microsoft is in some trouble...

[Mike70]

they are getting beaten to death by apple. i won't repeat any of the numbers because they are all in the article but it is a bleak, bleak picture. the gist of the article is that home consumers have lost confidence in microsoft and are turning away from it in droves. here is a snippet that cuts to the heart of the matter: As Apple has proven, success in consumer products can fuel explosive growth. Apple surpassed Microsoft's market value earlier this year, and is on pace to eclipse the company in sales for 2010. And if Microsoft cedes consumer ground, it risks its enterprise stronghold. Businesses are becoming more willing to allow employees to use their personal devices for work purposes, and a growing number of those gizmos are Macs, iPads, iPhones and Android smartphones. good. i only use macs and except for work, will not even touch a pc. i (and most of the folks that i know) have considered microsoft to be little more than greasy kids stuff for eons. http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/27/tech...cnn=yes&hpt=T2

[bassman]

Apple is really the big dog on campus these days, huh? I heard yesterday that there are rumors floating around of Apple looking to purchase Sony?

[Mike70]

Apple is really the big dog on campus these days, huh? I heard yesterday that there are rumors floating around of Apple looking to purchase Sony? i haven't heard anything about buying sony but yeah, apple is beating ms with a very big stick now. microsoft reminds me of huge, lumbering dinosaur that is surrounded by velociraptors (apple & google).

[Tricky]

Personally I would still rather use MS than apple, I dont like apple as a company & was pleased to see the iPhone 4 beaten to phone of the the year by the HTC Desire a couple of weeks back. I think half of apples present success is down to "fashion" at the moment though, i.e. all the studenty types & sandle wearers worship it and every product it releases. I like my hardware/software customisable, I like it to run any program I want, and I like to be able to upgrade it easily myself, which from what I understand from friends with Macs & so forth, you cant on a Mac/iPhone/iPad, they want you to use their systems their way end of story, and they're so damned smug about it, ugh

[JDFP]

You couldn't pay me to touch a Mac. Wait, yes you could... but I will refrain unless someone pays me. I've just never had any interest in Mac's and don't see any reason to get started on them now. Since my first computer in 1996 (Winders '95, baby! I was also proficient on 3.1 prior to that back in middle school -- good times!) I've been using PC's and I don't really see any reason to change. My Vista works just fine, thank you, kindly. I've never had any major software issues with my PC. Of course I refuse to spend $$$ to purchase Word / Excel / Powerpoint, etc. My WordPerfect works well for writing (it's a better program than Word if you ask me) and for surfing the net / watching films / listening to music / talking with people -- the things I basically use my computer for, I've never had an issue. And I love my Windows Media Center for listening to music (such as the radio on Windows Media Center here at work right now). We use PC's here at work too and I've never experienced any issues here either and I'm on the computer all times of day. j.p.

[LouCipherr]

Personally I would still rather use MS than apple, I dont like apple as a company & was pleased to see the iPhone 4 beaten to phone of the the year by the HTC Desire a couple of weeks back. I think half of apples present success is down to "fashion" at the moment though, i.e. all the studenty types & sandle wearers worship it and every product it releases. I like my hardware/software customisable, I like it to run any program I want, and I like to be able to upgrade it easily myself, which from what I understand from friends with Macs & so forth, you cant on a Mac/iPhone/iPad, they want you to use their systems their way end of story, and they're so damned smug about it, ugh Couldn't have said it better myself. Look, i'll start using a mac (as well as other Apple products) - when they bring the prices down to something reasonable and allow me to customize it the way *I* want to. Paying $1800 for a computer from Apple that the PC equivilant is half the price - that alone keeps me away. Besides, what can you do on a mac that you can't do on a pc? Although I can tell you quite a few things you can do on a PC that you can't on a mac. It comes down to personal preference, really...and I prefer not to pay twice what the hardware and software are actually worth just because it has an "apple" on it for a logo and it was designed by a bozo in a black turtleneck. *snicker* Not to mention the closed "ecosystem" of the whole Apple line.. I know why they do it, I just think it's stupid.

[Danny]

Good, i'm a macfag and prefer OSX to xp, vista or 7 anyday. if you own a pc, get linux or ubuntu or something that actually works. Microsft has gotten lazier and shittier with there releases and support every year. If most my friends didn't own one i wouldnt even have my 4th or 5th xbox. It's not just the same kind of brash opinionated criticism as most hardcore microsoft fanboys i know who call apple shit without having actually used it. i used pcs all my life up to university when all we worked on were macs. I found an operating system thats easier to use, has a much nice look and doesnt flood with virus, but tis not for everyone, just my personal tastes. But the only alternative is not goddamn windows and it should never be. in 4 years i never had a mac, ipod, ipone or macbook problem. i cant count on one hand the irritating faults i had with my pc's over the last 20 odd years. For one thing ive never had to yell at my mac and call it a "fucking twat, piece of shit machine" like my pc's but yeah, linux over windows any day. Most people i know who call apple shit either havent used it and make the switch when i let them try mine or have no goddamn idea that apple is not the only alternative.

[LouCipherr]

For one thing ive never had to yell at my mac and call it a "fucking twat, piece of shit machine" like my pc's That's funny, 'cause I yelled at my ipod touch (xmas gift from my mother in law ) almost CONSTANTLY until I finally jailbroke the fucker. Add onto that the fact that I can't replace the battery, I got ripped off from apple & itunes for over $140 which apple will claim zero responsibility for even though it was THEIR FAULT (that's a whole other long-winded story that I'm not prepared to get into right now) - so when people tell you Apple has "great customer service" - they're full of shit. Just wait until something happens to your gear. Oh, you need a new battery for your ipod? Shit, you have to send it to them to be fixed - and it costs at least $50 and you're without it for weeks. You need them to fix something on your itunes account? prepare to wait weeks, months, years, if they ever fix it. Fuck apple... and while I'm at it, fuck Micro$oft too. I don't like either one, but I'll take the customizable, cheaper, lesser of two evils, thank you very much.

[MikePizzoff]

Who wants to put money down that Apple comes out with a gaming console before 2017?

[bassman]

Who wants to put money down that Apple comes out with a gaming console before 2017? Isn't that what the I-"phone" is?

[AcesandEights]

Who wants to put money down that Apple comes out with a gaming console before 2017? The Apple Schnapps sounds like a good name to me.

[Tricky]

One of my friends in manchester has a Mac, and it broke back in July (to much ribbing from myself saying "I thought macs never broke??"), he sent it away & it still hasnt come back yet! Oh, and how do you know if someone has an iPhone? They fucking tell you

[LouCipherr]

One of my friends in manchester has a Mac, and it broke back in July (to much ribbing from myself saying "I thought macs never broke??"), he sent it away & it still hasnt come back yet! Oh, and how do you know if someone has an iPhone? First off, +1 for that joke - hilarious!! Sent off in July and still not back?! WTF!? Now see, if that was a PC, I would've just ripped open the case and fixed the bitch myself.

[kidgloves]

Im no expert but i think MS are so far integrated into the business world that they don't have any concerns except for the gadget side of the market.

[MikePizzoff]

Isn't that what the I-"phone" is? [rimshot]