HP has just released the Envy 13 and 15…. basically macbook clones with metal cases etc….

Now compare the cost of an Envy running Windows 7, with a macbook running Snow Leopard.

Damn close in price.

Maybe compare the new imac to similar spec all in one desktop ? hmmm damn close price again.

When you consider that everyone is saying “windows 7 feels Apple like”.. why not just get the OS and hardware, that everyone seems to try copy ?

As for running windows alongside OSX…

Yup.. I’ll be running Windows 7 on my old XP desktop, so I can play games. Then again.. for the price of a full featured version of windows 7 , I could simply buy a game console.

Agree that Windows 7 opportunity is mostly Windows XP users. As far as experience, wait until the new Microsoft stores open and we’ll talk, for now I’ll agree.

I know it sounds lame, but Apple is an experience. The hardware, the software, the usability, the features, the design, the customer service, the innovation and the all-around complete package that the rest of the PC world is trying to offer but can’t.

Apple: one version for $29

Microsoft: seven different versions from $120-$220 plus some serious hair-pulling

See what I mean?

i mean like because of their customers they at least got this amount of courage to carry on, and personnaly i agree wit rob & ian

http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/10/05/85-of-mac-owners-have-windows-too/

“85% of Mac owners have Windows too

Approximately 12% of U.S. computer households own an Apple (AAPL) computer, up from 9% in 2008, according to the results of a survey released Monday morning by the NPD group.

But here’s the kicker: the vast majority — 85% — also own at least one PC running Microsoft (MSFT) Windows.”

Seeding is different, seeding is to build product advocacy. Apple “testers” may think they get some say but their reason for being is to pitch and defend the product. Apple does this particularly well.

Microsoft’s RC release wasn’t a beta test either it was a seeding program, the beta test that came before which timed out the software in July was a beta test. The goals and results are different.

Apple is a marketing driven company, for them seeding is more natural and they are generally able to use their advocates to play down problems and play up advantages during the first months of a new release.

Snow Leopard, for a closed product, is relatively buggy. So has almost every iPhone release been. In effect the true beta testers are the first buyers of Apple’s products. In the consumer segment this is far from unusual, in fact, I’d argue it is the norm. There was no beta test for Zune for instance.

But when you sell to large corporations you are generally required to do some kind of beta testing otherwise few will deploy the product. Even with beta testing Vista clearly had issues so it is no panacea either. However, the amount of breakage that Snow Leopard is experiencing Windows 7 should pass it quickly. It is interesting to note that Windows 7 has 1.5% share right now, Apple has 5.12% share as of September and Snow Leopard 18% of that. That gives Snow Leopard .92 market share so, even before it has been released, Windows 7 has a larger market share than Snow Leopard has though it is not yet taking share from the MacOS. Then again it isn’t shipping yet either.

References:

http://theappleblog.com/2009/10/01/snow-leopards-leaps-in-market-share/

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1557310/vista-losing-market-share

I don’t see how the net change will help Apple. I am with Ian, people looking for a new PC skipped Vista and went Apple, but that is about to change.

First, let’s correct a typical Enderle mistake: Apple, of course, does extensively beta test their software. They do not have an OPEN beta test, but they certainly beta test everything.

No Mac users will switch to Windows 7. At best, this will slow the rate of Windows switchers coming to the Mac. Why? Enderle answers the question, “I don’t recommend even trying to upgrade from Windows XP, and therefore didn’t test that.”

Something like 60-70% of the potential Windows 7 customers are coming from XP, not Vista. Microsoft has done something really stupid here: They’ve given Apple a level playing field. It is as easy to move from WinXP to a Mac as it is to upgrade from XP. Apple will exploit that.

Finally, we have a prediction, “Oh, and yes, for the record, Windows 7 will kick MacOS butt – the difference being that Mac fans simply aren’t likely to care”. That’s probably wrong. Apple will continue to grow the Mac marketshare because Microsoft and Apple will be splitting the XP and Vista upgraders. Some will go to Win7, some the Mac, but the net change will still favor Apple, although perhaps not as drastically as during the Vista debacle era.

I’m ex-IBM myself where the term came from. A Beta test is a public test, the reason Apple calls their program a “seeding” program is that it isn’t public. The public nature of the program allows buyers to see what was caught and fixed, it is intended to be transparent. What Apple does, and read their site, isn’t transparent or public.

Another thing to point out is that companies like Dell are finally catching on and starting to announce products that have that Apple aesthetic appeal to them. Couple that with Windows 7 (which feels like a Mac OS) and I would say that Apple could be in a world of hurt soon.

For the record: Snow Leopard sucks and there are a lot of people complaining about it.

Apple does indeed beta test their software:

https://appleseed.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SeedPortal