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from the have-you-tried-programming-on-a-tablet? dept.
Christopher Mims writes at the WSJ that Apple like all ambitious companies occasionally strays from its focus. According to Mims the iPhone is just coming into its prime, the iPad is an immature platform and the iWatch is in its infancy, yet Apple continues to invest in one-of-a-kind feats of engineering like the Mac Pro, which ships in volumes that are a rounding error on pretty much everything else Apple makes. "Something's got to give," writes Mims. "Showpieces like iMacs with screens that have more pixels than any PC ever (and four times the average selling price of a PC) are impressive, but what is Apple trying to prove? Is it really a good idea for Apple to continue to put resources against being king of a last-century technology?"
According to Mims the world's best tech companies can be the best at two things at once, maybe three and even a company as mighty as Apple gets to be the best at only a handful of things. "In a world in which the cloud is increasingly the hub of everything individuals and businesses do, and our mobile devices its primary avatar, what on Earth is Apple doing running victory laps around a dying PC industry? Personally, I'd rather see Apple push the envelope on what's next."
takyon: Paywall buster.
Original Submission
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Subsentient on Wednesday July 01 2015, @08:19AM
Despite the fact that OS X has sucked horse nuts since 10.7, these people that think that killing off the PC in favor of brain damaged tablets and smartphones is a good idea, well, they are definitely not developers. I hate tech pundits who know nothing about tech. It's all about the feel of the keyboard of the new Macbook Air and not about the underlying hardware and capabilities. Feel lucky if you get some accurate hardware specs. Don't expect them to know shit about what it means though.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 01 2015, @08:43AM
yeah, this is just another THE DESKTOP IS DEAD
HEY WHY ARE PEOPLE BUYING DESKTOPS?
Because the desktop is far from dead.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 01 2015, @09:55AM
Of course the desktop is dead. I've been using towers exclusively for the last 20 years!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Wednesday July 01 2015, @08:47AM
Not just developers, but anyone who uses their computer creatively. Just try to whip up a complicated CAD drawing on an iPhone, even the 6 plus, or a computer generated monster for a movie on a Nexus 7. How about dealing with a simple 12 column spreadsheet, or write up a basic ten page report? Basically, anyone who does digital work needs a computer with precise and accurate, plus speedy, input and usually as much screen real estate as can fit their field of view. Phones and tablets are great for consumption -- and that's it. To do real work on a phone, you'd need a full size keyboard, a mouse or pen device, and big ass fresnel lens to see what the hell you're doing. It's like this guy watched Brazil and thought -- that's how I want my computer to be: http://modes.io/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/brazil_console_computer.jpg [modes.io] -- tiny screen with a bunch of crap stuck on it.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Wednesday July 01 2015, @08:54AM
Darn it, double reply. I recently "downgraded" from Snow Leopard to Yosemite (except on this laptop -- still has SL on it). Apple definitely needs another Snow Leopard -- in tracking down a solution to an issue I ran into this article: http://www.tekrevue.com/yosemite-bugs-time-for-another-snow-leopard/ [tekrevue.com]