Microsoft Announces Business Launch for Vista, Office, Exchange

@Preseton
"For some reason, you think repeating over and over that this was known a year ago (yes, we're all aware of that) somehow changes the fact that it's a fake RTM."

For some reason, you don't answer my question. I can only assume you don't have one except to be negative.

Apple is a successful company...MS is more successful. If not so, then why is Bill Gates the richest man in the world. Now, when you try to say its not about the money...WRONG...that's exactly what its about. Thats like so many young kids saying that "such and such" a band was great, then they went too commercial. I used to think that way, then I grew up. All of those bands that go commercial...that was thier goal. To make a living!!! The same is true for Apple, MS, and all other companies...otherwise, why do it???

vandil2/bonch/preseton/vandil/sybil -- eventually, you'll grow up and realize this too....until then, keep on worshiping Mr. Jobs and demonizing Mr. Gates...its the popular thing to do!!!

--tayme

"The Mac Pro and the MacBook Pro are thousands less than their Dell counterparts."

Thousands? Show me. Computers shouldn't have a price delta in the thousands when they only cost thousands. Your unbacked implication is somewhere in the neighborhood of saying a MacPro costs half as much as a Dell that performs equally.

Alas this isn't the case. The truth is Apple has finally gotten a few reasonable figures for their bottom of the barrel configurations on the 'Pro' Line. However, if you configure a more meaty system, the price mushrooms while the performance does not.

For instance, the true top-of-the-line MacPro costs over 30,000USD. Would you like to know why? Overinflated RAM prices mixed with even worse inflation in the HDD arena. There is no way in the world a standard-cooled, 2 processor, 16GB machine should cost that much.

You can build much higher-performance configurations for half as much. I point you to Hexus.net for counterexamples.

Luxury cars include modifications that are 'non-standard'.

Apple will not let you open a iMac without voiding the warranty. How is that for customization? Even Dell lets you switch your own hardware while giving you support.

You point people to IBM saying they are the crowning example of industry failure due to 'fatcat syndrome' yet they made your processors for over a decade and currently are one of the leading semiconductor research groups in the world. They are about as dead as a newborn baby.

Apple doesn't seem to want to be a market leader anyway. There was actually genuine interest in porting OSX to real PCs after the switch to "modern CPUs" ala x86. Apple squished this, they didn't want their baby going out for a walk on its own, it could get hurt.

So after suing independent developers into the ground, Apple released a blanket statement that absolutely no-one outside of itself was allowed to fiddle with OSX period. Wow... loverly developers. And MS is legally forced to give Vista's kernel out.

@jersey72:

"And the fact that BMW is one of the more expensive auto manufacturers on the market has nothing to do with lower numbers?"

Well, it's more expensive because it's a higher-quality automobile built with higher-quality materials. Having said that, even Apple has been competing with Dell's prices surprisingly well in the last few months. The Mac Pro and the MacBook Pro are thousands less than their Dell counterparts. I think this explains the recent upsurge in Mac sales, particularly among college students. Not to mention that Apple's hardware is simply gorgeous.

My point was that PC users like to mock the Mac for its small market share, which is weird compared to the automobile market where people don't mock BMW for their small market share. In fact, they're considered a successful company with excellent automobiles.

By its nature, Windows is a lowest common denominator OS. There will always be faster competitors with luxury features that Microsoft doesn't have. Some people seem to believe the fact Microsoft is so big means they're doing well. On the contrary, the company is struggling with a myriad of major issues leading to its eventual irrelevance in several key markets, just like IBM in the early 1980s. People who don't learn from history's mistakes are doomed to repeat them.

@Preseton/bonch

"Now, if you're talking about quantity, of course it will be higher for Windows. Just like BMW has a smaller segment of the market but is considered one of the best brands of car."

And the fact that BMW is one of the more expensive auto manufacturers on the market has nothing to do with lower numbers?

Miata starts at $21,000. Z4 starts at $35,600. Miata outsells Z4 because of the $14,600 price difference.