by Earl Moore on March 26, 2007
I read that Microsoft has reported that it has sold more than 20 million Windows Vista licenses in February 2007, the first month after the operating system’s general debut in January. It also stated that that would be twice the sales rate of its predecessor, Windows XP.
Let’s see…it’s been five years since Windows XP so I would think the existing base of PC’s would be much, much larger. I wonder what percentage of Vista licenses to total Windows PC’s now would be, compared to Windows XP to total PC’s when it debuted? I believe that would give a truer picture of Vista vs. XP sales rates.
Statistics can be made to prove anything you want them to. 
Update 3/27/07:
Ars Technica has taken a look at Microsoft’s Vista sales claim with much the same view as I mentioned in this post. From their article “Vista’s twofold sales boost: MIcrosoft should thank PC market growth:”
…even assuming a dropoff in sales for Q1 2007, the “doubling” effect can easily be explained by rising PC sales alone. In early 2002, ten million new PCs were sold each month, along with 8.5 million copies of Windows XP. If the numbers hold, the first quarter of 2007 will see at least 21 million new PCs sold per month with Microsoft’s announced 20 million copies of Windows Vista.
As you can see they feel the increase of Vista Sales over XP Sales can easily be explained by a similar increase in sales of new PC’s.
Technorati Tags: microsoft, microsoft vista, microsoft xp, vista
by Earl Moore on March 26, 2007
It turns out that the Apple TV is really only a type of Mac mini running a modified version of OS X 10.4.7. There doesn’t seem to be any efforts by Apple to prevent hacking of the system and as the post below describes it is turning out to be a Mac hackers delight.
Apple TV hacks coming fast and furious: VLC, SSH, VNC, Apache and more:
The Apple TV hacks are coming fast and furious as recorded on both the Something Awful thread we already told you about, and at the Apple TV Hacks blog. Over at Something Awful, user macado shows the Apple TV successfully decoding a 720p XviD clip using the open source VLC player (though only for 6 minutes). Other users have demonstrated Firefox and iTunes running on an Apple TV as well. Meanwhile at Apple TV Hacks, there are already tutorials up on getting SSH and AFP access and even setting up Remote Desktop (VNC) and Apache.
What will this mean for the overall use and sales of the Apple TV. I’m sure that there will be some sales just for the purpose of hacking the unit. However, any of these hacks immediately invalidate the warranty. Some predict that eventually the Apple TV could change the media playing field itself.
Apple TV Could Eclipse TIVO and Netflix, Analyst Predicts:
Apple’s new set-top-box product, Apple TV, hasn’t enjoyed quite as much hype as the iPhone, but it has the potential to seriously alter the media landscape, according to one analyst.
Jonathan Hoopes, a financial analyst with ThinkEquity Partners, predicts that between 25% and 70% of the 22 million Mac computer users, and many more PC users besides, will buy the Apple TV device over the next five years. He expects that the new wireless DVR will ultimately eclipse digital video pioneer, TiVo, and mail order DVD service, Netflix, which have 4.4 million and 8.8 million subscribers, respectively.
What Apple does have is a device that can drive sales of it’s iTunes video media by making it easy for the customer to acquire and view video’s on their own TV’s in the comfort of their living room. It’s ease of use means that the average homeowner will feel very comfortable with the product. This fact alone could overcome any technical short comings that the Apple TV may currently have. Also since the Apple TV is running OS X and can directly update from the Internet, new functions and capabilities can easily be added later making the device an even better value for the money.
I’ve spent the weekend with my Apple TV and find it a very useful component for my home entertainment system.
Technorati Tags: apple, apple+tv, netflix, tivo
by Earl Moore on March 23, 2007
Robert Scoble of Scobleizer blog fame has purchased an Apple TV. He, as many of the rest of us, was critical of the usability of the device when it was first announced.
Robert is singing a different tune now (see below) and thinks that the Apple TV rocks.
Apple TV rocks ¬´ Scobleizer - Tech Geek Blogger:
Works as advertised. Easy to setup. It rocks.
It makes me want to put out a high res version of my show. But, it’s pretty watchable, even at the low resolution it is.
I’m watching Kevin Schofield on my 60-inch TV on it. The tour he gave me of MS Research’s TechFest really rocks. I’m watching the second part.
I think I’m going to use this almost wholly to look at Internet video shows.
The integration with iTunes really is great. This is a winner. I take back anything I wrote about it before.
I agree with Robert that it’s a wonderful device for watching Internet video shows. Your computer and iTunes can automatically download each latest episode allowing your to bring them up on the Apple TV and watch them. You can also set iTunes to only keep however many of the latest podcast downloaded that you want so that it automatically maintains it’s library.
Technorati Tags: apple+tv, robert+scoble, scobleizer
by Earl Moore on March 22, 2007
After my first day of using the Apple TV I reached some initial conclusions.
If…
you have a HDTV, and
you have a sizable music and video collection that you use iTunes to manage, and
you have an account with ITMS, then
…the Apple TV is a great addition to you media experience.
( If you happen to be an Apple Mac user, all the better. )
However, if you don’t meet the above conditions you may be disappointed if you purchase an Apple TV.
All-in-all the Apple TV does what it was designed to do and it seems to do it well. Yes, it just works.
I meet the above conditions and I love the fact that I can now purchase a classic TV show or movie on my computer and watch it in my living room in just a few minutes. And how about those videocast or podcast. Set your iTunes to download the new ones you subscribe to automatically and then you can check for any new releases from your living room and watch or listen to them from there. You don’t have to even go to you computer. Nice!
One other observation…I hope Apple can upgrade these units to support 1080i/p output in the future but honestly the 720p looks good on my HDTV.
Technorati Tags: apple, apple tv
by Earl Moore on March 22, 2007
Spring was certainly in the air here today. I ended up working outside in the yard most of the day and am sure to be sore tomorrow from muscles I’d forgotten about.
(Click on the images below for a larger version.)
Now I can spend real energy learning more about Apple TV.
Technorati Tags: spring
