Q2 2005: A Closer Look at the Numbers- (Found July 2, 2008 ) When you drop a profit number of $290 million on folks that sounds very impressive. And that's plenty of info for most folks, the Mac remains viable and Apple's financial future looks bright. Others need a little more so let's take a closer look at just what Apple reported yesterday: iMacs: Before the iPod came along and for a good time after the diminutive players introduction iMacs were Apple's bread and butter product. The numbers for this quarter: 467,000...http://www.applematters.com/weblog.php?id=P318 No One is Perfect: Ten Apple Mistakes Since the Return of Steve jobs- (Found July 2, 2008 ) Since Steve Jobs return to Apple the future for the once beleaguered company has been growing steadily brighter (at this point one would be well advised to don sunglasses when looking towards Apple's prospects). Deservedly Steve Jobs gets most of the credit. Of course with credit goes blame, so I present a list of Apple's top ten errors since Mighty Steve returned to the fold. 10) iMac...http://www.applematters.com/weblog.php?id=P310 Apple and the Disney Store Effect- (Found July 2, 2008 ) A new Apple Store is opening at the South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Massachusetts. This means there is now 4 Apple Stores within a 1 hour (by car) radius of my home. That's great right I think so. I think that means Apple has studied my surrounding area and has concluded there is a definite need for another brick and mortar store here. I think that means Apple has done extensive research on brand saturation and has determined that more is better. I find myself incredibly fortunate that...http://www.applematters.com/weblog.php?id=P311 Great Design: Apple gets it...Others Don't- (Found July 2, 2008 ) There can be no doubt that a good measure of Apple's post Steve Jobs return success is based on incredible industrial design. The statement is, perhaps, anathema to hard-core Mac users who love to point to increased productivity and a lower TCO (total cost of ownership) burden. There is some logic to the argument, computer aesthetics really don't enhance productivity or provide any monetarily measurable benefit to the end user. Yet the undeniable fact remains that on the consumer level...http://www.applematters.com/weblog.php?id=P312 The Next Great Apple Peripheral: The PSP- (Found July 2, 2008 ) Okay. So the Playstation Portable isn't made by Apple. Technically it is made by a PC manufacturer (although from what I've heard about Sony, all the separate departments are separate to the point of close to all-out-war on one another). However, I think the PSP is quickly becoming my favorite Mac peripheral. Here's why: Video iPod, anyone Steve Jobs says he thinks that video is the wrong way...http://www.applematters.com/weblog.php?id=P313 Busting the myth of the iPod Halo Effect- (Found July 2, 2008 ) People love to gamble. Folks will gamble with dice, bet on a single pitch in a baseball game, they will even wager on the future prospects of a corporation. In order these behaviors are known as: craps in Vegas, bookie in the bleachers, and investing in the stock market. In each instance after the gambler has won or lost they will patiently explain why they were successful (or not). The explanations, as involved as they will be, amount to nothing more post hoc reasoning. In short, they...http://www.applematters.com/weblog.php?id=P314 The Next Big Thing: The Apple Watch- (Found July 2, 2008 ) Can we all agree that the iPod is a hit Great. Now that we have that out of the way let's talk about what Apple should do next. With members of the iPod family covering every price point from $99 to $499, Apple has now completed their apparent master plan for portable music domination. They will continue to make improvements (think smaller and more HD) and that's great. But for Apple to evolve, the brain trust at One Infinite Loop need to discover the next big thing. Ignore the...http://www.applematters.com/weblog.php?id=P315 Apple's Second Quarter Results: Pure Speculation- (Found July 2, 2008 ) Generally when people predict a company's fortune they express the pick in monetary terms. Which is convenient, we can all relate to the to a dollar sign. On the other hand those predictions only tell us about Apple's financial health, which has been rosy for quite some time. If you're interested in Apple's popularity then those numbers don't mean as much. No, what the folks who are deeply interested in the popularity of the platform want to know is the number of computers sold. Which is...http://www.applematters.com/weblog.php?id=P316 My Shuffle Doesn't Need Protecting- (Found July 2, 2008 ) There are iPod purists out there who feel their iPod should exist unprotected from the elements. They argue using protective cases hide the beauty of the design of the iPod. I agree and I disagree. My iPod is beautiful. But it has been protected since the day I bought it. I'm perfectly happy with catching glimpses of my still pristine iPod as I open the cover from my iPod Armor to start it up every morning. Protect your iPod Yes, there is logic to it. Protect your...http://www.applematters.com/weblog.php?id=P317 The $25,000 OS X Virus Challenge: Anatomy of a PR Nightmare- (Found July 2, 2008 ) By now you're probably aware of the huge brouhaha that erupted upon the Macsphere over the weekend. For those of you who wisely avoid the web on the weekends the brief version is as follows: Jack Campbell of DVForge issued a press release offering a $25,000 reward to the first person to write a virus that happened to infect two Macs running OS X in Hendersonville, Tennessee. In perhaps the least surprising turn of events since...http://www.applematters.com/weblog.php?id=P309 |