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Apple, once untouchable in terms of marketing, has gotten a little roughed up lately. For much of the decade, Apple got away with bashing longtime adversary Microsoft without repercussions. Apple also dominated the MP3 player category without a serious rival. But now, as Microsoft has reinvigorated its marketing and it navigates into the phone handset category, suddenly everyone is bashing Apple. First there was the Microsoft “I’m a PC” TV spot from Crispin, Porter + Bogusky featuring a send-up of the dorky “PC” caricature in Apple’s “Get A Mac” campaign. Then, three weeks ago Verizon launched a teaser pitch from...

Apple is the defendant in two recent, offbeat lawsuits, including one filed by an artist who alleges he invented and named the iPod and iPhone in the 1980s, only to have Apple and actress Sarah Jessica Parker steal his trade secrets. Defendants Apple, Steve Jobs and Sarah Jessica ParkerIn 1989, the suit alleges, plaintiff Franz A. Wakefield won first place in the 17th Congressional District Arts Competition and was honored by Congressman William Lehman and movie stars Parker and Robert Downey Jr. A self-described "trade secret and copyright owner," Wakefield, of Miami, Fla., is president and chief product design engineer...

When you buy an Apple device, you're often locked in to buying other Apple products that are compatible with it. Here are five examples, and some advice on what to do. Oh, wait--there's nothing you can do.Once you enter the Big Tent of Apple, it's exceedingly hard to find the exit. Over its 33-year history, Apple has consistently elected to limit consumer choice, creating a situation known as "lock in." As soon as you start buying stuff from Apple, you'll find it difficult to move to products made by someone else without losing everything you've already paid for. Of course,...

My daughter a HS Junior is doing really well in school. I am planning to buy her a new laptop for school. She currently has a Dell 13" XPS that has been ok, but the battery has been replaced twice, the CD/DVD will currently only play CDs and it is getting slower to start up. So I start looking and I know she wants a Mac because they are cool, I however am not a Mac fan. Not that there is anything wrong with Mac, I have a slowly dying PowerMac G5 Dual that has a nice monitor I use...

The more I think and learn about the curious pricing of the 27” iMac, the more bizarre and incredible it seems. It has a resolution of 2560x1440, which no other monitor in the industry seems to have (that I can find). 30” LCDs are the same width but 1600 tall. Shrinking 2560-wide into a screen that’s 3” smaller diagonally yields an impressive pixel density, especially given the panel’s still-immense size. It has an IPS panel. IPS is the best and most expensive LCD type, giving the best viewing angle and the least color- and brightness-shifting as the angle increases in...

Steve Ballmer recently stated that Windows 7 is the best version of Windows ever. Now that Windows 7 is officially out, the public at large can join that debate and determine if Windows 7 is the best version of Windows yet, or even the greatest operating system of all time. Let's consider the hypothetical question of whether Windows 7 is the greatest operating system of all time. Before the flaming comments start flowing about what a Microsoft fanboy I am, let me begin by stating that it's a hypothetical question, not a statement of opinion, never mind an assessment of...

I have a confession: I'm a switcher. My long journey with Windows, which began even before Windows with MS-DOS, ended with Windows Vista. While so many others navigated the Vista debacle by sticking with Windows XP, I gave Vista a try -- and gave up. I leapt to the Mac OS. Could Windows 7 lure me back? Windows 7 was built to fix the problems that plagued Vista, and it unquestionably succeeds in doing that. It's a bit less bloated, and it runs a bit faster. The annoying security alerts from User Account Control have been quieted. And the compatibility...

There’s nothing geeks love more than to argue mobile phone platforms. Here’s Matt Blaisdell saying that apps weren’t key to iPhone’s success. That’s true, but now that Apple has apps the world has changed and challengers to the iPhone will find it very tough. Here’s why: everyone is using a different set of 20 apps. Trillions of combinations. You can see this on Appsfire’s VIP list (my iPhone apps are listed there, along with a number of others). None of us have the same set of apps. So, to get me off of the iPhone you are going to have...

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer appeared on NBC's Today Show on Thursday to shill his company's Vista service pack, er, "Windows 7" and spent the entire segment in front of an older model (note the latches above the screen) Apple MacBook Pro (courtesy of an NBC graphic designer — Mac user, no doubt — who must have a wicked sense of humor): Direct link to video via Hulu here. Of course, it's easy to run Windows 7 (or any other Windows version, Linux, etc.) and non-Mac applications on OS-unlimited Macs natively (via Apple's Boot Camp) and/or via fast virtualization (VMWare Fusion,...

I think the saying goes that those that don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it. This is likely to point with Apple this month as they sit stunned that Windows 7 is doing so well and they are left looking foolish with products priced out of the segment. Their big news this week was a couple of PCs, a new keyboard and a multi-touch mouse. This last will likely go down in history as one of the lamest devices yet as they should know, given the iPhone, that touch is connected to the screen and not anything else....

Apple debuted a trio of hard-hitting "Get a Mac" ads today on U.S broadcast and cable networks that target Microsoft's Windows 7. In Apple's "PC News" spot, "PC" reports that the launch of Windows 7 is causing "Upgrade Fever." People just cant wait to upgrade to their new Macs! Direct link via YouTube here. In "Tetter Tottering," a PC sufferer explains that to go from WIndows XP to Windows 7 you have to move all of your stuff anyway, so move it to the personal computer rated #1 in customer satisfaction: Apple's Mac. Direct link via YouTube here. In "Broken...

Yes, Windows 7 didn't even hit the market until Thursday. But that hasn't stopped a fog of myths from enveloping the newest version of the much loved--and much hated--PC operating system from Microsoft. [Slide Show: The Best of What's New in Windows 7.] The software giant hoped that wide exposure to Windows 7 would help smooth its entry. Microsoft let millions of consumers and professionals download test versions of the operating system. And by a wide margin, testers have found the new system to be the best yet from Microsoft. Version 7 is leaner, more useful, and prettier than past...

The contenders: Microsoft Windows 7 vs. Apple Snow Leopard Microsoft Windows 7 (Professional) Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard It's not often that the two most popular operating systems get major updates so close to each other, so we couldn't resist throwing them into a cage match together. Already we can hear some of you screaming that Snow Leopard isn't a major update--we know this one's personal! But is Windows 7 nothing more than "Vista done right"? Microsoft's severe stumble with Vista aside, Windows 7 clearly positions the operating system for the future, with a new look that integrates heavily...

I've been ruminating the past few days on why Apple (AAPL) is doing so well with it's pricey high-end products and services during a recession. The answer came as I was reading Wednesday's New York Times column by Thomas Friedman, whom I deeply admire and read anything and everything he puts out. Friedman points out that the winners in today's fast-shifting U.S. job market are the ones demonstrating "entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity." He says, "They are the new untouchables," in contrast to other still highly educated but less creative types. Friedman cites Harvard University labor expert Lawrence Katz, who explains...

Nokia sues Apple claiming iPhone infringement of Nokia GSM, UMTS and WLAN patentsNokia today sued Apple claiming iPhone patent infringement. Nokia's press release, verbatim: Nokia sues Apple in Delaware District Court for infringement of Nokia GSM, UMTS and WLAN patents October 22, 2009 Espoo, Finland - Nokia announced that it has today filed a complaint against Apple with the Federal District Court in Delaware, alleging that Apple's iPhone infringes Nokia patents for GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) standards. As a leading innovator in wireless communications, Nokia has created one of the strongest and broadest patent portfolios in the...

As students of recessions know, not all economic activity stops, even during the worst of it. People went to movies in the 1930s, and movies made great leaps in technology. Contrast the look and sound of The Thin Man (1934) with that of The Wizard of Oz (1939) made just five years later. Recessions destroy bad, bloated and behind-the-times business models. By doing so, recessions clear the way for the new and novel. I've mentioned this so many times that I might sound like a broken record to some, but consider the new companies and trends that emerged and thrived...

Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 fourth quarter ended September 26, 2009. The Company posted revenue of $9.87 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.67 billion, or $1.82 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $7.9 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.14 billion, or $1.26 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.6 percent, up from 34.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter’s revenue. Analysts consensus' expectations called for EPS of $1.42 on $9.2 billion revenue. In accordance with the subscription accounting...

With the October 22nd release of Windows 7 just around the corner, Microsoft is also putting the final touches on its first two retail stores which are scheduled to open in Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California in just a few weeks. Microsoft first announced its plans to open up its own branded retail stores back in February. Microsoft explained that it was getting into the retail business as a means to connect more directly with customers, exert better control over the Microsoft brand, and to “transform the PC and Microsoft buying experience.” Since that time, and as specific details...

Psystar won't fight Leopard injunction now that it's using Snow Leopard Apple and Mac clone maker Psystar traded barbs last week in federal court as they simultaneously asked a judge to end the case that began more than 15 months ago. Florida-based Psystar took the unusual step of conceding to an injunction, saying that it would agree to stop using Mac OS X 10.5, aka Leopard, on the machines it sells. The two companies have been battling since July 2008, when Apple sued Psystar over the latter's practice of installing Apple's Mac OS X operating system on generic Intel-based computers....

The ongoing legal dispute between Psystar and Apple continues to soldier on, with the latest dispute centering on a Psystar motion which seeks to make Apple’s technological circumvention measures in OS X publicly available information.When this case first started, Judge Alsup issued a ruling which allowed both parties to keep confidential information private. So last week, when Psystar and Apple filed their respective motions for Summary Judgment, both motions were heavily redacted whenever the security measures that tie OS X to Apple hardware were referenced.Psystar now argues that much of the redacted information contained in both their and Apple’s briefs...