The Pipeline: Flogging a dead horse edition
posted June 19th 2005 10:31PM
Welcome to The Pipeline, where we see what the mainstream media is up to. Not surprisingly, the Mac-Intel deal is still helping to kill trees, as journalists continue to debate whether it tastes great or is less filling. With nothing new out of Apple, most of the commentary was on the reaction (guess next week, we'll see the reaction to the comments on the reaction).
David Pogue of The New York Times
put together a collection of common reactions, followed by his commentary. Wearing his Mac-booster hat, Pogue followed
most reactions with comments about why this is good news for Apple. Even the dreaded "Osborne effect" was nothing to
worry about, according to Pogue: "People will certainly wait to buy new Macs until the new models are out. But even so,
these aren't *canceled* purchases, they're just *delayed* purchases. Apple has the cash on hand to tide it through a
dead spot; when the new models come out, they'll make it up in a tidal wave of pent-up demand."
David Pogue: Considering the 'Macintel' Alliance
Meanwhile, PC Mag’s John “I told you so” Dvorak followed up on speculation that the Intel version of Mac OSX will be (or already is) available to any PC user via pirated copies. Dvorak sees this as leading, inevitably, to an official version that can be installed on any modern PC, at which point the Macintel boxes find themselves crippled by viruses and spyware.
John Dvorak: Mac-Intel Aftermath
Next week, we expect things to settle back down, as the pundits get back to looking at other topics. Then again, this could become the Michael Jackson trial of the tech beat, with endless replays of gossip, rumors and speculation. Oh, wait, Apple already is that. Oh, well. Guess we’re going to be hearing a lot about this for at least a while.
Also:
Fortune: Dell Says He’d Sell Apple’s
Mac OS
Cringely: The Osborne Effect
Washington Post: Switch
to Intel Will Give Macs Power of Flexibility
Indeed. No new macs for me until Rev. B intel PowerBooks.
No new macs for me till a updated mini. Dont care if its intel or not.
I agree rev b. mini would be nice. Include airport & better graphics..1.5 PPC all for $499.
ROTFL!
Dvorak is really beginning to slip.
Is he trying to create a link between viruses and the Intel platform now? Has he totally forgotten that OSX is BSD underneath the glitz, and there are no viruses on BSD, or for that matter Solaris (which is also derived from the BSD tree) - on Intel processors.
Viruses are the result of a cruddily written OS - Windows. They barely exist on any other platform (popular or not) - if they exist at all.
Watch now - Wind^H^H^H^HX-box is the next target for viruses - on a PowerPC chip, running an OS written by the same people who brought you Windows (and will want to sell you anti-virus solutions soon).
As for me, I just picked up a nice new PowerBook. I think I may save up for one of the last G5 Powermacs as well...collectors item.
Of all the sources to quote you pick the 'all the news we could fabricate' New York Times...
Of all the sources to quote you pick the 'all the news we could fabricate' New York Times...
Huh? It was time to replace my 3 year old Titanium PowerBook. I got a new 1.67 PowerBook because I needed it, it will be supported for at least three years, it's the most efficient/productive/elegant tool I own and I have work to do.
Not all buyers will fit in my category but if buying a Mac was the right thing to do 3 weeks ago, it still is even as we wait for the Intel models to ship.