Everyone Hates Their Mac / PC

There's been a lot of talk about the new Microsoft ad which challenges a shopper to purchase a notebook for under $1000, obviously attacking Apple in the one area where PC's (may) hold an advantage over Macs.

While this topic continues to be debated, we think the most interesting factoid in this AppleInsider story was the survey suggesting the majority of computer users, both PC and Mac aren't very satisfied with their operating system. Sure OSX user satisfaction far outweighed Windows satisfaction, but at 50 percent, this number seems low to us.

What exactly do users want out of their OS? Is the modern day OS still too complicated for most people?

Very strange.

Mac Mini, You Break Our Heart.

The good news today was the long awaited update to the Mac Mini finally happened. We only had to wait 18 months, but it finally happened, and they included the much needed 9400m Nvidia, so we are happy. Yea that's the good news....

The bad news is, who the hell is gonna buy these things at their current price?!? 600 bucks for 120GB HD and 1GB of ram in 2009 is joke. The only thing that makes us laugh more is seeing the $200 Apple tax for an additional 1GB of ram and 200GB of drive space.

For comparisons sake we speced out a Dell Studio Desktop. Sure you lose the small form factor, but you gain a 2.8ghz processor, 4gigs of ram, 500GB HD and Nvidia 9800GT for $724.

A few months back Steve Jobs stated that Apple simply cannot make a decent computer for $500. Well it looks like that dollar figure may have moved up a bit. And if that's the case Apple should just kill the Mini once and for all instead of embarrassing themselves and insulting its customers.

Apple Tax Out of Control?

We saw this image over on Digg and thought it was worth a quick post. We haven't check these specs ourselves, but if true the so-called Apple tax is truly out of hand. With Q109 results due today, it will be interesting to see how the poor economy and Apple's unwillingness to budge on price effected their sales.

The Forgotten Mini

Dell announced today a new line of small, affordable and eco-friendly desktops under the Studio Hybrid name. Yes the name is horrible, but these little desktops pack decent specs and are sexy as hell. Call us crazy, but we even like the wood grain model. A direct comparison to Apple's Mac Mini can easily be made, and it makes us wonder why Apple has abandoned its little fellow. The mini was suppose to be an affordable desktop aimed at PC converts. It was to compete with and out sexy the lowend offerings from beige box PC manufactures. Instead it's been pushed aside and forgotten, and now outclassed by of all companies Dell.

With iPhone 2 around the corner, what's in store for the iPod touch?

We're less than five days away from at least the announcement, and who knows... maybe the shipment of the next generation of Apple iPhone. We know iPhone SDK is coming as well, and we know the touch will share much of the same software functionality as the iPhone. Could that mean an iPod touch re-design on Monday as well? Take video, for example. If the iPhone is given the ability to record video, is that a function that could come to the touch too?

And if rumors of a $199 subsidized iPhone prove true, what happens to the touch price point? It can't be less than $199, or it would cut into iPod nano sales. More than $199, and why would someone buy a touch when there would be potentially more functionality in the new iPhone?

Apple has previously stated if a product is going to get cannibalized, they want it to get cannibalized by their own product, rather than someone else's. That may be true here too, but it just seems like the price points could make for a crowded product lineup between $200 and $300.