MacDailyNews - Where Mac news comes first

Sep 08, 08 - 11:18 pm Comment from: Macromancer

If Apple had strongarmed someone who licensed technology to Vudu to stop doing so in favor of Apple THEN it would have been Microsoftian of them. They didn't. They upgraded their own competing player much like everyone in the tech business does.

I love it how this guy uses this one weak example of how Apple is becoming like Microsoft. It isn't even a real reason actually.

Typical. Never let facts get in the way of good hyperbole.

The difference between Apple and Microsoft is that Apple, for the most part, has the consumer's best interests in mind, and not their shareholders.

MDN, you guys are like Steve's little brother. You think he can do no wrong. The story makes a lot of sense to me and I've been a fan since owning an Apple ][. Face it, Stevie's a bully. Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah.

Dan Lyons has been an Apple hater for a very long time. This is nothing new. Idiot.

On MDN's Take—Excellent.

Dan Lyons' "Fake Steve Jobs" blog was brilliant. His satire of Apple over the years provided more genuine insight into it than most serious journalism.

J.J Evans...lmao

@ Chris

Actually, Dan Lyons is an Apple fanboy, not a hater. His satire was satire, but always based on a genuine appreciation for what Apple has accomplished.

Sep 08, 08 - 11:51 pm Comment from: CYxodus

@Garuvy

"The story makes a lot of sense to me"

You probably think owning a windows PC makes sense also. You're nothing more than a windows troll.

@qwerty:

Actually, no, sorry. You fell for it. Read the articles on roughlydrafted.com for his history. He does not like or respect Apple very much at all.

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/09/25/forbes-fake-steve-jobs-is-also-fake-on-apple/#more-212

Just part of the story on Lyons.

Me thinks that Dan is Vudu owner afraid his "dynamite box" is going to become a firecracker of a doorstop. What he doesn't mention is that Vudu originally required a hardwire network connection, which most people don't have next to their television. They now have a separate wireless set (at an additional $100) to accomplish what TV does out of the box. He also fails to mention that TV delivers music, photos, and home movies seamlessly from the home computer. Vudu does have a better library of movies than Apple currently offers, and it is a nice alternative to TV, but the fact is that Apple brought out a more rounded solution, even if it isn't better at movie rentals. Apple also marketed it better. Lastly, Vudu's problems in gaining market share are a result of many more players, all trying to make into consumers' entertainment stack, not solely Apple and its TV.

Sep 09, 08 - 12:30 am Comment from: jjjj

laff riot - the guy is fishing sooooooo hard for something with teeth.

funny about these anti-Apple stories: one says Apple is bad because it's becoming like MSFT; another says Apple is bad, MSFT good. Why doesn't Lyon blame Netflix and Amazon that he thinks can beat AppleTV for killing the competition? Wish they make up their mind.

Sep 09, 08 - 12:54 am Comment from: GizmoDan

Didn't the first AppleTV come out before Vudu? so wasn't Vudu trying to steal into Apple's turf? That's the opposite of his argument.

Sep 09, 08 - 01:14 am Comment from: Botvinnik

The Vudu box had been secretly in development since 2004, but on April 29, 2007, The New York Times revealed that Vudu had signed deals with many movie studios and independent distributors to deliver access to the nearly 5,000 films currently in the company's collection.

Apple TV can function as either a home theater-connected iPod device or a digital media receiver, depending on the needs of the user. It was first announced at a special press event in San Francisco, California on September 12, 2006, by Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

You're right Gizmo Dan, tv was first according to Wikipedia sources.

10 years ago Microsoft would have "partnered" with this Vudu company, offered to "help" develop software with them and then, let the deal languish for long enough to send them into bankruptcy, leaving M$ a free road to copy the product and sell it themselves. That is how they got into the mobile phone market around that time.

I don't see that happening with Apple any time soon.

Let's see now:

Was well thought of for his satire when anonymous;
Decided to write a book that flopped;
Is no longer working at a good magazine;
No try to turn back time to the way it was when people listened to him;
Does this like Dvor[ack] by baiting Apple lovers into listening to him;

Guess that makes him a "hit-whore"

Response: Don't feed the trolls

Sep 09, 08 - 01:29 am Comment from: Anonymous©

The comparison between what is happening to Vudu with what happened to any of MS's victims falls flat. There is no comparison. AppleTV is not monopolizing the digital video delivery market in any way, whatsoever. Nor is it abusing its non-monopoly. Dan Lyons must lack the ability to think.

Sep 09, 08 - 01:32 am Comment from: MacSheikh

It's his first article for his new boss. Of course he needs to write something sensational to get those eyeballs. You always wanna impress the boss on your first day right?

Is Apple like Microsoft 10 years ago?

Yes for massive growth leading to an all prevailing position within 5 years.

However, we trumpet new additions to the iTunes graveyard. The difference being that MS held smoking guns as competitors died. Apple simply creates great products.

Dan Lyons is ether stupid, mendacious or on the payroll of the MS-Mafia.

Sep 09, 08 - 01:42 am Comment from: Not That Steve

I guess with Apple it's either the company is beleguered or monopolistic. Personally, after years of the former the latter seems refreshing.

MacDailyNews Take: We don't get satire or sarcasm........Ipod Iphone Imac I-dot-macMobile-Me...ugghghg...

Apple does some things great, OS, Itunes, Imac, Ipod, etc...BUT leaves the die hard apple fans to eat dirt....us appletv buying....well, u get the picture.....I see a new blog in the future......www.macipoddailyiphoneandmobilemenews.com.....

Sep 09, 08 - 03:29 am Comment from: JAYGEE

Apple do like to lock people in their walled garden products, like iPods/iTunes, iPhone/iTunes, iPhone/Apps, Mac hardware/Mac OS X etc etc.

mdn is a fan site. not fair reporting. accept mdn for what it is.

at any rate, there are only 3 major differences between apple and microsoft:

1. market share
2. taste
3. controlling the entire platform: box + os.

The other difference being that Apple has good products.

Sep 09, 08 - 06:15 am Comment from: Cubert

J.J. Evans??? Come on, now! Give Rerun a little love!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Berry

Micro$oft is spreading its $300,000,000 marketing FUD money far and wide. Its a shame that people cannot find better sources of income and write honest articles.

Sep 09, 08 - 06:39 am Comment from: Arnold Ziffel

Fake Steve Jobs was just a big steaming pile of Vista!

Sep 09, 08 - 07:05 am Comment from: MacRaven

Guess Dan Lyons is in desperate need of hits since he stopped playing Fake Steve Jobs.
This quote kills me:
'Steve is a monopolist at heart,' he said. 'He's just like Bill Gates. He just hasn't been as successful.'

There is more to success than financial success. Change the world creating innovative products like nothing selling out there—that is true success.

Unlike Steve Jobs, Bill Gates wasn't FIRED from his own damn company, then hired back years later to bring it back from the brink of death to even greater glory after the jerks ran it into the ground. Bill led his own company toward self-distruction.

Bill Gates might be richer, but he got lucky with Apple dropping the ball in the non-Jobs era there. We'd be looking at a whole different, better computing world if Steve had never stopped being CEO of Apple.

Used to read Lyons. Not anymore.

@Garuvy

So let me get this straight. Someone points out the obvious flaws in someone's reasoning, that makes them a fanboy? The worst thing about trolls like Lyons and yourself is that you use the worst arguments in the world with no facts to back them up and then whine when people point out your weak reasoning.

Sep 09, 08 - 07:17 am Comment from: MacRaven

@Garuvy

Yeah Steve is difficult, but he doesn't settle for mediocrity, or employees re-inventing re-hashed garbage. He pushes people to their best and beyond.

THINK DIFFERENT or get the FK out.


Where would M$ be without Apple? We'd all still be typing MS-DOS.

@ Mark

You forgot one. Microsoft gobbles up smaller competing companies and then extinguishes their products. Apple gobbles up smaller companies, improves their products, and brings them to market.

Sep 09, 08 - 08:01 am Comment from: iDon't

Its all true. Uh, what was the story about, again?

I hate to admit it, but Dan has a point. While Apple has helped many companies build a business around their products, they still hold a lock on the hardware that runs MacOS. Now, does that constitute a monopoly in the eyes of the US courts, well, I guess Psystar will put that to the test.

While I completely understand why they have done this from day one, to control the QUALITY of the user experience. What I believe they need to do is to qualify 3rd party hardware offerings just as they do software offerings. I believe that if the hardware doesn't meet a specified level, then they can't put the Apple and MacOS logo on their product. This would alert the purchaser as to what hardware they can expect to work with MacOS, and with which they might have compatibility issues.

You can flame me all you want, I've been an Apple user since the Apple II+ and was using the Macintosh operating system since the Lisa, so I'm pretty much impervious to any extremes of heat. If however this inspires true discussion, I'm happy.

Sometimes MDN gets it right, and sometimes they just come off as the religious zealots Windows people believe that we are. Today is an example of the latter.

Vudu is not a threat to Apple TV. Netflix is. Why? Despite the disadvantages of having to wait for mail delivery, Netflix is VERY cost effective - the cheapest way I know to get a reliable supply of movies every month. And now that they have their $100 box, a one time only fee, they are even a better deal.

Let me get this straight, Apple used it's 5-10% monopolistic niche market share to strangle the competition in other markets? Interesting.

As for those that argue that Apple likes to lock people into their products, its nothing new. The Mac has always been a closed platform, except for the brief cloning period; the iPod "was" closed to the Mac for a period (platform is closed); appleTV and all the iTunes store spin offs have been closed. This is not going to change, if you don't like it don't buy it. Get another product and be happy with it.

You got to love the fight of the 5% market monopolistic behemoth.

Some companies are said to be 'to big to fail'. Apple is still "to small to be a monopoly'.

Even 10 years ago, M$ was YET making only bul... I think Apple has always made better stuff and will just get better. No way you can ever compare...

@Mike T.
And it will be even harder, because Macs will have extra PA Semi chips! You will run everything on a Mac, but never no OSX on PCs...

Sep 09, 08 - 08:29 am Comment from: jtc

@znxlzclvn

What does that have to do with this article??? Remember we are talking about the apple TV not macbook air.

I bet some of this 300 milion dollars microsoft is spending is going to journalists to bad mouth apple. Though with this they just bad mouthed microsoft saying it was a monopoly...

Sep 09, 08 - 08:35 am Comment from: jtc

I agree with Mike T. on the hardware part... Doing animation I dont want to have to buy a windows PC just so I have a selection of choices in video cards to choose from. For those who also use maya you will know exactly what I mean. Though Maya has sucked on hardware support since autodesk bought them. And sadly it runs better in windows than MacOS but I still refuse to use windows again.

Just my $0.02

Sep 09, 08 - 08:40 am Comment from: Demon

Vudu is failing not because of Apple but, because the management of Vudu. Dan Lyons is so clueless about about tech and tech companies News Week needs to can him and hire some real journalists for a change. He'll write one day on how Apple and it's Apple TV is just like Microsoft because Vudu's management failed to manage the company properly and then the next he'll go on an on about how the Apple TV is a failure. Which is Dan? Dan and by representation News Week has no ethics or credibility in Tech reporting left and their letting their reporters right stories with no fact checking and with no journalistic ethics. To be fair it's the old print media companies in general that are letting their ethic standards slide into the toilet.
And yes ethics requires even opinion and commentary stories to be fact checked..
News Week if you a little bit of fact checking and cross-referencing you might be able to clean house a bit an become a respected news source again, and not just an advertiser's media outlet hook'n for readers.

Sep 09, 08 - 09:00 am Comment from: ElderNorm

@jtc,
Just a thought. A Mac tower may allow you to chose a video card but not necessarily any card. That is the problem with choice. You can choose to use a card that does not work.

But I will say its an issue about choice. Apple chose not to give in to every third party maker that may put specs above quality or compatibility.

Just a thought.
en

And NetFlix is promising streaming to the Mac by end-of-year. Which will make even the $100 player box unnecessary.

I would argue that Apple has been at the very least acting like Microsoft lately. Their control of the iPhone, what can be developed for it, how it can be used, etc., is very Microsoft like. Indeed Microsoft's control came from their control of the desktop. So anytime someone introduced something new with potential for desktop computers, all Microsoft had to do was copy it and give it away free with Windows. If the Microsoft version was good enough, people would use that and the fledgling company would fade. Apple doesn't have anywhere near the market penetration Microsoft has on the desktop but what they do have is iTunes. The iTunes infrastructure is a widespread phenomenon and a sweet launching pad for new ideas in media distribution. With iTunes Apple does have more than a little advantage over anyone else trying to develop proprietary hardware linked to an online service. Calling Apple a monopoly is just silly though.

Ahem: monopoly is the ultimate aim of capitalism. Hence the need for social and legal controls, to harness the monopolistic tendency for the benefit of all -- including the monopolist.

However, Apple's leading position in iPods is because the product is better, rather than a monopoly.

So far as computers go, a sub-10 percent market share is a long way from controlling the market.

"Hello. I'm Dave Lyons. I have 20/20 vision and I'm blind as a bat."

"Hello. I'm DAN Lyons. I have 20/20 vision, I'm blind as a bat, and I can't spell my own name."

Sep 09, 08 - 10:58 am Comment from: alansky

On the one hand, we have a greedy tech giant that has never cared about anything but cornering the market. On the other hand, we have an innovative upstart that is constantly trying to improve its products, no matter how successful they are.

Yep, sounds prettty much the same to me.

TiVo was one of the first companies to make it big with DVRs, but it's likely going away because cable companies and satellite providers began offering their own DVRs for less money.

Is that a monopoly? No, it's the market, and often the big companies have an advantage in that they don't have to make as much profit per unit as the little guys in order to survive.

Apple used to be a little guy (started in a garage, Dan, remember?). Then it almost died thanks to poor management. Now Apple is a huge force in consumer electronics and computer software.

Apple got to its current position by creating products that people wanted, and by recognizing when someone else has a good idea too (SoundJam is now iTunes after being bought by Apple).

Microsoft got to its position by creating contracts which allowed any Tom, Dick or Harry to build a PC box and sell it with DOS/Windows installed. But their contracts were set up so that you couldn't sell anything else w/o paying Microsoft, even if you didn't install the software. Builders were essentially trapped. That's abuse.

"The difference between Apple and Microsoft is that Apple, for the most part, has the consumer's best interests in mind, and not their shareholders."

Have some more of that Cupertino KoolAid; they give it away for free here at the Mac Defense Network.

Apple has always been and will likely always be about computing anyway you want...as long as it's Stevie Jobs' way.