan Baker wrote:
In ,
John wrote:

On 10/9/2011 11:49 AM, Alan Baker wrote:
In articlejoednXxxSuLvPQzTnZ2dnUVZ_sudnZ2d@earthlink .com,
wrote:

On Sun, 09 Oct 2011 11:03:20 +0900, Brenda Ann wrote:



That's not the business Apple is in; they sell a lifestyle of form
[over] substance


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Besides, Apple was extant in the market before PC's (the original Apple
computer was something like $3000, a clone was about $2300, IIRC).
Apple
maintained a following and indeed an increasing market base even after
PC's got so cheap that most anyone could afford one.

If someone likes a product enough to pay what seems to be an
exhorbitant
price for it, even in the face of a much cheaper alternative, then that
is what they call "market forces" in operation. The consumer, in this
case, has actually set the price by buying the product. If nobody were
buying it, it would either become cheaper or taken off the market.

They subsidised and strongarmed their way into schools; a whole
generation equated Apple with computing. It's definitely a fashion
thing.
I was the IT guy at a TV network west coast headquarters. All the
"creative" types insisted on iMacs; they refused to work on windows
machines (this is for typing-not editing). Hollywood creative types are
insufferable boors.

Of course... ...someone insisting on a product must be a "fashion thing".

How exactly did Apple "strongarm" their way into schools.


They virtually gave them the hardware,

"Giving" is "strongarming"?

then sold them the software for
exorbitant prices ... signed them into exploitative contracts, etc.

Really? And they signed these contracts with the children? Because I was
under the impression that schools had people who were qualified to agree
to such contracts...

Contracts which stipulated only apple people maintained the college
hardware ... etc., etc. Games within games, really.

Then they were free not to sign them, weren't they? Ergo: not
strongarmed at all.


Back in the late 80's and early 90's I taught at a jr. college, I seen
first hand how apples predatory sales techniques worked.

Clearly.


Finally, at the college, a few of us wrote letters of complaint to the
"higher ups" and rectified the problem ... there was also some business
of "incentives" being passed about about by apple to those who
controlled purchasing ... lunches, wining and dining, etc. However,
digital equipment corporation also participated in such practices ...
(DEC)

However, one thing I did notice, the "apple room" was always full of
liberal arts students while the PC sections of the computer labs always
contained the math, physics, science, etc. students ... just as a casual
observation ...

Riiiiiiiight.


Regards,
JS


Your post is an excellent example of what I have found about "Apple
People", they have a religious devotion to the platform ...

Your post is an excellent example of someone who believes that anyone
who sees value where you do not must do it out of religious devotion...


Personally, the only reason I use a PC, and refuse MAC's, is that I
write much of the software I use ... plus, I private contract to develop
software on multiple platforms (even though I am retired, for the most
part) ... while most of that could be done on a MAC, it simply would not
make economic sense, for me ... I mean, I am in the business to make
money -- NOT pay money to apple ... apple has worked hard in being one
of the most proprietary corps I have ever seen, I think they can do that
without me ...

In what way is the Mac more "proprietary" than Windows from your
perspective? The fact that they've always sold computers with their own
OS? You can write software for that platform just as you can for Windows
or for Linux.


Windows doesn't hold patents on the hardware, to run their software,
just for starters ... and, they don't have an iphone, or even an idildo,
for that matter! ROFLOL

Regards,
JS