Apple's time to break out?

[ghost03]

I just read the following article on the inq.

"Your new hardware is already broken"

So, you are buying these machines, $1200 24-inch Dell monitors, $500 Nvidia GPUs, all exceedingly nice hardware BTW, and they are all broken. You are pissing your money away. Assume a three year lifespan for most hardware, probably more if you buy a pimped out SLi rig with a dual everything a a huge monitor. Sure, you are spending more than the cost of a decent car, but it really is a nice machine.

Won't you be surprised that in a year or so, your slightly less new, but still blazingly fast machine is now a doorstop. You won't be able to legally play content, and there is no realistic upgrade path. There are boxes, adaptors and eSwizzle-sticks(TM) that will make things possibly work, but they will cost more than new hardware, and almost assuredly will have less functionality.

This is incredibly bothersome, and feeling that most people will want an alternative, I sent the following e-mail to the author.


I wrote:

Having just read your editorial "your new hardware is already broken" there's really only one thing that I can think about, and that's Apple.

Microsoft, a company that I've never really been fond of but dealt with just the same, is crossing the line with abusing their customers. I'm sure I'm not the only one hungry for an alternative.

Many people have always wanted Apple to release their OS to all x86 platforms, and if there was ever a time to do it, it would be to combat Vista. Slam Microsoft when they're at their lowest, provide an alternative that dosn't require new hardware, dosn't invade rights, and is a better designed OS in the first place.

People say that this will never happen because Apple makes their money on hardware, which is currently true, but 50% OS marketshare is much more profit than 2% hardware. They would have to split the software side of business away from the hardware side, but hey, hardware would still have ipods.

What do you all think? Please try to be objective.

 

[pcthuglife]

I'm going to stick with Linux. Ubuntu fo life. You do howerver raise a very good point, Apple's release of the X86 compatible OS will be at the perfect time to thwart Vista sales. But let's be honest, Windows is the standard and will always dominate market share. I think there's a chance that the younger generations of PC users will make the switch to Mac or Linux, but the majority of the population is going to stick with either Vista or XP.

 

[crizzar]

The sky isn't falling yet, Vista isn't completed and is realistically a year away.

Gotta love the hate machine, make me laugh

 

[n0cmonkey]

Rome is the standard in cities, and will always control the known world.

It'll be an interesting time for Apple, at the expense of Apple users.

 

[stash]

Half a billion consumers don't seem to have an issue with Apple's DRM.

If you think Apple will not tie their x86 OS to their hardware, I have a bridge on the east side I'd like to sell you.

 

[spyordie007]

uggg theinquirer.net

You actually waste your time reading that stuff?

 

[Schadenfroh]

I'm going to stick with Linux.

I would love to switch to Linux, if only the games I liked worked in it, BattleField2 and my MMORPGs, etc.

 

[EightySix Four]

The vista DRM is WAY to much. I for one will not upgrade until I find out my laptops screen is not gonna be fuxored while viewing HD content.

 

[ValuedCustomer]

Originally posted by: pcthuglife
Apple's release of the X86 compatible OS will be at the perfect time to thwart Vista sales.

Originally posted by: STaSh
If you think Apple will not tie their x86 OS to their hardware, I have a bridge on the east side I'd like to sell you.

 

[ghost03]

Originally posted by: STaSh
Half a billion consumers don't seem to have an issue with Apple's DRM.

If you think Apple will not tie their x86 OS to their hardware, I have a bridge on the east side I'd like to sell you.

I'm not saying that they won't lock it to their hardware I'm saying if they didn't it could be quite interesting.

Odds are they won't, but personally I think switching to intel and locking their hardware is going half-way when they needed to either stay put or do something drastic. If you get to a rickety bridge, stopping in the middle usually isn't good.

Originally posted by : spyordie007
uggg theinquirer.net

You actually waste your time reading that stuff?

lol, well, yes. You have to separate the slander and rumors from the good stuff but you get some interesting finds. I realize that this instance is a heavily opinionated editorial, but hey, it has some merit and it's important to see all sides. There are going to be a lot of people that arn't going to be happy with vista and DRM.

 

[stash]

There are going to be a lot of people that arn't going to be happy with vista and DRM.

What do you think Apple is going to do when they add support for Blu-Ray, premium HD content, etc? If you said exactly the same thing that Vista is doing, you win!

 

[minofifa]

what will you need to play these next generation DVD's (to get the full experience, not just to get by...)

- a protection compliant high res monitor
- a new DVD drive
- surround sound speakers / surround sound soundcard
- a more powerful video card (than what i currently have...)

I'm just speculating, but the point i make is that it is costing so much to keep up with technology these days. I don't even experience DVD's at their full potential so i won' t be getting the upgrades necessary to watch the next gen DVD's. For those of you finatics, i feel for you, it seems like a money grab. For me, who is satisffied with the quality of what's out now, i think i'll just ride it out and see what happens. I'm still getting my dell 24'' widescreen though.

 

[doornail]

Originally posted by: STaSh
What do you think Apple is going to do when they add support for Blu-Ray, premium HD content, etc?

Oooh oooh. I know this one ... just a sec. Oh yeah, offer a product that will never enter my household!

 

[stash]

Originally posted by: doornail

Originally posted by: STaSh
What do you think Apple is going to do when they add support for Blu-Ray, premium HD content, etc?

Oooh oooh. I know this one ... just a sec. Oh yeah, offer a product that will never enter my household!

Guess you won't have any computers in your house then. Either that, or you won't be able to use premium content. If Linux has any aspirations to support this, they will need to do the same thing.

These policies are made by the content providers who are trying to protect their IP. I think it stinks, bad. But the way things stand now, everyone is going to have to play by their rules.

 

[doornail]

Originally posted by: STaSh
These policies are made by the content providers who are trying to protect their IP. I think it stinks, bad. But the way things stand now, everyone is going to have to play by their rules.

It can crash and burn pretty easy if consumers don't go for it. Circuit City and some greedy Hollywood lawyers tried to push a pay-per-play DVD format called DIVX (not to be confused with the codec by the same name) and they lost about a hundred million bucks on it. DIVX featured exclusive content as well.

It will only happen if we *let* it happen. Besides, it's getting easier everyday to pass on the crap that media companies would consider "premium" content.

 

[Nothinman]

I would love to switch to Linux, if only the games I liked worked in it, BattleField2 and my MMORPGs, etc.

I don't know about BF2, but I know some people who play WoW in wine/cedega and get the same or better performance as they did in Windows. It can be a bit of a pain to make them work, but in a lot of cases you can do it.

I'm not saying that they won't lock it to their hardware I'm saying if they didn't it could be quite interesting.

They are, it's already been talked about many times and recently the OS X developer kit was leaked and anyone who downloaded it can tell you that it won't install on just any old PC.

Guess you won't have any computers in your house then. Either that, or you won't be able to use premium content. If Linux has any aspirations to support this, they will need to do the same thing.

There's already TPM drivers in the kernel, but I don't think any userland software uses them yet. But I'll probably just not watch any of that "premium" content, since most of the stuff coming out of Holywood these days is crap. And there's no doubt that someone with the proper hardware, software, etc will get it, rip it and put it up for download somewhere.

 

[ghost03]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

I'm not saying that they won't lock it to their hardware I'm saying if they didn't it could be quite interesting.

They are, it's already been talked about many times and recently the OS X developer kit was leaked and anyone who downloaded it can tell you that it won't install on just any old PC.

the infineon chip, yes. i'm sure apple could easily drop it, though. they just don't have the guts to separate their hardware and software business. they keep edging closer to PC hardware but refuse to be an open system.

 

[Nothinman]

They can't drop the hardware business because they would die very quicky if they did.

 

[stash]

It can crash and burn pretty easy if consumers don't go for it.

Perhaps. But like I said, half a billion people have no qualms with using iTMS.

But I'll probably just not watch any of that "premium" content, since most of the stuff coming out of Holywood these days is crap.

I'm right with you there.

 

[sourceninja]

Originally posted by: STaSh

Originally posted by: doornail

Originally posted by: STaSh
What do you think Apple is going to do when they add support for Blu-Ray, premium HD content, etc?

Oooh oooh. I know this one ... just a sec. Oh yeah, offer a product that will never enter my household!

Guess you won't have any computers in your house then. Either that, or you won't be able to use premium content. If Linux has any aspirations to support this, they will need to do the same thing.

These policies are made by the content providers who are trying to protect their IP. I think it stinks, bad. But the way things stand now, everyone is going to have to play by their rules.

You mean like how there are legal linux dvd players the US ?

Oh wait, there isn't they all use a deCSS hack that most people say is illegal in the US as it is not paying for the licensing fee's to decode dvds.

If it can be viewed, it can be cracked. In order for us to watch it they have to give us the tools to decode it. Thus we have the key already, just a matter of cracking it.

It could be software drivers that pretend to be hardware, or hardware mods. Or even something as simple as a sharpie or holding down shift.

 

[stash]

HDCP and the other content protection schemes being developed are being developed precisely to avoid debacles like CSS.

Whether it will be successful at doing so is very much up for grabs.

 

[sourceninja]

A good rule of thumb is somewhere along the lines, you are going to have to decrypt it to watch it. And that means you are going to have to have the firmware/software to do so. Which means (although illegally) you have the process to hack the encryption given to you by your HDDVD player, or your new monitor/videocard. So maybe you can't just watch a blueray disk, but I give it 2weeks to a month after it comes out that someone will have a way to decode it into unencrpyted HD-DVD content.

The only true way to prevent you from watching content would be some kind of DRM scheme that has a FBI agent in your room watching how you use your PC. Although he would need to be unwilling to accept bribes. Either that or give free sex from supermodels away for people who turn in people who crack drm.

 

[crizzar]

MS didn't lose any space when they released ME, they're not going to lose any ground now.

 

[kamper]

Originally posted by: STaSh

Originally posted by: doornail

Originally posted by: STaSh
What do you think Apple is going to do when they add support for Blu-Ray, premium HD content, etc?

Oooh oooh. I know this one ... just a sec. Oh yeah, offer a product that will never enter my household!

Guess you won't have any computers in your house then. Either that, or you won't be able to use premium content. If Linux has any aspirations to support this, they will need to do the same thing.

'Premium content' is a load of marketing crap. To me 'premium' means 'the best' which translates roughly to 'that which works the best possible in all situations' including the ones where I don't pay hundreds of extra dollars for an artificial technical limitation.

These policies are made by the content providers who are trying to protect their IP. I think it stinks, bad. But the way things stand now, everyone is going to have to play by their rules.

Nobody has to play by their rules. They could charge $1000 for a disc that self destructs after the first viewing and nobody would play along then (my point is that we all have the choice to ignore this crap). Software makers could simply refuse to support the technology and it would die before it got started. If I had control of an operating system I would refuse to put the required code it, I wouldn't care if my users couldn't view the 'premium' content.

And there's no doubt that someone with the proper hardware, software, etc will get it, rip it and put it up for download somewhere.

Exactly. This technology will cause hassle and ill-will for the people that actually do things legally. It will pose only minor problems for the real culprits. The media industry is simply going to have to recognize that charging repeatedly for a product that can be reproduced infinitely for almost no cost is becoming less and less of a realistic business model.

 

[ghost03]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
They can't drop the hardware business because they would die very quicky if they did.

That is not true. If they kept the same amount of software marketshare and lost the hardware business they would die. If they released a good alternative to M$ Windows and gained 50% marketshare, well, that is A LOT LOT LOT more money than their current 2% hardware marketshare is making them.

To give you an example, just through MS Office microsoft makes more money on every mac sold than apple! Software = teh pr0fit$