Technology The Unofficial Mac thread

[S. Fourteen]

u mad?

 

[S O F I]

u mad?

You pre-ordered your iPad, didn't you?

You'll probably need these protective wings:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=41828578

 

[S. Fourteen]

Was funny on January 28th, thats about it.

 

[S O F I]

But it's a real product.

 

[S. Fourteen]

120,000 plus is a real number.


(limit two per customer)

 

[S O F I]

Good. Hopefully it turns into 5 million units. AAPL in my portfolio, biatch.

I can't lose!

 

[S. Fourteen]

4 mil is good enough for a blowjob from masta. I cant wait!

 

[S. Fourteen]

The Enterprise Desktop Alliance (an association of several Mac-centric IT vendors) recently surveyed 260 IT administrators in the US to find out which computing environment is cheaper to manage: PCs or Macs. It turns out Macs cost less to manage than PCs for 65% of the IT admins surveyed. 19% of survey respondents said the two platforms cost the same to manage, while 16% said PCs cost less to manage than Macs.

According to the survey, Macs were cheaper to troubleshoot and required fewer help desk calls; system configuration, user training, and servers/networks/printing were all cheaper for a Mac environment than a PC environment. Software licensing fees turned out to be nearly identical for both platforms.

The survey doesn't factor in the costs of the Macs themselves; Macs do present a large up-front investment, especially compared to the budget-priced Dells you usually see populating most office cubicles. However, half of the survey respondents noted they switched to a Mac platform because of a lower total cost of ownership.

The up-front cost is still a turn-off to many IT admins, though, some of whom clearly haven't even bothered shopping around for a Mac because of the perceived expense: "You can buy a PC for $400, while the cheapest Mac is over a thousand," one admin noted. Apparently someone's never heard of the Mac mini, which ranges from $599 for the cheapest model up to $999 for the server-class Mini. Even the cheapest Mac mini would be a more than capable replacement for a $400 Dell or HP computer.

After having worked in a PC-only office environment, I'm not surprised at all that Macs turn out to be cheaper to manage than PCs. The Dell workstations we used at my last job in the US crapped out on us all the time, and software issues cost us hours of lost productivity every week. Between Windows XP, Office 2000, IE 6, and Lotus Notes, our IT admins were kept very busy, especially since almost none of the rank-and-file office workers had the confidence to troubleshoot even the most basic Windows errors themselves. This was at a very large media corporation, too, one that easily could have afforded better hardware and software if they hadn't been so entrenched in the "Macs are too expensive" mindset.

Apple doesn't tend to go out of its way to target Macs to the enterprise, preferring instead to focus on everyday consumers. Even so, it looks like IT admins, frustrated with the support issues and high maintenance costs of PCs, are at least starting to consider the Mac as a viable alternate platform.

IT pros: Macs cost less to manage than PCs

well well well, look at that

 

[masta247]

^ That's because you CAN actually troubleshoot a Windows PC while this is what people usually do when Macs fail:

[YOUTUBE]FhWtJ2OwZ4A[/YOUTUBE]

Also you can't upgrade a Mac and this test compared them to some shit Dells.

 

[S. Fourteen]

This Chinese man does it more gracefully.. those boys look like a bunch of apes lol

[youtube]a1eTvBir8bs[/youtube]

 

[_carmi]

s14...

pls recommend apps for the iphone.

also, is it worth it to jailbreak my iphone? what are the odds of my iphone breaking and myself crying about my void guarantee? thank you

 

[S. Fourteen]

Well, carmi - there are just about everything for everyone and your personal taste dictate what apps are useful and what aren't

But I'll try

NAVIGON - probably the best navigation app available. The $80 price tag is a bit of a turn off for most. But most standalone Navi's cost that much if not more and you're going to have your phone on you anyway. They constantly update and release add-ons. They are serious about making you happy. Recommended for frequent drivers. Now with the Map app's ability to share your location with others through email or SMS, meeting up with friends at a random house party is just a few clicks away- even a drunk can do it! TomTom is another option. Drive safe.

Google app - There are talks of Apple switching its default search in Safari to Bing. Only Apple fanboys and Goo fanboys care about it and to the rest of the users, this app with its voice activated search is more than enough.

RedLaser - if you often do market research on Google before you buy things, this app is a cool concept. It scans the barcode and searches the prices through Google. People claimed to have saved money using this. Similar apps are available in the store.

Air Sharing - Turn your iPhone into a wireless thumb drive. Similar apps are available.

ChemTouch - Periodic Table. A lady at a grocery store was doing her crossword puzzle, she notices that I'm Asian so she asks me "what element is Tc?" so I replied "I'm not sure, but give me a second and I'll look it up in my iPhone." "Technetium!" "You're awesome!" "I know". True Story.

Banner - Customizable scrolling message. I have FUCK U on stand-by for road rage incidents. Similar apps are available.

myLite - Turn you iPhone into a flashlight. Color and effects are available for your next acid trip session. Similar apps are available. I'll mention this even though I've learned that opening up the SMS app or a blank white Safari page is good enough. Get it if it's free. This might save your pinky toe from damage during the next power outage.

TED - Ideas worth spreading. Great for while on the shitter.

Shazam - Ever hear a song on a YouTube video and can't find the artist name? Open Shazam and point the iPhone's microphone to the speakers. I've had about 60% success rate. Purchased 4 albums so far thanks to Shazam.

There are all kinds of creativity apps for music and graphics. Worth looking into.

Same with Photography. Phote editing, filters, manipulation, uploading to a service like Flickr. They are all in the Photography section.

I'm not too keen on using a phone for serious photography. I say it's not megapixel, it's the optical glass used for the lens. But no problem for casual Facebook photos. /rant

News apps offered by your local stations might be a good way to be in touch with your city's news, traffic, sports, etc. They offer things that apps like CNN and USAToday can't offer.

Yesterday, I looked outside and I saw a bunch of white crap growing on my yard "omega wtf is that?!" I said. Later, I pop opened the KARE 11 app and lo and behold, they're talking about the outbreak of snow mold. Isn't the information age great?

There are great deal of shopping apps available. I use Amazon, NewEgg, eBay, Overstock, Target and Best Buy. I don't shop on my phone that often, but it's useful to have access to your order status and things like that while you're away from the desktop.


Games, of course the games. This sector was a surprise even for Apple I think. Lots of games on the iPhone. Games are a good way to drain your batter in a short time, but if you turn off the sound and vibration and lower the brightness, you can get a decent amount of gaming done. Some apps that get replay are;

HoldEm - poker
Scarbble - is Wu are word?
FlightControl - simply addictive
Tiger Woods - he will be back!
Madden NFL - totally unrealistic, because Adrain Peterson never fumbles in it, but it's fun.
Battleship - play with friends. what more can you ask for?

Do most you app downloading in iTunes. Faster and easier imo.

 

[S. Fourteen]

also, is it worth it to jailbreak my iphone? what are the odds of my iphone breaking and myself crying about my void guarantee? thank you

Jailbreaking is fairy simple, and you can always restore it to its original sate. The biggest advantage of it is you get free apps, or apps that aren't found in the AppStore. You can overcome the "limitation" of the non-jailbroken phone. Personally, I don't feel like I'm missing out by not jailbreaking. Sure, I want to tether my 3G to another device but why should I be selfish and further rape the AT&T network and disrupt productivity of other people just because I think I have the right to abuse the system?
Basically, if you're an Apple shareholder, don't jailbreak.
If you're a student without the luxury, break away.

Hacking the software will not destroy the phone itself . It's 99% safe. It's possible that a faulty unapproved app could cause the battery to over heat and damage the device, but I have never heard of it.

Also, use your phone while sitting, and avoid walking around with it in your hand while on hard surfaces. My brother in-law has shattered his iPhone 3 times in the last year.

 

[_carmi]

thanks s14. i think i'll keep my iphone as it is for now. the chances are i will find some way to seriously damage it in the next couple of months. poor thing fell on the floor so many times already. and i got it 1 month ago.

 

[Casey]

LOL at paying for a Navigation app when Android phones have it for free

 

[S. Fourteen]

Casey, some the free Android apps you boast about are supported through volunteer donations. LOL

 

[Casey]

Casey, some the free Android apps you boast about are supported through volunteer donations. LOL

Not the ones made by Google, like Google Nav.

Regardless your statement is still incorrect, most Android developers monetize their apps through mobile advertising, via AdMob (who Google just acquired for $850 million, leaving Apple stuck with shitty-ass Quatro Wireless, a company with a fraction of the market share of AdMob)

Not that there's anything wrong with a developer making money off of donations either. I don't know why you laughed at that, developers are free to monetize or not monetize their creations through whatever way they wish. Then again, freedom probably isn't a word present in your vernacular.

 

[S. Fourteen]

What, you don't pay for software? You broke ass! LOL

 

[Casey]

Of course I do. But not when there are superior free alternatives, because that would be idiotic.

 

[S. Fourteen]

developers are free to monetize or not monetize their creations through whatever way they wish.

werrrd