Bloomberg:HP to spin off PC Business

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by elcreative

Not true... Apple not only makes servers, they sell them as well as having systems to tie 'em together into ultra fast supercomputer arrays... try searching under "server" on the Apple site as I just did... didn't think they'd suddenly stopped their server production... not cheap but got a very good rep...

Apple does not make high end servers. And with "high end", I mean like for million dollars Oracle databases, servers than can scale and with hot swap capabilities for RAM, CPU, etc. I would like to see the links of you believe they do, because I was not aware of that, in case that's true.

I think they sell medium budget servers for medium scale companies, but nothing like an HP iTanium superdome or similar, not that I'm aware of.

[jocampo]

@elcreative

Is this maybe the link you are referring to?

http://www.apple.com/server/

[MrsJoseph]

Ok, when I think "PC" I think "Windows based personal computer."

When I say "that doesn't cost me my first born child" I mean that I want a working computer/laptop that is Windows based (not a segmented Mac) and has good enough hardware that I can play Diablo 3 when (if) it's finally released without any noticeable lag-time AND does not cost $1,000.00 plus.

I do not own a Mac (which is what I think when I think of Apple computers) and I never will unless their price point comes down. They are too expensive and therefore are not an option.

[jocampo]

Yes, Apple computers are expensive! I agree with that.

I do not fully understand why big companies are not able to design a good laptop or computer which prices can fall below the $500 or $400.00 margin. Talking about high quality products, enough RAM and good CPU power. I am assuming the profit margin is so low, vs the on going support nightmare (because when new, still you need to provide support) that it is not sustainable at long term. A few reasons: manufacturer needs to pay some royalties to Micro$oft in order to ship their products with X or Y Window$ flavor, a good and solid supply chain that can freeze or hold computer part prices (hint, Japan's earth quake put that on test)

The advantages or vertical systems or companies, is that they don't care about the Os part (royalties, fees, licenses, etc) because they own both. But for being a success, they also need to push the developer area and software market so people can buy their products.

Windows sucks as operating system, but the reality is that it is widely available for developers and games, plus Microsoft also produces the most important productivity software which is Office. Most companies do not use Linux as alternative, so the only choice for productivity package or the well known is Office.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by jocampo

I do not fully understand why big companies are not able to design a good laptop or computer which prices can fall below the $500 or $400.00 margin. Talking about high quality products, enough RAM and good CPU power.

A good CPU + enough RAM goes above $500. You also have to pay for the rest of the laptop/PC.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by jocampo

I do not fully understand why big companies are not able to design a good laptop or computer which prices can fall below the $500 or $400.00 margin.

I don't think it is about lack of ability, it is about lack of motivation.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

A good CPU + enough RAM goes above $500. You also have to pay for the rest of the laptop/PC.

I think that's what we have been told during all these years.

The actual cost of the whole stuff it is not more than $500.00. At least, does not justify a 1k price or more, like most good quality PCs or laptops.

Let's take for example the Mac air, the $999.99 model. Do you really think that 1k is a fair price for that netbook? Or, in other words, can that price be lower, without affecting Apple's profitability, so more consumers and users can buy?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by jocampo

I think that's what we have been told during all these years.

The actual cost of the whole stuff it is not more than $500.00. At least, does not justify a 1k price or more, like most good quality PCs or laptops.

Desktop memory is dirt cheap. Low power laptop memory is still extremely expensive.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Desktop memory is dirt cheap. Low power laptop memory is still extremely expensive.

True.

But what about the rest Harry? ... HD and storage is cheap! And besides high end servers, I do not believe current laptops are being shipped with ECC RAM or high quality RAM modules, those are reserved for servers.

Boards? that's basically plastic. How much is the total cost of making a mother board? Most companies have everything in place. It is just a matter of push a button and produce, with couple of low paid technician on the assembly line.

Anyway ... let's see ... I honestly think that some laptops and computers are over priced. Not saying they have bad quality, but are a bit higher than what they should be.

[kjk]

A bit off topic, but longtime Windows enthusiast Ed Bott wants Microsoft to put Windows 8 on the Mac:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/windo...oot-camp/3798?

A clean installation of Windows 8 on modern Apple hardware would be an ideal showcase for Windows 8 and an ideal test bed to compare Windows 8 performance with that of OS X Lion—something that no one has been able to do until now. And with no crapw… sorry, I mean, with no third-party software, Windows users would finally have a standard against which to compare the performance of designs from other OEMs.

[jocampo]

My dream Os:

Easy as Windows, but with ext4 or similar as file system. I can even compromise if I need to install an antivirus software, which I don't need on Ubuntu or Os X, but performance degradation is horrible after just a few months.

Maybe new SSD will help Microsoft on that matter and their well known fragmentation issues.

[petermillard]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Let's take for example the Mac air, the $999.99 model. Do you really think that 1k is a fair price for that netbook? Or, in other words, can that price be lower, without affecting Apple's profitability, so more consumers and users can buy?

Possibly not - re. Intel's UltraBook spec...

"Intel’s pushing hard for sub-$1,000 price tags, which just happens to be the price of a MacBook Air. However, it seems that Ultrabook manufacturers are finding that hard to achieve: DigiTimes reports that the Bill of Materials, the total cost of building an Ultrabook, will be more than $700 – and there are software licenses on top of that.
Manufacturers are already demanding Intel cuts its prices or subsidises their efforts. Intel points out that as sales go up, prices will drop. We’re taking that to mean that the typical Ultrabook price won’t be sub-$1,000 for a while..."

source

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Apple computers are expensive

No they aren't. You can get in at $999 US, and no other manufacturer gives you as much for that $999 as Apple does.

That's why their laptop sales are growing quarter by quarter...people have discovered that when you buy PC hardware (and service) you really do get what you pay for.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

I do not own a Mac (which is what I think when I think of Apple computers) and I never will

Dells are good. I liked HP, but I've had Dells that ran really well for a long time.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Do you really think that 1k is a fair price for that netbook?

I'd say yes.

Non-Apple fan site:

all those worries I once internalized about using an Air as my primary system have gone away in the past two days of heavy use. While concurrently running my everyday set up — Chrome with at least 20 tabs, Reeder, Growl, Mail, Twitter’s desktop app, Spotify, TextEdit, iTunes, Skype, Preview, and Pixelmator — the system never started gasping for air. At one point, I had about 35 windows open in Mission Control and I was still able to go about my business. There’s no doubt this Air could easily replace my current Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro.

The new processors are fast enough for almost any day-to-day task, and the Thunderbolt port allows the system to expand to almost full desktop strength using just a single cable. Oh, and Apple added the backlit keyboard back in.

Of course, those looking for all those things in a powerful ultraportable with an on-board Ethernet port, an extended battery, and a high resolution display have the VAIO Z to choose from, but at $2,000 it will set you back even more than the entry-level $1,299 13-inch Air (the unit reviewed above rings up at $1,599). And that’s where the Air finally breaks through — for under $1,300 it’s cheaper than most high-end Windows 7 ultraportables while beating them on the two things that matter the most: battery life and ergonomics.

https://thisismynext.com/2011/07/22/...inch-mid-2011/