[Ti] Re: PowerBook competition

[Dr Trevor J. Hutley]

On 22 Sep 2005, at 02:37, Chris Olson wrote:


>   Apple needs to advertise.  I mean, go to Apple's website right  
> now and what do you see on the front page?  The iPod nano.

Chris - first, thanks for that info about the Lenovo hZ60t Widescreen  
titanium notebook.  Pretty impressive, incredible price.
Although when I looked in detail at the site, I do not see much  
difference when we compare like with like/same specification.

I agree with your point about advertising.  Advertising and  
education, I think are needed.
If YOU think there is little advertising, and you are in the 'home  
country', imagine how it is elsewhere.

Here in Saudi Arabia, there is a new generation of Saudis who know  
practically nothing about Apple.

I had one student, who in his spare time runs a computer shop, who  
asked me what my laptop was.  I said look at the (Apple) logo.  It  
meant nothing to hin !  I have only found one student at the College  
who has an iPod, and 1 member of staff.  iPod is unknown to more than  
99.9% of the people.  Only the Media Centre have a (G5) Mac for  
publishing work.

A junior staff member came to me the other day and said he wanted  
some advice about buying a laptop.  He showed me a price list with a  
Dell 15..4" screen and all the bells and whistles (Bluetooth,  
wireless, long battery life) for at least $700 cheaper than the  
equivalent Powerbook.  I could muster no arguments as to why this was  
not the best option for him.
I was in the IT Department this week at the College and looked at  
their standard textbook on "Operating Systems".  Not even a mention  
of Apple or Mac anywhere.  Talk about monopoly !  Most people here (>  
99%) don't even know there is a choice or an alternative.

So I come somewhat reluctantly to the same conclusions as you, that  
more advertising and communication is need (bring back the  
evangelists), serious re-design is needed to cut out costs, margins  
have to move down, prices have to move down.

The Lenovo machine may have broken the paradigm of cheap and nasty.   
Well designed and cheap seems a new market segment that previously  
never exised.  I predict it is on a growth track.

I think that it is unrealistic to expect that Mac-OSX-for-Intel will  
stay on Apple hardware.  I believe that there will be a huge driving  
force to make it run on 1/2 price (Dell, Lenovo) laptops.  This force  
will at least activate hackers, but probably will be strong enough to  
drive Apple policy, even if reluctantly.

We are at a very interesting juncture in the development of the  
laptop.  In my recent proposals for a new building (2y out) at the  
College, I wrote that all staff should have wireless  laptops.  More  
than half the desk-space in every office here is taken over with huge  
ugly old CRT monitors, big boxes, thick cables and clunky keyboards  
(all this from new HP/Compaq PCs running XP).  My laptop is the same  
screen size, far better resolution and only a tiny footprint, and a  
pleasure to work with.  But will those laptops be Macs or Lenovo ?   
Interesting question.

Myself, I know that I could not achieve the productivity I have with  
my Al-book, Mac OS X and Keynote® with a cheap PC laptop.
How much is it worth to me?  Probably a lot.  But for those who are  
not power-users?  Maybe the advantages are worth much less, and the  
new well-designed-and-cheap laptop may scoop some people.

regards,  Trevor