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I've been in IT for a decade and a half now. People like you have been telling me that my ilk have been terrified by Apple that entire time, and guess what?
This is the ONLY thing I will agree with X on. Apple, with computers at least... will always be a niche product.
And yea, we've been hearing it for years... and Apple is up to a whopping 9% of the computer market or soemthing? Come on now...
I've been in IT for a decade and a half now. People like you have been telling me that my ilk have been terrified by Apple that entire time, and guess what? Still not concerned about them.
BTW, there's nothing "innovative" about ANYTHING Apple has made in the last 15 years. Not one thing. Apple is great at making a device utilizing decade-old technology, slapping their logo on it, and convincing Apple loyalists that they've just created something new.
Ahh yes, the mystical "cloud". AKA the single point of failure. This is the exact same rhetoric everybody was spewing 10 years ago, and look what happened there.
Tablets were, are, and always will be, little more than toys, and that goes beyond Apple to Android and HP's new offering with the Palm OS. Know the only thing I ever see people doing on a Tablet? Reading an e-magazine or a book. They're less functional and less powerful than ANY notebook, and just about any netbook. They're no more convenient to lug around, and they have no legitimate niche. If all you want is a reader, save yourself 400 bucks and buy a Nook or a Kindle. If you need to run apps, grab a netbook or a laptop. If portability is what you crave, get a smartphone. There is no box a tablet - any tablet - really fits into, and that is a fundamental problem with them.
As I said - fad. I've got 3 tablets sitting in my garage collecting dust that I've had since about 2000. The amazing thing is those 11 year old devices are actually more functional than a present-day iPad, which isn't saying much given how useless they are. But yeah, these things are "innovative" alright.
Hmmmm....
A few things.
1. Even if it's "just a toy" doesn't mean it can't take off. No offense but a lot of tech savy people tend to project their desires onto the general population. Most people don't care about specs, they just care about how enjoyable their product is.
2. It's not just apple loyalists buying apple products. I'm not an Apple groupie, but I do own an iPod Classic and an iPod shuffle (the only two apple products I own). There are probably technologically superior MP3 players but I suspect they aren't as intuitive and simple as the iPods. Anyway, many people like me that are not apple loyalists would buy an apple product. I've never owned one of their computers though.
3. If you think in context of connectivity with other devices, I'm thinking tablets can be useful.
For me, I'm still waiting for better prices--I can't imagine paying more than $500 or being on another data plan/month-to-month contract, and for something easier on the eyes. I'm not yet pressed, but I see they're appeal.
Now that more than 15 million iPads have been sold, it seems a little silly to argue that tablets are a toy or don't have any value. They may not be for everybody, but 15 million+ somebodies decided they were worth plunking down a few hundred bucks.
Apple is not just a computer company anymore. A tablet is probably it's own category....
Very true.
Apple makes the bulk of its money from the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and the iTunes store. The Macintosh and Mac Books are a small slice of revenue to Apple.
What Apple is becoming is what Sony wanted to be...a vertically integrated media and entertainment giant.
Apple is not just a computer company anymore. A tablet is probably it's own category....
Yes, but I was replying to the post and the misguided notion that the Windows PC days are numbered as the market leader. Certainly nothing to worry about there from Apple.
There is no disputing they are the market leaders in the other categories.
To Superseyian: It is a very cool device that can Try the $500 wifi only iPad.
You will see the usefullness. The 3G version is just lame in my opinion. Only the uber-geeks are buying those with data plans.
... IT people have always been threatened by Apple products and innovation. Most think they are still toys....
Nah, I wouldn't generalize like that. Maybe some IT folks still think Apple products are toys (much like mainframe and unix folks used to think windows pcs were toys ... ). But the really good IT folks at the cutting edge companies don't even bother with the Windows or Mac debate. It's more of: whatever tool allows you to be your most productive. Take a gander at Google or similar companies. You think they limit themselves to Windows computers only?
Since the 90's, I've worked at several Fortune 500 firms that had a mixed environment of Unix/Windows/Macs. We're talking the old Mac OS here. Even before OSX. Not a big deal for these firms. Granted, the ratio was probably 50 Windows to 1 non-Windows machine. Heck, at one gig I did as a mainframe analyst and developer, we had Macs instead of Windows. After all, we were only accessing the mainframe through the 3270 emulator. So the platform didn't make a difference.
Nowadays, I see a lot more people walking around with Macs. And most IT folks know that one way or another, Macs/Windows/Linux will have to coexist in the company's network.
These Mac vs. Windows debates are pointless. If the customer has OSX or Windows or Linux, he/she is still a customer. If you don't take care of him/her, somebody else will. Most of the good companies know that.
Having said that, I do agree that until Macs become cheaper, it will alway be a niche machine for obvious economic reasons. And maybe that's the way it should be. It's not like Apple is losing sleep or money over being a niche player. Now, on the Ipad and tablet market, that's a different ballgame.
Nah, I wouldn't generalize like that. Maybe some IT folks still think Apple products are toys (much like mainframe and unix folks used to think windows pcs were toys ... ). But the really good IT folks at the cutting edge companies don't even bother with the Windows or Mac debate. It's more of: whatever tool allows you to be your most productive.
Nowadays, I see a lot more people walking around with Macs. And most IT folks know that one way or another, Macs/Windows/Linux will have to coexist in the company's network.
These Mac vs. Windows debates are pointless. If the customer has OSX or Windows or Linux, he/she is still a customer. If you don't take care of him/her, somebody else will. Most of the good companies know that.
Yep. You are an IT guy that "gets it". A few years ago I was struggling with an IT guy that for some reason did not even want to acknowledge that macs existed, even thought the entire creative department used them (and was the agencies biggest profit generator)
We fired him. The new guy had the entire agency integrated in less than a week.
Now that more than 15 million iPads have been sold, it seems a little silly to argue that tablets are a toy or don't have any value. They may not be for everybody, but 15 million+ somebodies decided they were worth plunking down a few hundred bucks.
Yes, and how many of those still see daily use? Like I said, my company bought 45 of them, and only 2 of them are still in use (and are forbidden from directly accessing the internal network). My best friend ran out and bought one the day it came out. I know for a fact he hasn't touched it in months.
It's easy to get a lot of people to make an initial investment. People are stupid when it comes to technology, and it's a relatively simple thing to trick them into thinking they "need" just about anything. It's another animal entirely to get people to fail to ever realize it's not their best option going forward.
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). But the really good IT folks at the cutting edge companies don't even bother with the Windows or Mac debate. It's more of: whatever tool allows you to be your most productive. Take a gander at Google or similar companies. You think they limit themselves to Windows computers only? 
