Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

re: Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

Gis Bun — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:58:43 GMT

I agree with Luke. If Microsoft has to pull WMP out of Windows products, why doesn't Apple have to? I wonder if Microsoft complained about this.

Actually I heard that Safari in windows went from something like a 0.32% share to almost 1%. I think that 6% share may include Macs. Most Mac-fanatics I know use Firefox.

Ever notice that the description of Safari in the image doesn't say "safest"? Over the last few months it's been hit with multiple vulnerabilities [as per SANS].

Fastest? Firefox beats Safari, not by much though. IE is behind. Easiest? That depends on the user.

re: Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

Spaceman Spiff — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:21:49 GMT

Do you think that *cough* PS3 is not subsidized by *cough* game revenues. Apple hasn't come under the radar because they don't have the cash that MS has in the bank. The EU hasn't been able to compete in any non-regulated markets so it's time to go after successful American companies.

re: Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

Stickan — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:37:55 GMT

Hi,

Have a look into the EULA.

"This license allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-labeled computer at a time" ....

www.theregister.co.uk/.../apple_safari_eula_paradox

And also look into this

Safari Address Bar Spoofing and Memory Corruption Vulnerabilities

secunia.com/.../29483

Stickan

re: Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

*** Carlson — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:46:09 GMT

The worst part of their evil plan is that it is often elegant and has a UI that makes me squeak like a twelve-year-old girl. For someone of my advanced years, that should be an actionable offense. It's much more soothing to have software that takes it's own sweet time to load, much like my bodily functions have slowed as the years have passed.

And services that keep running (like the iron I left on -- I think I did) long after the need has ended. Not to mention an almost continual recounting of my faults and shortcomings. "Grandpa! Your zipper is down and can't re-zip! Please remove your pants, press undies-slide-off and restart your dressing."

I'm much more comfortable in a world where much is promised, and little is expected. In a world where everyone around me talks about my capabilities, while my actual performance continues to decline. A world where even those who love me wish that I'd just shuffle off so they didn't have to tolerate that "old-tech" smell any longer.

You're getting older, Jesper. Soon, you're going to realize that the world is passing you by, and that you've become one of us.

re: Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

Francesco V. Buccoli — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:28:42 GMT

Great post, I'm still laughing!!! Fortunately Apple is not so powerfull here in Italy, but the European Union is fool enough to offset it.

re: Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

Eric Eskam — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:39:56 GMT

One slight difference, Jesper. Apple isn't a convicted monopolist. They aren't using the sales of one division to prop up unrealistic and predatory pricing for another with the sole goal of driving a competitor out of a market space.

The iPod still isn't the cheapest or feature rich media player out there. iTunes isn't the least expensive music store, nor are they the least restrictive when it comes to DRM - there are "better" alternatives out there if those decision criteria are important to you.

What iTunes and the iPod do have is the best all-around user experience out there. Apple offered a product, and people voted with their dollars. Apple didn't use the profits from their computers to prop up the money-loosing iPod division for years on end (*cough* xbox *cough* plays for sure *cough* zune). The iPod stood on it's own, and even eclipsed other Apple revenues for a point in time. It did so on it's own merits.

I expect even more hysteria when the iPhone starts it's inevitable domination of the smartphone market. Heck, that's already started and with the SDK in June things should get even more interesting.

Guess what, folks - it's about the user experience! Deliver an outstanding, geek-free user experience and people will beat down a path to your door! Instead of scorning Apple for their success, I would think folks would be inspired to do it better! Apple may be good, but even they have left lots of room for improvement. The problem is the geeks with the mile long checklists of "features" attack and user experience isn't anywhere on their lists. Regular people (i.e. the vast majority of humanity) have their priorities flipped from us geeks(which is also why Linux will NEVER be a mainstream desktop OS). If the success of the iPod and the iPhone haven't driven that point home, frankly I don't know what will. But I digress...

Anyway, as soon as Apple starts taking iPod revenue and using it to sell iPhone's (or the next big thing) at a loss, call me. Otherwise it's a nice red herring and much ado about nothing.

And for the rest of your commentors, all software update does is install Safari. It doesn't run it. It doesn't put some weird toolbar in your default browser that then executes automatically (google I'm looking at you) it doesn't install a hundred gigabyte office suite when you aren't looking (Sun, I'm looking at you) it doesn't install another plugin/potential attack vector just for visiting a web site and trying to use it (Microsoft I'm looking at you for requiring siverlight). For all the "if this was Microsoft...." comments, I find it funny that people gloss over the above examples-and that list is hardly exhaustive. Indeed, I find it ironic that apparently the only reason this got called out was because it *was* Apple - obviously no one cares about the rest of the industry that does it - or did I just miss those posts in your blog, Jesper?

And lest anyone think I'm giving them a pass, I'm not saying I appreciate any of the above from any of the vendors - including Apple. I think such defaults are slimy and ridiculous. However, if you are going to criticize one and act like the world is coming to an end, then I think it's only fair to expose everyone else at the same time.

Finally - propped up or not, I'm still not giving up my Xbox 360 :)

re: Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

Matthew Clapham — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:05:17 GMT

I too have made my home environment Quicktime-free recently. There really isn't any compelling content to me in .MOV format anymore. I still prefer Windows Media, but most sites (e.g. YouTube) are moving to Flash video anyways.

There's a reason why I still only buy CDs or listen to streaming radio stations like SOMAFM.com.

In Europe, there are a few countries that have threatened to require competition amongst iPod music services (e.g. France) but I'm not sure what became of the initiative.

Prior to the Zune, Microsoft had a very open system with the "Plays for Sure" initiative. Using Windows Media Player and choosing from a host of possible music services or players. Seemed a good counterpoint to the iPod + iTunes initiative.

re: Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

wisher — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 10:00:28 GMT

LOL, I'd love to have QuickTime without sound!

re: Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

Martin — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:48:25 GMT

I think the bigger problem than a hypothetic Apple monopoly is that they abuse their software update mechanism. It undermines the trust their customers might still have. What now happens is that a lot of iTunes users will switch off the auto-update completely and won't get security updates.

re: Help us Neelie! Please, help us!

Luke — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:07:39 GMT

Thanks for the laugh.

I still don't get why the laws that made Microsoft unbundle, in the US and the EU, not apply to Apple? Is it because Apple is smaller? Or that there just hasn't been any action taken?

re: Help us Nellie! Please, help us!

Kieran Jacobsen — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:30:20 GMT

If all you need to do is lay .mov files, download VLC, it will playthem with no itunes or safari